A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun)

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droddey
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2011/09/17 02:53:20 (permalink)

A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun)

OK, I finally finished another tune. It's not getting any faster to do new ones, but at least they are getting better. This one is a huge step forward for me in my journey.

As always with me this is all but aw shucks naturale compared to modern music. Almost everything was committed to during tracking. The only compression in the mix is a couple dB on the mix bus in the loudest parts (Drawmer 1968.) No time or pitch alignment, just a little automation. A little ambience was added to a few parts but the bulk of the ambience was also committed during tracking. A handful of VibeEQ plugs were used to tweak some of the tracks a bit in the final mix.

And it's also not at all your standard flat bar wave form, so don't blow your speakers out. It goes from nothing at the start to full scale at the end, with slowly increasing but old school RMS. So it's designed not to sound loud but to sound good turned up loud (hopefully anyway, that was my intent, tell me if not.)

Also not for the ADD generation. Basically I wanted to take on my first prog epic, but didn't want to try to actually try to pull off a 20 minute piece at this stage in my development. So I did a mini-prog epic, that is only like 3 minutes long, but it really has all of the attributes of a prog epic pretty much and it manages to sound longer than 3 minutes (in a good way hopefully.)

* When I say prog here I mean of the soulful, melodic type a la Floyd, not the more wanky, extreme instrumental prowess type of prog.
 
http://www.charmedquark.com/Web2/TmpAudio/Final/ToTheSun-Final.mp3
 


Dean Roddey
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#1

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    mgh
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/17 07:48:23 (permalink)
    nothing wrong with a bit of instrumental wankery (cough, see my latest...) this is great Dean, a real slow burner of a track. you could easily imagine Dave Gilmour or Roger Waters having written this. I love the clean guitar progression. it certainly needs to be longer though...where's the guitar solo?! perfect.

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    Purple Rhapsody
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/17 10:55:21 (permalink)
    I think this is great! I love a good bit of prog rock and this is just that. I agree with mgh's comments... Where's the guitar solo? ;-)

    Rock on man!

    Cheers,
    Terry.

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    #3
    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/17 13:26:10 (permalink)
    I started to add a solo in the outro, but for some reason it just started feeling like too much being stuffed in there, though I can definitely see the reason why it would be cool and in character to have one there.
    post edited by droddey - 2011/09/17 15:55:41

    Dean Roddey
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    #4
    Basradaem
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/17 13:47:34 (permalink)
    This is killer, Dean.  Definitely has the Floyd vibe.  Although I feel as though it's too short.  It's left me wanting more .  I echo the sentiment, could definitely use a guitar solo!  I love prog.  This is awesome, nonetheless.

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    #5
    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/18 12:31:57 (permalink)
    Thanks, mon!

    Dean Roddey
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    jamesg1213
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/18 16:28:50 (permalink)
    Yeah, good one Dean, I enjoyed that. Strapped a guitar on and had a jam with it too

     
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    #7
    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/18 16:54:04 (permalink)
    It's BYOS (bring your own solo) kind of song.

    Dean Roddey
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    cwestmont
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/18 19:12:36 (permalink)
    Yes, very Floyd-esque or early Genesis.  Enjoyed it quite a bit. 

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    Guitarhacker
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/18 21:47:16 (permalink)
    very nice. I like this style of music... I'm an old Floyd head from the past. 

    Oh yeah... right where it ended.... EPIC SOLO!!!!!  repeat a verse and chorus and then..... end it.

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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 15:15:37 (permalink)
    Yeh, so far I think every comment has indicated that it should have a solo, so obviously my leaving it out was a sub-optimal producer move on my part :-) In fact that whole song first started with me thinking about that sort of long building intro with a Gilmour'ish type of solo on it. But somewhere long the line it morphed. And I did play around with a solo on the outro but never quite got happy with it and went another way.

    Oh well, I'll know better next time.

    Dean Roddey
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    #11
    ATS
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 16:02:42 (permalink)
    No don't stop.  Keep working on it.  I LOVE prog too, my favorite bands are old genesis, pink floyd, yes so I am right with you on this one!  I would hate to see you stop working on this, keep going with it.  I really like the vocals as well.  I also like how it is more relaxing and not rushed sounding (like my stuff is).  but KEEP GOING WITH IT!!!
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    philz
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 16:59:32 (permalink)
    Very cool item there, Dean.  I loved the way the beat gradually emerged from the shroud of ambience (not surprisingly, I've been working on a tune with an intro out of the same school).  Excellent mix meaning not just the production, but also the choice of synth textures and percussion.  Well done.
    #13
    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 19:05:05 (permalink)
    Thanks. BTW, the synths were done with a Dave Smith Tetra. There are two parts per side. The first set were done mono out through a 70s Vibrochamp and mic'd and almost hard panned. The second two were stereo (panned mostly to their respective sides) and just went through an EH Cathedral Reverb pedal and straight in. There are also some heavily delayed/reverbed pedal parts, some using a HOG pedal.

    Dean Roddey
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    Chappel
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 19:42:31 (permalink)
    Pretty cool tune. Had a John Lennon singing Pink Floyd vibe to it. There were a couple of dissonances that stuck out a bit for me. The little background chromatic run at 0:50 and some neighboring tones around 0:58-0:60. I think the envelope was betraying the harmony a bit. The ending did seem abrupt and I kept waiting for that next big chord that never came.  
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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/19 20:28:42 (permalink)
    As I mentioned above, I was use a heavily reverbed guitar in that intro for that sort of omimous tone, and wobbling the whammy bar. With both heavy delay and heavy reverb, those would sort of all bang up together. So what you may be hearing as chromatic runs are probably just those, not really chromatic, just more 'all the notes between the notes' type of thing?

    Dean Roddey
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    Scottytunes
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/20 05:46:33 (permalink)
    Woooooo-hoooo! This brings me back to my Floydian days for sure! The entire thing is fantastic. I am picking up some distortion fromclean guitar part at the beginning. Otherwise, no mix issues that I can sense.

    String Jammer
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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/20 17:03:14 (permalink)
    Wow, thanks!

    Dean Roddey
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    Marshall
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/20 17:20:21 (permalink)
    Love this music - I could have listened to another half hour or so! Kind of Supper's Ready length would be good...long live prog rock. 

    well done, I love your vocals too.

    Bill
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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/20 20:42:22 (permalink)
    At some point I'll feel brave enough to take on something on the scale of Echoes or Supper's Ready or Closer to the Edge. I'm not quite that brave yet, but definitely I'm taking significant steps forward each time at bat and getting a little braver. But, I still find myself chasing after happy accidents more than really fixing something in my mind and making it so. Not that you should ignore happy accidents, but they shouldn't be driving the car.

    Dean Roddey
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    thepogue
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/20 20:55:34 (permalink)
    great job!!!...love the whole ride!
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    morenoise
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 11:22:26 (permalink)
    Hi Dean nice and Floydianesque : ) , like it . 

    Rik
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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 14:45:19 (permalink)
    Thanks a lot!

    Dean Roddey
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    philz
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 15:11:01 (permalink)
    droddey


    Thanks. BTW, the synths were done with a Dave Smith Tetra. There are two parts per side. The first set were done mono out through a 70s Vibrochamp and mic'd and almost hard panned. The second two were stereo (panned mostly to their respective sides) and just went through an EH Cathedral Reverb pedal and straight in. There are also some heavily delayed/reverbed pedal parts, some using a HOG pedal.

    Wow, that's some pretty fancy footwork to record the synths, and an impressively clever way to approach it.  I'm curious why you wouldn't just take them straight in (if you don't mind my asking).
    #24
    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 15:52:24 (permalink)
    There's just something about getting instruments out into the air and mic'ing them that makes them sound more like real instruments, more like they would sound if you heard the piece live, where they have to be gotten out into the air to be heard.

    Dean Roddey
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    57Gregy
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 21:28:51 (permalink)
    That's cool. I like it!
    And thanks for the warning. I kept turning it up at the beginning then read the "it's also not at all your standard flat bar wave form, so don't blow your speakers out". Turned the volume down just in time.

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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/21 22:39:28 (permalink)
    These days, particularly with younger people, they'd probably think that their stereo is broken (or their iPod since they don't know what a stereo is either probably :-) I turned the volume all the way up and it's still not hurting my ears, I think it's broke!

    Dean Roddey
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    BenMMusTech
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/22 20:57:33 (permalink)
    Another of the songs that I have been meaning to listen to, anything that has prog in the title gets me to listen.

    Yes a very Pink Floyd sounding track, so far, the vocal loving that, although I think it sounds a bit more Gibb (Beejees) like than Lennon like.

    Good job, enjoyed that.

    Peace Ben

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    droddey
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/23 16:25:10 (permalink)
    Hmmm... The Brothers Gibb, that wouldn't have ever thought I'd be compared to. I guess it could have been worse :-)

    I find it interesting the percentage of prog type material that gets posted to forums like these and enjoyed by the readers thereof, when this music is pretty much completely non-existent at the commercial level. What seems to pass for prog in the commercial world, to the extent it does, is really to me metal music, not remotely related to the original progressive rock movement.

    Dean Roddey
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    grayzer
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    Re:A miniature scale prog epic (To the Sun) 2011/09/23 18:16:30 (permalink)
    I wasn't expecting to enjoy this that much. It delivers. Normally when I hear prog epic I imagine some dreadful portentious pretentious ****e but this is elegant and understated. As a song, it's lovely and it draws you in. The vocals are superb. Done get me wrong, technically there are problems,a bit of pitchiness an such here and there, but they do work! The drums are the main issue for me...again the performance is great, but they don't sound part of the mix. The intro with chatter is great, like Pink Floyd'sShine on you crazy diamond PT 1 meets Rush'd beginning of Cygnus X-1. Maybe get help with the mixing but in terms of songwriting ideas and execution...this is good. Keep it coming! - an irish progger

    Please listen to my band's new (post-prog rock?!) songs at www.reclaimmusic.com all produced using sonar X1!!
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