Category: Work In Progress

Update: it’s out! Hit http://lightofdeparture.com/2022/02/18/nectar/ for streaming links.

Here’s a quick lo-fi track—just slicing and layering some (great) samples from Splice, but I think it adds up to something beautiful, right?

Here’s a short rock and roll cue that I still need to master. Reaper and Splice, Surge for the synth bass. Some extra drums programmed via Klevgrand Slammer (lots of fun).

Our 7yo asked me to write him some “mysterious spy” music, so I gave it a day over the holiday break. Fun project! (And he says it’s “too good,” so I think that’s a win.)

Made using Reaper, Spitfire’s BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, the excellent Orchestral Tools SINEfactory “Rotary” big band library, and the Acoustic Unicorn Series – Skimmer Metall vibraphone from pianobook. Drum loops from Splice. Footage from Storyblocks, stitched together in LumaFusion on my iPhone.

There’s more work later to finish this track and have it library-ready, so I’ll cycle back later for:

• Volume tweaks, especially getting the opening quieter, 2nd section starting louder.
• Add a tiny overlap in some of the string parts for a better legato simulation.
• Add expression to at least some of the string lines (modulation control, phrase dynamics, maybe some eq).
• Create a human tempo map that ebbs and flows a bit with the phrasing.
• Might rewrite the descending cello bit at the beginning —or at least work on dynamics/phrasing
• Proper mix and master
• Check with my orchestration texts or percussionist friends on the realism of the vibraphone chords.
• Tighten up the video edits

And if the weaknesses of one project are inspiration for the next (h/t Joni Mitchell as quoted in Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work!), I’m thinking particularly about melodic writing, drum fills, and (always) writing faster.

Meantime…fun and listenable without being too serious?