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My video in defence of audio middleware. Trying to bridge the worlds between audio & programming.

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Recently finished work on Speaking Simulator, which is getting a pretty warm reception at various conferences around the world... I made this video breaking down the soundtrack production process. Video is pitched at programmers & designers (not just audio folk) to foster an understanding of why audio middleware exists. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/_C1AxGpyO-s =) Andrew

Serenity (ASCAP/NYU film scoring workshop 2016)

Journal Category

My composition for the ASCAP/NYU film workshop 2016. Performed by players from both the NY Phil and the NY Met orchestra. This is the second and final take with less mistakes than the horrendous first take.

This is a highly edited version from the original performance with doubled/added orchestral sample libraries, making it sound bigger than it really was, as well as fixing and hiding mistakes.

Performance instrumentation: 1,1,1,1 - 2,1,2 timp, sus cym, hp, pno, str (4,4,3,3,1)
Edited version instrumentation: 2+picc,2,2,1 - 6,4,5,1 timp, bass drum, sus cym, hp, pno, choir, full str

Absolutely great learning experience in preparation and execution of a real orchestra after years of sequencing and programming a fake one.

The animation was made by the free Music Animation Machine.
musanim.com/player/

Tap Tap Volcano (Game Soundtrack)

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Wild wacky jazzy, chiptuney, rocky hybrid of a game soundtrack to go with the equally the silly rhythm game "tap tap volcano".

http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/tap-tap-volcano

Composed at Global Game Jam Sydney 2016 that took the entire day to compose. Designed to be looped indefinitely, this version loops twice and cuts to the end/fail state of the music.

The game version pitch shifts constantly upwards increasing speed. This version is the source version that remains at a constant speed.

Adventure Awaits (Orchestral)

Journal Category

Short playful orchestral study piece taking inspiration from animated film music.

Submitted by Jayden Lawrenc… on Thu, 28/04/16 - 6:10 PMPermalink

Hey Dragor, Nice work!
Composition is good. If I could suggest one thing though, I'd have a bit of a play with the mix, particularly with panning.
As it stands, a lot of the music is 'mushing' into each other in the centre, and I think a dense orchestration such as this would benefit from a bit more clarity.
For example, violins more to the left, cellos more to the right, etc.
I know you didn't ask for criticisms, so I hope I'm not out of line with my comments, but I really do like your music! And I believe that by upping the production quality of your tracks, it'll give you more chances of knocking your listener's socks off!
:D

Submitted by Dragor on Sun, 03/07/16 - 2:05 PMPermalink

Hi Jayden, sorry for such a late reply, I was not expecting any comments!

I am still very much trying to grasp my way in orchestral music, so I'm very much open to comments (thanks!). I've actually progressed a lot since 2015 but still have a long way to go. I'm trying to figure out a balance like you said with the dense orchestration and a clear mix. I will keep the panning in mind!

"$99 Orchestra" - My Results

Journal Category

Earlier this year I participated in a kickstarter fundraiser titled "$99 Orchestra".
The nuts-n-bolts of the campaign are as follows: For $99, you reserve a 7-minute recording session with a 30-piece orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal.
You could pay higher amounts for longer recording sessions, but being on the budget that I am, I opted for the $99 option.

First off, a 30-piece orchestra is roughly half the size of a conventional symphonic orchestra, and about a THIRD the size of a hollywood orchestra (often ranging between 80 - 120 members), so I knew I wasn't going to get a 'big' sound.
I didn't have any material prepared for this ensemble so I wrote a new piece in a couple of days for this specific event.
I was inspired by the 100th anniversary of ANZAC , and thus titled the piece "Letter From A Soldier".
To me, the piece represents what the tone of a letter might have been like from a son to his mother, or husband to his wife from the battlefield. Putting on a 'brave face' and assuring their loved ones that everything is ok, and that they'll be back home soon (though sadly, this was not the case for most).

I have attached two audio files. The first is of the piece performed by the orchestra, warts-and-all. The other is my 'virtual rendition' - almost completely digitally produced using virtual instruments and software.
What do you think? Do you like the fullness of the 'samples' version?
Or do you prefer the "rawness" of the dry orchestra?

If you'd like to know more about the experience, or have any questions about orchestras, feel free to leave a comment or send me a PM. :)

- JL -

Embedding Soundcloud tracks and sets in Journals

Journal Category

Just a quick test for embedding Soundcloud music and music sets into Journal posts on tsumea.

Alright, it seems to be working! So, this is primarily for the growing number of musicians on here. In the same way that artists have been showing off their work on tsumea, musicians can now do the same also! To show off your audio work, simply make a journal post, click the media button, and paste your Soundcloud link. It'll accept single tracks or even entire sets/playlists that you've created on Soundcloud. Pretty cool!

These will obviously show up in your journals and profile pages where they can be favourited by other users, and I'm currently working on setting up how these will appear in our musicians page which will list the latest Soundcloud posts from musicians, most viewed and popular etc

Music for Games - composer available

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Hi everyone - Scott Lloyd Shelly here (SLS )- I've been writing music for games since the mid-nineties midi file soundblaster days (SNES, etc.) and for titles like Reader Rabbit, Putt Putt Joins The Circus, Legacy Of Kain, and indie hit Terraria - got sidetracked for a few years doing music for a tv show called The Crocodile Hunter when I first moved to Australia - still looking for great games to contribute to (and play!) Usually work on a contract basis - happy to answer music questions if you have any. Thanks for your time, and good luck with all your projects! Scott

Music gone viral!

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Hey Tsumeans!
I'm proud to announce that I'm working alongside a huge gaming Youtube network called The Yogscast.
If you haven't heard of them just follow this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBl5Jqs7ls
The first track is up and doing quite well, (1Million + views) with more to come!
Though I am certainly keeping busy, I'm still keen to work on some more gaming projects.
I did The Borderlands Pre-Sequel last year which was awesome, and it's got me hooked!
For top end post production (sound design) and music composition at a low price...check me out at www.stagsound.com
Contact: Matt@stagsound.com
Thanks for reading/watching!
Cheers,
Matt.

Director's Dreams

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I've been building a compilation album with diversity as the main focus. The album Director's Dreams currently consists of 38 tracks each labled with their relevant genre or theme for easier navigation. There's everything from sci-fi to spaghetti western, elevator music to action music.
This is not intended to represent my compositional limits but reveal my ability to effectively jump into almost any style of music and deliver what is required.
If you're interested in working together but can't find what your after, contact me through my website and I'll whip up a relevant demo for you.

All the best,
Leo J

Who is Impact Audio Studios?

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Who is Impact Audio Studios?

We are a Sydney based sound design and music production studio comprised of primary members Jay Taylor & Michael Newton. Between us we have experience working with names such as Epiphany Games, Nat Geo, MTV, Redtribe, Casual Brothers, Subspark Media and more, on projects such as Sherlock: Network (Official app of the UK series), Orc attack! Underbelly (The Official Game), Frozen Hearth, Runic Rumble, Astroplasm, Hairy Balls & more for various platforms including IOS, Android, Sony Vita, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 & PC.

We like to cater to all projects, big and small, however we specialize in kickass & affordable audio for small to medium sized games & digital media projects.

www.impactaudiostudios.com