clintmartin
Sounds good as is to me. You always have cool ideas and this song continues with that trend.

Thanks Clint!  I think I need to do something more in the middle section though.  Still not sure what yet, but it'll come to me. :)

dcumpian
Hey Walt!
 
This sounds very nice, but I agree that some sort of lead is missing in the middle section. Without that, it sounds like a soundtrack to a game (I'm thinking it reminds me strongly of the first Deus Ex, for reference). The mix, as usual, is excellent! Nice job on the transitions as well!
 
Regards,
Dan
 
 

Thanks Dan.  Yeah, the middle bit needs something.  I'm considering either a guitar or synth lead over top.  I'll report back when it's ready.

jamesg1213
Nice track, full of good ideas Walt. Could use some further development in terms of melody to help it stand as a piece of music just for listening, but I could imagine it working quite well with visuals as it is.

 
Thanks James.  You're right.

Wayne Joseph Kington
Very nice mix.

Thanks Wayne.
 
 

Starise
Been awhile since I heard any of your stuff Walt. I liked the way the intro built up from just classical into something else. 
 
Would make a great video song depending on the video.

 
Thanks Tim!  Yep, I have to admit I've been a little scarce in the last couple months.  Working on my video game development stuff, and REALLY trying to focus this time. ;)
 

groupgezgin
Hi my dear friend "Walt"
very nice, congratulations. I wish you continued success
 
best regards,

Grup Gezgin

 
Thank you Nihat!  I'm still waiting for that success to start though. :)

olemon
I'm typically a simple I IV V americana musician, so this genre is a little out of my zone.
 
I liked the first movement best, where the strings (cellos or bass?) are playing that eighth note rythm.
 
Very professional.

Thanks for listening Scott.  I appreciate that you gave it a shot even though it was so different.  I've been enjoying shifting styles in my music, mid-song.  Sorry that the synth coming in probably surprised you a bit. ;)

bapu
Gud Schtuff Hear Walt.

Wulfanx Mista Baps!

That's really cool Walt, and grooves along well.  I'm not sure I have much to say, it's all very well done and produced. 

I've just uploaded the new "added drums" mix.  I hope people will like it.

Wayne Joseph Kington
Listening again Walt, I really like your style as a composer, the slightly off-centre arrangement of strings at the beginning, the interesting synth sounds, the minimalist repetition that never gets dull and the percussion... Is that all programmed beats?

There's something I really like about repetition that never quite sounds repetitive... It plays with the boundary between familiar and unfamiliar, creating something layered and very listenable.

Well done.

Thanks for the re-listen Wayne.  The drums are made up of a few different things, actually:

1. Battery 4 is the main drum part, starting around 0:54, is a midi loop running through an old school 909 kit
2. AAS Ultra Analog is doing an "Electragroove" arpeggiation starting around 1:13
3. Kontakt 5 starts around 1:50 with the tribal rhythms that I used from the West Africa discovery series (kinda cheating, as I don't have any real American Indian drums).  The West Africa drums library has a really cool way of triggering their drum sample loops.  Each octave does something different, with each note in that octave providing a different variant on what that octave is doing.  For example, from C1-B2 are the 12 variants of the main rhythm ensembles, then from C2-B3 are the 12 variants of the "solo djembe" phrases, then from C3-B4 are the single djembe hits, from C4-B5 are the single stroke dunun hits, etc.  Of course you get to sync the tempo and set the knobs for the right feel/intensity, etc.  It's pretty fun to play with!
4. AAS Chromaphone, doing a low tom simple "Indian beat" in the middle section around 2:08 for a short while

As far as the somewhat (admittedly) repetitive style of my writing, I usually try to vary something on a theme that gets woven into some other part of the song.  I feel it's important to allow the listener (even a first time listener) an opportunity to "hum along" and feel like they know where it's going.  That doesn't mean that surprises aren't good too!  But I do like to let folks learn the song a bit and then re-use that familiarity later in the song.
 
I guess it's something I learned doing pop/rock music for all those years.  Everyone wants to hear the chorus early and often, so they can start singing along.  Well, this ain't pop/rock, but that doesn't mean I can't use some of the same writing tricks in my electronic music. :)

nice mix of genres and it really keeps your attention throughout.
I'm not sure you're allowed to call them Indians anymore - you have to call them Native Instruments

I like both versions

Thanks guys. :)