Post
by bryface » Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:55 am
I wanna preface this review with a confession: i never really liked drones and sounds. never really learned how to listen to them - i always prefered music with more conventional melodic/harmonic/structural elements. also, while there are those who definitely feel more comfortable making crazy sounds and drones, creating such tracks is definitely not my forte.
because of this i originally wasn't planning on contributing a track, but i'm glad i forced myself to step out of my comfort zone, because it ended up being pretty fun and it allowed me to create a track in a way i had never conceived before.
i'm also glad to be a part of this album because from listening to a lot of these the first time, i'm in great company. i'm amazed by the sheer range and quality of sounds on display in this album and i think it will definitely turn heads (by more than 180 degrees, in typical horror fashion) and really show people the DS-10's synthesis capabilities. overall, a really innovative album that takes people's conceptions of composing on the DS-10 and STABS THE CONCEPTIONS IN THE FACE.
ok, my thoughts on the tracks:
HarleyLikesMusic - The Front Yard
This track definitely sets the tone for the rest of the album gives the listener a sense of the house that they are literally walking into. The thunder effects are amazing, the subtle rumbles and gusts of wind are matched perfectly.
Anthony Seeha - The Entrance Hall
overall a suitable counterpoint to HarleyLikesMusic's soundscape, and a nice consolation for those who are expecting a more melodic/harmonic kind of album. the detuned lead is very effective. i'm glad you tried to get out of your comfort zone and away from your orthodox 4/4-with-seventh-pop-chords style, but i also think you could have went even further and tried some even more dissonant chord progressions. i will say that as it currently is, it sounds like it would fit perfectly in a Castlevania game, which might be what you were going for anyway.
AudioArtist - The Living Room
is that waterphone in the beginning? very very nice. one thing that bears mentioning is the drums in the main body of the song don't sound like they came from the DS-10, but if they did, then they are extremely excellent.
CardiacTrance - The Kitchen
i like the pulsating sub-bass effect throughout the whole track, but i'm most impressed by the metallic and glass sounds! they have a nice presence to them.
itchidan - The Laundry Room
the repeating, rising sounds actually do sound a lot like my washing machine =) i don't think i've ever described a DS-10 sound as "soapy", but well, there it is, so congrats =)
Syscrusher - The Ballroom
the dissonant chord progressions work really well and suit the Ballroom environment admirably - you totally got the creepy waltz vibe down pat. Also one of the better theremin sounds that i've heard in recent memory.
WarpToken - The Stairway
deep bass here. The standouts here were definitely the screams - the demon sounding one and the shrieks. they sound super realistic! i think it's cool how one of the higher shrieks is truncated, letting the echoes carry through. Also, the ending groove slams hard, great job!
mchl nrvs - The Bedroom
the groans at around :25 are nice, as is the scream at :46. cool crushing sound at 1:47
WMRhapsodies - The Music Room
Excellent harpsichord sound! the whole piece has an FM synthesis feel which is a rare and pleasant surprise. very strong classical melodies and construction. I like how you contrast the muted piano and the bright harpsichords. the glitchy percussion was well chosen. nice climax at the end.
DJ Hollow Life - The Office
I'd like to know what kind of messed up office you go to for work. (also nice sounds at around 2:10 onwards).
daiteng - The Sewing Room
i was glad to hear that you were doing a track because of your reputation for crazy sounds. the phasing effects are really interesting, i really get the feeling that the sewing machines are straining to keep working without falling apart. i'd really like to know how you got the bitcrushed muting effect, that's really unique!
Radixxs - The Bathroom
Is that a dripping effect at the beginning? if so, i think the drip sounds might benefit from either being at a higher octave, or by cutting off the lower bass frequencies? the sound effect near 1:42 sounds kinda like a toilet flushing - if that's the intention then it sounds pretty cool. regardless, it makes me wonder now how i would create a toilet flushing sound =)
robowist - the Library
very cool reverse effect. same with the... grandfather clock? the overall soundscape of things clicking/shutting is very effective especially with the room-styled delay. the droning chord progressions are nice and crunchy, and the more hymnal chord progressions give an almost spiritual element to the track.
SBK - The Solarium
starts out sorta boring until i realized that the sound effect was probably a sprinkler? the resulting melodies that repeat have a nice mathematical, Steve Reich quality to them.
kloudygirl - The Exercise Room
The hits at around 1:20 sound pretty good. i'm also glad that you stayed in key for this song, because that has been pretty hit-and-miss in your other tunes. i do feel, however, that the song as a whole is too industrial/acid for a compilation of this kind. i also think the delay feedback could be dialed down a bit.
T.M.HECTOR - The Elevator
short and sweet. it's a freaking elevator. =)
bryface - The Garage
o hai, that's my piece. instead of saying that the future presidents of space will hail this as the greatest work of the 21st and 22nd centuries, i'm going to ask you to take a listen and tell me what you think is going on in this track. I'm interested to see what your interpretations are and how they differ from what i had in mind when creating this piece.
Tommy Creep - The Lab
very nice bubbling at the start. the extreme stereo panning adds to the uneasiness of the track. the bass at around :55 sounds a lot like the super-aliased LSDJ bass growls that i hear a lot in various chiptunes as of late. was that deliberate? how'd you make that sound?
The Industrialism - The Machine Room
the effects pretty much make this song and give it an appropriately foreboding quality, like a demonic furnace from another dimension (i've got one of those downstairs, and let me tell you, worst purchase evar). the repeating metal clang sound strikes a nice balance of sounding realistic and not too in-your face.
alexusual - The Secret Control Room
I gotta say, i think you lucked out in picking this track because it gave you excuse to be more electronic - if only i had thought of that! the track starts off with sounding like an adventure game running off an Adlib sound card which is neat. i really like how you have these bright chord progressions and corrupt them with slooooow vibrato the second time around, and then mutate it even further with evil drones - it's like finding a secret room but then finding out that there's a catch or evil curse. nice unexpected crow sound at the end (i think).
UncleBibby - The Courtyard
the track starts off with nameless sounds'n'drones but surprises you by being a song that would fit right into a "Zombie Hallowe'en Special TV Show" kinda thing, definitely a nice twist. usually i'd say something like "fatten up the kick drums more" but i feel like you intended to give it a kind of silly vibe anyway.
Sinqlogue - The Cemetary
i thought it was supposed to be spelled "Cemetery"? maybe it's a British spelling or something, i dont' know, whatever. anyway cool wide-open soundscape/atmosphere, the timpani-sounding bass hits are nice and subtle too.
DS-10 Dominator - The Back Yard
the breathy-sounding bits at the beginning are unique. this might be a silly question but did you use any external effects? i enjoyed how a lot of the drones sound like they weren't analog at all, some of them had a "hollow" sound to them which i was surprised by. this song is a nice way of "summarizing" everything we've heard in the previous 22 tracks.
. kloudygirl's is really fun and technically astonishing. robowist's stands as a sort of eternally unsolved, musical enigma...T.M.HECTOR's elevator is perfect also in its duration. I admire DS10-Dominator's for the amazing sounds but even more because, remaining misterious in its progression, eludes any sensation of randomness and sets a perfect finale...Well, so many...
