Cal Finishes Music Track: Makes It Available FREE...

Cal wrote:
mcjihge2 wrote:Do an accompanying video and post it on you tube.

Yes, I've thought about doing that, but what to do..? Ideally, I'd be a hot-shot with using the Source engine and know how to create machinima, or maybe just how to capture in-game footage suitable for the video...but I know it's almost always quite tricky and you really need some technical skill to get good results.

Of course, another way would be to centre the video around real-world footage - but I guess it might be a bit depressing for some as the overall theme is quite dystopian. Endless footage of armoured police batoning protesters over the head won't make for 'must-see' viewing...

The track is really about Dr Breen and his misguided belief that what he's done (selling out mankind to the Combine) has been done for the good of humanity (that's why I dropped in the 'just wanna save the world' vocals - although I guess the sentiment could equally apply to poor old Gordon Freeman, the accidental hero) and the way that even as he's spouting his Combine propaganda he must surely be able to see the absolute catastrophe his actions have brought about. And you know I just love the menace in that line about it being 'safe' in City 17. A kind of parable for our time.

Nice.

Just listening to the track again. strawberry floating quality tune, Cal. Puts me in mind of Aaron Spectre's remix of Lapsed's "Break Ya Neck."

Cal, where do you get the sfx of the Combine's radio transmissions?

Nice work. Particularly pleasing that it appears on the website of a self-styled "lovely little West Highland white terrier dog." You've always got to keep an eye on the blighters.

If you ever needed evidence of a clique, compare this thread with the response that greeted my music thread.

~Earl Grey~ wrote:If you ever needed evidence of a clique, compare this thread with the response that greeted my music thread.

But, to be quite frank, your was nowhere near as pleasing to the ear.

Merry Christmas, Noobs! wrote:
~Earl Grey~ wrote:If you ever needed evidence of a clique, compare this thread with the response that greeted my music thread.

But, to be quite frank, your was nowhere near as pleasing to the ear.

I'm aiming higher, what can I say. Maybe I'm not the best singer ever, but I'd rather try than settle for some compromise (apart from the ones I'm forced to, like an appallingly basic limited setup). I'm a songwriter and that is a rough demo (I'm under no illusions about that).

Having said that, I think I do alright. I'm motivated - there are flaws but the days of making excuses (like not having a dream setup) and having a computer full of unfinished 8 bar loops and finishing a track every 17 months are behind me.

Very very nice. What do you use to record? I have a sythesizer and have been wanting to record but Audacity doesn't provide sufficient playback options.

~Earl Grey~ wrote:If you ever needed evidence of a clique, compare this thread with the response that greeted my music thread.

Cal is the only member of the Conspiracy Clique, though.

Cuban Mistletoe Crisis wrote:
~Earl Grey~ wrote:If you ever needed evidence of a clique, compare this thread with the response that greeted my music thread.

Cal is the only member of the Conspiracy Clique, though.

Or is he?

This reminds me a lot of the Combine Techno...

Finally gave this a listen. I quite like it, even though it's not really my thing at all.

Well done.

Forest wrote:Cal, where do you get the sfx of the Combine's radio transmissions?

All the samples were ripped from Youtube videos. I had to use three different apps to get there - one to save the videos as .flv movies to my HDD, another to rip out the audio and then the freeware app Audacity to chop up the samples so they could be 'flown' into AbletonLive7 (my sequencer) and rearranged to fit the track.

atreyu wrote:Nice work. Particularly pleasing that it appears on the website of a self-styled "lovely little West Highland white terrier dog." You've always got to keep an eye on the blighters.

Stuart is such a lovely guy, and his little dog, Rocky, is so cute he should have to carry a license. I'm very grateful to them both for agreeing to host this track.

blackoutHERO wrote:Very very nice. What do you use to record? I have a sythesizer and have been wanting to record but Audacity doesn't provide sufficient playback options.

Just a simple PC set-up, running through an Edirol USB audio box. I use AbletonLive7 for sequencing duties and a variety of plugin FX and VSTi soft synths, as well as my beloved Korg Triton keyboard (I record audio from this and lay it into tracks in Live). I use Audacity for chopping up samples and just bring them into Live when ready.

Thanks to everyone for the nice words of encouragement.

I like it!

Is that you singing through the vocoder?

the voice on it reminds me of Michael Cretu

Nice work Cal, pretty clean production aswell, allthough you should have said you needed some Half-Life samples, i've got the entire HL1 & HL2 Sample pack, all mega high quality wavs, none of that youtube ripping malarky.

Also, is that your voice singing with that auto-tune/vocoder?

Abs wrote:Also, is that your voice singing with that auto-tune/vocoder?

That was my least favourite bit. Sounded like a cross between Phil Collins and Eiffel 65 IMO, should be an instrumental.

Abs wrote:Nice work Cal, pretty clean production aswell, allthough you should have said you needed some Half-Life samples, i've got the entire HL1 & HL2 Sample pack, all mega high quality wavs, none of that youtube ripping malarky.

Also, is that your voice singing with that auto-tune/vocoder?

No - it's a sample I got from a free sample site. It just sounded kinda nice, although admittedly cheesy; I'm not 100% happy with it, but in the absence of a vocalist I have to make do with what scraps of acapella samples I can find and work with.

T9Flake wrote:the voice on it reminds me of Michael Cretu

Nice - I like your style. It does actually sound cheesy in the same way Cretu's vocals often do on his Enigma tracks.

Personally I could never use a sample like that (apart from individual drum hits). If you've used it then the chances are that someone else has too. Kind of makes it less unique, less personal. I use samples I 'found' myself but ones being specifically offered for use like that are exactly the kind of compromise I was referring to. So are you going to approach a label with the track?

~Earl Grey~ wrote:Personally I could never use a sample like that (apart from individual drum hits). If you've used it then the chances are that someone else has too. Kind of makes it less unique, less personal. I use samples I 'found' myself but ones being specifically offered for use like that are exactly the kind of compromise I was referring to. So are you going to approach a label with the track?

About the sample: it's a fair point, but I have low standards.

No, I won't be approaching anyone with the track in a commercial way - no way do I want Valve's well-paid lawyers on my case.

Not that I'm knocking it, you understand. But imagine hearing the same sample in another song - a friend of mine used this cheesy string run sample in Reason. It's a good tune, but then he was playing some Star Wars game and the exact same sample could be heard in the game music. He wasn't pleased.

I suppose the HL samples would be a legal minefield too. Didn't think of that.

Cal Finishes Music Track: Makes It Available FREE...

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