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Halcyon Sky (Debut EP) – Day 13

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[12:39 am] I don’t know if I can actually count yesterday as a true day 13 of working on the EP because I’ve nothing but tech difficulties in studio – I should say technical difficulty as it only pertains to re-setting up a wireless mouse. Non-powered USB hubs can be finicky and I think this is the case because connecting a portable USB hard drive doesn’t always seem to work. That being said, I’ll probably hit up eBay or Amazon to see if I can find one on the cheap. In any event, not actually working on tracks allowed me to take time to think about a realistic release date. Now that I’ve settled on one, it’s time to define the schedule to meet it. Every track on the EP is in some state of development, so I believe it”l be easy to (ideally) stick to schedule.

Initially, this EP was supposed to be comprised of tracks totally done by me only, but I already have (as some of you read) the (desired) collaboration with Todd and Fave of C3. I’m considering doing one more with a DC metro area artist whom I’ve had a few lengthy discussions with…good ones at that. That, in itself, will alter the drop date, but maybe I may go ahead with that.

Been an *interesting* weekend from a mental standpoint and kinda glad it’s over (who really ever said they were glad to see the weekend go, but….). Anyway, classical music is playing in the background. I get in the mood at times and this is one of those times.

Time to turn in….

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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Halcyon Sky (Debut EP) – Day 12

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Last night, I continued with the track I mentioned in the last post. I decided to add a synth solo at the section of the song right before the outro, using the same patch from Massive that played the synth hook in the beginning of the song. It came out nicely, after adjusting some MIDI velocities on that solo.

As for the bass synth track, I think I’m going to start with Logic’s Basement Bass, from the ES2 synthesizer. Once I compose and lay that track, the song will pretty much be on its way to the mix phase (that’s if I don’t add this guitar track I am conceptualizing in my head)> If I can reproduce what I’m hearing in my head, I think it’ll add a nice touch to the track.

As I am documenting the progress of the EP development in these blog posts, it reminded me to take advanrage of Logic’s notepad functionality to enter things such as what sample library and samples I’ve used, settings, and anything else of interest.

Well, that’s it for now.

::: oceans of rhythm :::

F!

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Halcyon Sky (Debut EP) – Day 11

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Greetings all. It’s been a very quiet Friday evening so I took advantage of that fact to get some progress time in on the EP. Tonight I continued on one of the more chilled tracks and have finished the entire arrangement. I got a little work in on it last night and afterwards popped in a sample library disk from the lastest issue of Future Music Magazine. On this disk there are some vocal samples from a collection called Terry Grant – Voices From The Edge. While I won’t give the title of the track I’m working on, these vocal samples AUTOMATICALLY and coincidentally fit the theme of the track perfectly. All that was required was for me to chop them up and place them where they fit best in the track. With some added stereo delay, the fit very nicely. All that’s left now is to record the bass synth. Logic has a nice stock bass synth from its ES2 synthesizer that I’ll use for the last track, then it’ll be time to mix. Once you finally hear it, come back and read this post if you remember. It’ll all come together.

9:24 pm…I gotta make a run. Have a good and safe weekend….

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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Halcyon Sky (debut EP) – Day 7

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Good Sunday night to you (or whatever day it is). Had some time this weekend to continue pre=production on the tracks for the EP, particularly the title track. I’ve posted that I’ve found the artwork for EP already, as well as the artwork for the title track remix, so that’s cool. I’m liking the current arrangement of the track so far, but know I’ll probably take awhile to make sure that it’s birthed correctly 🙂

In addition, I received what is to be the first input on the collaboration track with C3, and I’m LIKING where it’s going already…definitely excited about this. This comes as no surprise though, because every track we’ve collaborated on in the past has been on point.

I’m blessed to have a dedicated project recording studio in my home, a place where my creative flow can go unhindered, it makes music production a joy. That said, I came across some articles in my library this weekend that provide some good reminders to heed as I take this particular creative journey:

1. “Don’t let the technology lead you – it is a tool, be the master, not the servant.” – Garry Cobain.

This obviously applies to employing tech in most creative processes outside of music production.

2. “Remember, no matter how much you like all those colored flashing LEDs (and LCDs) in the studio, they are the means, not the end. At the end of the day, what you make is only any use if it works for the ears and the brain.” – Dr. Alex Patterson

So true. I come from a time of music production and songwriting when it was purely analog. Through the evolution to the present, I’ve got plenty of LCDs and blinking lights up in here. I’m the kind of composer that prefers not to birth tracks from solely “in the box” (computer)…I like my compositions to be yielded from a mix of hardware and software sound generators. Either way, Dr. Patterson’s quote rings true.

That’s it for now. It’s about 10:20p right now and we’re under another winter storm advisory. Gonna do a lil more work here in the studio, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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PS: Shout out to my whole crew over at ADN. Catch up with you soon!

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Halcyon Sky (debut EP) – Day 6

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Whew… a long day (sleepless last night for the most part), so this is a quick update. Worked on one of the tracks today that I’ve laid the foundation for. The focus today was only building up and deciding on the percussion for this track. An essential element of chillout tracks, from a percussion standpoint, is a shaker. Between the many types provided in Logic 9’s loops library and those (many) I have in my sample library, it was just a matter of choosing one that sounded good in the track. I chose to start with Logic 9 and after auditioning a few found one that fit in the track nicely. Since it’s an Apple loop software instrument, it will adjust itself to the tempo of the song should I choose to change it in the future – that flexibility is good to have.

I spent some more time working on some drafts of the artwork for the release. In the last post, I mentioned wanting to realize the graphics lettering on the actual photo. I was able to do one draft today and I like it so far. What I like even more is finding another photo from the same artist that I will use for the title track remix. Immediately, this photo became inspirational to the point where I already have an idea on how the remix will be composed. I like that.

Tommorrow I think I’m going begin work on the title track. Details to come soon.

Off to bed, I am mad tired.

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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Halcyon Sky (debut EP) – Day 5

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Friday. The fifth day in the development of this project. I hope this post finds you well. With every song I’ve ever uploaded to the internet or submitted for a podcast (obviously for someone else’s listening pleasure), I’ve strived to include song artwork that conveys a visual feeling for the song. Just like all musical artists that release a collection of music, I try to do the same with artwork that describe the release as a whole.

Yesterday shortly after I woke up, I saw a photo that would be the perfect visual to encompass the entire project. As usual, it only took a matter of seconds (2 at most) for me to decide this was it. I contacted the photographer and with the request, explained why and how I intended to use it. The photographer was very happy and honored that I’d choose the photo for this body of work. The next thing I need to do is see if I can get the title of the work properly placed on the cover as I currently envision it. I’m actually glad this aspect of the project is already completed, because it is something that I can get quite anal over, LOL.

On another note (no pun intended), I continued work on another track from the EP. This one is mellow, all purpose (if you will), chillout track that I think will turn out nicely. I know I’ll be using NI Massive as one of the plugins on this track, but not entirely sure if I’ll record any guitar on this song. If I do, it has to end up being exactly as the little I do hear in my head at the moment – that’s gonna take a little extra homework to achieve the effect I want. I know I will engineer the track out of Studio B and probably on the road at some points. It’s nice to have a capable mobile setup, thanks Apple!!

I hope to hear something regarding two of the collaborative tracks I have out there, by next weekend…we’ll see how they’re coming along. That’s about it for now.

Enjoy the weekend….

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 05 Jan 14

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Photo Courtesy of Flaschi (instagram.com/flaschi)

Greetings Listeners…

Welcome to the first podcast of 2014! It’s great to be back. I appreciate all the requests and glad that you’re taking the time to listen to this edition of The Sunday Soundtrack. Seventy percent of the playlist are new tracks never featured on previous podcasts, so I hope you enjoy them.

Last year was a year of musical collaborations that were (and still are) very satisfying. One such collaboration was on the project entitled “Moods” by Todd “Big La” Kelley. The track, “One Time” is featured on his farewell release, which is available as a FREE download on Bandcamp. The remainder of the playlist is sure to provide tracks ranging from lush to tightly knit smooth grooves, perfect for that chillout timeframe in your day. So, without further adieu…the playlist:

1. ‪Rhythmbreeze‬ – Fresh Moods/Fresh Moods
2, ‪Almost There‬ – Hideo Kobayashi/Om Lounge 10
3. Fantasy (Hideo Kobayashi Deep Vocal Mix) – Afterlife/Fantasy
4 Sentient – MrFijiwiji and Tulpa/Friends EP
5. Want Me – Affelaye/Maybe There
6. Racetracks – Tony Watson/Abstrakt Sampler
7. Loose Tunes – Skipless/Rooftops
8. Francesa – Ricardo Silveira/Storyteller
9. Janeiro (Chiller Twist Blue Line Remix) – Solid Session/Armada Lounge
10. One Time (f/C3) – Todd Kelley/Moods

A big shout out to my entire podcast massive (you know who you ALL are) as well as the listeners. Have a great day, whatever day it is, whatever time it is.

::: oceans of rhythm :::

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The Sunday Soundtrack – 14 Apr 13

Greetings Listeners….

Welcome to another edition of The Sunday Soundtrack. “It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you…” (a little hip hop lyric reference there). It’s great to be back with another edition, albeit overdue, of the podcast. It’s about 12:37 am here in studio, but it’s done. I hope to stay on a regular (to be determined) schedule. Starting with pre-production on Monday for the following Sunday helps, doing a little everyday helps even more. The plan is to finish Saturday evening 🙂

For my new listeners, The Sunday Soundtrack podcast is geared towards giving you an alternative listening experience to the standard Sunday afternoon commercial smooth jazz formatted programs and expose you to independent artists with tunes that provide that same smoothness, but in such genres as electronica, nu jazz, downtempo, experimental, chillout, instrumental jazzy hip hop, and the like. Please feel free to take a listen and leave comments, if u like. You can also reach The Sunday Soundtrack at (301) 458-0499

Without further delay, let’s get to the playlist.

1. Moon Beat – LTJ X-Perience/Moon Beat
2. Consequences (Late Night Mix) – Blank & Jones/Relax 4
3. Gutenmirgenduft (Morning Scent) – dZihan & Kamien/Gran Riserva
4. Subsolitude – Hypoetical/Pendulum
5. Try Me – J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science f/Goapele & Capitol A/J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science – OM Records 2003
6. Square Purity – The Jazzment/Beats – Old Stuff
7. Sunbeams – Uko/Cafe Del Mar – Vol. 7

Some special shout outs:

  • My entire podcast massive: Fave, Big La (Todd Kelley), DarrenKeith, Anji Bee, Nikki, BSOTS, DJ Diva, EJ Flavors (The Sensei), and T. Grundy (Mr Brilliant). All excellent podcasters whose episodes range from smooth jazz to soul to hip hop to R&B to chillout to funk. My hats off to all of you, thanks for the encouragement
  • All the podcast drops done by the crew above AND listeners – thank you!
  • Ray Garraud – The Garraud Files Podcast, a versatile tech enthusiast, author, blogger, podcaster, public speaker, and good friend with whom I’ve had several great conversations with on his own thoughts of mobile podcasting and the evolving tech out which allows it. Thanks for the push, Ray!
  • Calandra and Madeline for the re-encouragement
  • @DVSJr, @Upright for the re-tweets/favorites about the return!

    • I hope you’re enjoying the tracks. Please feel free to follow the The Sunday Soundtrack on Twitter

    Take care and have a great week.

    ::: oceans of rhythm :::

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    The Sunday Soundtrack – 07 Aug 11 – featuring Clara Hill

    Greetings listeners. Welcome to another edition of The Sunday Soundtrack! It’s been about a nine month hiatus…whew…long time coming, but it’s good to be back once again. It’s been a hot summer this year…all the more better to bring you some CHILLED tracks to offset the heat. This edition of the Sunday Soundtrack features one of the smoothest female vocalists I have ever heard…the inimitable Clara Hill.

    From her last.fm page:

    Clara started to discover the power of voice in the eighties, when she was singing alongside some tunes by Madonna. At a certain point it was clear to her that she wanted to join and front a band. Aged seventeen, she founded the acid jazz combo Superjuice, together with her friend Funès. In the early nineties, at the height of acid jazz, the band toured through Berlin clubs, gathering a high-profile reputation. During these years, Clara made her first steps in live music. During one of her shows, she met DJ Alex Barck from Jazzanova, who was spinning records as a support DJ. In 1998 he introduced her to the producers of Extended Spirit (2/6 of Jazzanova): Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer, that produced a few tracks with Clara. Relaxed and easy, a friendship started with Stefan Leisering and Clara Hill. With him, the song “No Use”

    Clara’s thick, lush, harmonies go so very well with the wide chordal arrangements that Jazzanova and other similar artists she’s work with that I have to describe her music by taking the first letter of her first name, and combining it with her full last name: CHill!

    Without further adieu, I bring you the playlist:
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Still Here – Aural Float
    2. Reel Life (Evolution II) – The Cinematic Orchestra/Man With a Movie Camera
    3. Reprise – Clara Hill/Best Of 3
    4. Maybe Now – Clara Hill/Restless Times
    5. Crush – Chevalier
    6. I’m Here – Clara Hill/Restless Times
    7. Flawless – Clara Hill/Restless Times
    8. Under The Radar – Two Little Satellites
    9. No Use – Jazzanova Feat. Clara Hill/In Between
    10. Dub In Ya Mind (Blue Water Mix – Afterlife/Simplicity Two Thousand (Disc 1)
    ~~~~~~~~~~

    I hope you’ve enjoyed the tracks as much as I do. Big shout out to my podcast massive for the ID drops in the podcast. Thanks for the encouraging words regarding the return of the podcast. An equally important shout to my regular and new listeners, as well. I appreciate you checking it out.

    Clara Hill on last.fm

    Official Website

    Enjoy the day, night, afternoon, morning, or whenever you are listening to this podcast. For those of you on Twitter, feel free to follow The Sunday Soundtrack there.

    ::: oceans of rhythm :::

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    Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 20 Feb 2011

    Crew,

    Welcome, once again to The Sunday Soundtrack. It’s been a few months, almost four months, since the last podcast and during the necessary hiatus, it was good to rearrange somethings, and get some new tracks to share with you. Officially, I wish you a Happy New Year and hope things are going well for you.

    As said above, brand new tracks are on the playlist, representing the essence of what I’ve created The Sunday Soundtrack for years ago – a relaxing, yet no so common mix of laidback music for any day of the week. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank all who gently poked me in the side to get the podcast back on board. Mad shouts to my entire podcasting crew (see the blogroll) for the encouragement, the ID drops, the whole nine. Keep doin’ it big, you keep me inspired. Special shout to all the fans of the podcast as well, your comments keep me inspired in the same way.


    1 – Optymystic-Tom Middleton/Life Tracks
    2 – Letcha Letcha-Ten Madison/Travelling
    3 – Harissa-Ten Madison/Travelling
    4 – Miner’s Son (Aquatic mix)-Beth Hirsch
    5 – Another Time, Another Space-Citrus Sun/Another Time Another Space
    6 – afterthewoman-rdm
    7 – Afternoon in the Park (Orbiting Dream) Ft. Dan Prudian-Inner Light Spectrum/The Path to Reality
    8 – A Touch Of Jazz

    It’s been a pleasure. I’ll be back with another edition within the month. Big shouts to all my indie musicians who are flowin’ everything from jazzy, downtempo instrumental hip-hop (stay tuned in the coming episodes), to @fave and @toddkelley, my writing partners on the Cross Country Collective (C3) project, my writing and business partner as well as LONG time good friend, Dan McCollum (we are After Six Productions on FB) and to all artists adding to this universal language of of music. One last shout out to @dvsjr and @shaktiirocket, I hope The Sunday Soundtrack continues to provide that musical backdrop for your Sunday brunches. To my fans, I salute you! Follow me here:

    Fresh on Twitter
    The Sunday Soundtrack on Twitter

    ::: oceans of rhythm :::

    Fresh!