EP Challenge - Pick your own theme

[TritoneAddiction]

So it's been a while since I started the "One synth EP challenge" thread. And I thought maybe it's time to try something similar again.
Let's commit to create an EP/album, only this time you make your own rules.

1. State your own theme/rules/guidelines/limitations to create within.
2. Post your EP here in this thread when it's done so people can listen and comment.

Here are just a couple of examples to get some ideas:

Try to capture a particular vibe/emotion/word, for example dark, sad, fun, chaotic.
Pick only one genre to write within.
Tell a story with your music.
Select only 1-3 instruments to work with.

The guidelines can be as broad or narrow as you want.
Choosing a deadline for finishing the project is a good idea but not mandatory.

I'll try to update the list of participants pretty regularly so people can find everybody's music and EP commitments easily.
Feel free to name the project if you want. Could be a temporary working title too, like "Electronic Orchestral EP Project" or whatever.


List of participants and a short description of the projects.


sleep1979 - 3 instruments EP
Tornado - "The Heat Is On" - Thematic EP story about a service technician named Greger. - deadline is the 5th of August.
teddymcw - Acoustic guitar and voice based. Percussion is marginally allowed. Emphasis on ability to have each song be performed live and solo.
reasonsuser88 - Theme: Creating A Post-Death Experience. Guidelines: Using Tascam DR-05 and Korg Minilogue. All other composition and mixing done in Reason. Tracks will be professionally mastered. Genre: Techno
r1381 Title: Live from Hell. Theme: mix of death metal, rock, noise, electronic, and piano faked to sound like live concert recordings

Finished projects

aeox - Retro influenced EP
TritoneAddiction CRAPRE Project - Every sound must be processed with CrapRE 2 in some way. The process of making the EP needs to be fun. That's way more important than the actual end result.
diminished - (page 2) "Make a song with things I bought but have not used yet. Next, I want to produce music only with tools that are free. I want to incorporate sampled hardware"
retreed - (page 2) Theme: Monotone Nostromo² 80s Synth Drum & Bass.
artotaku (page 3) - "Auszeit" EP
Desmondblack (page 3) - "...a combination of the ABL 3 Bassline 303 emulation and the classic Thor patch "a bit of Aggro..."

[aeox]

Great idea!

Once upon a time about 2 years ago, I was super condescending towards retro influenced music. Nowadays I've been making it for clients and have grown to appreciate it quite a lot for its simplicity.

My plan is to create retro influenced EP. I'll be back.

[motuscott]

I'll be back.

I heard that in the Governator's voice

[aeox]

I'll be back.

I heard that in the Governator's voice

[TritoneAddiction]

Ok I think I've decided on my rules for making my EP.

1. Every sound has to be processed in some way with the beautiful rack extension CRAPRE - Number Two.
2. The process of making the EP needs to be fun. That's way more important than the actual end result.

3-5 tracks. Everything from 30 seconds to 5 minutes each is fine.
No deadline.

Working title: CRAPRE Project.

[sleep1979]

my ep may take some time though but i like your rules and im going to apply that to my ep only three instruments , does nnxt count as one or only one refill with nnxt as one ?

[TritoneAddiction]

my ep may take some time though but i like your rules and im going to apply that to my ep only three instruments , does nnxt count as one or only one refill with nnxt as one ?

It’s all up to you how you want to do things. The important thing is that you pick rules that you like to work with for your project.
My 1-3 instrument example was just an Idea. You can change it to however you want.
Maybe your rules could be 3 instruments and nnxt?
Whatever makes you inspired to create music.

[Tornado]

I'm in.

Theme
The working title for this EP is "The Heat Is On". There will be five tracks, where each will serve as an episode backdrop, in a story about a service technician named Greger. His job is to repair heat pumps. One day he is called out to a peculiar customer. During troubleshooting of the appliance, he starts to sense that the customer is not quite right in the head. Greger is struggling to solve the technical issues and concludes that a revisit will be necessary. The psychotic customer snaps and decides to imprison the poor service technician in his basement until the problem is fixed. Greger must find a way to escape!

I will attempt to make this musical adventure progress from light and optimistic to dark and suspenseful.

Rules and limitations
1. The length of the entire EP must exceed ten minutes.
2. My deadline is the 5th of August.

[TheGodOfRainbows]

I am so totally in. Busy atm, but I will be in.

[diminished]

I want to make a song with things I bought but have not used yet in any project.
Next, I want to produce music only with tools that are free.
And I want to incorporate sampled hardware that's sitting around (from xylophone to synth and bass guitar).
Three songs in three months is the goal.

[teddymcw]

In, awesome for challenging the community TA!


3-5 songs, not necessarily related or coherent album just some songs. Deadline end of June. (edited to end of Sept)
Acoustic guitar and voice, not necessarily recorded simaltaneously. Percussion is marginally allowed but never continuous much less focal. Emphasis on ability to have each song be performed live and solo, thus as little enhancement or correction from mixing / mastering process as possible.

Goal is to make performance and recording as clear sounding and song as musical communication about subject matter as possible. Nothing fancy and really nothing very Reasoney about it in the least, lol, but this fits in the greater scheme for me.


Edit: I finished at least 3 newer songs I want to go on the EP and they turned out very cohesive for an EP, that is related to each other in a few ways, since I find it easier to write in that manner. I actually performed one of them live on 6/7/19 and went pretty well! That said it'll be hugely beneficial to me to keep polishing the performances of the songs for recording purposes while trying to flesh out my best recording and mixing practices. Thus I'm pushing back the orig deadline, letting the work finish when it's ready since this is an exercise is polishing and finishing that I personally need.


Other projects on this thread sounding awesome! Some inspired well done work from many to take a closer look at later.

[TritoneAddiction]

I am so totally in. Busy atm, but I will be in.

Awesome. I suspected you'd be interested in this challenge.
Looking forward to hear your rules.

[reasonsuser88]

Guidelines: Using Tascam DR-05 and Korg Minilogue. All other composition and mixing done in Reason. Tracks will be professionally mastered.
Theme: Dying/Post-Death Experience (title to be decided)
Mood: Sentimental Contemplation
Genre: Techno

[TritoneAddiction]

I'm so psyched to hear what eveyone will come up with for their project. I hope things are going well and everyone feels inspired with their music making.
Looks like we are going to have many different styles of music here.

I'll post a snippet of what I've come up with so far. Of course the song isn't finished yet and many things can change. I'll most likely remove this comment once the song is complete.
Like my project rule requires, every sound is processed with Crapre 2. I still can't believe how useful this "joke" plugin is and how well it works for serious use. Who cares if there's some hiss going on in the background? Just make the music louder and it won't be a problem.

[reasonsuser88]

I'm so psyched to hear what eveyone will come up with for their project. I hope things are going well and everyone feels inspired with their music making.
Looks like we are going to have many different styles of music here.

I'll post a snippet of what I've come up with so far. Of course the song isn't finished yet and many things can change. I'll most likely remove this comment once the song is complete.
Like my project rule requires, every sound is processed with Crapre 2. I still can't believe how useful this "joke" plugin is and how well it works for serious use. Who cares if there's some hiss going on in the background? Just make the music louder and it won't be a problem.

That's a powerful sound and I'm looking forward to cranking this project up through my monitors.

I did my first track last week but I'm not sure if it sets the tone I'm going for. Nevertheless, I plan on getting most of my EP done Mon/Tues/Wed with time off from work, and locking myself up for 48 hours with the intention of doing this in a straight shot might grant me the cohesion I desire. Then there will be a cooling off period, tweaking and sending to mastering. I'm thinking of a release some time in June.

[TritoneAddiction]

That's a powerful sound and I'm looking forward to cranking this project up through my monitors.

I did my first track last week but I'm not sure if it sets the tone I'm going for. Nevertheless, I plan on getting most of my EP done Mon/Tues/Wed with time off from work, and locking myself up for 48 hours with the intention of doing this in a straight shot might grant me the cohesion I desire. Then there will be a cooling off period, tweaking and sending to mastering. I'm thinking of a release some time in June.

Thanks. I have one other track which is pretty much the opposite of this one, so we'll see where this project takes me. I suspect my EP might become pretty messy and all over the place but that's ok. My guidelines said nothing about consistency in style, just to use Crapre on everything and have fun while making music.

I know what you mean. I too had a somewhat clear vision for the tone/style of my project but it seems it doesn't really turn out the way I thought it would. But sometimes you just have to go with it and accept what comes out. Chances are you might just stumble upon something equally exciting too what you first had in mind.

Interesting way of working to set off a huge amount of time within just a few days. Sounds pretty exhausting, but if it works for you then go for it.

[Loque]

I'm so psyched to hear what eveyone will come up with for their project. I hope things are going well and everyone feels inspired with their music making.
Looks like we are going to have many different styles of music here.

I'll post a snippet of what I've come up with so far. Of course the song isn't finished yet and many things can change. I'll most likely remove this comment once the song is complete.
Like my project rule requires, every sound is processed with Crapre 2. I still can't believe how useful this "joke" plugin is and how well it works for serious use. Who cares if there's some hiss going on in the background? Just make the music louder and it won't be a problem.

Good stuff dude! Not sure i recognize the original, but i like what i hear.

[diminished]

Tritone, thanks for waking me up.
That sounds awesome and I'm looking forward to hear your finished track and everyone else's, too.
I'm sick at home and because of the thread I decided to fire up Reason Lite today and make something out of it.
It's absolutely amazing that you can get this for free with all of it's stock sounds. The SSL is probably my favorite part about Reason by now. With creative use of combinators, the 8 track limit isn't that limiting at all. Especially when mixer channels and instrument automation do not count as tracks... You're currently listening to 7 tracks, could have been 6 if was smart and used a Kong instead of two DrOctoRex. Anyway the following is work in progress, zero to no arrangement, the low end still very shite and those "vocals" are just a placeholder - but it's a tribute to the power of that free version of Reason.

[reasonsuser88]

Interesting way of working to set off a huge amount of time within just a few days. Sounds pretty exhausting, but if it works for you then go for it.

It was a fun idea when I was sitting at work but realistically I think I'm only good for one focused project per day. I don't want to rush things and be jumping all over the place.

Anyway the following is work in progress, zero to no arrangement, the low end still very shite and those "vocals" are just a placeholder - but it's a tribute to the power of that free version of Reason.

That's a great start you have there. The core of the project grooves along nicely.

[aeox]

I'll have to comment on others' tracks when I've got more time. I did liisten, and am impressed to say the least!

For now, here is my EP.

[reasonsuser88]

I'll have to comment on others' tracks when I've got more time. I did liisten, and am impressed to say the least!

For now, here is my EP.

You have a thing for beautiful progressions! Nice touch with the guitar in the second one.

[reasonsuser88]

Something I'm working on all day today.

[TritoneAddiction]

Tritone, thanks for waking me up.
That sounds awesome and I'm looking forward to hear your finished track and everyone else's, too.
I'm sick at home and because of the thread I decided to fire up Reason Lite today and make something out of it.
It's absolutely amazing that you can get this for free with all of it's stock sounds. The SSL is probably my favorite part about Reason by now. With creative use of combinators, the 8 track limit isn't that limiting at all. Especially when mixer channels and instrument automation do not count as tracks... You're currently listening to 7 tracks, could have been 6 if was smart and used a Kong instead of two DrOctoRex. Anyway the following is work in progress, zero to no arrangement, the low end still very shite and those "vocals" are just a placeholder - but it's a tribute to the power of that free version of Reason.

Thanks for the compliment.

Yeah sometimes limitations is your best friend. I agree the SSL can be really useful, especially the master bus compressor. That's the part that I use for pretty mucj all my tracks.
Sounds good so far. Looking forward to hear the finished song.

[TritoneAddiction]

I'll have to comment on others' tracks when I've got more time. I did liisten, and am impressed to say the least!

For now, here is my EP.

I like it. Very nice production.
To me the project has a nice warm and somewhat dreamy feel to it. I know "warm" is a total buzzword and means totally different things to everyone, but anyway that's the feeling I get.

[TritoneAddiction]

I'll avoid posting too many snippets/songs before my full EP is finished. But since I've already posted a part of this track before I'll post the full track. The song is pretty much done, but I'm pretty sure there will be some final tweaking here and there once I've written all my other songs. But for now, this will do.



This track is no indication of what the rest of the EP will sound like btw. As it looks right now the EP will most likely be a complete mess of different styles.