Robot Cousin Soundworks

I’ve been a member of the Something Awful forums for about 4.5 years now. I love it there, and would suggest registering as a member to anyone reading this. It’s $10, but that’s just a one-time fee, not per month, or even per year; once. I have easily gotten my money’s worth and then some. As far as entertainment is concerned, it’s the best investment I’ve ever made.

The reason I bring this up is because recently, in the month of July, I participated in the sixth annual SA Game Dev Challenge. The rules are simple: create a game within the month of July (with June being a general planning month) based on a somewhat-loose theme as suggested by forums mod Shalinor. I don’t know what themes had been for years 1 and 2, but year 3 was ‘Swarms’, year 4 was ‘Dealing with the Devil’ and last year’s theme was ‘You Can’t…’, which obviously allowed the developers/designers to really go nuts with interpreting how they could base a game around such a simple half-premise.

This year’s theme was ‘Death and Taxes‘. The entry I was involved in was titled ‘Psychopomps‘ and is playable here. It was made in Flixel, and only requires that you have Adobe Flash installed, which is, of course, free and compatible with almost every browser out there.

The designer, artist, and myself are VERY pleased with what we were able to put together in just 30 days. Keep in mind, nothing could be coded, drawn, or composed prior to July 1st, and as far as I can tell, we stuck to that (I know I did).

If you’re interested in hearing the music outside of the game, and even a track that wasn’t used, I’ve posted the links to it all below. Enjoy, and tell me what you think!

Psychopomps – Onward

Psychopomps – The New Guy

Psychopomps – Boss Me Around

Psychopomps – Val’s Back

Psychopomps – Your Quest has Ended

Psychopomps – Dirty Little Secret

I am really switching gears in the next little while, and I’ll write all about it here once I do. For now, here’s a little self-jam I did to the ‘house’ theme from Zelda 2. The drums aren’t perfect, but then again, I’m merely posting it here just because I like it. No editing.

If All Else Fails

Been going through a few audio-related troubles as of late, but anyone who’s on my facebook (both readers of this website) already know the basics. I came home Friday to find that the Firewire light on my Presonus Firestudio was solid red (rather than its usual blue) when the unit was powered on.

Damn.

After troubleshooting my ass off, I basically learn that it’s the unit, and Presonus, because I’ve registered it, say that I can send it back, no charge, and they’ll fix it (also no charge). Yay for 1-year warranties! However, I took a guess at the date that I had purchased it, and called Long & Mcquade in Fredericton to confirm, because they keep EVERYTHING on file. I was off by 27 days (I registered the product and said it was purchased April 30th, but it was actually April 3rd.) Anyway, Graeme, who I originally bought it from, casually asked why I was needing that info, and I mentioned that it was because it was no longer working.

“Well, don’t worry, just bring it right into the Long & Mcquade in Moncton and they’ll send it off for you, and give you a rental unit of something similar at no charge until yours comes back.”

I practically had hearts in my eyes. So here I sit, after installing drivers, and updating firmware, with a Presonus Firestudio Project, one level down from the unit I own (the 2626 model. Main difference is that mine has additional ADAT connections). I could not be more pleased by the service I received from both Long & Mcquade and Presonus themselves.

And it turns out that, even if this had happened outside my warranty, it would’ve been about $90 to repair it. Considering the price and quality of the Firestudio (I stand by that my issue was caused by me, leaving it on when the computer is off, or in sleep mode), that’s a bit of a steal. Still, very glad I got it for free.

As for RPM, I am still considering getting started this year, albeit late. Honestly, I don’t feel as bad if I don’t do it, since I’m constantly writing new music (that I’m not allowed to post here) at work.

Speaking of which, I finally, FINALLY got my copy of EastWest Gold Symphonic Composers Collection. I’ll definitely whip something up in the near future for your listening pleasure, so you can hear the sheer Disney-esque quality of the sampled instruments.

In other news, Bombs Away is still being worked on. I’m also whipping up a theme song (just for fun) based on a webcomic/graphic novel my friend Ben produces (writes/illustrates) called Zom-Ben. That’s been years in the making, but I’m finally getting to it. Also, Ben and I have a project in the works that looks like it may actually happen, but I don’t want to jinx it too much by mentioning what it is yet, so I’ll just leave it at that. Let’s just say, this time, I might do it right.

Oh, and just to make this post at least somewhat interesting, even though I’ve posted this on Facebook, as well as my Twitter (oh yeah, I have a twitter now. @robot_cousin if you care about that kind of thing. I don’t even know if I do yet), but here you go again. The general sound of Bombs Away, thus far. Warning: Not mixed, not editing, and definitely not finished.

Bombs Away (demo medley)

Sonically yours,

Jordan.

The esteemed Curtis Carey, animation-wonder of The Curtis and Tara Show, has graciously lent his talent and spare time to animate a music video for my 30-second-track, ‘Exuberance’, originally posted here.

Enjoy!

So, work begins on a bunch of new music. A part of me feels like I’ve been lazy, and then the rest of me slaps that first part upside the head, and I realize that I write music for a living now. True, it might not be exactly the type of stuff I’d listen to, simply because it’s not supposed to be, but hey, I love it nonetheless.

I was thinking of different ways to make it, swearing up and down that I’m done with 8-bit sounds. No more of them, none whatsoever, nuh-uh, it’s passed on by. And one day a couple of weeks ago, I was downtown, mentally humming to myself a really catchy tune, and planned the rest of the track out in my head. And to my surprise, it sounded very 8-bit. So I can’t escape, or rather, I guess I’m just ‘not done yet’.

There will be a difference, however, between the new stuff and anything/everything that appeared on Nothing Fancy. Part of what I said before was true; I definitely am done making 8-bit-sounding music, when everything on the track sounds like a retro-video game.

What I want to try is to mix some 8-bit leads, basses, rhythms, or a combination thereof with some actual drums. Piano. Guitar. Really rock the hell out, with a little help from my friends, Squarewave, Trianglewave, and Phasewave. Hey, even the noise channel, why not?

For three months now, all of the music I’ve been making has been under constant (though not negative) review. I can’t just sit down and make whatever I want. But being in that situation is only good, for it keeps me on my toes, and it really makes me feel like I’ve got to ‘get it all out’ when I’m making stuff outside of work. And that’s what this next album will be; me, and the melodies, rhythms, drums, chords that *I* want. It’s about that time that I finally unload some musics that are itching to get out.

Bombs away.

I desperately want to make music this good.

I’m not dead, I swear. Neither is this blog. It’s just that everything has happened at once, and it’s not even done yet.

More in a bit.

So I’ve been notified by Mr Curtis Carey of the Curtis and Tara show that he has entered ‘Today Vs Tomorrow’ in Aniboom.com’s Sesame Street Animation Contest (not the official name, not sure what is.) The thing is, right now, on the leaderboards, we’re #120* (#1 being the top video).

Wanna do something productive and positive today? Vote! Of course, I’d feel horrible if you actually didn’t like the animation but felt the need to vote just because I’m asking you to. So, if you enjoy the short, 2-minute film in the least, please vote appropriately. If you don’t like it, please don’t vote it down.

Link to the video in question (Aniboom.com)

Now, I do realize now that one must sign up (for free!) to be able to vote. This will probably send a lot of people away from it. Stay strong! Sign up, it only takes a second! Please?

*EDIT: Holy Hephaestus, we’re already #42!!!

EDIT #2: Now, as of this typing, the video is ranked #4 overall. Wow.

Arg. Good problem to have.

Desperately trying to decide between Garritan Personal Orchestra v4 and Kirk Hunter’s Diamond (or Ruby or Emerald, so many options) collection.

The good people at LogicProHelp.com (which is currently down for whatever reason) suggest KH over GPO, so I’m inclined to believe them. But then there are others who say the opposite. Prices isn’t really an issue, but spending $149 vs $200+ is a bit of a game-changer.

What I want to know is, for the price difference, is KH an amazing deal, or is it just marginally better than GPO? If anyone reading this can give me some guidance, I’d definitely appreciate it.

A long time ago, in a mindframe so far from the one I currently reside in, I did video game covers/remixes.

Here’s the one I was proudest of. Originally from Dr. Mario, I give you:

Dr. Fever

Everyone remember Zed?

For anyone who might not, here’s a quick blurb, from the link I just posted.

ZeD was a Canadian variety television program and website. The series premiered on CBC Television in March 2002 and ran to 2006. Hosted primarily by Sharon Lewis and Ziya Tong, ZeD publicized creative works from Canada and other countries, including a substantial portion of material created by viewers and new artists. ZeD thus considered itself to be “open-source television.”^[1]

It was a pretty neat show, I must admit. I really liked it. Liked it so much, I submitted quite a few tracks for it. This was during my Halifax months, from 2002-2003. So you’d have a profile on there, and you’d upload whatever you wanted to, and then the show would then, at no charge, but also with no payment to you (who cares!) choose from a bunch of the content online to showcase each week. Well, imagine my intense excitement when a track of mine was actually featured! Yes, my music was going to be on national tv!!

The track was called ‘Crimson Head’, and, at the time, I was very proud of it. Thought it sounded good, and had a good flow. I listen to it now, and can still sort of pull some of those feelings up from the grave of the past, but mostly, I cringe. I cringe when listening to a lot of my older stuff. Hell, some of my newer stuff as well. But you know what? I kept writing, I kept going.

“You have to get all of the bad songs out of you, so you can start writing the good ones.”

I’m not sure who first said that, but it certainly fits. Anyway, this track was, at the time, my pride and joy, my finest accomplishment, my little electronic opus (don’t worry, it’s only like 4 minutes long). It ended up getting the attention of certain people. I tried to write more like it, but apparently, that failed.

And today, I’m going to let you all hear it.

Crimson Head

http://www.codeorgan.com/

The jist of it the site, from the site itself…

The Codeorgan analyes the ‘body’ content of any web page and translates that content into music. The Codeorgan uses a complex algorithm to define the key, synth style and drum pattern most appropriate to the page content.

Firstly, the Code Organ scans the page contents and removes all characters not found in the musical scale (A to G), and then analyses the remaining characters to find the most commonly used “note”. If this is an even number the page is translated to the major pentatonic scale of that particular note, it becomes minor if there is an uneven number.

It’s sad and nerdy, but I think it’s neat that www.robotcousin.com is in the key of Cm.

Project R/’Recession: The Rock Opera’ is still being hammered out, note by note, instrument by instrument. I’m having a bit of difficulty with one of the pieces, as there’ll be a lot of orchestration from things like horns and strings, and those are some of the hardest to fake through virtual instruments. Also, my computer is choking. Yay for the ‘Track Freeze’ option (think “Flatten Layers”, if coming from the Photoshop side of things), but even then, you can only freeze so much and get away with it.

On the RPM side of things, I’m actually coming up with a lot of good stuff… which is a problem (for RPM at least). I actually want to turn these into real tracks. And I know that just because they’re for RPM doesn’t mean they didn’t happen, but I don’t think I could bring myself to put a song into two groups. If I actually had a record deal, and was making songs, b-sides would be b-sides, and the track list of an album would be that and only that, not songs from another place or anything like that. Billy Corgan has the same sort of hangup, so I guess I have him to thank for that way of thinking. I can’t help it! It’s a rule, but one I haven’t had to enforce just yet.

So I’m left with about 3 tracks worth of stuff I really, really like, and refuse to put towards RPM, even though I’ve come up with them, and recorded them within February. Will I finish my RPM album? Looks like no. Does this bother me? Not in the least.

RPM is doing what it was meant to do, and for that, I am thankful.

Just finished my first track (which will actually be track 3) of my RPM Challenge 2010 album. I have a name for the album, but I’m not putting that out until the artwork is all done. Yeah, I’m going all the way.

Anyway, I’ve already gotten farther than I did last year, and I don’t plan on stopping. I have a few other half-finished tracks on the go, hopefully will be uploading them within the week. Also, this track, along with any other RPM tracks, will not appear in the flash player below until they’re all done, or when February ends. So for now, here you go;

Element Zero

There are always things I want to learn. Sometimes, I find it really tough, other times I find it not challenging enough, but I always want to learn new things, especially if it expands on something I already basically know. I’m going to try and set some goals for myself this year, in reference to me learning new things. For example, this year I want to learn the following (or at least make an attempt)

• 1- Modes (Lydian, Phrygian, etc) – I know what they’re for, but having them memorized would really help. Maybe that doesn’t count in “learning” them, as all it is to me at this point would be pattern recognition, rather than the understanding I already have/had of them, but I want to learn/memorize them nonetheless.
• 2- All of my synths – I know how synths work, so when someone says to increase the attack time on the envelope generator, I know where to go. That’s not enough, though. If you take a synth like the ImpOscar or especially the Minimonstah, even though you know the functionality of each control on its own, I could really use to get to know my synths, as it can only help me get where I want to go faster. See also: quadraSID… that one’s currently a bit of a mystery.
• 3- Flash Scripting (edit – found a good resource!) – quite a change from the musical goals above, but I believe having a basic-to-good understanding on how to actually get something done in Flash would really benefit not only this site, but perhaps any program I may think of making in the future… which brings me to…
• 4- Programming/C++ – This was a goal for last year as well, and I’ve checked out a lot of resources I’ve been given, and this is something I could definitely grasp. Alongside this, I would love to get to the point of making an iPhone app or game.

So, as of right now, that’s what I want to fill my brain up with this coming year. Easier said than done, but I have a number of books on a few of the topics listed above, so at least I could take some of it in while being stuck at work.

So, people out there reading… is there anything you’d like to learn in the near future?