Photons in Motion (Excerpt)

This is a short excerpt from my album "A New Beginning" Since I decided to participate once again on this forum I thought I should put my input. I would like to talk a bit about the piece, how I did certain things and why.

As evident, this is an atmospheric piece with lots of pads. I adore pads, and I am always on the look for new and exciting software synthesizers that have massive selection of pads. Pads are what define ambient music, and the genre just couldn't be what it is without them. There are countless applications that make all sorts of pad sounds. So much that you could litterally be lost in the countless patches. Take Omnisphere or Atmosphere for example. I use them extensively as well as some pads from good old Reason. But to be original with them is another story.

There is a dominant sound that you hear starting from 0.15 to about 0.25. I think it sounds like a very high pitched rotating something (!). That is not simply a patch. It is a pad which plays a chord constructed of 5 or 6 pitches in perfect 5th intervals. On top of that there is a very simple vst effect which is called chopper. What chopper does is very simple, as the name suggest it chops the sound like that, a bit similar to a Gated effect but much simpler.

Then right next to that in about 0.28 another pad enters. Again this one is only a simple line. I think only the F# note! But it has gone through extensive automation. Automation is a KEY element in electronic music. Automation could be just about anything, from volume automation to fx automation. Here in this example the rotating sounds are achieved using the Rotary effect on cubase. Most of the time Rotary is used in a much different context but here I thought it was appropirate. There are all sorts of automations that make the F# pitch sound like rotating. Notice all the differences in the rotation speeds and how it makes it sound so exciting and fresh.

You will then hear the slide guitar. I am not a good guitarist but that line was easy enough for me to play (It was actually performed using a shot glass!). At this stage you will hear the Moog. Now there is another automation, this time volume. You can clearly see how the volume automation makes it much more interesting than simply going on. Just to make it more diverse, I played my Solina on top of all the instruments when the bass guitar finally arrive. In electronic music, real instruments really shine through and using only software syhtns is not a really good idea, in my opinnion.

I hope this could give you some insight to the production of this song and I hope you enjoyed it. I will be waiting for your comments!!

Photons in Motion (Excerpt)

Woah, man that was really trippy! You're pretty nifty with your effects and pads; I sure wish I had the professional software to implement that kind of stuff with my music :facepalm:

Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to hearing more

This is really pretty actually. It reminds me somewhat of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album with the slide guitar and the "chopper" effect. Good work. You said this is for an album. Will it all be ambient? Is there any plan to use it as a soundtrack or the like?

Thank you for listening!

Nick: If you could not afford Cubase and you are using PC, I recommend you Reaper. I used it before I swithced to Cubase but it was free back then. Now I checked it and it's not that expensive. It is a really good sequencer which supports VST and packed with a lot of features. You could eventually build your VST library over the years, and that's basicly what I did.

benximf: The album is not completely ambient. It is actually completed and it's out there on itunes and amazon. I am planning to put a few of the tracks here and talk about them. I did not think about a soundtrack but I am on the look for a professional team which could make a music video for the tracks.

I've heard the entire Album an is excellent ... nothing but Congrats to you,

(consider the Reviewer thing done, let me contact the "Chiefs" ....)

i now can see how my music sounds odd to you. we have quite different ideas about sound worlds and its logics!

but from what i hear, it's nicely done, a bit too high for my tastes, but i can add low and more aggresive sounds in my imaginations and it does not kill your piece, meaning there's a possibility for a chat.

Hey Inal,

I love this track. Throwing in the slide guitar and bass were smart additions. They definitely kept the piece grounded and made it easier to relate to.

Nice mixing and really lovely pads.

Excellent work!

-John

pliorius: This is not an accurate representation of my work if you are going to judge my sense of "sound worlds and its logics" this might not be your first stop. I love incorporating different ideas or styles into my work. This, for example is clearly ambient oriented, which is not your cup of tea as I can see.

John: As I explained it, I use a lot of real instruments and you have seen the difference they make. You are right when you say it makes it easier for people to relate to. Sometimes all-synth based music is difficult for the listener simply because we are more used to hearing drums, guitars and other live instruments. Mixing is done by Emre Yazgin, who is also the producer of the album. Your praise goes to him, he did an excellent job.

thanks for listening!

good piece , as benxiwf said , its somehow like pink floyd's work! good job .