Sound Project: Sampling and Sequencing

I commented on ramune soda mix, chorus, and effects and sampling

This was a really cool and rhythmic piece! I think that the background that you chose worked really well at keepi the natural suspense throughout the piece, allowing you to experiment with different beats from your instrument.

This was a really cool piece and I agree that you did really well at setting up expectations in your beginning. The only thing that I was wondering about was your original instrument- was in the sound effect in the beginning, or that voice that we hear sometimes, or both? It would have been nice to hear a little more variation in that, but otherwise really cool song!

The instrument that you chose worked really well to give you a variety of tones and notes. I also liked how you kept this piece very simple, with just the instrument and one delicate loop in the background. In the middle you did really well at having the the music from the loop and your instrument play together. It would have been nice to hear something a little more dramatic at one point, but then again maybe that wouldn't have worked with what you were going for.

I commented on Ominous Chillout, Smash Choir and Sample/Sequence.

The acapella part did get a bit repetitive towards the middle of the piece, but the introduction and conclusion to the song was really well done! The beats in the background flowed really with the acapella and kept a nice rhythm throughout the piece.

I commented on smash choir, high heels, and chorus.

I like the ending, but the contrast between the music box sound, which was nice and smooth, and the samples, which sounded like a record skipping around, made me think about how music is presented today, and how audiophiles insist that the recording be as close to the original as possible. The fact that the music box was so simple and portrayed it's message well really corrupts the splintered samples in a good way.

This piece made me really claustrophobic, The panning made me listen up almost in panic and try to figure out where it was coming from. I think it happened a little fast and that is why it was so startling. The chaos of the footsteps contrasted well with the serene unity of the bells, overall, great job!

I commented on Jake's, Eunice's, and Ivan's projects.

This was really good, but in the B section in the middle I think the high pitched Yoshi sounds don't really fit with the theme, I think he's a little too silly for the more calm and melodic section but this was really well made, the tune itself was spot on and the extra sound effects were a good touch as well.

This was really good, dropping out the bass and then adding it back in with the extra beat kept the same ideas interesting and had me wondering where you were going to go with the piece next.

This is pretty good, I thought that the bass and pencils complemented each other as they were both very rhythmic and how you made your main melody out of something so rhythmic which is not a traditional way of doing things.

I commented on "Sample/Sequence", "Ominous Chillout", and "Sampling+Sequencing".

It's insightful how you took "mundane" everyday sounds and knit them together into a fat beat. The keys jingling and the barking of the dogs set a vivid musical scene. Dope.

You made a really addicting beat with using just sounds sampled from physical actions you did in the moment (which is pretty cool). The synthy loop you put over the beat goes along with the other sounds well. The final stretch of the song, where it transitions to a more breakbeat groove, was refreshing and my favorite part of the piece.

The constant backbeat of the chiptune kick created a very trans-like effect that was enhanced by the emphasis on repetition. Using a simple, short vocal loop really ingrained the beat. Using subtle and not over-the-top variations and changes to the vocals and beat kept the piece interesting while not sacrificing the groovy repetitiveness. I dig.

Using the game's sounds to recreate the game's theme song was definitely an interesting approach. The melody played through the noises from the game made the whole piece very fun to listen to. Good job!

Thank you, everyone! I definitely agree that it is really repetitive. The main reason for that is because I had ran out of time :/

Original work. I agree with that you achieved your objectives in the "going wrong" section. The form is not really ABA, since the motives at the end are not similar to the one at the beginning. You could add a layer (a nice 8 bit rhythmic background layer) to make it more attractive.

Good work and interesting use of panning. To improve it: the doggie sounds could be changed (pitch, panning, etc.) in some point in the piece to make some variation. There is no real climax. To get that you could make a crescendo, or a progressive accumulation of layers/instruments, increasing tempo, etc. And then release the tension generated. Take care of the first rest seconds if they were not intentional (export only your piece, with no unintentional rests).

Original piece, good work! Some comments: it is true that the limit was 50-70 sec. Take care of the durations in the following projects, since in any composition for visuals following the duration specification is crucial. You could have given a little bit of variety changing the pitch of the samples a little more. The contrast is not very much felt, since you used a "gradual offsetting", gradual changes create continuity instead of contrast. Here the concept would be more flow and continuity. The last part with only the pencil sounds is a bit too long: after having used the bass, guitar and the pencil sounds the sound of only the pencil for so long time is not enough interesting by itself. You could have made it shorter or made and accumulation or a crescendo, or in a revers way, a decrescendo or ritardando (slowing down tempo), to make it more interesting to the listener.

This was a very interesting piece! The introduction with the rattling of the keys was very intriguing and made me want to listen to more of the piece. The addition of the dogs barking was also a cool touch to the conclusion. The loops did definitely deter my focus from the keys for some part of the song, but overall it was very well done!

Interesting and imaginative piece. Good build up at the beginning. To improve the piece a little more: you could change the pitch of the nut sounds at some poing to give it a bit of variety.

Good work! Nice and curious use of panning. Good music for a trailer effectively. The complete piece creates suspense all the time but does not build a clear climax. For that you would need to create some progression towars the climax: a crescendo, or increasing tempo, or increasing the number of instruments/layers, etc., or all of them together, and then release all the accumulated tension in some way. Take care also of the clicks with the samples.

Imaginative work! Things to take care: a little more variety would be good (for instance changing the pitches of the guitar sound or transposing them up or down). There is a click at the end: be careful to include the complete fade out in the export, if not it will be suddenly cut producing a click.

Very appropriate! The use of the chorus is pretty cool too. I will say that the bells in the foreground are a little strong in comparison to the voice, but then, that might just be me expecting voice to always be at the foreground in holiday songs. The clipping is present, but I don't think it's too important in this sort of work. One thing to note is that the music box is at a slightly different pace than the song, which can make it sound strange. Consider usage of this technique carefully...

Very original and interesting piece. I agree with the great use of panning. Good Work! Only one small detail: The initial seconds of rest are intentional? Remember to export only your piece of music with no unintentional rests at the beginning or end.

I will say that the bass is a good choice for the purpose of providing a rhythmic backdrop, but I question its use - perhaps something more frenetic might be appropriate? Especially given the nature of the piece (mimicking a test), something more ominous or frantic might be better. On the other hand, I really like the use of the pencil! It sounds much nicer when I'm paying attention to it. Finally, I think the ending could use a touch more of the chaos as well - the pencil might be more frantic or disorganized at the end of a test.

Overall though, this is a really cool piece! There's a lot to say about it, which indicates the amount of effort and detail.

I like the way you kept the background simple as you say - the foreground has a lot of texture going for it. Some more detail on the feel of the piece would be nice, but composition-ally speaking, this is a good way to show how simple sounds can create interesting beats!

Very imaginative work, I had lots of fun. Very well employed the form ABA to give variety in the middle. It is true what you say about the note durations. To achieve them being longer we would need to set a loop part in the sample to be repeated while the key is pressed so that it can be longer. If you are interested to knwo how I can give you the video link from Lynda.com that explains how to do that with Logic sampler: http://www.lynda.com/Logic-Pro-tutorials/Advanced-zone-editing-looping/89610/97925-4.html

Good work, with good proportions. To take care: the melodic loop attracts more the attention than the sampled sounds, but is ok. As I have said before in other comment the pieces are so short that many times we divide them in micro sections with small changes among them (in a bigger piece all this might be a complete section).

Original idea. To take care: there are clicks problems in the samples (because of fade problems), and a bit more of variety would be good, maybe some other layer/s.

Good and imaginative work! Only one detail: sometimes my attention was more attracted by the instrumental loop instead of the samples. Nice surprise at the end.
Have you ever watch The Doctor Who BBC show? Did you know that The Doctor Who TARDIS Noise is really Keys Scraping on a Piano Wire string? They reduced the playback speed a lot to produce that kind of sound.

Good Work! Very interesting texture. Only one detail: be careful with the fade out at the end, there is a click.

Very imaginative. There is a bit of problem with the sudden cut of the samples, that produce clicks. And you are mixing two harmonic worlds (the chorus is in one key and the music box in a different one), it is something that is named polytonality that developed widely in the classical music from XX century.

Good work! You might add a bass line to complete the instrumentation a little. The end seems to have a click, be careful to make a fade out, even though it is a very fast one to avoid clicks.

I never knew nuts could be so dramatic. The beat put in about 15 seconds into the piece really caught me off guard. Good use of the chaotic technique.

I thought that the sounds strung together well. One of the bothersome things about the sampler is that no matter how much you change velocity and other options, notes don't really go for much longer than they did in the sound they were sampled from.

I agree that the rhythm is phenomenal. The beat and vocals worked together well.

Good work! I agree with Eric in that you could have given a little bit more of variety, though it is ok and sounds great.

Good work! Lively. It has a brief introduction (what you have called A), the exposition (B) and then the ending (C). Anyway it is true that the pieces we are composing are so short that they all have very simple forms.

I cannot access to anything. We can talk at class about the amount of work. We took one of the projects out, and we can see if it is necessary to reduce even more the amount of work.

Commented on Sample/Sequence, Dog Chorus, Windows

It is pretty impressive you seemed to have turned the dog bark into a melody, The background beat also sets it up really well in accordance with the barks. Good job.

Your analysis of your piece was spot on, and I think you did a really great job. I also really like the closure you gave to the ending by just including the beat. Just for completeness sake: what is the form of this piece? Was that sound effect the only one you had sampled onto your instrument?

The basic rhythm you created for this was great and the choice of sample was nice as well. Though I found the acapella to be a bit too repetitive. Since you sampled it, perhaps you could of changed the pitch throughout?

This is a great piece, and I agree with your analysis of it. You captured the mood very well, and I agree with Jacob that it would fit really well in a suspenseful moment in an action film! I also agree that instead of having a lot of closure, it just kind of tapers off, but I think that adds to the suspenseful mood that you created with the rest of your piece.

I found it cool how after listening to the first 2 notes I was able to anticipate the build up. The beat you made with it afterwards was simple but good as well.

Using the windows loading sounds was a great idea! The sounds translate really well into an electronic instrument. I realize that you haven't included all of your documentation yet, but I was wondering what kind of form you thought this piece had? You used the same two sounds and just increased and decreased the speed of delivery in order to change the mood and create the climax. Is there a reason for that? Why didn't you include any other layers?

I commented on "Windows", "Choirs, and Organs, and Strings. Oh My.", and "Effects and Sampling".

I commented on "Ramune Soda Mix", "Dog Chorus" and "Sampling + Sequencing"

I love this track! It has a very ominous feeling to it. I definitely agree that the rhythmic quality of the soda can remained in the foreground of the piece. i'm curious though, what did you use for the background droning sound? It has a very sci-fi/alien-space theme to it.

The fade-in/build up at the beginning was nice. I also liked the transition between the first A and B sections. Is there any reason why you didn't isolate the bass line at the end like it was at the beginning? It almost gives it a different form. It could possible be described as an ABCB form.

I can definitely identify the AABA structure that you described. I also really like that the dog barks were the same rhythm as the drums.

I like the choice of sounds, but it would have been more interesting if you didn't just use one sound for the main theme song. The non-varying lengths f the notes made it sound a little off.

I commented on Smash Choir, High Heels Instrument, and Pencils

I really enjoyed the contrast between the the section when the bass is playing, and the section when it's only the pencil sounds. However, I believe the piece was supposed to be between 50-70 seconds.

I commented on Smash Choir, 8bit Messing, and "Choirs, and Organs, and Strings. Oh my."

Nice! You created a suspenseful piece very well - I could see this in the beginning of a trailer for an epic movie. I know we could only make a minute-long piece, but I wish it kept building and then turned into something big and loud. I was disappointed at the end because it seemed to be building up to something and then it just stopped.

I commented on: Francisco Rojo, Dan Cheng, Naomi Sternstein.

I commented on windows, shaken nuts and 8-bit messing.

You did a great job of using the original voices' pitches to create the melody! I found it interesting how you used only sounds from the game to create the game's own theme song.

The beginning is so pro. I like how chaos increases as the track continues, giving the sense of a loss of sanity!

I love the 'alarm, something is going wrong' section a lot. That is very well done. Also, using 8-bit sounds is an ingenious idea. That said, I agree with Ivan, that you could have built up to the last section a little bit more.

This was a lot of fun to listen to. I was listening to this with someone else in the room, who instantly said "Are you listening to Pokemon?" so good job on authenticity. Like Ivan said, it definitely gave me some nostalgia. You should check out LSDJ, a program for Gameboy where you can create 8-bit music! I think you'd be good at it.

I like the off-beat, dissonant vibe of the track. It does very well in creating an atmosphere of chaos and disorder.

Your project does a great job of putting the listener right in the midst of the sea of footsteps in your piece. I agree with Abhishek that your use of panning helped immerse the listener.

It sounds like the beginning of a techno song! I like how despite only having two different kinds of sounds, the piece is still varied enough to be interesting.

I feel like you have a very interesting combination of sounds. Your basic idea os very nice. That said, is the off-time intentional? It ends up creating a very dissonant, unexpected vibe. Is that what you were going for?

This is great! I love how you used the voices to create melodies - really really fun to listen to. I also like how you cut out all the other instrumentation at :26, that section was my favorite part.

I like how your piece manages to build a mood in spite of how clean and simple it is. The melody loop goes with the heels well. You always use the fade in and stereo panning really well to create an impression of someone walking towards the listener and then walking away.

I commented on High Heels Instrument, Shaken Nuts, and 8bit Messing.

This was pretty neat! I like how you varied the volume and times of the footsteps, as it made the piece more interesting. Though the footsteps didn't quite line up with the rhythm of the bells, I think that's okay since it added some chaos and unpredictability to the piece.

The intro was pretty cool and unexpected-- I would never have imagined a bag of nuts could build suspense! The speeding tempo created a lot of excitement and momentum that carried on through the rest of the piece.

Nice! You definitely nailed the nostalgic, chiptuny effect. The transition between the middle chaotic section and the Song of Storms was well-done, though perhaps you could've added more suspense by speeding up the dissonant section and suddenly going back to a rhythmic tempo.

I like how you use the crescendo at the beginning, it definitely helps to prepare the listener to the following high-tension music. The fast tempo shaking nuts sound mixed with the background music makes me feel alarmed and anxious. It sounds like there is going to be a war. And the sudden stop of shaking sound not only makes this piece more intriguing but also let the listener relax for a moment.

I like how you let the sound of pencil writing follow the tempo, it sounds like the pencil is dancing following the beat. Also, it is very interesting that you choose the change the background music and let the foreground sound to be repetitive. It intrigues me. And as a listener, I want to listen it to the end since this piece is not predictable.

The saxophone actually goes really well with the sound of the dog's toy. They are really good contrasts, one is low pitched and low tempo, the other one, which is the dog toy sound, is high pitched and fast tempo. These contrasts also make the piece more interesting to listen to. However, I wonder what is the form of your piece? Is it AB? It sounds like AB to me.

I'm interested in the way you described the format of the piece-- by the amount of chaos rather than the notes themselves. I agree with you in that your piece is loosely of the ABA format. I'm curious as to why you chose 8-bit sounds, and how you chose which melodies would make it into your piece. Additionally, I wonder why you left in the harmony in during some parts of your piece but didn't use it in others.

The faint squeak at the end of the piece made me chuckle. The squeaking happening (almost) continuously throughout the piece tied it together well. The squeaks, because they were so high in pitch, could have been taken down in volume and still would have remained in the foreground.

I like the fact that you used the sound of a pencil scratching. Were you trying to follow the rhythm of the bass (before it dropped out of the piece) or did you have a different rhythm in mind? On an unrelated note, I think only using a bass as a background was wise. The foreground noise of the pencil is already very loud and demands the attention of the listener. If there were a full band in the background or something, it would become too busy and detract from the pencil noises.