https://soundcloud.com/aaudiomystiks/sunset-movement-3
And now for my crowning achievement so far...possibly in terms of composition and audio production, I present Sunset-Sonata no5, movement 3 in an electronic symphonic piece I am writing at the moment.
 
After approximately 260 odd hours, since December the 17th, I have like Beethoven laboured over a number of different musical creation software.  I did not celebrate Christmas...no family so did not matter.  New Years past, as the fireworks went off I buried my head further in my work and scowled the thunder of a great man.  I have not watched TV for weeks, did not read the paper...what's been happening??  Although in the wee hours after my bones ached and my brain was numb, I caught up on Game of Thrones lol. 
 
The piece is written for viola that stretches the fabric of time and space, there is also clarinet and 303 bass, yep 303 bass.  It's literally a trio, in 7/8 and it's a waltz for all of you over 10.  If you listen carefully, you will hear the paint peel off a 1000 years of grime and hear what I actually did. You see I composed this on my guitar, with roman numeral analysis, then played it into Notion 3, then I realized opps and had to be very sneaky.  Rather than staring on the tonic in, which would have been D minor, I started on the tonic but with a D sus2 chord.  It worked and from there the light only shines once.
 
I composed this in Notion 3...yes I need to upgrade and Cakewalk missed the beat not buying this software.  After countless hours in the last 3 weeks, although I have had the software since 2011, but only used it a handful of times.  I have mastered it, you need to have decent theory skills to make the software sing, and Sunset was completed just before I had complete control, hence the viola sounds like it's bending time and space.  But all the important musical stuff works, i.e. hairpin dynamics, dynaminc markers, slurs, articulations, even the breath markers...amazing.  I'm just starting to add swing to my compositions too.  Rit anyone, that is coming.
 
Not only did I master this software, I have spent the rest of my time, mastering the audio production skills, to do a composition like this justice.  First I over cooked everything, then undercooked.  Then I realized I was doing too much, let the dynamics of Notion 3 handle things, and just get the gain stage right within Sonar...it would have been nice to rewire Notion, but 3 and Sonar are like broken lovers ;).
 
I've almost got my head around Sonar's console emulation...how it works, the best way to use it and by proxy how console emulators work in general.  I've chucked that across the mix.  Now I have figured out Tape Emulators, and on the master buss, I use the Pro Channel Tape emulator first in the chain, just to either bring the gain stage up or down to -18 rms...look it up if you are lost, hopefully most of you are not by now.  Then console buss emulation, this simulates the tape track being fed into the console for summing, mixing and mastering.  Then I use Waves H-Comp...very cool, transparent compressor and easy to set.  Then Quad EQ, which after some digging the manual suggests the pure setting for mastering...and bam, what a different it makes.  I should have read the manual long ago...ADHD/Asperger's, where angels fear to tread.  Next, Waves Kramer Master Tape and again, wow...I finally got this baby to sing last night, I have had the plug since April, but it has taken hours of experiment's and reading to finally get it and by proxy tape emulators in general.  Finally concrete limiter. 
 
A couple of side notes, before the Pro Channel on the master buss, I use the LP EQ just to tidy some lose ends, I've also brought the Double Tracker effect, from Waves...50 bucks...when a Waves effect is on special and you have the bucks, I suggest buy.  I use this on a buss and feed only the strings in, wow and what a difference.  This will be the next plug I am going to figure out how to work.  I've also finally got my head around Perfect Space reverb, gosh without an instruction manual, it is like pissing in the wind and the dark...without using it properly it adds distortion to the mix.
 
Well there is the cake folks, enjoy.  I have rewrote, fixed and am mastering the whole 5 movements in the Suite of Love and I will post them at appropriate times.  Let's just say, I heard a composition from the head of the conservatorium here in Adelaide played by a top orchestra, and I know what prefer.
 
Enjoy Cheers Ben

Very nice song. You also wrote a very nice description of how you work. I don't have the knowledge to fully appreciate your work but I believe you did good.

Hi Ben, I don't think I've really listened to your music before. Your composition skills are what kept me listening right to the last note.

Hi Antti, thanks for listening as always, sorry I'm not doing much listening at the moment.  I find it hard to come out of my head at the moment.  I'm not listening to anything at the moment, just what I am doing.
 
Hi Wayne, thanks for listening too, I am getting there...the powers that be don't.
 
Cheers Ben

The composition is good, the capture sounds good and the mix works, however it feels a little lifeless, sorry Ben I like you stuff but I also know you appreciate honesty.
 
Thanks for sharing.

Wookiee
The composition is good, the capture sounds good and the mix works, however it feels a little lifeless, sorry Ben I like you stuff but I also know you appreciate honesty.
 
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, John and indeed honesty is the best policy.  It could be a number of things, I put more chorus on the viola in the last mix but it became too piercing.  I'm working on the swing and rit at the moment so on the next piece this might help.


 
Cheers

Ben, you need and deserve better instrument sounds. Just my opinion ofc.

kakku
Ben, you need and deserve better instrument sounds. Just my opinion ofc.

Well I would love some better sounds but because I am a misunderstood, much maligned mad scientific musician, who has a tendency to alienate himself...It will be a while.  Still need to get some plugs.  I haven't even got a decent back up system.  It would seem I am racing to the void, and my fate is sealed ala Mozart, Van Gough or one of those types.  Just kidding been a rough few weeks but this is when I ork best, my creative sprit I loosened.
 
Cheers

BenMMusTech
 
And now for my crowning achievement so far...possibly in terms of composition and audio production

I don't know about that Ben, but I liked the writing and rendering of the viola parts, some lovely stuff in there. Not sure the bass and clarinet are up to the same quality though.