Torley's Comments

Synthtopia : Tubular Bells Played By An Army Of Synth Babes (Holy WTF You Can Die Happy Now)

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:24:35 +0000

Aye, I'd be thrilled to death if they "surprised" us with a "Piltdown Man" section remake next... or better (?) yet, all of Amarok! At least the section that starts @ 54:23: [youtube -3jdSukMZGQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3jdSukMZGQ youtube]

Synthtopia : Tubular Bells Played By An Army Of Synth Babes (Holy WTF You Can Die Happy Now)

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:00:02 +0000

I didn't say this before, but need to now: THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS. REMARKABLE!!!!

Synthtopia : Thomas Dolby On Songwriting

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:59:34 +0000

We need a term for insular music that's purposely being made for other producers to listen to (and criticize). I got this delightful America Online magazine from back in the day, and by that I mean 1996, with Thomas Dolby on the cover. Within, he talks about the future of digital music, and some of this thoughts are pretty prescient and/or enduring, such as moving beyond the linear album format. Oddly enough, no one else on the Internet has mentioned this issue, and I can't even find a good reference to the magazine itself. Which is so weird because of what it is. Regardless of which emotion, what matters is being memorable.

Synthtopia : Absynth 5 In Depth, With Creator Brian Clevenger

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:51:57 +0000

"Absynth" is one of the greatest synth portmanteaus.

Synthtopia : Wake Up To Dubstep Scrambled Eggs

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:50:10 +0000

The dubstep we often hear in this and other videos is a hyperbolic stereotype, and it makes me smile because it's funny — and points to the self-collapsing unsustainability of genre labels. It's as absurd as thinking the Jersey Shore cast is representative of Italian-Americans. If you want to be part of the solution, make dubstep that doesn't sound like this and be happy with your creation. Then nothing can ruin that for you. BTW, Projekt Nod refer to themselves as "post-dubstep" on their bio, and I think that's a pretty tongue-in-cheek, self-aware thing to observe. In a parallel world, there's an SNL-like sketch comedy show totally based around synth humor like this. I'm serious. ;) Next, Projekt NOD can invite Beardyman on as their guest sous-chef: [youtube 8VLFS8IdsXI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VLFS8IdsXI youtube] SYNTHS + FOOD = (OFTEN) A GREAT COMBO

Synthtopia : Electronic Musician Magazine, RIP?

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:44:52 +0000

Hey, not everyone can be a Sound on Sound. :O But I'm thrilled to see Craig Anderton (I've enjoyed many of your works) help us understand more about what goes on behind-the-scenes — what a great example of "reaching out to your customers". Synthhead, more rants please. I love it when you editorialize at length, commenting on how you feel about what you post.

Synthtopia : A Musical Analysis Of Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene 2

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:41:19 +0000

I heart these analyses — all these skillful reverse-engineers have a keen ear for detail and admirable obsession. It's also educational. Also on a high note, reminds me of the "Smack My Bitch Up" deconstruction in Ableton Live. And who can forget how Blondie's "Heart of Glass", complete with its own drum machine part, was made? [youtube 2K4zdG0QfOA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K4zdG0QfOA youtube]

Synthtopia : Ralf And Florian: The Kraftwerk Sitcom

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:38:53 +0000

Laughing so hard here. :D WE MAKE ROBOT SNACKS More synth memes please!

Synthtopia : Ableton Live Tutorial - Making Glitch Patterns With 128s

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:36:24 +0000

Yes! These video tutorials show me not just the end result, but the process and context — and understanding WHY someone has adopted a given workflow. This sort of thing isn't overtly evident in the music, but is nonetheless at the foundation of its creation. Live's UI also lends itself well to customization. I'm not just talking about the skin colors, although I like seeing who else uses Oak. :)

Synthtopia : Free Download - The Electronic Soundtrack To The 70's Sci Fi Classic 'Solaris'

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:34:24 +0000

The ANS drives me crazy in a good way, playing with modern image processing led me to trace the lineage — and yearn for an ANS-esque VST. Well, I did find http://photosounder.com/ , but having to process in a separate app and import samples into Live can be a workflow-disruptor. Also note that Solaris' remake (the one with George Clooney, what a great smile that man has) also has a gorgeous soundtrack. This one rich with hang drum™ tones and hypnotic ambiences moving in and out. One of my faves to bliss out to. Here, give yourself a couple min.: [youtube ICXinfdD0do&feature=fvst http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICXinfdD0do&feature=fvst youtube]

Synthtopia : The Alesis Andromeda A6 Synthesizer

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:31:42 +0000

Sometime after this, Alesis has become timid in some respects: their iOS developments aside, hardware products have been relatively minor iterations of established formulas — without deeply compelling advances. For example, the NanoVerb 2. The A6 was unusual in that a lot of Alesis gear was very much targeted towards a lower price point. I got a QS8 because it was among the cheapest 88-key weighted controllers at the time. But I've appreciated some innovations like the AirFX, which like the A6, has interestingly kept its value.

Synthtopia : Korg iElectribe Gorillaz Edition

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:27:35 +0000

I appreciate vibrant user interface in a soft synth (and other plugins). It makes me want to play certain aspects of the tool more passionately. This psychologically emphasizes certain sounds which may be a special strength of the device. For example, NI's Razor is like a science lab, with its worn metal surface and Futura-y typeface. Here, I think of Fallout's Pip-Boy. Which makes me think, we need more synths with phosphor glow CRT effects, hehe. [youtube HrWSLsVA1CQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrWSLsVA1CQ youtube] Gosh, someone should start an equivalent to http://www.iosinspires.me/ for synth "characters".

Synthtopia : Casio VL-1 VS Teenage Engineering OP-1

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:19:34 +0000

This reminds me of seeing the link between Star Trek:TNG's PADDs and the real iPad — and I imagine another couple decades forward and what will be available to us then?

Synthtopia : Use An iPad As A Hexagonal MIDI Controller With Hex OSC

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:14:45 +0000

The iPad is highly relevant to creative possibilities at a relatively low cost. There indeed is an "iPods & Portable Media Players" category on the left, which could be renamed as the iPad gains prominence. Some RSS aggregators also allow you to view headlines only (like Google Reader), so you can quickly skim posts. Some also let you filter out posts by keyword. Nice colors in that screenshot. ;)

Synthtopia : Toontrack Intros EZmix Mixing Tool

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:56:13 +0000

I'm disappointed there isn't a demo version, perhttp://www.toontrack.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=94871 Official responses are too concerned with crippling a potential demo version instead of giving the artist a deep taste of what's possible. Sounds like Toontrack need to get onboard with what 112dB and some other forward-thinking companies are doing: releasing generous demos to get people hooked on and dependent on their products. That 112dB Redline Reverb was a fine example of me going, "Wow? 60 days with no limitations? That's remarkable!" Sure, as I went along, I froze and flattened tracks. But nonetheless, in a few weeks, Redline became an essential part of my mixes. Instead of 112dB frightening me off, they subversively (in the best of ways) nestled their roots into my audio brainstem. Spending resources on finding vocally positive customers (including ones who'll make fan vids of your products, heh) is far more useful than backing up in fear and being paralyzed, imagining pirates circling around you. Just as Ubisoft's repeatedly-cracked DRM shows, some people are money-deprived but time-rich. Burning time on them (and inevitable human nature) takes away from people who ARE willing to pay for your art (yes, plugins are art... suck it, Ebert). I don't like clicks or beeps in my demo versions either, but have some leeway with this: U-he ACE's crackle wasn't enough to put me off from doing a PROJECT PRESET and the price is remarkable. I don't own it because I don't currently have a need or an exploding desire, but the price is great (and widely commented on from the likes of Future Music and others). But even three weeks is a cool time period to get acquainted, look at Camel Audio Alchemy.

Synthtopia : Infected Mushroom For Record Store Day 2010

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:39:16 +0000

One thing I've long admired about Infected Mushroom is how they inject SO MUCH FUN into their music — they get criticized for their adventures into vocals and guitars, but that's exactly why they can innovate in a non-pretentious way. I have big love for catchy melodies + experimental production, and time and time again, they've really delivered. I just wish their recent album had followed a suggested early theme of having each track named after a restaurant they like. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Black_... ) That would've been a tasty first. What I find most enjoyable about small, intimate establishments like mom 'n' pop record shops is that there's a REAL PERSON (gasp!) who's knowledgeable (double gasp!) and who can help you make informed buying decisions based on your history, and value comes not just in the form of sales — but that customer rapport.

Synthtopia : Paul Hardcastle Revisits "19", 25 Years Later

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:35:55 +0000

The message is still relevant today, but the "Tubular Bells"-esque riff is obviously missing (perhaps for preemptive legal reasons?). It doesn't sound as contemporary as, say, putting the stuttery narration over Wolfgang Gartner's "Fire Power". But since Mike Oldfield keeps revisiting TB, I keep hoping he and Paul Hardcastle will collaborate. (Slim chance in hell.)

Synthtopia : Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Before And After Trevor Horn

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:32:44 +0000

This song, "Relax", took on new dimensions for me after watching Zoolander.

Synthtopia : Native Instruments' Paranormal Spectrums Could Be The Scariest Synth Ever

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:11:24 +0000

The initial description and name led me to believe this might be the third volume in Jeremiah Savage's masterpieces beginning with Acoustic Refractions and continued with Sonic Fiction — both of which I own and enjoy tremendously. However, the sound designer is listed as Cold Steel Music Audio Engineering, so perhaps NI is expanding this particular sub-franchise of soundpacks that are aimed at evoking certain cinematic and ethereal atmospheres. This includes knobs that have very evocative and emotional, rather than technical, labels. I saw a "Pain Rate" knob in that vid! The morphing is one of the raddest things ever and a lovely way to add subtle timbre changes to drastic tonal shifts. I almost expected a Pyramid Head-like being to appear towards the end. "Silent Hill in a box!"

Synthtopia : The Chemical Brothers' Further - New Album Out June 7th

Sun, 4 Apr 2010 00:25:54 +0000

I applaud the Chems for keeping it up this long. Dance music artists who excel at both singles and FULL albums are incredibly rare (a few others that came upon the US electronica scene in the late 90s, like Orbital and Prodigy, come to mind) — I've always appreciated how the Chemical Brothers bridged a lot of gaps between "rock" and "techno/breakbeat/etc." and mix loop structures with emotional songwriting.