This was my entry for APRA TropScore 2012, a competition to create a score/synch for a short film to be shown at TropFest 2012. There were 895 entries submiited, and it turned out that there would only be 20 shortlisted entries.

Unfortunately mine was not selected. Truthfully, I was initially a bit disappointed, but was soon just looking forward to hearing the winner’s entry.

I’m now released to present the track to the public, so here is Returning, a soundtrack for a short film of the same name by Amelia Olsen-Boyd.

I’m not sure how the music will translate without viewing it with the accompanying film (I can’t upload that due to copyright issues), but here it is nonetheless.

For anyone interested, the track was composed using the following:

• Reaper – recording, production
• Notion 3 – complete score
• Native Instruments Kontakt 5
• IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik (orchestral)
• AcousticSamples TheBox (bass cajón)
• FXpansion BFD Eco (drums)
• 8DIO Glass Marimba
• 8DIO Barbary
• Camel Sounds Dream Voices
• Mildon Studios rainstick samples

I’m looking forward to seeing/hearing the finalists’ competition entries. I’ll aim to link to the film when the winner is selected.

I’m still pleased with the final result of my labours, and hope that you enjoy listening.

Posted via email from rotassator

This is the MXR Micro Chorus.

The short story is that I love this chorus. It creates a lush, velvety warmness to my tone that works wonderfully with fretted and fretless bass. First outing was at Carols in the Park, where Silent Night (and other classics) were supported by sweet, chorus-y plushness that filled out the mix nicely.

The controls are dead easy. The switch turns it on. Groundbreaking, I know. Turn the knob to the left for more subtlety, or all the way to the right for inspired wonkiness. So far, my go-to tone is somewhere between 10 and 11 o’clock.

This one is definitely a keeper.

Posted via email from rotassator

What follows is a very early sample of some of the things brewing for the Particles project. The first turn of the soil if you will. It features the first bass tracks and a scratch drum track.

Enjoy!

Keep in mind that this is just a sample. It’s early days yet.

Last update, I had a reasonably healthy 18 ideas to use towards the Particles project. I actually ended up with 31 ideas in all. Some have already been discarded, but I have a decent launching point for the project.

Here’s my quick attempt at organising my thoughts about everything:

Yes, I know that some of the titles are somewhat naff, but they’re also likely to change. Most of the titles are the first thing that came to mind when the ideas came. A feeling. A concept. Anything, really.

Everything’s subject to change here.

The project begins!

Seventeen.

Seventeen sketches and ideas that I've put down so far.

But wait… what's this? A duplicate?!? Gah, I forgot that I'd renamed one of the ideas after it developed into something that no longer fit the title. Oh.

Sixteen.

And all of a sudden, two more ideas came tumbling out. Why does this always happen near or after midnight?

Eighteen.

That sounds better.

So there it is. Eighteen to date. Most are still in the formative stages. One is actually just an idea in word form that I noted down a month ago. Gladly, I jotted down a reference so that I'll be able to decipher where I was initially going with that one. And here's the thing that I'm finding to be the most important part of the process…

Take notes immediately

Jot down ideas as soon as possible, using whatever is at hand. Give as much detail as possible. One of the most helpful ways I've found to note down ideas is to record them (discreetly if possible) straight into Evernote using my mobile phone. Evernote then syncs the recording/notes/etc to its server and then to my computer. Easy.