The Keep Studio Blog 5 - 1st Iterations

[eyes cast down]

My initial attempts in an ambient/electronic mode were recorded in the first half of 2004 on a Yamaha mini-disc recorder fed by a Behringer 12-track mixer. I started out as an analog hardware guy and collected a fair bit of equipment that first year – most of which I actually used. But I soon made the decision to go into the

box (which I call the Musical Box, of course) and use a computer-based system. I wish I’d done that at the beginning, because then I would have the MIDI info for these and be able to reproduce the good bits without having to transcribe them by ear.

But that’s OK – these pieces (all improvised, between 12-18 minutes) have a lot of filler, but some wonderful moments as well, I think. I’ve added a medley of those clips to my Soundcloud player (available on my profile page). So I can dig them and otherwise let them rest as they are. That said, two of the pieces are compelling enough that in the near future I’ll work on new versions, using more or less the same sounds and approach.

Emergence and Firewind were both recorded in February 2004 on my Alesis QS7 with an Alesis Microverb III. That surprise chord on Emergence startled the hell out of me (and still does), and Firewind sounds like a post-nuclear requiem. I definitely want to reuse the titles for other pieces at some point.

Expanse and Last of His Breed were recorded in May 2004, on the same system which now included a Korg T2. These are the two pieces I want to rework.

Expanse was somehow, through negligence, recorded really lo-fi. I deliberately set myself the major challenge of working in a remote key (G# minor, the key of one of my favorite piano pieces, a Rachmaninoff prelude). As if improvising on synths wasn’t challenging enough, when I was just getting started! I’m keen to work up a new version of this, as I love the feel of it.

Last of His Breed was recorded late one night. At bedtime I suddenly had the urge to play and record something, and just went for it. Damn the torpedoes! I decided to just work out on the pitch bend and amp up
the reverb/echo. That was fun. The title came after (as they all did), when it seemed I’d captured the last humpback whale song. I’m really looking forward to trying to recapture the mood of this one. That Korg metallic drone really got me. Maybe I should modify the pitch bend to give me more than a semitone each
way.