My World?

So what's my world like? Well...

My World by mgarthaudio

Well my world is nothing like that...

This piece is something i started last night and finished this morning by adding a vocoder part. It's made entirely on the Korg DS-10 (except the vocoder part, which i recorded using my H4n and used the TAL vocoder plug-in in Ableton). I'm pleased with the sound, the instruments used and the work flow i used whilst programming it all in the DS-10.

I actually made something that sounded pretty much what i intended for once! Hooray!

Also, this track is downloadable so you can listen to it on your portable media devices etc.

New Video

So here it is...



Music, as is the video, inspired by 2001: Space Odyssey. So I wrote a slight variant to compliment the drama and humour in the scene.

The 'wonky trumpet' is a piccolo trumpet, as requested by the director, to fizzle out like a balloon when he satellites drop out of the sky. Playing the wonky trumpet had me in fits of giggles for quite some time... it still makes me smile -hope you like it too.

And while you're here...

Here's something i 'wrote' (read 'hit record') this evening for fun. I like the drum kit. Named Sprinkles because of the bells... I don't know? It's got some punch.

Sprinkles by mgarthaudio

Voices

Something I wrote last night, but it wasn't great. So today i've prodded it in a different direction and it sounds like this:

Voices by mgarthaudio

Annoyingly i'm using a KeyRig 49 midi keyboard, which by no means is bad, but it's not a real piano or at least a full size weighted keyboard. Still, one of these days i might get a sustain pedal for it, or get a place to live where i can have my actual digital piano which sounds suberb.

Still, reverb solves everything right? Wash it out, let it soak through...

Human Future

The two vocoder samples and the drum loop supplied lovingly by MusicRadar free samples, then simply adding time and synthesizers, this was made:

Human Future by mgarthaudio

Bournemouth

Hi,

I was in Bournemouth this weekend. It's quite nice there, met some interesting people too.

Today, I've been at home catching up on doing nothing... so I grabbed the old DS and wrote another jam:

Weathered by mgarthaudio

It's not what I intended to make, the second half I like a lot, but wrote it in the same save slot as the first half so I kinda just melted them together. Don't know why it's called weathered though...

It's a live recording, hence why some of it sounds wrong, but it's only for fun and to inspire myself to do something. In this case, it's something to do with a sawtooth oscillator and making a killer buzzy bass synth.

I wish i had an interface, like the DS-10, as a MIDI controller for using all the stuff I have on my computer rather than limiting myself to the Korg DS-10. There are some MIDI applications for the Nintendo DS that use the wireless function of the DS, for remote control. But I don't have the homebrew gear... yet... hmm

Anyway, it's been quite a nice day off just to rewind.

Not literally...

Maybe literally...

My Guild Wars 2 Entry

Here's a video I put together for the Guild Wars 2 Ambassador competition.

The music is by Jeremy Soule and some of the video clips are from the GW2 trailers. The GW1 video clips, i.e. the monk, I recorded. Took a while trying to get smooth movement and sweeps considering my frame rate was at best 16fps (HD3470 laptop graphics card).

The poem/speech was written and recorded by myself. Have listen:



It's been a couple of months since i blogged, but all is going well. Busy but well. I've finally got my DS-10 back so i've been playing with that, as well as being busy at work. Operation Flashpoint has been released (a couple of weeks ago) so that was all very exciting, it won't be too long before DiRT3 hits the shelves. You should check out the Codemasters website for more details on DiRT3!

Anyway, i must get up and going.

Have a good day

Audio Spam

Hi, it's probably been a few weeks, and well, i've not spent much time blogging as you can tell.

So, in case you don't check out my soundcloud I'm going to spam some new stuff that's fresh, but not hot, so it's safe to eat. Yeah.

Oh yeah, I'm hopefully going to writing music for another project, if i manage to remember I'll post how it's going with that, or at least how it went!

So on with the spam:

This one is quite long and has some interesting noises in it, i spent about half an hour playing it over and over, so I thought i'd record a version and this is what happened:

Wire by mgarthaudio

This next one was inspired by downhill mountain bike videos, with similar music. So I thought I'd give it a go and made this:

Loose Footing by mgarthaudio

And because funk is so cool, here's some funk rock. It's more of an underscore, like most things I create... there isn't a melody or lead. So feel free to jam over it with whatever you like, synths, guitar, bass, singing, triangle... anything. Or just listen to it and think how much better it would be with a lead something or other over the top...

Funky Ride by mgarthaudio

And finally the most recent one, "Tough Call". Simply named because i couldn't think of a name... I don't know how to write endings (other than classic fade outs!) so I just added a flute at the end. Cool.

Tough Call by mgarthaudio

So hope you enjoy them!

Have a great day.

(don't forget the clocks go forward an hour tomorrow morning at 1am [UK], must mean that spring has arrived. Probably)

BVExpo

If you didn't go today... WHY NOT?!

Still it's on again tomorrow and thursday, unfortunately I could only get the one day off work so I only went for today.

It was brilliant! So many cool things (if you like video, production, post production, 3D etc)

I brought back about 6kg of free leaflets, booklets, and magazines so that'll give me something to read over the next few days.

The event was well laid out, with some great seminars (free, although you might need tickets to book a seat), great products and some very interesting people to talk to. If you can't go this year, then remember to go next year! Seriously.

Here's the website, and hope you can attend. (Earls Court, London)

http://www.bvexpo.co.uk/

Magicka Video

I've recently been working on music for a Magicka video (by Pete Curran) and here's the video, "Magicka - Learning To Spell":



Just in case you wanted the audio alone, well, the music that I wrote I have that here too, the film credits music and the main theme:

Magicka - Learning to Spell (Music) by mgarthaudio

Ok, no prizes for guessing that inspiration is taken from the Magic Roundabout theme but there is a reason. Pete, who is also the star of the videos, has had the Magic Roundabout theme tune as his ringtone on his mobile for many years now, and the simple chord progression structure and association with the Magic Roundabout (hopefully) adds to the comic value of the video.

Well I thought it sounded good! And there it is.

I have work to be doing, so enjoy it, watch it, give it thumbs up, and spread it around -I think it's a great short video!

Oh, and why not try playing Magicka the game -that's pretty fun too.

Michael

more more more

well, maybe just two "mores"

I'm having fun making some music.

That's right.

Some.

I've kindly accepted to get some music together for a video by this weekend (or during). So far I have started (I was only asked last night) and it's going well.

I'm pretty tired from working all day, but to come home and work some more making music -is there any better way to relax? It's a real joy to get involved in projects and I'm hoping you'll like this new one as much as I do. It's funny and "cutting edge". Yeah. Edge.

So I'm probably going to call it a night for now, but half (the easy half) is done.

Tomorrow (and friday, and the weekend probably) I shall be creating "chaos". Sounds easy right?

Ah, well... we'll see.

To sum up: music is being created.

Thank you and good night.

Something New?

Here's something new, if you don't check my SoundCloud site:

Movement by mgarthaudio

I am still here. I'm just very busy!

Thanks for stopping by... etc

Updating

Hello

I am still here. More or less.

I've been very busy working all the time, which is good I suppose - I have been looking fo a job and now I've got one. Already looking at things I could buy though, which is bad...

Digital SLR camera (with full HD video)
Synthesizers
Wireless headphones
Virtual instruments and effects
Monitors (loudspeakers)
Graphics Cards
Furniture
Motorcycles
Cars
Light aircraft pilot licence

to name just a few things...

Luckily I have more sense than money, and also a rather sizeable student loan that is lurking about.

If I find more work and have an actual requirement for hardware/software then maybe I'll put some money into that. But as it stands I don't have a need for those things (except maybe the car, and well, a driving licence...)

On to some good news, probably. I've been requested to compose (music) for a webseries, and from what I've seen of the series it's very funny and rather good. So it's important that I make a good job!

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say... that I'm making music again, in free time.

Cool, eh?

Also, i can't be bothered with all the colourful editing in these blogs (you probably though it looked awful anyway, i thought it gave my blog a bit of character...), but I'm sure when i get more free time and things to say then I'll get around to making something nice to read.

Cheerio

Happy New Year

Albeit a few days late...

I've not done anything audio for a while now, you may have noticed. Generally been very busy, but i'm sure the new year will bring plenty of new noises...

However,

I've started my new job in Southam.

Which means my time is spent working rather than anything audio.

But,

I'm now living in Leamington Spa area which mean there're plenty of new sounds to capture, as well as fresh ideas for creativity too. Warwickshire seems quite nice and fairly quiet too. I walk through a small park on the way to the train station each day, which is nice, but the traffic noise is still very prominent.

You're probably wondering about job in Southam, well I'm a QA Technician so I'm testing and bugging all day long.

Anyway, when I think of something interesting to say, or come up with something to post about audio then I'll post it.

Have a good day!