https://soundcloud.com/aaudiomystiks/fugue-no2-waiting-at-the-bus-stop-for-you
 
Sorry to post two in a week but I thought this track deserved ATTENTION!! (I wrote and performed this in a night on Sunday...yes all of the strings were performed into Notion 3 with the Yourock guitar...I was a virtual viola player, I love viola).   It is my second attempt at fugue...at least I think it is a fugue...please correct me if I am wrong.  I sent it to my supervisor but he never gets back to me.
 
The concept is life is a series of bus stops, and I am waiting for you at the bus stop.  I'm going to do a video for this piece...a montage of empty bus stops lol.
 
The piece is in 5/4 yes odd time signature again, but the development is in 4/4.  I think it is in B minor although its probably is in some kind of mode...perhaps B Dorian.
 
I've found a way to make the virtual strings sound better in my opinion, I decided to triple track everything, and one track even has the slightest amount of varispeed...cool.  I've also decided to bounce all the strings down to a single stereo track from Notion 3, rather than bounce them out individually and treat them in Sonar this way.  By bouncing the strings out as a stereo track, when I put them into Sonar this time I was able to make the triple verbs I use gel together better.  Yes I use three different verbs to simulate the sound of a concert hall: two perfect space verbs with far and close XY and the BVERB hall.  I've also used Waves Eddie Krammer's Zep Tape Emulation and I'm really digging the HComp also by Waves as my mastering compressor...who would have thought a plug, which was on special from 150 bucks to 37 bucks could replace an outboard 2000 dollar mastering compressor...it does IMHO.
 
Ok again sorry for posting two in a week, but again I think this deserved ATTENTION.
 
Ben

Hey Ben,
It's a little tricky to say for sure. I hear voice 1 coming in on what I believe is the tonic, the response in voice 2 comes in a perfect 5th higher if I am not mistaken, and it's a tonal response. The only thing that is kind of throwing me off is the counterpoint happening in voice 1 when voice 2 presents the subject a 5th higher seems to reappear when the 4th voice comes in with the subject. I would think that by then the contrapuntal material would have moved on so to speak. Fugue is arguably the hardest contrapuntal form, so it's hard for me to tell without a score. Usually the basic requirements of a fugue is a subject, the presentation of that subject in all voices, and then the development of that subject throughout the piece. That being said, it all depends if you want this composition to be strictly an exercise in counterpoint or an actual work. If you like what you hear, then don't change it by any means. I think if you want to work on counterpoint, starting with a 2-voice invention is a great place to start. From what I gather, I can't really tell whether this a style-writing exercise or a personal composition, and I think that would help inform your composition choices moving forward.
 
By the way, that triple verb idea sounds really interesting, I might try that out.

I liked this song though it was somewhat complex. You managed to make quite a show with just a couple of instruments. Somehow I wish there had been a pad sound making the sound even larger. Silly thought probably. Another idea was to perhaps morph the fugue into a more pop sounding style. Probably very hard and perhaps even stupid. But it is very nice as it is.
kakku

Bel Amine
Hey Ben,
It's a little tricky to say for sure. I hear voice 1 coming in on what I believe is the tonic, the response in voice 2 comes in a perfect 5th higher if I am not mistaken, and it's a tonal response. The only thing that is kind of throwing me off is the counterpoint happening in voice 1 when voice 2 presents the subject a 5th higher seems to reappear when the 4th voice comes in with the subject. I would think that by then the contrapuntal material would have moved on so to speak. Fugue is arguably the hardest contrapuntal form, so it's hard for me to tell without a score. Usually the basic requirements of a fugue is a subject, the presentation of that subject in all voices, and then the development of that subject throughout the piece. That being said, it all depends if you want this composition to be strictly an exercise in counterpoint or an actual work. If you like what you hear, then don't change it by any means. I think if you want to work on counterpoint, starting with a 2-voice invention is a great place to start. From what I gather, I can't really tell whether this a style-writing exercise or a personal composition, and I think that would help inform your composition choices moving forward.
 
By the way, that triple verb idea sounds really interesting, I might try that out.

Hi  Amine the piece has 4 voices, and you are right the 2nd voice comes in on the 5th.  The exposition states the subject using each of the voices, so the cello states the subject, then the viola up a 5th, then violin 1, then violin 2.  This is probably what is confusing you, and possibly me.  I'm still new to this, it's both an exercise and a composition.
 
From my understanding of the ingredients, the exposition has to state the subject with all four voices.  This is what I have done.  Then the development uses bit's of the subject to tease the listener before finally stating the subject again, this is what I have done...but it was a false statement because this leads into a 2nd development phase.  Then when this is done, all the voices restate the subject, including the viola and one of the violins stating the subject in the 5th.  Then the subject is restated with all the voices once.  So I think this is correct.  Again I am learning, and I am doing a lot of it by ear and I played most of it too.
 
Yep triple verb really works but also triple tracking really softens the sound too, a touch of Reaper varispeed on one of the tracks too.  I was amazed.
 
Cheers Thanks Ben 

kakku
I liked this song though it was somewhat complex. You managed to make quite a show with just a couple of instruments. Somehow I wish there had been a pad sound making the sound even larger. Silly thought probably. Another idea was to perhaps morph the fugue into a more pop sounding style. Probably very hard and perhaps even stupid. But it is very nice as it is.
kakku

Thanks Antti it does have a very rockish popish feel to it in places, so its not a silly suggestion to morph it into this style.  It's the pulse your hearing I think, which is not very classical, in fact more blues and probably something I borrowed from Eleanor Rigby.
 
I now know you like your synth pads, but it is an exercise in composition and honchos would not be happy lol.
 
Thanks for listening
 
Ben 

I enjoyed the piece it flowed in a sort of progression of expression of the subject.
 
On the mix some of the violin is a little harsh just a little selective EQ at those resonances to soften them a little I think would work.
 
Thanks for sharing  

I don't know what you guys are talking about but I did like this.  Different from anything I've heard for awhile.  

I agree with Warren, this is different if not unique.  Ben, I applaud your well of creativity and muses.  The one thing that I consistently miss with your music is the dynamics.  It seems like every element is the same level from beginning to end, or in other words, where's the range from pianissimo to fortissimo?  Without that dimension, samples sound like samples only and not real players, though these samples are pretty good.  I  think that's the only thing missing from your music, in general, and in classical or avant garde music, dynamics are gold. imho

Lynn
I agree with Warren, this is different if not unique.  Ben, I applaud your well of creativity and muses.  The one thing that I consistently miss with your music is the dynamics.  It seems like every element is the same level from beginning to end, or in other words, where's the range from pianissimo to fortissimo?  Without that dimension, samples sound like samples only and not real players, though these samples are pretty good.  I  think that's the only thing missing from your music, in general, and in classical or avant garde music, dynamics are gold. imho

Thanks Lynn, yea it's a hard one, dynamics that is.  There is some on this, but they maybe get drowned out when I go and squash everything in mastering.  It's also very fiddley adjusting each note's velocity...which is what I have done, then I get lazy in the cutting and pasting lol.  I'm hoping Notion 5 has some sort of global velocity thingy...yea no language to describe, this will make it a lot easier to get in there and add more dynamic nuances.  On saying this I'm probably reflecting my own personality within the piece's themselves...meaning I'm a basher and I'm loud and don't have much emotional dynamic.
 
Thanks everyone else too.
 
Ben

Wow Ben, you are one talented guy. This is really nice. I had to listen all the way through - it just caught my attention and wouldn't let go.
 
This is a great and very interesting piece.