M81

My goodness... I'm wondering if anyone will read this, but I've spent all morning typing this, so here goes:-
 
Okay... There is so much to say about M81, so here goes...
 
I originally started working on M81 (aka 0008 in Sonar) back in April 2013. I made decent headway at the time and even uploaded an early WIP version, which is still there near the bottom of my SoundCloud page. I should delete it really as it has changed so much since then.
 
When I find that I am struggling to create anything new I often go back over old unfinished projects to see if I can find some inspiration there. M81 was one such track, which I liked at the time, but it was somewhat limited in terms of interest and definitely still WIP and in need of some love.
 
So, what is it all about then?
 
Good question... You see, I do not compose music in order to express a particular human emotion... Love, hate, fear, loss, etc. The reason for that is simple. I don't have that ability. I never sing, because I have never been able to, so there is no inspiration there. And as much as life events move me, I have never developed the ability to put my feelings into words.
 
I wish I had Neil Peart's writing skills, who has written a lot of songs based on science fiction, but, again, nothing like that has ever come from these hands.
 
And there a so many classical and instrumental works that ooze emotion, and have been inspired by simple things like landscapes, historical events, and so on.
 
Again, I do not seem to be able to convert anything at all in real life into music.
My only inspiration, therefore, is sound itself. For all I know, it may go all the way back to being in my mother's womb, but there it is... Sounds... Such an inspiration to me, and is also why I listen to music.
 
Okay, I'm probably labouring the point too much, but I think I am setting the scene here and giving peeps an insight into my music, or should I say sound creation process.
 
Back to M81...
 
It has a tempo of 93.5 BPM. I know that sounds strange, but I wanted to make M81 last exactly eight minutes long (fade out included) and I adjusted the tempo to suit.
 
I set the meter to 6/8 time. 3/4 would have done the same job but for some reason I prefer 6/8.
 
There are a total of 28 tracks, 12 MIDI tracks and 16 audio tracks, each associated with a VSTi. So I think I will refer to each track below as the MIDI track number.
 
Track 2 - Bass Pad - Pan Centre
 
VSTi - Absynth 5, using preset Aeon as the basis, which is then tweaked to suit and with further tweaks made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include Pro-Q 2 for sculpting and Kotelnikov for minor compression duties.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
This first track pretty much sets the whole scene for M81. It is present in the mix from beginning to end, although it does fade in and out, so may not be instantly apparent.
 
Each note played is a full nine bars long, and this is where the whole experimental phase of this project started. I am always generally compelled to write stuff that fits in with multiples of four. I mean... Why is that? My brain is always expecting things to last 4, 8, 12 bars. Most of the time anyway.
 
So, here I am, pushing the boundaries of my limited musical thinking...
 
First note played is F, in the bass register. Followed by Eb, G, D, Bb, G, F, Eb, D. Simples... And mostly in the key of Fmaj, with a twist of a flattened 7th. So it could be minor, depending what else accompanies the aforementioned notes.
 
And that was nine notes there. So, nine notes, each lasting nine bars long. On paper at least, this just wasn't going to work, but I wanted to continue with my experiment.
 
Those first nine bars constituted first major part of M81. For the second major part I simply copied the first.
For the third and final major part I stuck with the nine bar long "drone" notes, but changed the sequence to C, Bb, C, Bb, C, Bb, F, F and F. Even more simple. The final F broke the rules a bit because that lasts more than nine bars. Thirteen in fact. I wanted the final bass note to fade out past the, up to now, usual nine bars.
 
That's it then... The bass drone note part is done and I could pretty much stop there. But in order to turn this into something that could be listened to, lots more stuff had to be added.
 
Track 4 - Bass Seq - Pan Centre
 
VSTi - Chromaphone, using preset Dragon Behind (KitNetix), tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include Pro-Q 2 for sculpting and Kotelnikov for minor compression duties.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
This track is for the bass line, or sequence, that runs through almost all of M81. In the original WIP version of M81, this sequence was a bass F note played, as a sixteenth note (semiquaver) every 8th in the bar. I then decided that this wasn't working for some parts, so I took the decision to make this follow the Bass Pad notes. So, so simple, yet again, but for me, it worked.
 
Track 6 - Seq 1 - Pan Centre
 
VSTi - Hive, using preset AZ Defined Pluck, tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include Pro-Q 2 for sculpting and Timeless 2 for a stereo echo bounce to hard left and right.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
The sequence in this track was the last created for this version. The previous sequence it contain, and still in the WIP version, was deleted because I didn't like how it interacted with all the new stuff. This particular sequence is even more basic that the bass sequence, containing just three sixteenth notes starting on the first eighth note and a quarter note apart. Because there are three sequence parts, not including the bass sequence, it fits quite well and give the feeling of movement in the composition due to its position in the stereo field.
 
The notes used in this sequence simply follow the notes played by one of the pad tracks (Pad 6) and the sequence follows that simple pattern for the duration of the tune.
 
Track 8 - Seq 2 - Pan Centre
 
VSTi - Hive, using preset AZ Defined Pluck, tweaked to suit and further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects used include Pro-Q 2 for sculpting and Timeless 2 for a single echo bounce. I left the track pan to Centre and used Timeless to place the dry signal at 60% left and the wet signal to 60% right.
 
Track Send to Reverb Buss.
 
I should note that I generally use Step Sequencer to create all of my sequences nowadays... Seems daft not to really. It give me the ability to experiment on the fly and see what fits. I can get lost for hours in this part of the process... So Seq 2 was developed to suit each of the Bass Pad nine bar parts, using notes that would fit into a simple triad chord of that note, usually in the bass position.
 
I use the same sequencer note position throughout the length of M81. However, to add to that evolving feel, after the first main part I start to add notes to the sequence, varying each time through the remaining to major parts.
 
Track 10 - Seq 3 - Pan Centre
 
VSTi - Ultra Analog, using preset IDM Pluck, tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects used include Pro-Q 2 for sculpting and Timeless 2 for a single echo bounce. I left the track pan to Centre and used Timeless to place the dry signal at 100% right and the wet signal to 100% left.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
The notes used in this sequence follow the same pattern as Seq 1 for the first major part, but an octave higher. After the first major part I add more notes to the sequence, but different to the notes added to Seq 1.
 
Track 12 - Pad 1 - Pan 100% Left
 
VSTi - Zebralette, using preset HS Atlantic Swell, tweaked to suit.
 
VST effects used include just Pro-Q 2.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
This track provides the pads that work alongside the main Bass Pad parts. Each of the notes played last for three bars this time, so there are three notes played for each of the Bass Pad notes, and start to form a chord.
 
Track 14 - Pad 2 - Pan 100% Right
 
VSTi - Rapture, using preset C.A.L.M and tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include just Pro-Q 2.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
This pad track simply copies the Bass Pad track but in a higher register and reinforces the basic main pattern of the tune.
 
Track 16 - Pad 3 - Pan 70% Left
 
VSTi - Twin 2, using preset Ambient 2 SM and tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include Pro-Q 2 and Kotelnikov.
 
Track Send to Reverb Buss.
 
This pad track is a copy of Pad 1 but is two octaves higher.
 
Track 18 - Pad 4 - Pan 70% Right
 
VSTi - String Studio, using preset Cosmos Soundscape and tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects used include Pro-Q 2 and Kotelnikov.
 
Track Send to Reverb Buss.
 
Pad 4 is a direct copy of Pad 3.
 
Track 20 - Pad 5 - Pan 70% Right
 
VSTi - Hive, using preset AZ Sweet Strings Vintage and tweaked to suit.
 
VST effects used include Pro-Q 2.
 
Track Send to Reverb Buss.
 
Pad 5 follows the same note structure as Pad 1, Pad 3 and Pad 4 but two notes are now played instead. The lowest note copies Pad 1, 3 and 4, and the higher note is an octave above the lower note for the first two Bass Pad notes and then for the remainder of the tune, it is some interval, other than an octave, above the lower note.
 
So now we are getting a more of a chord, although some of the chords created are not true triads, or may be a 7th chord, with the fifth missing... That sort of thing. I think it works, and you can hear the makings of a major or minor chord here and there, even though no triads were played on any of the pad tracks.
 
Track 22 - Pad 6 - Pan 40% Left
 
VSTi - Hive, using preset ETE Arctic Voyage and tweaked to suit with further adjustments made by way of automation.
 
VST effects include Pro-Q 2.
 
Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
This track plays the same note as the higher note in Pad 5 but an octave higher.
 
Track 26 - Main Drums - Pan set by VSTi
 
VSTi - Drumaxx, using preset Dubstep Kit. This is a complete kit, although only Kick, Snare and Hi-Hats are used. I may have tweaked some of the parameters...
 
Unlike every other track, which have just the one stereo output (each sent directly to the Master Buss), I use the ability of Drumaxx to output each item of kit to its own output. This means I can have a track, and therefore effects bin and fader for each drum kit element. I know I can control the balance and sounds within Drumaxx, but I prefer to do that outside of the VSTi, where possible.
 
Track 23 is used for the Kick. Track 24 for the Snare. And Track 35 for the Hi-Hat. Each of those tracks has an instance of Pro-Q 2 so that I can sculpt each element individually.
 
Also, each of those three tracks are sent to a Drum Buss rather than the Master Buss. More details on the busses later.
 
Track 28 - Cymbals - Pan set by VSTi
 
VSTi - Battery 3, using Full Jazz Kit (such a nice selection if cymbals).
 
VST effects used include Pro-Q 2.
 
Although Cymbals are obviously part of a drum kit, for M81 I decided to keep them out of the Drum Buss and send them directly to the Master Buss, and therefore I have added a Track Send to the Reverb Buss.
 
Why go for real cymbal samples rather that those provided with Drumaxx? I just wanted "real" cymbals on M81... The synthesised cymbals in Drumaxx, for obvious reasons, cannot come close to that. Sure, in certain genres, the Drumaxx cymbals are fine, and expected to be used. But not on this tune...
 
Now the Busses:-
 
Reverb - I always set up a reverb buss nowadays and my "go to" reverb at the moment is Breverb 2. For M81 I use the Cathedral preset, which is quite a deep and sometimes over the top reverb to use. But I like it for some reason and so temper it by lowering each send amount by a couple of dB for starters, and then I may use the buss fader to reduce it further.
 
I also set the Dry Mix level in Breverb 2 to zero. Other than that, I don't mess with any of the other setting (because I do not know what I am doing).
 
Drums - As mention above, I route the Kick, Snare and Hi-Hats to this buss. I like to do this because I cand adjust the relative levels of each kit element via the track fader and then use the Drum Buss fader to adjust the overall drums level. I also place an instance of Pro-Q 2 for some final drum EQ tweaks.
 
The Drum Buss also has a send and that is directed to what I call Drums PP. I don't know much about "parallel processing," other than bits I have read on the internet. For "processing" you can read "compression" and on the
Drums PP Buss I have an instance of Kotelnikov, set to use its Drum Buss - Deep Control preset.
 
I then mix a certain amount of the Drums PP Buss into the Master Buss, until I hear its effect. I'm just playing with this at the moment and still learning the ropes, but from what I have done so far with this method is certainly interesting, and somewhat pleasing.
 
Finally, the Master Buss...
 
This has an instance of Pro-Q 2, which is used to fine tune the overall EQ of the complete mix, followed by Pro-L, which is what I like using at the moment to flatten the dynamics a bit and increase the RMS level. Since reading a few posts on the Cakewalk forum about various monitoring methods, I have settled on using the K-14 system, and Pro-L allows you to do this. So I aim for my RMS level to be hovering between 0 and +4 dB.
 
The last VST used in the chain is SPAN, which I use as best I can to tell me how thinks are with the frequency spectrum, along with the RMS level. As I have mentioned many times in the past couple of months, I mix and master using my KRK KNS-8400 headphones, so I rely on SPAN for much of the process. I do manage to listen on other systems, and with M81 I have been hooking up my audio out to the aux input of my TV surround sound system, but that, too, has its limitiations.
 
A word about Automation; I rely on Automation a lot in my compositions. With M81, it allows me to alter various VSTi parameters as the tune is playing and therefore alter the sounds. This allows the sounds to come and go, or simply change its timbre... Do that with 12 elements and you get this feeling of stuff constantly changing and helps, a little anyway, to keep things interesting.
 
I think I had better leave it there... If you've got this far, WELL DONE!!!