Back to work soon...

[TimothyP]

Hey, team! As you know, I've been diverted from Wesnoth for about a year working on other projects. I'm happy to let you know that I'm about to get back to completing Gameplay 04. I can resume this piece once I get Cubase 4 installed, which should be on its way to me soon. I've been experiencing software issues in my studio recently and I'm hoping Cubase 4 will solve them. If it does, I'll get back to Gameplay 04 right away.

If you want to hear what I've been working on in the meantime, head over to my website and listen to my new tracks. The Dice Tower Theme is what has really taken me a long time to complete. http://www.timothypinkham.com/music/

[Rain]

Listened to the jazz piano piece. Very nice! Bouncy. I like your use of the whole tone pattern in various parts. Sounds very unresolved and works well with jazz.

I've been starting to get into jazz a lot myself. It seems to me you are on to something good with your mixes as well. Very clear and well done.

Nice

[TimothyP]

Thanks, Rain!

Just to clarify, when I said "The Dice Tower Theme" earlier, I meant the orchestral version. The jazz version came later when the podcast host asked for a jazz version. The orchestral one was the original.

I love jazz (straight ahead jazz anyway). For me, there is such freedom in it, and yet it requires true musicianship. Jazz allows the complexity of musical harmony to be fully expressed. I really appreciate clean, well-done jazz.

--T

[Tyler Johnson]

Well Timothy, I can't listen to your track right now probably because i'm downloading Google Chrome and torrenting some files, but I just have to say one thing...this new piece you're working on better Top the Knolls of Doldesh because that is one of my favorite tracks in the game, so you better blow it out of the water or don't put it in at all! Can't wait to hear it.

[TimothyP]

Hey, Tyler! Thanks for the commentary on Doldesh. Typically, Wanderer is more readily pleasing to the casual listener, so I'm pleased when someone enjoys Doldesh. I'd really love to re-record Doldesh someday with my new studio setup (Doldesh was done entirely on my Korg Triton Studio). I don't know if I'll ever get around to it though.

I originally started working on Gameplay 04 in response to the request that was floating around years ago when I started the piece: "We need something more fast / energetic / hectic / warlike!!!11"

Everyone was wanting that style, so that's what Gameplay 04 was tailored to. It's different from Doldesh for sure, but I think everyone will find something in it to like. =) I'm excited to complete it when I get my studio computer to stop corrupting my Cubase files.

When you get a chance to visit my website, if you're looking for the orchestral stuff I've been working on, I'd recommend starting with:

- The Dice Tower Theme (not the jazz version)
- Tristan's Theme
- Nursery Time
- Time With Mommy
- The Frisbee at Bloomfield Park

The reason some of the tracks sound babyish is because they were done for a video of one of my sons' early days of life, when he was first born.

--T

[Aleksi]

Glad to see you are still around! Seems like all the old fellas are going to post new tunes at the same moment!

[Tyler Johnson]

Timothy, I've already checked out your website man, you've got some good stuff on there.

The transition from the A section of Doldesh to the B section is genius, and that line that the brass is doing in the B section rocks, very catchy, let me ask you this, I assume you used a metronome during that, since it stays pretty straight forward up until the end of the A section, and the flute takes the melody in an almost ad-lib'd fasion, did you go completely out of time here? Also, what do you prefer recording on? A board or into Cuase? I have a Fantom X-8 and I really like recording on it since it has a built in MIDI studio, but I much prefer the EWQLSO sounds to the Roland sounds, I was thinking about getting the Triton but I'm a pianist and the action is a lot thinner on that board.

[TimothyP]

Timothy, I've already checked out your website man, you've got some good stuff on there.

Thanks, Tyler! I appreciate the feedback.

let me ask you this, I assume you used a metronome during that, since it stays pretty straight forward up until the end of the A section, and the flute takes the melody in an almost ad-lib'd fasion, did you go completely out of time here?

When you say metronome, I assume you mean I'm sticking to a steady time signature. Yes - that was all locked into the tempo. At the end of the oboe solo at about 1:20, I bailed on the locked-in tempo and took it freely. I wanted it to feel really organic at that point, with a texture like painting with oils. Each idea gets presented in its own timing, as if breathing.

Also, what do you prefer recording on? A board or into Cuase?

I prefer to do everything in Cubase. Back when I recorded Doldesh and Wanderer, I didn't have the money for anything else but the Korg. Now, it's all done on the computer with software samples. The reason I liked the Triton Studio 88 was because the weighted keys felt like a real piano to me. I still use samples from the Triton for stuff like jazz. There is still no good jazz sampler out there, at least not anything that is compatible with my current system.

If you have the choice, always use the best soft synths you can get and run them on a computer with tons of power.

--T

[gmlion]

Listening to the dice tower right now, can't stop saying it is really great!
How do you do the glissandos?
ciao
Gianmarco

[TimothyP]

How do you do the glissandos?

That's one of the benefits of sinking the bucks on something like EWQLSO. The glissandos are some of the articulations that come with the library. Although, I will say, that's one feature I wish there was even more of for every instrument: effects. More glissandos, rips, octaves, overblows, etc would be awesome.

--T

[TimothyP]

UPDATE: Last night I discovered that the Wesnoth piece I'm currently working on (the Cubase project file) was corrupted. This pretty much means that the midi data is still present, but interaction with the samples is all messed up and and can't work with it anymore. Therefore, I had to create a new project file from scratch. This meant writing down every sample I used for the current 93 tracks, recreating and naming those tracks, and then applying the appropriate samples to each. I also lost all recorded volume fader data, so I'll have to redo those.

In other words, this piece won't be coming as soon as I had hoped. The good news is, I got the project re-created and copied over all the midi data from the corrupt file into the new file just fine. Now, it's clean up time. Then I'll finish composing the piece.

[Tyler Johnson]

Ouch, I've got some horror stories like that from scoring films. I know how you feel man, but the way I look at it, is you'll probably make it better this time around!

[Aleksi]

This is why i always make new versions at every major change:

Random Wesnoth music +01.cpr
Random Wesnoth music +02.cpr
Etc...

[West]

This is why i always make new versions at every major change:

Random Wesnoth music +01.cpr
Random Wesnoth music +02.cpr
Etc...

Yep, I always do that too, so I can go back to an earlier version if something goes wrong. That saved my butt once when I used some plugin that made Cubase crash everytime I loaded the project.

[Rain]

UPDATE: Last night I discovered that the Wesnoth piece I'm currently working on (the Cubase project file) was corrupted. This pretty much means that the midi data is still present, but interaction with the samples is all messed up and and can't work with it anymore. Therefore, I had to create a new project file from scratch. This meant writing down every sample I used for the current 93 tracks, recreating and naming those tracks, and then applying the appropriate samples to each. I also lost all recorded volume fader data, so I'll have to redo those.

Oh man. That sounds like a complete nightmare.