PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Soft Pop / Bossa Trip-Hop, electronic composition, using Band-in-a-Box 2020, lots of details..

Hi there!

New music on the way, featuring many Band-in-a-Box sounds:

http://soundcloud.com/eatme/aluf

<3

Make music and listen to the love.

Still needs a less stereo expanded master to also make this listenable on headphones. Maybe the final sound also is a little too much on the bass region. Sounds great on my simple monitor speakers, but it still needs a mix suitable for both speakers and headphones.

I have typed something here about the track.

162 BPM
key is set to Dm , a lot of half-tone transitions, Dm to D, and C, Cm, and F, Fm
used 19 (of 21, +2 muted, of 24, +3 empty tracks for oversight) tracks

I played a scheme on the Korg M1 synthesizer, preset "Background".
wrote it down as

G#maj7 G G#maj7/F Fm7
Dm7/Bb Gm Dm7 -
G#maj7/F Gm7 Dm7 -
Bbmin G D -

I programmed that in the tracker Renoise 3.2.1, and then added more chords,
switching from the D to Dm, G to Gm, using a A72b instead of the G, more variation with C, Cm, F, Fm.

VSTi Korg M1 preset "Background" with filter automation in the tracker to make sweepy short plucks.

alternated, all with slow filter and group volume automation:
VSTi Korg M1 preset Analogpad2 altered
VSTi Korg WAVESTATION preset "Dream Strings"
VSTi Korg M1 preset "ClkSoloSyn" altered

I loaded the chords into Band-in-a-Box 2020 by a saved MIDI file.
It translated the chord scheme into 64 bars, being:

Abmaj7 - Gm - Fm7 - - -
BbMaj7 - Gm7 - Dm7 - - -
Fm7 - Gm7 - Dm7 - - -
Bbm - A7 - D - - -
Dm7 - G - C - - -
Cm7 - Gm7 - Dm7 - - -
D - C - Fmaj7 - - -
Fm7 - G - Ebmaj7 - - -

the interpretation by the computer of the Fmaj7 was done as F,
but the bass played an odd note that did not appear with the Fmaj7.

I used the following instrumental tracks from Band-in-a-Box 2020:
Bass guitar:
3114:Bass, Electric, RootsyFunkAlex Ev 16 110 (Half-Time)
Electric guitar single note strumming:
*(repeating the first part of the recording, the guitarist started jamming too much, country riffs..)
3163:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm BluesyPopSteady8thsBrent Ev 100
Electric piano (part of):
3337:Piano, Electric, Rhythm FunkJeff Ev16 110
Piano (part of):
1993:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz4toBar sw 190
Saxophone (part of):
1058, Sax, Alto, Soloist SmoothJazzPoppy Ev16 090 (Half-Time)
Drums:
Realdrums=CongasShuffle[single]: a: Congas b: CongasShuffle[single]
Realdrums=BossaRock^1-a:Blastic, Hihat , b:Sidestick Ride
RealDrums=SambaFull^1-a:Sticks, b: Ride Contemporary (in song set to B part only)
RealDrums=SalsaGuaracha23^1-a:Timbal, B:Bells
RealDrums=RootsyFunkSput^1-a:Sidestick, Kick, b:Ride, Snare (Half-Time)

Samples used:
a kick drum sample cut from the Renoise sample library breakbeats.
a nostalgic Korg M1 Bell hit
a crash cymbal (edited)
a noisy cymbal-like sound (edited)

VST Plugins used:
BassChorus by CloneEnsemble
SupaPhaser by Bram
Freeverb2 (now on Audacity WIKI)
Ozone 8 Elements (Spatializer, can also equalize and limit)
TDR Kotelnikov GE (compressor), on master bus.
otiumFX BassLane (makes bass part mono)

Internal Renoise effects used:
LFO
Hydra
Analog Filter (w/ Drive)
Equalizer 10-bands
Gainer
Bus Compressor
Compressor
Maximizer (Limiter)
Phaser

all put together in Renoise 3.2.1
conversion to flac done with FlicFlac

links to used products:
tracker Renoise 3.2.1 - http://www.renoise.com/ * free very usable demo
instrumentals from Band-in-a-Box 2020 - http://www.pgmusic.com/
compressor TDR Kotelnikov GE - https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-kotelnikov-ge/ * free with less options than registered GE available
bass mono, otiumFX BassLane - http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=BassLane&id=522 * free
great chorus/flanger BassChorus - https://www.cloneensemble.com/bc_main.htm * free
great phaser, SupaPhaser - http://bram.smartelectronix.com/plugins.php?id=1 * free
great reverb, Freeverb2 - https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/GVerb (scroll down to Freeverb2) * free
great synths, KORG Legacy Collection synthesizers software bundle, containing M1, WAVESTATION, Mono/Poly, Polysix, MS-20, AAS LoungeLizard Session come (cheaper) with a Korg Microkey 61 (only with the 61 version) mini piano keyboard: https://www.korg.com/us/products/computergear/microkey/page_1.php *prices vary heavily, sometimes 140eur
to make mp3 and flac, convert audio, FlicFlac: https://sector-seven.com/software/flicflac * free

more (other) music by EatMe: http://eatme.pro/music

for now this song is only available for listening here:
http://soundcloud.com/eatme/aluf

soon a better final mix and download.

music by EatMe

Hi EatMe,

It is a super sexy sounding back track, that I really, really enjoyed listening to. Very relaxing and soothing.
I am not completely convinced that the sax is the best choice of a solo-instrument on this kind of electronic music... but that is probably just a matter of differences in taste. I need to listen a few times more and then I might change my opinion...

Thanks a lot for sharing! I think you did very well with this song!

Will

A bit longish for my limited attention span, but still a fun listen!

I haven't played with trackers in years, but floyd jane's experiment with loops made me pull out a CD I'd burned of some tracker music and consider playing around with one again. Sounds like you beat me to it!

I have updated the mix in a second session.

http://soundcloud.com/eatme/aluf (same link)

Thanks for listening and commenting!