One synth EP Challenge (No competition or prizes - just for fun)

Great fun, great prizes! Good luck!
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Manoosh
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Joined: 26 Jan 2017

05 Mar 2017

[quote="

1. "You know, there aren't six people in this room who know, how true this really is"


[/quote]

Where are these vocals from? I mean the man who tells the story... I always watch for such vocals, best royality free... but hard to find!

Peter

05 Mar 2017

That is some pretty fine minimalism right there - oooh-wee! :D I know some folks don't really "get" minimal music and critics such as Elliot Carter have compared it to fascism. CHECK THIS OUT! :o As a tweaker of four to the floor music, I've learned to really appreciate it though and I admire certain things you are doing in your compositions such as the filter movement and shifting the vibe through the track. As for your mixing comment, that just comes with experience and it is your own artistic journey. Have a good one! :)

Good stuff everybody. I'll be back to this thread soon. :thumbs_up:

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TritoneAddiction
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05 Mar 2017

rcbuse wrote:Nice! Can't wait to hear how this turns out.
As a developer I imagine it must be pretty satisfying to see users dedicate their time to make full albums and EPs with REs you've made.
This thread seems to have a lot of Panda fans :)

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TritoneAddiction
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05 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:The Proton album challenge I set for myself (done within the Reasonistas Song challenge) as well as listening to everybody there took a lot out of me.
I have no idea how you manage to squeeze out a full album in a month. That's crazy.
It would be great to add the album in this thread. The more synths that are being represented the better. After all you wrote the album with a deadline in mind, right? And you only used Proton.
Feel free to make a post with a link to your Proton album and I'll add it to the list of finished EPs/albums.

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TritoneAddiction
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05 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:
TritoneAddiction wrote:Well here's my Chip64 EP.
Your compositions are amazing and I greatly admire your work from where I stand in minimalism! :D

This makes me want to call in sick to work and play video games. I get a bonus if I don't miss any days though. ;)
Thanks. Really appreciate it.
I really enjoy working with simple/limited synths. It makes for less tweaking and more focus on melodies instead. Seems like I subconsciously picked synths to make EPs with that are pretty limited and easy to work with: Chip64, Legend, FM4 (really becoming a fan of FM4).

I find it interesting that you and modecca often take the opposite route, with Nostromo and other rather technical Panda devices.
It just makes for completely different music than what I make which is why I find both of your music rather fascinating.
Someday I'll get smart enough to dive into his REs and discover their endless possibilities.

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TritoneAddiction
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05 Mar 2017

Despondo wrote:Take a journey through time and space on a mission of discovery, exploration, mystery and danger.

I am proud to announce the completion and release of my Nostromo only EP. It is called "REDSHIFT" and can be heard and purchased here on my 'Despondo' Bandcamp page:

Produced, Mixed and Mastered in Propellerhead Reason 9.2 using only the Nostromo Synthesizer Rack Extension (except drums).

Thanks for listening!
That was pretty f***ing great I must say. I really enjoyed that. All tracks go together very well. Beautiful.
Great work!

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Despondo
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05 Mar 2017

TritoneAddiction wrote:That was pretty f***ing great I must say. I really enjoyed that. All tracks go together very well. Beautiful.
Great work!
Thank you sir! I had the idea before this challenge to make an album based on the color RED, but when the Nostromo came out, it morphed into a kind of space oriented theme, so I combined them together. :-)

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rcbuse
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05 Mar 2017

TritoneAddiction wrote:
rcbuse wrote:Nice! Can't wait to hear how this turns out.
As a developer I imagine it must be pretty satisfying to see users dedicate their time to make full albums and EPs with REs you've made.
This thread seems to have a lot of Panda fans :)
Yea, its pretty unreal. I'm surprised at how many people have chosen Nostromo to be the focus. I like to listen to them as I work on V2.

Peter

06 Mar 2017

TritoneAddiction wrote:I have no idea how you manage to squeeze out a full album in a month. That's crazy.
Not as crazy as having no life outside of the full time job! One arrangement per day off plus I squeezed in a few arrangements spread out across some work days. Good thing my girlfriend and I live together otherwise I don't think I'd have one. :lol:
TritoneAddiction wrote:It would be great to add the album in this thread. The more synths that are being represented the better. After all you wrote the album with a deadline in mind, right? And you only used Proton.
Feel free to make a post with a link to your Proton album and I'll add it to the list of finished EPs/albums.
Thanks. Proton is really a mixed bag and more of a processing device than a synth in my opinion. I was actually surprised there was a song challenge for it considering the source waves can come from anywhere and an LFO can run through the wave while preserving the character.
TritoneAddiction wrote:I find it interesting that you and modecca often take the opposite route, with Nostromo and other rather technical Panda devices.
It just makes for completely different music than what I make which is why I find both of your music rather fascinating.
Someday I'll get smart enough to dive into his REs and discover their endless possibilities.
Thanks! I'm just a big fan of minimalism and I'm influenced by a lot of functional four to the floor music. :)

Lectric Panda has some great devices. It just takes a little bit of time (like an hour?) sitting down with the intention of learning to get going on something. The PSQ manual actually includes a great step-by-step to get started. My first PSQ use was in that Blamsoft Viking EP track "Wherever You Are" which I forgot to mention with that climactic sequence. I see that such a device can go pretty complex but I appreciate the simple applications to spice up an arrangement while I work up towards the next level. :D

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FLVZ
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Location: ZW | GB

06 Mar 2017

Flavolous wrote:I've recently (more like in the last 6-8 months) purchased: Iridium, PX7, Solaris & won Vibro. I'm thinking instead of creating new songs entirely to create ViPs with the tracks I made for the recent splurge of song writing contests, using each synth to recreate the ViPs. So that would be 3/4 different ViP edits for 4/5 songs. But I'm going away on holiday soon so can't really commit to this project until the new year, and set any deadlines until I'm back!
I'll start with a Vibro Variation in Production (ViP) EP, shall we say June the 6th since the songs are already written I can spend time on creating a sound based on my favoured features on the synth...then i'll choose another after that! Don't know if this idea synchronises well with the rules of the game. :lightbulb:

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TritoneAddiction
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11 Mar 2017

Ok, so after thinking about it I'm gonna retract my commitment to my Legend EP. When announcing I was gonna do 3 EPs: Chip64, FM4 and Legend I knew I put myself in a hard position.

Right now I simply don't have the mental energy to do them all. Self discipline is one thing, but to ignore one's wellbeing for the sake of getting shit done is just stupid and not worth it.

I'll finish my FM4 project as planned, which won't be like a cohesive EP, but more like 3 very different songs that has nothing to do with each other. Even that failed. But at least I'll have some new music and some more experience with Chip64 and FM4.

The Chip64 EP is already finished. But the Legend project has to go unfortunately.

And here I am talking about the importance of commiting to a project/deadline and I can't even do it myself.
Shame on me :)

Well, good luck to everyone else here.

Peter

11 Mar 2017

TritoneAddiction wrote:Right now I simply don't have the mental energy to do them all. Self discipline is one thing, but to ignore one's wellbeing for the sake of getting shit done is just stupid and not worth it.
You're right and wellness should come first with anything really. I've been so productive lately, my own well-being has undoubtedly declined. I was planning on taking a break from everything after I finish my Nostromo next week - already have two tracks done! :D

Sorped
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12 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:
That is some pretty fine minimalism right there - oooh-wee! :D I know some folks don't really "get" minimal music and critics such as Elliot Carter have compared it to fascism. CHECK THIS OUT! :o As a tweaker of four to the floor music, I've learned to really appreciate it though and I admire certain things you are doing in your compositions such as the filter movement and shifting the vibe through the track. As for your mixing comment, that just comes with experience and it is your own artistic journey. Have a good one! :)

Good stuff everybody. I'll be back to this thread soon. :thumbs_up:
Thank you, I take those as very kind words! :)

From what I read about musical minimalism-haters I now fear for my life - so much hate. :lol: Maybe I should sample the cat meowing and use that... :D

I looked at minimal music when trying to find out where to put my music, but I thought maybe it was a bit "too complex" to be minimal music. I had lots of ideas in other genres when I started, but I must say I like making this kind of music. There is a great challenge in trying to get out as much as possible of as little as possible, and I hope it will also help me develop some skills and knowledge I can apply in other genres.
Alio Modo: SoundCloud
-----------
Born to lose, live to win.
Don't forget to back up your projects! :thumbs_up:

Peter

13 Mar 2017

Four track EP featuring the Nostromo synth. This is the most cohesive project I've ever done. Where to go from here...idunno.


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TritoneAddiction
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14 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:Four track EP featuring the Nostromo synth. This is the most cohesive project I've ever done. Where to go from here...idunno.
Cool, I'll take a proper listen soon. I'm gonna follow up your EP with my least cohesive project ever :)
I just need to come up with some titles and my FM4 project is done.

siln
Posts: 349
Joined: 11 May 2015
Location: france

14 Mar 2017

So , my good laptop is broken and i couldnt make the Quad ep , But my deadline being today i felt i had to DELIVER something, hopefully i have my old laptop that cant manage much RE, SO what, i come with is a concept : I made an EP in one day (today) with THOR exclusively (op might want to edit the first post about me on quad)
95% drums are from Phuturetone THOR analogue groove boxes, 5% is sample from Peffs 808
95% Synths and Bass are Thor made from scratch, 5% from Thor factory patch
I m used to produce reggae/dub , this one is influenced by some hiphop producers for the bass and drums
I did these 3 little tracks in 6 hours, tried to keep the most simple
i master all in one file using only an mp5 with very few settings and izotope
so, i hope you dont mind

PS: will listen the new eps made here when i have time

siln
Posts: 349
Joined: 11 May 2015
Location: france

14 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:Four track EP featuring the Nostromo synth. This is the most cohesive project I've ever done. Where to go from here...idunno.

Well i think your first track bon voyage can cure cancer , the others i have to listen later peace ;)

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TritoneAddiction
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14 Mar 2017

So here's my FM4 project. I won't call it an EP because the songs I've written has absolutely nothing to do with each other.
They are all totally different, both in terms of style and the way they are mixed.
The good thing about all of this is I found that FM4 can be pretty versatile.

I must say I really came to love FM4 during this project. It's the first synth that's made FM synthesis make sense to me. Most sounds/patches I've tweaked myself which I'm quite proud of since I'm far from a synth tweaker expert.

So here they are, my FM4 tunes:



Peter

14 Mar 2017

teddymcw wrote:Alright! Really wanted to finish off mixing the Antidote challenge to get to play with the recent happenings in Reason, and listen to others.

Some other criteria I set for myself if interested:
- Work with at least slightly different styles from previous work
- Work with a capella tracks including full length if possible
- Design more patches from scratch, shape any presets
- Mix for clarity using more advanced techniques, no matter how many time the CPU fails
- Attempt some sort of mastering process
p.s. Have to admit to cheating on one track, using only 60% Antis since I wanted to revive one old track w/o changing some sounds.


Nice to hear you switching things up! This was a fun listen!

1. Really cool chillout vibe to the track. Beat rolls along nicely and I like the heartfelt melody around 00:42. Cool synth gating.
2. Ahhh familiar lyrics! Lovely song.
3. Like the melancholy vibe I'm getting.
4. Oh my goodness I wasn't expecting that! Haha! This song was going crazy during high school.
5. Smooth cruising track.
6. Nice rolling bass synth progression.
7. Good vocal chop work in this one.
8. Liking this one as a fan of hers. Great remix inspiration.
9. Nice surprise with the acid-like patch.
10. Very cinematic. Good work.

Peter

14 Mar 2017

Despondo wrote:Take a journey through time and space on a mission of discovery, exploration, mystery and danger.

I am proud to announce the completion and release of my Nostromo only EP. It is called "REDSHIFT" and can be heard and purchased here on my 'Despondo' Bandcamp page:



Produced, Mixed and Mastered in Propellerhead Reason 9.2 using only the Nostromo Synthesizer Rack Extension (except drums).

Thanks for listening!
Yeah these are some beautiful tracks! As far as personal taste goes, I'm attracted more to the tension in tracks like Marooned and Airlock Confrontation which I think has the potential to be remixed into a slamming melodic techno track! :D

Peter

14 Mar 2017

siln wrote:So , my good laptop is broken and i couldnt make the Quad ep , But my deadline being today i felt i had to DELIVER something, hopefully i have my old laptop that cant manage much RE, SO what, i come with is a concept : I made an EP in one day (today) with THOR exclusively (op might want to edit the first post about me on quad)
95% drums are from Phuturetone THOR analogue groove boxes, 5% is sample from Peffs 808
95% Synths and Bass are Thor made from scratch, 5% from Thor factory patch
I m used to produce reggae/dub , this one is influenced by some hiphop producers for the bass and drums
I did these 3 little tracks in 6 hours, tried to keep the most simple
i master all in one file using only an mp5 with very few settings and izotope
so, i hope you dont mind

PS: will listen the new eps made here when i have time
This is a great, solid project especially considering it was done in one day! Cool idea of cycling through the day at three points!

Peter

14 Mar 2017

TritoneAddiction wrote:So here's my FM4 project. I won't call it an EP because the songs I've written has absolutely nothing to do with each other.
They are all totally different, both in terms of style and the way they are mixed.
The good thing about all of this is I found that FM4 can be pretty versatile.

I must say I really came to love FM4 during this project. It's the first synth that's made FM synthesis make sense to me. Most sounds/patches I've tweaked myself which I'm quite proud of since I'm far from a synth tweaker expert.

So here they are, my FM4 tunes:


They are all really great! Little Goblin I can imagine playing in the credits of a (g-rated) Halloween movie but could also take the video game route now that I listen again. Versatile! No Way Out is my favorite as I relate more to the functionality of this. Crazy good composition you got there! When it comes to tracks like this that have the potential to be played in a functional setting, I would focus more on the arrangement, building tension and releasing. Hero is a powerful track too more along the lines of rock though of course. Good work as always.

Peter

14 Mar 2017

I think I listened to all of the submissions up to this point! Woooo! I'm probably going to take a break from music stuff for a while now. :)

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Despondo
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14 Mar 2017

Peter wrote:Yeah these are some beautiful tracks! As far as personal taste goes, I'm attracted more to the tension in tracks like Marooned and Airlock Confrontation which I think has the potential to be remixed into a slamming melodic techno track! :D
Thanks for listening and for the feedback! Yeah, Nostromo is very good for those tension building tracks. :-)

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teddymcw
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15 Mar 2017

Peter - Thanks a ton for the kind words and initiating reviews, it's invaluable in many ways. I've commented on loving your work before and the quality just keeps rising if anything. I'm enjoying the Nos EP as much as Proton. This isn't the type of music I personally gravitate towards naturally but you've opened up doors with force. The intense wave length you rock on is just inspiring and energizing, while being dark in such cool ways.

Myself - Man I still need to get better at mixing. Re-listening some tracks got completely squashed when I meant to simply 'glue' and others have a bunch of problems. I really liked when the 'Soul See Me' orchestration came together with those vocal cuts from a fav local artist but I couldn't ever get the mixing right, d'oh! Later when I'm wiser I'll have to do a proper job tho : )

Siln - I really like this project. Good theme sounds and vibes. If you went through a second pass and added a few more dubby samples and... you know dope dubby things that EP would be really, really nice. I can hear some cool vocals and rhythmic delays around or on top of some dopeness that's already there. Kudos for getting something in as well, good karma!

Despondo - Well, that shit was beautiful.

Tritone - Ya this was another hit. Just as much as any other producer on here I can sense your craft shining through each piece always with a heavy dose of fun and creativity. This EP using the FM sounds reminded me a bit of Binar Pilot as well, one of my fav producers.

Honestly, wish I had some more critiquing words and would write them if warranted (trust me haha) but this is really a pool of pretty pure awesomeness accumulating here. Many cheers.

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