"Snap Diary" [mp3 removed -- please listen on Bandcamp]
Composed w/ Tracktion's Waveform DAW, running on Ubuntu Studio
Sound sources:
Beats "from the internet"
Collective (software synth/sampler)
Calf Monosynth (triggered and recorded using Ardour and imported into Waveform)
a-fluidsynth playing E-Mu Orbit samples (triggered and recorded using Ardour and imported into Waveform)
"Digging in the crates"
Screenshot of work space -- Tracktion Software's Waveform DAW running on Ubuntu Studio:
Tracktion's core concept is the single interface -- midi editing and mixing can all theoretically be done in one window. By popular demand they've recently added separate, optional windows for those functions. An advantage of Waveform (as opposed to Cubase or Ableton) is its ease of rendering audio. MIDI piano roll sequences triggering samplers or softsynths can be converted "in place" to audio clips (as they're called). The rendered clips, with waveforms drawn graphically, appear in the same track position or on an adjacent track. In Ableton, one has to create a recording channel to capture the MIDI track output as audio; in Waveform, tracks are agnostic as to whether they are employed for audio or midi -- it's all based on the clip. Sampling from turntables or other sources is also very fast and easy. That this all works on Linux is impressive. The disadvantage for Linux users is still third party (non-Tracktion) plugins -- many of these crash or freeze. At the moment I've enough options just with Tracktion plugins, sampled sounds that can be dragged into the timeline directly from the browser, and hardware synths controlled and recorded by the DAW, that the lack of this plugin functionality isn't chafing (too much).
"Trance Terrarium" [mp3 removed -- please listen on Bandcamp]
Song made with Tracktion's Waveform digital audio workstation, running on Ubuntu Studio.
Sound sources include:
Tracktion's Collective synth/sampler (running on Windows 7);
Helm softsynth, running on Linux
Tracktion's FM Synth plugin on Linux PC ("organ" patch arranged in an augmented 7th chord)
Various E-Mu samples triggered in Waveform sample players
Beats are scratch samples played in Reaktor Krypt, further sliced in Octatrack and mixed with other percussion.
Update: Made the bridge/ending a hair less simplistic; re-uploaded.
Update 2: Increased the tempo of the bridge/ending and extended the finale with new melodies added; re-uploaded.
Update 3: Opening verse melody slightly de-simplified; re-uploaded.
Update 4 (Oct 14): Opening verse melody de-simplified more; re-uploaded.
"Lizards from Planet Reagan" [mp3 removed -- please listen on Bandcamp]
Astute listeners who lived through the '80s may recognize attributes of a great TV theme.
Song made with Tracktion's Waveform digital audio workstation, running on Ubuntu Studio.
Sound sources include:
Tracktion's Collective synth/sampler (running on Windows 7);
Helm softsynth, running on Linux and Windows 7
Recording of hardware modular synth
Tracktion's FM Synth plugin on Linux PC ("sitar" patch arranged in a 7th chord of some kind)
Attributes of a great TV theme.
"Little Infernos" [mp3 removed -- please listen on Bandcamp]
Song made with Tracktion's Waveform digital audio workstation, running on Ubuntu Studio.
Sound sources include:
Eurorack modules: Violin samples granularized in the Qu-Bit Nebulae, filtered in Z-DSP VC-Digital Signal Processor, sequenced with Doepfer A-154/155, then timestretched and further altered in Waveform
Two Waveform Sampler Rack plugins with various beats from my burgeoning ".wav collection"
Arpeggiated 8-bit-ish synths played with the Helm softsynth plugin (LV2 version), running in Ardour, rendered and imported into Waveform
The mood here is creepy, disjointed, and languid.
