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The Archives => The Dragon's Den (Archived) => Topic started by: Lmns Crn on September 23, 2007, 03:35:11 PM

Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Lmns Crn on September 23, 2007, 03:35:11 PM
So it's been a long time coming, but I've finally gotten this semi-presentable.

I think I mentioned a while back that I was interested in writing music inspired by Salacious Angel's Dystopia (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?20839.post) world. And I did. My original piece was used as the final project for an electronic music composition class-- a mournful melody for solo cello, with an unusual computer accompaniment. The computer, running a sound patch I named Penumbra, would unpredictably record snippets of the cello's sound and play back distorted versions of them, beginning very softly in the back of the hall and gradually growing in volume as they approached the stage. The unnatural sounds of Penumbra would eventually encroach upon the live performer, drowning out his music with its distorted reflection of it, crushing his individuality with a swarm of anathema-voices.

It worked okay, I guess. Not as well as I would have liked. The project was fun to do and fascinating, and I learned a lot from it, but I didn't particularly like the result.

Now, though, I've done a new version. I took the cello melody and reworked it into a string trio. (I am in the process of further reworking it for a larger string orchestra as well.) I hope to get one or both versions performed eventually, and get some good recordings of them.

In the meantime, I have a rather canned-sounding MIDI version. But if you use your imagination, you can almost tell what it'll sound like when real musicians play it.

Listen. (http://senduit.com/062ba5)
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Matt Larkin (author) on September 23, 2007, 03:46:22 PM
Very cool LC. Perhaps SA can use it as his theme song!

It reminds a little of the kind of music you'd hear in a psychedelic dungeon in a video game.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Stargate525 on September 23, 2007, 04:01:48 PM
Yeah it did sound very '90s RPG dungeon to me.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Raelifin on September 23, 2007, 04:44:21 PM
Creepy
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: the_taken on September 23, 2007, 06:30:39 PM
I don't have a good MIDI player on this comp, so maybe I couldn't hear how goos it actually is.

It's OK. There's like three different songs fused in sequence, but it's OK.
Might want to go easy on the volume changes though. The difference between soft and loud almost wrecked my ears.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Raelifin on September 24, 2007, 12:29:41 AM
Yeah, I don't think it was supposed to be polished and nice as much as an idea of what the full thing would sound like with an orchestra and some elbow grease.

Can't wait for the final things, btw. Once you get those recordings, LC, I'll send some of my people over to discuss a record deal. "And break ur kneecaps." - For fun of course.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: SA on September 24, 2007, 10:18:35 AM
You named it Whispering Coast...

*wipes tear from eye*

Dystopia's quintessential landmark has its own theme song!

And you know what, it fits!

Do you have the sheet music for this, Luminous?  I'm going to learn this on piano (with some extra chords and the like), and a little visual help would be great.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Lmns Crn on September 24, 2007, 10:42:59 AM
Quote from: TerrorCakeDo you have the sheet music for this, Luminous?  I'm going to learn this on piano (with some extra chords and the like), and a little visual help would be great.
I have a violin/viola/cello arrangement, but you'll need Finale or Finale Notepad (the latter being a free download) in order to read it.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Numinous on September 24, 2007, 11:49:20 AM
I finally listened to it last night, and I was dead tired.  It was a surprisingly good combination, and I actually enjoyed it.  Good stuff, LC!
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: LordVreeg on September 24, 2007, 01:55:48 PM
i've been playing it at work.
Nicely moody.

And I love how you tied it to Dystopia.  That was truly, truly cool.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: SDragon on September 24, 2007, 05:06:29 PM
Quote from: Luminous Crayon
Quote from: TerrorCakeDo you have the sheet music for this, Luminous?  I'm going to learn this on piano (with some extra chords and the like), and a little visual help would be great.
I have a violin/viola/cello arrangement, but you'll need Finale or Finale Notepad (the latter being a free download) in order to read it.


I looked that program up, and it turns out the free version only prints out the first page. Just as an FYI, of course :)
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Lmns Crn on September 24, 2007, 05:35:10 PM
Finale Notepad is a terrible program, which bears little resemblance to Finale For-Real besides the fact that they read the same file formats.

If I send you an actual notation file (as opposed to the MIDI that's uploaded so far), you'll be able to look at it in Notepad, and it'll look like honest-to-goodness sheet music. Finale Notepad can do little else with it, but at least it's a start.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Stargate525 on September 24, 2007, 09:26:55 PM
Quote from: sdragon1984, First MateI looked that program up, and it turns out the free version only prints out the first page. Just as an FYI, of course :)
screen capture. ;)
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: SA on September 24, 2007, 10:41:18 PM
QuoteIf I send you an actual notation file (as opposed to the MIDI that's uploaded so far), you'll be able to look at it in Notepad, and it'll look like honest-to-goodness sheet music. Finale Notepad can do little else with it, but at least it's a start.
That's totally cool.  If you could send it to "incubus_rampant (at) hotmail.com", 'twould be shweet.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Ishmayl-Retired on March 20, 2008, 12:02:55 PM
So I was searching through some Dystopia threads (yes, I do that sometimes), and I came across this thread, and I think, LC, you should host it somewhere permanent.  I remember liking it, but I can't remember what it sounded like, and the link has expired. :(  I would love to hear it again.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Lmns Crn on March 20, 2008, 03:02:40 PM
Quote from: IshmaylSo I was searching through some Dystopia threads (yes, I do that sometimes), and I came across this thread, and I think, LC, you should host it somewhere permanent.  I remember liking it, but I can't remember what it sounded like, and the link has expired. :(  I would love to hear it again.
I have no webhosting, so I can't host in permanently.

In the meantime, though, I have a pretty nice recording of the piece, as played by an actual chamber string ensemble. I'll sling that up this evening.
Title: LC wrote music inspired by Dystopia!
Post by: Ishmayl-Retired on March 20, 2008, 03:12:15 PM
(I happen to know someone who has webhosting if you'd like it hosted... it'll be a secret)