| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1201.1 | Them that can't do.... | CTHULU::YERAZUNIS | Exit left to Funway | Wed Feb 10 1988 11:23 | 193 |
| Last night, we had a group auditioning of the COMMUSIC IV tape (thanks
Dave!)
Comments are listed by commentator:
EH - Eirikur Hallgrimsson
CJ - Carol Jens
WY - Bill Yerazunis
Rather than cold, clinical judgements, we decided to base our critiques
on how we LIKED the pieces, how they made us feel, etc., and try to
avoid points of technique or technology. These comments are
"real-time" for the most part.
Listening equipment:
Sanyo 1450 cassette deck.
Carver C-4000 preamp (Sonic Hologram, Unlimiter, and Autocorrellator
ON, Time-delay unit OFF, equalization FLAT)
Carver M-200t power amp
Becker SS-2 speakers
Carpet by Armstrong
Beanbag Chairs by Zayres.
-----------------------------------------------------
Paul Harmon:
A Smaller World,
We're Not Supposed to Die
Flat - WY
No dynamics - EH
Oversaturated tape - CJ
Leap!
LOTS better! Sounds ALIVE - WY
"Moonchild" on 1st King Crimson album - EH
Yngwie! - WY
---------------------------------------------------------
Karl Moeller
Seven
Too much hisssssssss - WY
Great - WY
Good articulation for a sampled sax - EH
Walk In Music
I *like* this - EH
Nice slapback. Very worth listening to. - WY
9.5 / 10 - CJ
-------------------------------------------------------
Frank Rene
Learning To Sail
Kind of jazz used to back up dead air time on TV - EH
Mellow. Almost too mellow. - WY
...Then I told him I was going to put it in the
notesfile and he said "Well, I like the
electric piano..." - WY on EH
We Can Be (what we want to be)
Devo-pop. - WY
Vocals too thin - EH
Drum dynamics- where are they? - WY
-----------------------------------------------
Brad Schafer
10 to 9
Give it a "7" - CJ
Sounds like a jam session. Quite the ending! - WY
Compromise
Serious mix problems - EH
Kind of like it - WY
Drum machine groove is actually good enough - EH
Hand in Hand
"Oh, we *don't* have to hear her personal
struggle with the Lord. Whew!! " - EH
AAAACCCCKK!! It's easy listening! Run Away! - WY
It's Amy Grant without Amy Grant - EH
Sounds like you cut/folded the tape - WY
Drum kicks are TOO loud - WY
Yes, that's the sound of holes burned into the tape,
tiny bits of FeO3 being blasted into vapor -EH
------------------------------------------------------------
Peter LaQuerre
You Better Start
Too mellow for *my* stereo. The capstan stuck and the
cat decided that a milk-bottle cap was
more interesting - WY
Rebecca
<<< no additional comments >>>
----------------------------------------------
Dave Bottom
Born in Chicago
"So where's Batman? " - CJ
Not bad. - WY
TV Eye + Payday
<<< no additional comments >>>
-----------------------------------------------------
Steve Sherman
Just About Enough
I like this MUCH better - CJ
I like the development - EH
Should have kept the horn (patch) he had before - CJ
------------------------------------------------------
Dan Dube
The Reason Why
Sounds like Pat Benatar. Not bad - WY
It's muddier than Pat would like. - CJ
Pat isn't recording in a basement in Nashua. - EH
Compares well with Face-to-Face - Eh
In Your Dreams
<<<similar mutterings>>
--------------------------------------------------------
Mitch Norcross
Visions
DEVELOP IT!!! - WY
The start is good, the style is right, but DEVELOP
it toward a climax! - WY
It _needs_ to get to a climax! - WY
I'd settle for _believeing_ there was going to BE
a climax! - EH
--------------------------------------------------
Tom Janzen
La Sacre de Printemps
Best timbre so far on the tape - EH
REAL COMMUSIC!! - WY
Absolutely!! - EH
Cat, unhook those claws!! - CJ
(This is actually a complement- the cat only
stretches her claws out into people when she's
happy, so even the cat must have enjoyed this
piece. P.S. the cat is a finicky listener!)
Suite for Cello: Prelude
Like Glass - WY
Got some aliasing/sampling noise - WY
Nice chord changes - WY
Tom, you need an envelope control - WY
I like this - EH
9.4 / 10 - WY
On D
Maybe it's a data dump? - EH
It's supposed to be music... I think... - EH
Want to load it into the ESQ-1 and see what it
sounds like? - CJ
|
| 1201.2 | how to get copy? | LEDS::ORIN | Ensoniq, is EPS a Mirage? | Wed Feb 10 1988 12:58 | 3 |
| How does one obtain a copy?
dave
|
| 1201.3 | | CANYON::MOELLER | welcome to acronym hell | Wed Feb 10 1988 15:05 | 5 |
| 'hissssssssssss' on 'Seven' ?? no way. it was dubbed direct from
the SGU's to the submission cassette. perhaps it was copied
onto the compilation master sans Dolby. too bad. ah well.
karl
|
| 1201.4 | Setting your expectations about Commusic IV | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | Dave | Wed Feb 10 1988 15:31 | 74 |
| I think for Commusic IV, you guys should generally assume that any
noticed audio deficiency is a result of the audio equipment used
in the process and my ineptitude and carelessness. ;-)
There have been several problems:
1) Commusic IV was mastered in a tremendous hurry. I've
gone back and redone certain things, but I confess that
certain other problems (particularly saturation) were
only detected AFTER I had recorded over the submission
tapes.
I remind contributors of my offer to redo things. I apologize
if it turns out this is necessary. In deference to this,
I'm am going to hold off making non-contributor copies
until I hear from the contributors.
2) I am using my deck which is fine, and a cheap borrowed deck
which apparently has some real problems. I didn't realize
this until it was too late for the master.
Also, remember that you can't compare this to Commusic III.
That was done using much better equipment.
Anyway, while I value audio quality, I think the most important
thing is to hear the MUSIC that folks are doing, not the
overall quality of their equipment nor their ability as audio
engineers.
3) I have been VERY VERY VERY VERY busy recently. This
a) means it will take me some time to get the contributor copies
out, and b) explains why the mastering process was rushed.
I am also about to go on a long-weekend type vacation.
If someone is willing to pick up the master (and return it
when I get back) and make copies for me, let me know.
4) I'm gonna break a notes rule:
DOLBY SUCKS!!!! (at least Dolby B)
I'll break another rule:
Someone once said in here they wanted to
avoid a dbx 4-track and get Dolby.
You don't know what you're talking about!
Or you are out of your mind!
(Apologies in advance)
I suspect that what happens is that it just goes out of
calibration too easily. It works pretty well between
the two decks I have, which suggests that my decks are
ok (just the same, I'm gonna have them checked before
I start Commusic V). But often some of the "dolbied"
submissions I got sounded much worse with Dolby on.
So I'm not saying it doesn't work well when it works,
what I'm saying is that my overwhelming experience
is that it doesn't work well between decks.
In the future, I'm gonna suggest that Dolbied submissions
also include non-dolbied versions. Let me choose which
sounds best.
HURRY UP DAT!!!!!
So anyway, please limit your expectations about audio quality and
timely delivery. There's a lot of mistake I now know how to avoid
for Commusic V.
db
|
| 1201.5 | 1 vote for a new master | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Wed Feb 10 1988 16:06 | 21 |
| RE: "holes burned in tape"
I don't know about the master, but my submission was practically noise
free when played on two decks at home and the one in my car (a factory
piece of trash). I made a point of using very good tape and reviewing
the entire submission before I shipped it off.
If the quality of the master makes my submissions sound noisy,
overdriven or muddled, then the master is trash, because that's the one
thing I did right. And I can't imagine Moeller turning out a hissy
tape.
If we're taking a poll, I think the master ought to be redone if it's
as bad as reported. This is not to say that my music "can't possibly
be that bad" - I don't want to sound like a primadonna. While making a
master tape is a lot of work (I speak from experience), so is putting
together a submission. Let's give the contributors a fair shake, too.
Sorry, Dave - you DID ask for opinions.
brad
|
| 1201.6 | Restrospection | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Wed Feb 10 1988 16:10 | 6 |
| RE: .5
Didn't mean to flame or sound overbearing. Take it as an opinion. One
of those days ...
{grumble}
|
| 1201.7 | Nice to hear despite overwhelming distortion. | DSSDEV::HALLGRIMSSON | It's incrementing outside. | Wed Feb 10 1988 16:23 | 10 |
| Bill's copy of the tape was way oversaturated, if the fact that
his deck's VU needles stayed far up into the red most of the time
is any indication. The fact the the pieces (especially from different
contributors) were recorded at slightly different levels made the
effect different on each piece.
I don't know if that's the master, or the dub, at fault.
Eirikur
|
| 1201.8 | don't eat the hand that feeds you, I always say | ECADSR::SHERMAN | No, Rodney. That's *old* science! ... | Wed Feb 10 1988 16:31 | 9 |
| Hey, db! I'm in agreement with you. I'd rather hear it trashy
than make you re-do it. You see, what has happened is that we all
got spoiled by the superior quality of the Commusic III tape. But,
I think folks will be encouraged if there is hope that we can take
advantage of your experience in the future. Hang in there! Better
to be on a crappy (if it must be so) master than on no master at
all (IMO).
Steve
|
| 1201.9 | What I'm willing and not willing to do | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | Dave | Wed Feb 10 1988 17:45 | 64 |
| re: Brad S.
> Sorry, Dave - you DID ask for opinions.
No problem. I'm not gonna be defensive about this.
Actually, I think your submission came out pretty good. I would
say that it reflects the best that I can do with the equipment
I have.
> And I can't imagine Moeller turning out a hissy tape.
I believe that I oversaturated Karl's submission on the master.
> If we're taking a poll, I think the master ought to be redone if it's
> as bad as reported.
Some of the things on the master ARE bad and should get redone.
The tape I gave Bob Yerazunis was oversaturated. The tape I gave
Len is 'undersaturated'. It's a long story regarding the calibration
of the meters in the borrowed deck.
> I don't want to sound like a primadonna. While making a
> master tape is a lot of work (I speak from experience), so is putting
> together a submission.
Brad, I think this is reasonable, but your expectations may exceed
the scope of what I'm 1) capable of doing with the equipment I have,
and 2) willing to spend in terms of time, effort and money.
You've got to recognize that I am using a decent
deck and a cheap deck. Most of the submissions are 2nd or 3rd
generation copies to begin with . This is not going to produce
pristine recordings!
Distortion is unacceptable and I intend to fix that. However, I'm
not going to go to much trouble to eliminate a little hiss or worry
about signal degradation. And there's not much I can do about dolby
compatability. I will have *my* deck checked, but I'm not gonna
pay to have a borrowed deck checked. Unless I get two *KNOWN_TO_BE_OK*
decks, we're gonna have this problem.
I'm only willing to worry enough to produce something that's
listenable. I regard this whole thing as an informal. Sorta like
a few friends exchanging tape. I'm not going to turn it into a major
production.
> Let's give the contributors a fair shake, too.
My model of the Commusic tapes is that people submit their stuff
to be shared, not judged. Critique is valuable, but most people
are interested in critique of the content, not the recording quality.
I've been rather longwinded. THe main thing I want to do is set
your expectations about what I'm willing to do. I'm willing to
throw together a listenable tape.
I don't think it's unreasonable to want a high quality thing. I'm
just saying that I'm not prepared to spend the time and effort.
I would certain not mind turning it over to someone who is willing
and capable of putting more effort into it than I am/can.
db
|
| 1201.10 | Keep it up, Tom. | CTHULU::YERAZUNIS | Snowstorm Canoeist | Wed Feb 10 1988 18:10 | 23 |
| Tom;
Don't feel so bad about your third piece. Just because we did
not immediately recognize the paradigms of your music does not imply
that it isn't valid art. Do you immediately recognize that the
pillars in the Parthenon are individual artistic pieces; sculptures
that only happen to resemble structural beams ?
Remember, we had our minds in a Bach mindset, and then "In D"
came along and we certainly weren't expecting it. If we'd been
previously listening to "Computer Experiments" or "Pulsars" just
beforehand, then we would have immediately started listening for
the deeper patterns rather than the datastream-like part.
And we did find the deeper patterns- it's time-period is about
six seconds or so per "measure", if the word "measure" is the
right one to use. Or is there yet a deeper (more concealed) pattern
that we haven't found yet?
You don't see *me* sticking my neck out with non-twelve-tone
music, do you? I ain't got the guts.
|
| 1201.11 | Or a Cop on the Bloch | DRUMS::FEHSKENS | | Thu Feb 11 1988 16:46 | 6 |
| re .10 - Uhm, when I listened to it, I thought it was a cop on the
Bach (not to be confused with the old fashioned concept of the cop
on the block).
len.
|
| 1201.12 | Good tape guys (and gals)! | ECADSR::SHERMAN | No, Rodney. That's *old* science! ... | Fri Feb 12 1988 22:22 | 184 |
| Okay, here's the obligatory review (thanks for the tape db!). I will listen
to the tape and type in my remarks as I go. Here goes ...
I'm done. I think Dave got a lot of problems worked out. My copy sounds
pretty good. Actually, I think this tape is listenable and I'll probably
be listening to it plenty. I feel that this tape is comparable to
Commusic III. In particular, there seems to be improvement in the equipment.
Seems everybody is using good reverb. But, for me, the difference seems to
be in the artists, not the equipment. You guys are using your equipment well,
for the most part. Even the piece that uses the DR-110 does not suffer because
of it. This music is fun to listen to because the artists are having fun. I
think my favorites are Karl's 'Seven' and Brad's 'Compromise'. This tape is
great for me because you guys have taught me something with just about every
piece. Thanks!
Now the reviews:
> Side A
>
> Paul Harmon
>
> - A Smaller World
Nice feel. Not bad vocal. I like it. Sometimes a little repetitive in some
of the phrases. Might jazz it a bit on the repeats. The tom on the left
channel seems a bit loud (nit).
> - We're Not Supposed to Die
Nice variation in meter. Like this one too, especially the piano hook.
Was that a *real* harmonica? Nice touch.
> - Leap!
Well, this is not my type. Was there organization to this? Sounded kind of
like a warm up to another piece. Ah, reminds me of my days in the pit
orchestra ... (sorry, I got carried away) However, the going in and out
of tempo was interesting.
> Karl Moeller
>
> - Seven
I like the 7/4! I like the horns! Nice sax! Makes me want to do something in
the same meter. Good phrasing on the sax. Pleasant, airy feel. Great stuff,
Karl!
> - Walk in Music
I like the echo on the bass. Hard driving. Echo's interesting on the other
parts, too. I'm kind of fishing for a melody, though. Is there supposed to
be one? I need a melody, Karl! Oh, well... Guess it's a matter of taste.
But, bright diddling on the piano. Matter of taste. But, Karl, your stuff
really is good (you knew that).
> Frank Rene
>
> - Learning to Sail
The cymbals sound like steam. Is this a steam boat? ;^) I'm kind of losing
interest. Ah, the break strain. Hey, this is pretty good, but repeated a
little too much without variation. Hmm. Starting to sound a little like
(old) Chicago. The changes are welcome, but there is a tendency to repeat
without variation.
> - We Can Be (What We Want to Be)
Not my type. I guess the message is what's important. But, I'm not giving
out points right now for the lyrics. I get kind of tired of the Entertainment
Tonight drums. Just a matter of taste. Technically, this is pretty good.
The guitar solo reminds me of (old) Chicago again.
> Brad Schafer
>
> - 10 to 9
Oooh, strings! They sound good. I'm in the mood for melody tonight. Not
much melody, yet. Good guitar diddling. Can't tell where this is going.
Sounds kind of like a vamp. No melody to carry this through. Matter of
taste, again. I think I'm getting tired of ad lib in general without
melody. It's probably just me. Ooops. Got cut off there.
> - Compromise
Hey, this got going! Yeah! I like this. I like the response between
different voices. Now, this is something I enjoy hearing. Little lull
now. Good break. I like the play off between voices. Nice bellows in
the background. This is good! I like the chimes sprinkled in.
> Brad Schafer
>
> - Hand in Hand
Slow dance. Kind of a long intro. Ah, but it builds well. Melodic.
Layering is good. Umm. Starting to get a little repetitious. Oh, but
it's okay. That nice melodic section is back. Good feeling. This tune
has lots of feeling! Obvious you were thinking of someone ...
> Peter Laquerre
>
> - You Better Start
Oooh. A little out of tune on the guitar, or is it just the recording?
Your vocals are good. Hey, where's the commusic? Oh, well. Not my type.
> - Rebecca
Ahh. Synths! I'm not nuts about portamento. I think this would be helped
by using maybe some different patches on the synths. Tune-wise it's okay.
Good hooks.
> Dave Bottom
>
> - Born in Chicago
Hah! Screaming harmonica! 1941? Lessee, that makes you 47? Naa. But,
this does have a 50's feel to it. Pretty standard stuff. Bet it's fun
at parties...
> - TV Eye
More party music. Does capture the mood.
> - Pay Day
Hey, haven't I heard this before? I'm sure I did ... Little juiced up
this time. Done well.
> Steve Sherman
>
> - Just About Enough
Opening solo a little too mellow voice. Need variation in the drums.
Splashy! Hey, this is *my* stuff! Sounds a little muddy. Now that I've got
some good headphones I can mix it better next time. Gotta fix up that drum
part, especially at the end. Ah, but now my attitude is adjusted!
> Dan Dube
>
> - The Reason Why
Sounds like a 'regular' rock band. Take that as a compliment. I'm just
not into it.
> - In Your Dreams
Well, I liked this better, but again, just not my type.
> Mitch Norcross
>
> - Visions
Well, this is different. Interesting sounds. Effective break up of the
repetition here and there. Nice variation of timbre. I wish it would
maybe wander outside of the structures just a bit more. I can kind of
tell where it's heading after the first little bits of each phrase.
There is a pleasant variety of phrases, though.
> Tom Janzen
>
> - Le Sacre de Printemps: Stravinsky.
This was pretty good, actually.
> - Suite for Cello: Prelude: J. S. Bach.
This sound a lot like a Mac or a C-64. Kind of lacks expression,
you know?
> - On D: Tom Janzen
Well, this is not as bad as the previous reviews led me to believe. It's
interesting in that what seems to be repetition actually has variation
built in. It's one of those numbers you can get lost in...
Woa. I missed something. What's this? Yeah, it does sound like a data
dump. Oh, well.
You know, Tom, I found the way you did it more interesting than the actual
music. But, I'm not complaining. I like reading about it and then hearing
the results. Kind of makes the theory come alive. I hope you continue to
submit this type of thing.
|
| 1201.13 | My tape is trashed | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Wed Feb 17 1988 09:39 | 14 |
| Just got my tape yesterday.
The quality is so poor that I can't even understand Paul (Harmon)'s
lyrics, and I've heard his stuff several times in the past. What isn't
distorted is so muddled that it's hard to make heads or tails of what's
happening. There are a few places in my submissions where the
breathing is so bad that it sounds like I'm play chords that aren't
there.
In short, the tape is almost unlistenable. I've tried 2 different
decks so far, with the same results. I still vote for a remaster. What
I can hear of the tape is real hot stuff.
the whiner
|
| 1201.14 | My tape is acceptable | HPSRAD::NORCROSS | | Wed Feb 17 1988 10:01 | 9 |
|
Just got my tape yesterday too.
Mine sounds perfectly acceptable. I would not vote for a re-master.
It's a little saturated here and there, but perfectly acceptable to me.
On first listen, all songs on side A are excellent listening music.
/Mitch
|
| 1201.15 | | ECADSR::SHERMAN | No, Rodney. That's *old* science! ... | Wed Feb 17 1988 10:27 | 5 |
| Ditto for my tape (as I mentioned in my review). I listened to
it using my new (used) PRO-1's and thought it sounded pretty good.
Sure you didn't get a bad tape or something?
Steve
|
| 1201.16 | WIFGO? | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Wed Feb 17 1988 10:57 | 13 |
| RE: .14,.15
This is sure weird. My tape actually sounds like it was recorded on
one of those cheapie cassette decks using the condenser mic, and using
5 yr old Cetron tape.
The tape looks like a brand new Maxell. I checked the levels on mine,
and although the tape often sounds overdriven, my meters NEVER read
over -10dB.
Anyone else get their tape yet? Comments? Maybe I'm brain damaged.
?????
|
| 1201.17 | Interesting... | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | Dave | Wed Feb 17 1988 12:50 | 35 |
| Brad,
Knowing that you were among the particularly quality conscious folk,
I personally listened to random samples on THE tape that I sent you
including the entirety of your submissions.
Also, since you were one of the people who wanted their submission
tapes preserved (not record C-IV over the submission tape) I was
able to "fix" your submissions after discovering the initial problem.
I also noted that dolby worked well on your submission tape (much
less hiss, no loss of hi-end).
In short, what you hear on that tape for your submissions is the best
that I can do.
My feeling is that if it doesn't even come close to meeting your
standards than there's nothing I can do that will make you happy,
Remastering your submissions would not accomplish anything. It's a limit
imposed by the equipment I have to work with. While there are some
contributions on the tape that have flaws in the mastering, most don't.
If you feel that your submission is compromised by this, I'll give
you the option of having me strike it from the master. Let me
know now if you would like me to do this. I'd like to start making
the non-contributor copies ASAP.
BTW, even with the mastering problems, the proof copies that I have
listened to would probably be compared favorably to the copies of
Commusic I and II that I have.
And again, I reiterate my offer to gladly give this all up to someone
who has the time, equipment, know-how and willingness to provide
a better method.
db
|
| 1201.18 | | MTBLUE::BOTTOM_DAVID | That's my heart in the street | Wed Feb 17 1988 13:15 | 11 |
| I got my tape yesterday and though that for the most part the sound
was good. I had a nit about TV eye and that's being checked but
other than that it is pretty good...
Not really a review but the first side was real good!
Moeller did your stuff have drums in it? or was I not paying attention.
Of course, I didn't have a copy of the liner notes around so I have
not idea whose was what or what was whoose..forget it...
dave
|
| 1201.19 | I doubt it's the source | MPGS::DEHAHN | | Wed Feb 17 1988 13:16 | 12 |
|
Brad,
had your deck cleaned and aligned lately? Just because it records
and plays back fine for you doesn't mean it's not out of alignment.
Recording on your deck and then playing back on your deck may mask
this.
Worth a check.
CdH
|
| 1201.20 | Whiner Repents! Film @11. | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Wed Feb 17 1988 13:37 | 18 |
| Hmmm...
I don't mean to pick on you, db. I know how much work goes into making
one of these (I did #1, remember?). If I remember right, one of the
gripes about 1 was that it was quite noisy. I wonder if my deck is not
out of alignment, like Chris said. Please don't take offense. I'm
more confused than I am anything else, and the last thing I wanna do is
burn you out with my whining.
Looks like I should have the deck checked. In the meantime, I'll see
if I can't diddle some with tape eq and bias to get the sound to clean
up.
Oh yeah - I didn't find a fast forward on the whole tape (other than
mine, which I'm sick of hearing). Tip o' th' hat to db for the effort
and to all who contributed ... even my - um - er, CONSCIENCE.
8-)
|
| 1201.21 | We're cool | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | Dave | Wed Feb 17 1988 14:04 | 16 |
| Brad,
Don't worry. I do NOT feel like you're picking on me, nor do I
feel like you're complaining. I've asked for your opinion and you've
expressed it tactfully.
Likewise, it was hard for me to write the things I wrote in my last
note without sounding like "well take it or leave it". Honest,
if it came across that way, it was NOT my intention.
Basically, I just am not sure there's anything more I can do.
But the good news is that two folks are loaning me decks. This
will allow me to send mine off to be checked and calibrated.
db
|
| 1201.22 | Tape deqausser for sale? | BUGEYE::CLARY | Bob Clary DTN: 256-2219 | Wed Feb 17 1988 14:20 | 9 |
| Brad,
If db tried your copy and it sounded ok, and your deck checks out ok,
is it possible that your copy got "magnetically damaged" (fields from
motors, magnet, whatever)
shot in the dark,
bob
|
| 1201.23 | Review | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Thu Feb 18 1988 15:11 | 170 |
| Here's my review, such as it is.
I think I liked every piece on this tape. Since my copy of the tape is
munged, I'll just post comments as I listen rather than do a detailed
review.
Suffice it to say that all contributors deserve attaboys. One of the
best tapes yet, in my opinion.
-b
REVIEW
Side A
1. PAUL HARMON
a) A Smaller World
b) We're Not Supposed To Die
I'm prejudiced. I've heard these before. I liked them before, and I
like them now. I don't care for the distortion tone on the guitar, and
I thought the lead guitar and harmonica mixes were a bit too out front
- but that's about all the gripes I have. The harmonica was nice, the
textures were instersting, the rhythms were non-standard (read: good).
Lyrics were great. Music was great. Did not disturb cat (a kudo).
c) Leap!
This was an interesting piece. I don't understand free jazz, and doubt
that I could listen to it over and over again, but nice, nonetheless.
2. KARL MOELLER
a) Seven
You're right. It DOES rock. And I like it. Immensely. Another 10
for Karl.
b) Walk In Music
Liked this one, too. The delay on the bass became a bit much, and the
piece definitely became a bit too, um - "meditative". The cat did not
care for this one. Don't know why. I liked it.
3. FRANK RENE
a) Learning to Sail
I can't really come up with any {con,de}structive comments or even
anything cute. I'll just leave it at I like it. This was one piece
where my copy of the tape was pretty muddled.
b) We Can Be (What We Want to Be)
Musically, the piece was ok. I do not agree with the message the
lyricist is attempting to convey (not that anyone cares, mind you). I
think you accomplished what you wanted to - the piece does sound
top-40ish. My wife thought it would be a good dance tune, with the
bouncy rhythms and all. The cat didn't like this one, either.
Don't take these comments as too negative. I enjoyed both these pieces
as much as any on the tape.
4. BRAD SCHAFER
Where did all the breathing and distortion come from? Should be
programming drums from a sequencer, rather than the box. Need better
dynamics. Oh yeah - the cat left the room. 8-(
a) 10 to 9
Every time I listen to this my fingers hurt. My darn arthritic
Oberheim plays worse that a cold Rhodes.
b) Compromise
4ths upon 4ths upon 4ths. Where'd the bass go? Hit hat is MUCH too
heavy. Make a better stereo image next mix.
SIDE B
1. BRAD SCHAFER
a) Hand in Hand
I have no idea what happened to this one. This *was* the best mix I've
ever done. The pulsing (ONE two three four) "synth fill" is just that-
pulsing. I played sustained chords thru here. Oh well ...
2. PETER LAQUERRE
a) You Better Start
I still think the vocals sound like Crosby Stills & Nash. Lyrics were,
um - ok. Harmonies were nice.
b) Rebecca
Another nice piece. Most of this type of music is not my style, but I
enjoy it as a change. BTW - it sounds like you used the same CZ
patches as you did on CM III. Not a gripe - just an observation.
Cat came back in the room.
3. DAVE BOTTOM
a) Born in Chicago
If I didn't know better, I would swear that this was my old band
without me in it. Fun song. Hot leads. Cat left again.
b) TV Eye
Visions of ZZ Top, eh Dave?
c) Pay Day
Ok, I was wrong. We did NOT used to do this piece. 8-)
4. STEVE SHERMAN
a) Just About Enough
The shuffle. Again, synth patches sound similar to C III submission. I
like it, though. Your drum programming is better than you give
yourself credit for.
5. DAN DUBE
a) The Reason Why
This piece grabbed me more than any so far. Lead vocalist sounds
something like Stryper's lead singer. This would play on AOR / top-40
radio. Synth phrasing is not too hot, though. Should enter and exit
more smoothly. The lyrics/subject are quite arcane.
b) In Your Dreams
Let down after "a)". All instruments other than percussion should
break on phrase during guitar lead. Bet this band is very successful
in the Boston club circuit. Now the singer has taken on a Glen Allen
Green sound.
6. MITCH NORCROSS
a) Visions
Airy, new age flavor. Was initially uninteresting but built up a bit,
and grew on me. A bit of variation in synth texture would have been
nice, too. Better than what I could do with the same gear. Good job.
Cat came back in again (a bit more tentative this time).
7. TOM JANZEN
a) Le Sacre de Printemps: Stravinsky.
b) Suite for Cello: Prelude: J. S. Bach.
c) On D: Tom Janzen
Aliasing was a bit distracting. Other than that, these were very
enjoyable pieces.
Piece "c)" had some very interesting counter-melodic work that was very
hard to hear on my tape. Still liked it very much.
How about that, Tom - a headbanger likes your music. However, the cat
could not handle the aliasing, and took off like a shot, never to
return. You can't have everything.
|
| 1201.24 | | MTBLUE::BOTTOM_DAVID | If the phone don't ring.. | Mon Feb 22 1988 07:42 | 90 |
| Ok here's my review. It's based on three serious listens to the
tape. All opinions are my own and I reserve the right to be totally
unreasonable.... songs rated on a scale of 1- 10 (10 being bestest)
Paul Harmon
Overall my first reaction was, where is this guy and why haven't
we jammed? Of the three pieces I liked "we're not supposed to die"
the best, "a smaller world" next best and "leap!" came in last.
The guitar reminded me of Keith Richards' "Honkey tonk woman" a
slight bit of grunge and a single coil sort of sound...
A smaller world 7.0
We're not supposed to die 7.3
Leap! 5.2
Karl Moeller
I'm not going to bore everyone by flashing my Karl Moeller as keybored
god fan club president's card....
Seven 8.3
Walk in Music 7.7
Frank Rene
Learning to Sail 7.6
We can be 6.8
For some reason this morning I'm drawing a blank on this submission..
my notes didn't say much else...Mondays....
Brad Schafer
Finally we get to hear the mastermind of Commusic I (who never
submitted) it was worth the wait but we shouldn't have had to wait
so long...
10 to 9 7.8
Comprimise 6.9
Hand In hand 9.1
hand in Hand was my fav piece on this tape..wow! Are there lyrics?
I also noticed a slight distortion at the beginning of hand in hand
for what it's worth. Brad your stuff was probably my favorite on
the whole tape....head banger indeed....too bad you're so far away...
but then it's a long way to Augusta no matter where you are...
Peter Laquerre
Reminded me of Steely Dan. The guitar leads are very nice, tasteful
and not too dominating...lower guitar strings and bass seemed to
be muddy and distorted.
You better start 6.7
Rebecca 6.4
dave Bottom
yawn....did anyone notice what appears to be breathing on Born In
Chicago? Methinks that my engineer used his yamaha compressor
improperly.
Steve Sherman
WOW! Nice drum intro, when I grow up I'm gonna learn to program
my HR-16 this good....
Very nice piece.
Just about enough 8.6
Mitch Norcross
Visions 6.3
Not my style, interesting but I'll refrain from furthur comment,
guess I'm too mainstream
Tom Janzen
Now this is way too experimental for me, guess I'm not a real
commusician
Overall this was the best of the four Commusic tapes in my humble
opinion. Looking forward to the next ten or so..
dave
|
| 1201.26 | Addendum to review | DYO780::SCHAFER | Just another roadie. | Tue Feb 23 1988 16:06 | 0 |
| 1201.27 | My review..."rev B" | HPSTEK::RENE | Predictive Spontaneity | Wed Feb 24 1988 11:36 | 150 |
| - oooooooops. I deleted my review in 1201.25 because I missed parts of
-the review as I was transcribing from paper to EDT. I'm sorry if I
-offended anyone by not having a review of thier tune(s) in my review.
-Well here it is again.....the unabridged version!
I seriously listened to the tape last night (sitting in front of the
stereo with paper and pencil) with no distractions. I had listened to it a
few times before just to get a feel for it. I had originally started forming
mostly negative impressions of the tape before last night's listen. The
mistake I was making was that I was reviewing (mentally) as I would a new
album. For me, this was definitely the wrong way to go about something like
a COMMUSIC tape. There is such a diversity of styles/instruments/recording
quality that it makes reviewing tough. I have tried to pick out positive
aspects of the submissions more than negative. People are trying to put
good music on tape. I tried to listen bearing in mind that the purpose of
this (I think) is just to show others of what we have created to get some
hopefully useful feedback. Our next efforts will hopefully benefit in some
way by how other folks see our music.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Harmon: A Smaller World
Interesting drum patterns. Like marimbas. Vocals a bit too dry, may
want to add some (more) delay/reverb.
Paul Harmon: We're not Supposed to Die
Nice guitar riffs..sound like Eric Clapton/Creem. I like the chord
progression at the bridge. Excellent harp sound. Got a little repetitious.
Paul Harmon: Leap!
Caught my interest right away. Guitar/bass work around each other
well. Losing interest. Maybe develop it some more..add a different section
or something ? Good idea though.
Karl Moeller: Seven
Good snare drum sound. Interesting stereo imaging. Seems not to have
a direction (maybe intended?) lost interest. Nice 7/8. What happened to
the ending ?
Karl Moeller: Walk in Music
I liked this alot. Tasty use of delay on the bass. Reminds me of
music that would be played on a crime/drama show...Miami Vice? maybe?
A+ on engineering. It sounded spooky..like walking down an alley in New
York..A bit too long though.
Frank Rene: Learning to Sail
Review my own stuff..?well..I liked the horns...intro the best part..
got repetitive..my copy very saturated (NOT a complaint Dave..I wish
I could offer a solution.)
Frank Rene: We can Be
I like the sequenced synth riff that goes through the whole song...
I liked Don's (weird!) solo alot. Song is a bit too simple (intended,
though). I should've had Brian do another vocal take. Great string
sound at end. Drums too repetitive..like the Chinese water torture 8^)
Brad Shafer: 10 to 9
Good idea. Would make a great tv show theme ?
Brad Shafer: Compromise
I liked the solos around the maj7th's. Bowed strings were done well.
found myself helplessly tapping along. didn't like the guitar though.
Brad Shafer: Hand in Hand
Nice orchestral/open motif. lost interest though..
Peter Laquerre: You better start
Sounds like James Taylor..nice..very refreshing.oops...guitar go
out on ya? 8^) After hearing you CMIII submission I looked forward to
this one...not disappointed at all...excellent vocals/harmonies
Peter Laquerre: Rebecca
My favorite tune on the tape...seems like your family has a very
positive influence on what gets on your four track ! great synth
patch...relaxing..enjoyed it alot.
Dave Bottom: Born in Chicago
Fun blues!..good lead vocal..guitar Clapton influenced? BIG harp
sound...lots of breathing on the tape though..Dolby strikes again ! 8^)
Dave Bottom: TV Eye:
Awesome harp in this one..good drum sound/esp snare..i'm tapping
along again..I'd like the tune more without the chorus on the guit..
didn't care for the ending.
Dave Bottom: Pay Day:
Good production/eng..tapping my foot again!..best of the three
tunes...I-IV-V worked well,not boring..tag at the end worked well.
Steve Sherman: Just about enough
Haven't heard the ol VOX organ sounds in a while 8^) I liked the
lead synth lines..good..
Dan Dube: The reason why
Good song...quite alot of things going on ...drums could've had
more dynamic range in the mix...top 40 ...occasional synth riffs might
be more effective at lower volume? maybe?
Dan Dube: In your dreams
Another good song. Pretty much same comments as above.
Mitch Norcross: Visions
Very interesting idea...experimental?...intricate sequences..
I liked the 2/4...very well done.
Tom Janzen: Le sacre de printemps
Interesting harmony/timbre..what kind of a waveform?
Tom Janzen: suite for Cello:prelude
I liked this alot. Very interesting throughout...
Tom Janzen: on d
I thought it was a space ship taking off at first, but what it really
sounds like is one chord,with all possible tensions being tried at random.
I thought I could almost hear Xdim/Xaug/Xb9....etc. at different times..
maybe I did ! 8^)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for sharing your music everyone !!!!!
Frank
|
| 1201.28 | Review from a non-COMMUSIC noter | BAVIKI::GOOD | Michael Good | Thu Feb 25 1988 00:10 | 30 |
| Here's a capsule review after listening to the tape twice:
My two clear-cut favorites on the tape are Karl Moeller's "Seven" and
Tom Janzen's "On D." I enjoyed both of them very much. Both pieces
have nice sounds, nice rhythmic complexity, and know when to stop.
The latter is my major gripe about the tape. I think that many
submissions go on too long for their material and their development.
For instance, one of my second-favorite pieces, Karl's "Walk in Music",
would have been in the top 3 had it been about 2/3 the length. Now in
this case I would guess the time was required because of the nature of
the commission, but taken out of context it doesn't work as well this
long. (Actually, I'm disappointed we didn't get "Andean Agogo in 11/8"
as Karl's third piece.)
On Commusic III, there were a couple of submissions I did not like at
all. None of the Commusic IV contributions fell into that category.
Maybe I like Commusic III better for that reason.
Regarding audio quality, a couple of the submissions on IV have too
much high end for me (whether in the submission, master, dub, or
combination I don't know). Usually I don't care about such things, but
these were more intrusive than usual.
Once again this tape is getting the compositional juices going. I
don't think I'll be getting any commusic gear for a year or so, but
it's becoming very clear to me that I won't want to wait too much
longer than that.
Thanks, everyone!
|
| 1201.29 | | 4TRACK::LAQUERRE | | Thu Feb 25 1988 12:38 | 193 |
|
Here's my review. I actually wrote the review last week, but I
only found time to submit it now. In general, it's the best COMMUSIC
so far, and the sound quality was more than satisfactory.
Here's my review.
Peter
------------------------------------------
PAUL HARMON
- A Smaller World
I like the vocals and melody. I'm reminded a little of Dave Mason in the
sound of your voice. I really like the piano coming through every once in a
while; is that a piano patch on the ESQ-1? The lyrics go nicely with the
chorus, but the title doesn't seem to match the song.
- We're Not Supposed To Die
I like the lyrics to this song, though it took me a couple of rewinds to get
them right. Once again, your melodies work well within the framework of th
song.
- Leap!
Interesting jam piece. Nice contrast with the first two songs and I like the
sharp guitar attacks here and there. Neat bass line. It loses something
halfway through, though. I think the bass line got a little too wild and
that's what was holding it together somewhat.
KARL MOELLER
- Seven
I love the way this song starts out. It just breaks right into it. It's
probably more effective because it follows Paul's wandering jam. The snare
in the 7/8 rhythm really adds that feeling of power to the song. Big, full
sound on my stereo. Kurzweil strings and Emax sax, huh?
- Walk In Music
I'm trying to imagine actors walking onto the stage. That bass sound you've
built is effective. Interesting how just the right patch can make all the
difference. The piano parts are beautiful, just riding up there above the
steady bass line. Your liner notes tell the whole story--they answered a lot
of my questions. The idea of using a "vocal" patch in the background is
something I've been hoping to try myself. Of course, I'm trying to do it on
CZ-1000...
FRANK RENE
- Learning to Sail
NOTE: By the time I got to this song on my first listen, I was
getting more than mildly depressed. To me, the quality of the
material in these first six songs is above anything put on any
COMMUSIC tapes so far. I feel depressed because I don't think my
submissions are up to this quality yet.
I'll say at this point (since it seems to be controversial topic) that
the quality of the tape so far has been great. Very little noise and
nice full sound on my stereo.
This song has such a nice jazzy feel, great chord progressions. I really
enjoy listenting to this one; nice--wait a minute. You did *this* on a Fostex
4-track? So THAT'S what a sequencer and Mirage ESQ-1 can do for you... I
have to talk to my wife about this. What did you use for a sequencer? Is
there one built into the Mirage?
- We Can Be (What We Want to Be)
I don't like this one as much, although once you get to the chorus, I like it
better. The "pop" synth sounds and synth drums make the song sound less
interesting--no comparison to "Learning to Sail."
BRAD SCHAFER
- 10 to 9
I like your liner notes and your reason for the title. Yes, I agree, there's
some nice stuff in here, especially considering it came spontaneously. Every
time I hear a COMMUSIC tape, I learn somthing new. Last time around (COMMUSIC
III) it was the TR-505 drum machine and I finally ended up getting one based
on what I heard on the tape. This time around I think it's the dynamite piano
sounds and the use of effects. This song, for example, has some dynamite
synth sounds--coming from the Oberheimer, huh? Your friend Kent did a great
job on the guitar parts.
- Compromise
I don't have too much to say about this one. It's a listenable piece, but
something's missing. Not enough dynamics maybe. Almost sounds from your liner
notes like you have some problems with it yourself. It has its moments,
though. On second listen, I think the intro builds up really nice and the
drums are programmed with some effective stop beats here and there. Not sure
if I like all that reverb on the guitar.
- Hand in Hand
You mention in your liner notes that this could stand on its own as a
soundtrack. I'm with you there. The first thing that came to mind when I
first heard it was the opening or closing to a movie. I could picture the
credits rolling up the screen...
PETER LAQUERRE
- You Better Start
Now I wish I hadn't submitted this one. I have some others that probably
would have been more suitable for COMMUSIC IV, but at the time, it seemed like
a good choice. The quality of the recording doesn't seem up to the others on
the tape. I've got some work to do.
- Rebecca
Yup. In comparing this to the others so far, I've got some work to do...
DAVE BOTTOM
- Born in Chicago
- Television Eye
- Payday
I have to say "Rebecca" works well as an intro to "Born in Chicago." Makes
your song come in that much stronger. :)
All three of these songs are great. I have no criticism--just want to listen
and enjoy. Your band has really mastered the blues style music you do. The
harp is what really does it. With your guitar playing and the harpist giving
it that unmistakable, deep down bluesy feel, you can't go wrong.
Really hot stuff. Once again, I'm starting to get mildly depressed.
STEVE SHERMAN
- Just About Enough
The intro to this works well leading up to where the organ and horn parts come
in. Real down home gospel feel...right down to the organ patch. I think this
is an effective use of synthesizer sounds to imitate a style of music. The
horn patches sound realistic. You say in your liner notes that you used a
CZ-101 for some of the voices. Which ones are CZ voices?
DAN DUBE (MAX Q)
- The Reason Why
- In Your Dreams
Great vocals. Your lead vocalist has a powerful voice that really makes the
song. The arrangements and the mixes for both these songs are excellent.
The information about using the VHS HiFi for mixdown is interesting. So "The
Reason Why" was just an experiment in bouncing tracks, huh? Not bad for an
experiment. Sounds very professional.
I like the chorus of "In Your Dreams." The background vocals are arranged
nicely. The lyrics aren't bad either--"...and when you're gone I'll always
think about you and drink about you..."
Once again, no criticism here; I just enjoyed listening to to both these
songs!
MITCH NORCROSS
- Visions
I liked this piece, especially the bass lines; they come up in the form of
some deep, cello-like patches that give the song some depth of emotion. I
think the only thing this song could use is a break into something a little
different somewhere. Although on second listening, I liked it more.
TOM JANZEN
Wow. A PDP-11 to create classical music. I'm impressed. This *is* computer
music. This was fun to listen to. I'd love to see a demo of how you do
this...DECgraph, huh?
The cello voice in the second piece was a nice selection. It works well.
I had read two reviews before I wrote this and found myself waiting for the
infamous--and alleged--"data dump" at the end of "on D."
|
| 1201.30 | | KIM::HARMON | | Mon Feb 29 1988 07:29 | 149 |
| Before I get to my specific COMMUSIC IV reviews, I should say that there
wasn't anything here that I strongly disliked. So the bottom end of my
comments is "not bad".
===============================================================================
Paul Harmon
? You know that riff that appears at the beginning of
"A Smaller World" (and reappears periodically)? That
is really supposed to be an accordian - I think it would
make quite a bit of difference if it were. It figures -
after I had finished recording the song, I found out that
one of guys here at DCO has an accordian I could have borrowed.
Karl Moeller
Seven + Good time feel overall.
+ Very attractive and interesting sonorities.
- Some right-hand rhythmic inaccuracies make
the first part feel a little uncomfortable.
- In places, the 'sax' doesn't phrase quite the
way a sax really would; maybe the articulation
is what I'm missing.
- Overall, I miss some kind of definitive melodic
statement - the melody often sounds like a good
accompaniment to me.
Walk In Music
+ Good Job! It really does set up a feeling
of dramatic expectation.
+ Again, nice chord voicings.
- (Not really) After it's over, I'm ready to
settle back and watch a good play - but
there isn't one...
Frank Rene
Learning To Sail
+ I like the chords/chord voicings - nice extensions.
+ Good ideas.
- Maybe just a tad long.
- The ESQ-1 timbres get on my nerves
after awhile (I can say that, since
I use one, too...).
We can be (what we want to be)
+ I thought you did a good job of
creating a 'techno-pop' arrangement.
- The vocal was pretty weak.
- I think the way the lyric lays
across the melody is a little awkward.
Brad Schafer
10 To 9 + You made a good one-man rhythm section.
- Way too long.
Compromise
+ I like the way the accompaniment moves -
is it going to get a melody and lyrics sometime?
+ I liked the chord voicings, too.
Hand In Hand
+ Very nice arrangement.
+ I liked the drums a lot.
Peter LaQuerre
You Better Start
+ Catchy.
+ Nice vocal harmony.
- You've heard enough about intonation, right?
- Just from a songwriting point of view, I'd
like to hear some kind of variation within
the verses; they feel too parallel (within themselves) to me.
Rebecca
+ Very catchy - I find myself humming it from time to time.
+ I like the chord changes.
+ I like the arrangement.
+ I like the drums.
- Those places where the melody holds a note out,
and then that note becomes a fourth above the
next bass note (e.g., "she's not imprisoned like
*me*") really bother me...if it were my song, I
would change the melody or the timing to make that
go away.
Dave Bottom
(All three except where noted)
+ Good stuff.
+ Great harp/harp sound - my compliments to Doug.
+ I especially like the guitar work on "Television
Eye" - great overall feel.
- The band's time feel was a little unfocused at times
(maybe it's the real drummer, heard next to all
these drum machines).
Steve Sherman
Just About Enough
+ I love the suspense you created at the beginning -
it could turn into any kind of thing at all, but
then it becomes what it does.
- This is just a long-standing bias of mine, but
on this kind of thing (and lots of others, too)
I don't think the synthesizer as an instrument
has the wherewithal to carry the lead line.
Dan Dube
(Both except where noted)
+ Good job with the genre.
+ I really like the intro to "The Reason Why", once it
gets moving.
- To me, the vocals were too out front.
- The lead singer's intonation kept me kind of worried.
+/- The vocal harmonies were nicely conceived, but the
intonation needs some work.
Mitch Norcross
Visions
+ Nice use of harmony - nice changes.
- Much of it sounds to me like an accompaniment
for something that hasn't been included yet.
Tom Janzen
Le Sacre de Printemps/Suite fo Cello
+ Nice attention to articulation on the Bach.
- Again, my personal bias - computers are up
to being part of the frame, but not the
whole picture yet (especially when they
doing music written for acoustic instruments).
I'm still waiting to hear the genre that fits
the instrument...
It doesn't seem fair in a way to only put this
criticism here, since there are other synthesizer-only
submissions on the tape; but re-orchestrations really
invite it.
On D
+ This surprised me - I actually enjoy listening to it
(that makes you my favorite minimalist, Tom!).
|
| 1201.31 | Thanks for the effort! | BARTLS::MOLLER | Vegetation: A way of life | Mon Feb 29 1988 15:27 | 34 |
| I won't rate any specific songs, but I'll definately say that it was a
good tape. As I suspect that most musicians are quite critical, I'll
try to comment on what I really liked:
The SAX solo sounded synthetic only ever so slightly, in other
words, If I had heard it on an album, other than a tape
devoted to COMMUSIC, I wouldn't have given it a second thought
if it was real or not.
I like straight Rock & Roll, as well as Jazz. I enjoyed the
aspect of quality work in both styles.
I found that while some of the music was not my approach, it
all interesting to listen to. Being a guitarist, I pay attention
to solo's & interesting progressions. I found that a good job
was done in both areas. Some of the music felt too busy to me,
ie, too many things happening all at once, so you tended to
be distracted too easily & missed some very well phrased passages.
I passed the tape around here (at CXO3 - Colorado Springs) &
the people that heard it were glad to connect music to people
that they read about in the notes files.
Actually, the only thing that I felt was not great was the usage
of drum machines, and thier relative mix. There were some excellent
things, an then there were things that had 'fancy tones' in them
that were too pronounced, and too repetitious, using the unique
sounds.
In general, I thought that COMMUSIC IV was generally better than
COMMUSIC III, as far as musical content went. I'll have to get my
stuff together for COMMUSIC V & let everyone else pick my work
to pieces.
Jens
|
| 1201.32 | Night of the Open HiHat | DRUMS::FEHSKENS | | Wed Mar 02 1988 11:28 | 276 |
|
General remarks:
Despite the common observation that this is the best of the COMMUSIC
compilations, I was disappointed by this one. It is certainly the
most consistent, but it isn't as adventurous as the earlier tapes.
This is a very "mainstream" tape, with the exception of Paul
Harmon's "Leap!" and Tom Janzen's stuff. Everything on it is of
at least respectable quality, but there's less material here that I'm
inclined to go back and listen to again.
Drum machines, where used, were painfully obvious. This is partly
due to the way they were programmed, and partly due to their
inherent sound. But good programming can work around that sort
of inherent limitation, and the programming just wasn't there.
In most cases, the drum programming lacks the kind of attention to
detail that is routinely paid to the rest of the instrumental parts.
The use of the hihat, especially the open hihat, drove me up the
wall. Please, no more robotic 16th note hihat rides.
A fundamental issue is whether drum machine programming should be
"idomatic", or whether it should ignore the "traditions" of real
live drummers and do its own innovative thing. I have no problems
with the latter approach, as long as it works. But on COMMUSIC IV,
wherever the drumming was nonidiomatic, it didn't work, at least for
me.
I also got tired of the predominance of certain kinds of synthetic
timbres, especially bell or chime-like (electric) piano sounds.
I sometimes wish I could expunge these sounds from all synthesizers
(just as I sometimes wish I could take away video makers' ultra wide
angle lenses: some spices can be used to excess).
OK, enough crabbing in general, how about some more specific
comments.
Paul Harmon: overall, pretty nice stuff. Awarded len's seal
of approval for drum machine programming (how presumptuous of
me to think that means anything!).
- A Smaller World: Drum programming on this was quite good.
I'm not sure using the accordian would have been an
improvement.
- We're Not Supposed to Die: Very interesting time. The
variation at the chorus was nice. I couldn't help but note
that the ride cymbal plays through the fills. I liked the
way the lyrics flowed more or less independently across the
phrases in the accompaniment.
- Leap!: I like this sort of thing, even if I don't "understand"
it. The Dr. Rhythm just doesn't make it; the juxtaposition of
real and patently fake timbres is jarring, which is a shame
given the quality of the programming. Had the drum sounds
been up to it, and the guitar or bass parts sequenced, this
would have been real tour de force.
Karl Moeller: I'm a long time fan of Karl's but the
consistency of his style, especially rhythmically, is starting
to wear on me. Karl's distinctly pianistic style becomes a
liability when it characterizes every single part of the
arrangement; it's as if a half dozen copies of Karl were competing
with one another for the spotlight. This is at the root of my
complaints about "clutter" in Karl's arrangements. This stuff
would work a lot better for me if some restraint were exercised.
When Karl could only play one piano at a time, the restraint was
inherent, but the wonders of multitracking require some explicit
discipline.
However, one thing I have to applaud Karl for is his exquisite
taste in choosing timbres (when they're not flushing toilets or
other "special effects"). These synthetic sounds were clearly
different and only generically recognizable, but not so weird
that they called undue attention to themselves or intruded on the
music. Nice sounds, very nice sounds.
Karl, are you sure Moeller isn't a Spanish name? You ought to give
Enrique Granados a listen sometime. I think you'd like his stuff.
- Seven: This was too insistent/intrusive a piece for me to
enjoy. Even with the volume turned down it sounded "loud".
Its "sevenness" was obscured by the overall rhythmic density.
I *did* like the sax solo, and if it's "nonidiomatic"
(somebody else's review made a complaint to that effect) it
still works for me. Even though I cringe at the assaultive
ambience of this piece, it's quite impressive for an
"experiment". (Lest anyone misunderstand, I am not enamored
of "wimpy" or "elevator" music. My favorite composer is
Mahler, a man not noted for writing quiet music.)
- Walk in Music: When I listen to this, it always sounds busier
than I remember it, but compared to Seven it's placid. Karl's
own description of it as "both energetic and dreamy" is quite
apt. It has a very sinuous pulse. The bass sound is
gorgeous. This is a top fiver.
Frank Rene: one win, one draw.
- Learning to Sail: I really like this one. This has a very
"Edd Cote feel" to it. The drum sounds are quite impressive
if it's the ESQ-1 making them. Be that as it may, they still
sound too obviously synthetic for my taste. The drum programming
is quite good, but could use some further investment in
expressive subtlety, especially the hihat. The electric piano
was one too many for me.
- We Can Be (What We Want to Be): The vocal on this tune is
idiosyncratic, but not interestingly so. The drum
programming was good, but too busy for the timbres chosen.
And the timbres were a bit too "Simmonsy" for me. I'd keep
the programming and get a real sample based drum machine.
(This prompts me to observe that it seems that the marketplace
judgement has been made that patently synthetic drum sounds
don't make it anymore; bigger than life acoustic drum samples
seem to be all the rage now.) I found the break utterly bizarre
and out of character with the rest of the tune.
Brad Schafer: The more I hear of Brad's stuff, the more
impressed I am. Two of these are top fivers for me.
- 10 to 9: Some jam! I wish I could just sit around and
crank out this sort of thing by feel. Drums come naturally
to me but everything else is work. Anyway, this a top fiver
for me. As a few others have noted, it does go on a little
too long. On my copy, things don't "break down" at the end,
they just stop, sounding rather truncated. A copying glitch?
This tune has an interesting combination of sonorities. The
drum pattern is not up to the rest of the tune, as it's
unusual ("nonidiomatic") for a drummer to play so busy a
part with so little (i.e., essentially no) variation. This
could be "best of tape" with a little editing and post jam
reconsideration. Still, I liked this a lot, and its defects
are that much more apparent for their superb context.
- Compromise: Some nice effects, but overall this left less of
an impression than "10 to 9" or "Hand in Hand". The notion
of using 100% wet guitar is neat - sort of "crunch guitar as
pad". Brad's observation about the hihat is right on. The
bells at the end seem to suffer from too long a decay/release
time, rather than being too bright and loud. And the piece
needs a real ending.
- Hand in Hand: OK, this is probably my favorite piece on the
tape. It begs for a vocal or some kind of screaming guitar
lead. The drums are good except for the fills, which are
"nonidiomatic" (the most overused word in this review?). It's
not so much the rhythms of the fills as it is the assignment
of voices. Well, I suppose this is partly my fault for not
having written the lesson on "Fills and Accents" for note 103
of the MUSIC conference. I didn't recognize the drum machine
as a 707, which speaks well for Brad's production. The use of
multiple crashes would work a lot better if they sounded
different. My acoustic kit has 4 crashes, and I do a lot of
the back-to-back crashing that Brad uses in this piece, but it
really only works if you've got a variety of crash sounds.
The bell piano irked me again; take a cue from Karl's use of
timbres. Some of the sounds here were just a little too
"flabby".
Peter Laquerre: These tunes were just too much like Peter's
COMMUSIC III submissions. This time however, the sense of
"eavesdropping" that wasn't present for COMMUSIC III *was*
there, and made me uncomfortable. The lyrical gesture of
repeating phrases became almost predictable. These are good
tunes (both of them stick in my mind), but the lyrics don't
work for me. I'm really unhappy about not being able to rave
about these, especially given Peter's own unduly harsh
comparisons with the rest of the tape. The arrangements
are the simplest on the tape, so it's not fair to judge them
solely in that regard. I also feel uncomfortable criticising
original tunes when almost all of my own projects are covers.
At least Peter's writing his own stuff, which is more than I
can say for myself.
- You Better Start: no specific comments.
- Rebecca: as noted earlier, busy drum parts usually have some
variation; the basic pattern is good, but the unvarying
repetition is "unidiomatic" and screams "DRUM MACHINE".
Also, the CZ patches scream "CZ". I thought the lyrics to
this tune had a kind of "whiney" tone.
Dave Bottom: Well, <sound of closing hihat>, if Mr. Bottom
ain't the reigning Maine Wilderness King of the Blues! But...
These were the only pieces on the tape that had obvious
production problems, specifically the overall tonal balance.
I had to crank up the bass and crank down the treble to get a
decent balance. But, some friends of mine thought it
"impossible" that these had been recorded in a "home studio",
even with mine as a reference point! As usual, Mr. Bottom is
the only submitter able to rouse me to want to get off my
(overly critical) duff and PLAY.
- Born in Chicago: this one sent me careening back to the '60s
and Paul Butterfield's version of this tune.
- TV Eye: no specific comments
- Pay Day: I liked the studio version from COMMUSIC III better.
Steve Sherman: Ah, the Steve Sherman brass/horn sound... This
was not up to my expectations based on the COMMUSIC III stuff
Steve submitted.
- Just About Enough: Every now and then this sounds to me like
some kind of bizarre variations on "In Them Old Cotton Fields"
(or whatever it's called). The syncopated snare (on the "and"
of 2) borders on disorienting, but interesting drums in 3/4
are a difficult problem. I wondered if the tag at the
end was really necessary.
Dan Dube: This stuff is the best produced material on the tape.
The overall sound is clear, crisp, and tight, despite the total
number of tracks contributing to the mix (Karl, are you
listening?). The individual parts are played with enough
restraint that when stacked up the mix remains transparent.
The fact that the drums are third tape generation is inaudible.
Very nice work! The lead vocalist has a nicely insolent style,
and a distinctive voice. The backing vocals are very well done.
- The Reason Why: This is a top fiver for me. If this was an
"experiment", I'd say it was a dazzling success. Were the
"spacey" synth parts really necessary in the break? A couple
of my friends refused to accept that this tune came from a
COMMUSIC compilation. "This is a record!".
- In Your Dreams: This is more or less the same formula as
"The Reason Why", but doesn't work quite as well for me.
Still, I *love* the bass-driven bridge/chorus.
Mitch Norcross: Another nice tune, but it didn't leave a lasting
impression, perhaps only because it was bracketed by Dan and
Tom's work.
- Visions: No drums! Can the same music be "movie music" if
it has no drums and "dance music" if it does? Yet another
cloying electric piano. Needs an ending? The timbres have
that "buzzy" character that seems to be common to reasonably
priced gear.
Tom Janzen: Picking at faults in Tom's efforts to create music
truly from scratch on a PDP-11 is rather like criticising the
talking dog for speaking with an accent. I am astounded by
Tom's accomplishment, but when judged as music, especially
given what today's routinely available technology allows, these
performances leave something to be desired.
For one thing, the aliasing noise (if that's what it is) is
intrusive. Calling the articulation and expression "wooden"
does a serious injustice to lignin. The timbres are quite nice,
but static and utterly unvarying. And so, while I can't help
but admire Tom's herculean efforts, I have to wonder what the
same effort might have wrought using a garden variety MIDI
sequencer and synthesizer.
The Stravinsky and Bach are pretty universally acknowledged
to be great music. Tom's own "On D" is an interesting, dare I
call it "constructivist", exercise. Regarding the sci fi burst
of structured noise at the very end (the notorious "sync tone"),
need I say anything?
- Le Sacre de Printemps: Stravinsky.
- Suite for Cello: Prelude: J. S. Bach.
- On D: Tom Janzen
|
| 1201.33 | Can't wait to say this... | JAWS::COTE | Where's my sandy beach? | Thu Mar 03 1988 09:44 | 20 |
| This isn't a complete review but rather, something I just *have*
to say...
Last night I had my first listen to COMMUSIC IV. One song caught
my attention so strongly I listened to it 3 or 4 times on the way
home, took it in the studio and jammed to it, and then listened
to it over and over on the way to work this morning.
This morning I looked up the liner notes to see who had done this
piece. It turns out that this was the piece that len said had the
"Edd Cote" feel to it...Frank Rene's "Learning To Sail".
Frank, if I heard this tune on the radio I would immediately go
out and buy the album.
I'm complimented to be thought of as having the this type of style.
Nice going, Frank....
Edd
|
| 1201.34 | Reconsiderations | DRUMS::FEHSKENS | | Fri Mar 04 1988 12:44 | 15 |
| I got another copy of CMIV from db, it sounds different from the
earlier release I had, so I gave it a few more listens. Two things
I noticed:
1) I've decided to elevate Mitch Norcross's "Visions" to a top
fiver, if not "best of tape". It still needs a real ending,
but the more I listen to this the more I like it.
2) The decay at the tail of Dan Dube's "The Reason Why" is
truncated. I don't know if this is db's fault or Dan's,
but it could have used another second or too to go all the
way to silence (i.e., residual noise).
len.
|
| 1201.35 | | CANYON::MOELLER | scratch niche vendors ! | Fri Mar 04 1988 15:55 | 113 |
| Tape IV has been in regular rotation in my car for several weeks now;
not out of obligation, but because it's all damn good listening !
There was less of the robot drum machine syndrome this time around,
but I did notice a couple of pieces need to be transposed to fit
the vocalists' range. Are the compilation tapes getting 'better' ?
Depends. We certainly seem to be using our studios a bit more
gracefully. Overall, I enjoyed the tape. Thanks to you all, and
here's to Tape V ! - karl
Paul Harmon
- A Smaller World
Terrific jazz/rock. The vocal line reminds me of Flora Purim, when she
could still sing. Don't change a thing, a keeper for sure. Excellent
guitar playing.
- We're Not Supposed to Die
Although I like this very much there is too abrupt a change between the
verses' Blues-rock sensibility and that of the chorus.. the verses feel a
bit constricted somehow, perhaps because the low notes are really out
of your vocal range.. The melodic guitar tag at the end, using the
changes from the chorus, is what this piece needs more of, it just
opens right up. Nice stuff ! Actually this feels like two different
pieces - verse versus chorus. I like the chorus part best.
- Leap!
You certainly have your free harmonic chops down.. reminded me in spots
of Larry Coryell, or maybe James Blood Ulmer. Good drum programming
gives this a convincing small combo feel. Guitar playing hot and smooth.
Karl Moeller
- Seven
Too much reverb (my fault).. later mixes are drier. That plus the
high - frequency boost during C-IV mastering, plus the higher than
average signal level, make this one sound big and noisy.
- Walk in Music
White Kids Strut Around.
Frank Rene
- Learning to Sail
Lots of excellent ideas, well linked. I found the 'horn' line over
the funk harpsichord section to be sort of enharmonic.. either
wrong scale or out-of-tune. Otherwise, just great.
- We Can Be (What We Want to Be)
Mixed feelings; excellent production underneath monotone lyrics.. it
feels like the music was cut to fit the lyrics, and the melody just
follows the chord changes. Also the piece really wasn't in the
vocalist's range. Inspired craziness in the drum programming
and the guitar part near the end.
Brad Schafer
- 10 to 9
Wonderful premise for a piece, imaginative changes, well-programmed
bass/drummer. I especially like the 6 over 4 feel, lots of room
for rhythmic comping over the changes. Good guitarist. Biting 'string'
chords worked better than some of the keyboard singlenote runs. Too
long, and it needs a fadeout ending rather than just sto
- Compromise
I like the trading/echoing of the keyboard parts. A first attempt, you
say ? Wow. You really do the change-ups well.
- Hand in Hand
Radio ready, Bradley ! A hit even without lead vocals.
Peter Laquerre
- You Better Start
The lyrics are a bit ambiguous, it's unclear who's talking some of the
time. Still this one and Rebecca are the songs that I walk around
humming.
- Rebecca
There's room to interpret the lyrics, and I take it that one of
Rebecca's siblings is talking about her and the family after her
death. The song is very powerful, and it really affects me. The
production is better than Peter thinks it is.
Dave Bottom
- Born in Chicago
- TV Eye
- Pay Day
Gee, I was born in Chicago, too. Good and gritty. Harp and guitar
stand out. More !
Steve Sherman
- Just About Enough
I like the random, go-anywhere beginning, settling into some nice 3/4
gospel. Good changes & melody. Occasionally I was irritated by the
Farfisa organ patch's buzziness. Nice overall though.
Dan Dube
- The Reason Why
- In Your Dreams
This is Radio Ready, too. 'In Your Dreams' was slightly more effective
due to bringing the music down to bass & drums at times. Excellent
production.
Mitch Norcross
- Visions
New Age sensibility. Excellent ideas, well realized with inexpensive
equipment. Good stuff.
Tom Janzen
- Le Sacre de Printemps: Stravinsky.
- Suite for Cello: Prelude: J. S. Bach.
- On D: Tom Janzen
The fact that tom has evolved a system for notation as well as solved
the D-A conversion issues kind of insulate these from standard review
technique. The Stravinsky and Bach were nice choices. 'On D' sounds
like Tom's keyboard technique filtered thru computer; ostinato octave
patterns, exploring the dynamic interphasic relationships. I, of course,
used to do this too ('Private Time' album, 'New Waltz' ca. 1984) when
I was uh, seven.
|
| 1201.36 | Owed to Joy | DRUMS::FEHSKENS | | Mon Mar 07 1988 17:54 | 14 |
| Well, now I finally understand all the sync tone jokes about Tom
Janzen's "On D". My new copy of CM:IV doesn't truncate the "second
movement" of this piece a second after it starts. Uhm, it works
better the other way.
Lessee now, if Tom were to tell old Sigmund what his latest piece
was, the remark might go something like
"On D", Freud, huh?
;^)
len.
|
| 1201.37 | Explanation of truncation | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | MIDI DJ | Tue Mar 08 1988 08:48 | 24 |
| I think I have to apologize to Tom for these tapes where his stuff
is getting truncated.
Tom's stuff is the last on the tape. I think what's happened is
that:
1) My Metal master tape is longer than the UDXL-II. All the
stuff fits comfortably onto the master with room to spare.
However, when I make copies the slave decks usually stop
about a minute or so before the master deck.
Life was so much easier when I used the Beta - it had
a real time counter.
2) These days I'm using 5 decks to make the copies. I start
the 4 slaves recording and then start the master playing.
Obviously, copies made on the the decks that get started earlier
have longer leaders and may be more prone to truncation.
Anyway, a lot of lessons have been learned. I promise that Commusic
V will go much smoother.
db
|
| 1201.38 | | FROST::HARRIMAN | He had a BS in Laxative Science | Tue Mar 08 1988 09:38 | 196 |
|
First off, an explanation. I want to transcribe the impressions that
I was jotting down after the fourth listen to the tape. I did not read
the liner notes before I listened to the tape, and have read very few
reviews previously to writing this. So excuse some of the observations
which may be incorrect, since they are merely perceptions.
This review was conducted by myself, my bird (name: Brack), who likes
music too, and a number of mind-altering substances. I have added back
the titles and composers this morning.
Someday you can all pay me back by reviewing my music, when I decide
what it is I want to submit.
[Paul Harmon, A Smaller World]
1.
Egad, an ESQ! I'd recognize that piano anywhere. 707/505? Four times
through and now I understand the lyrics. Ah. Interesting rhythm. Production
is light. Very dry, especially considering the timbres. Ooops, Cheap
Studio Fade (CSF)
2. [We're not Supposed to Die]
I like this one. Very Sixties, reminds me of a very slow Jarma Kaukonnen
singing. Words are almost recognizable. Was this mixed at a low volume?
heavy bass when pushed up. * now that bridge is very tangiential.
Interesting!hey who wrote "the boys of summer"? your ending is a ringer
for it.
3. [Leap!]
Gets the wierd music award. That's not a bad thing to be. Drums sound
like a DR-110 Dr. Rhythm. Fascinating. Goes on not saying much during
"development". Drums could have been less prominent but very creative
handling of DR-110.
[Karl Moeller, Seven]
4.
Much better. Wild followon from the last one. Sounds like ELP sorta.
Sax is nice. String/Horn is a bit "WACK". Bass is excellent. This made
the bird start flapping his wings, but he didn't screech.
5. [Walk In Music]
My kind of music. Should be a soundtrack. Good drums. This would make
a nice video. Lots of images. Good sounding piano (real?). Gorgeous
bloomer. Great timbre. Used too much though, it gets in the way of the
"background" motif. A bit busy towards the end. no order. On purpose?
Ending pulls it together. Good work. Wait a sec - it hasn't ended? Should
have, it said enough.
[Frank Rene, Learning to Sail]
6.
HISSSSSS! My spectrum analyzer is going ^_/^. no midrange at all! This
should have words? or at least some melodic carrythrough. The piano
ain;t bad, but...now what is that bridge? You are doing this on purpose,
huh? Nice brass. Sampled, huh. Must be. I like the bass but that brass
lead is _Strange_.
7 [We can Be]
Cars? Sounds like a bubblegum Cars. Yow. Simple. That's OK. Are the
words inspired from a Rush album or something? oooooh. treble city!
The brass is pinning 2-8K to clipping. Hey!
The sequenced stuff is great but the singing should be Donna Summer
or something like that. That'd be perfect. Yeah. Bunch of singing in
the background "We can beeee....what we want to beeeee..."
[Brad Schafer, 10 to 9]
8.
Ah, #8. Runs out of ideas but not out of inertia. it's amazing what
happens when you leave your tape deck running while you jam away, while
your fancy metronome (oh, excuse me, "Rhythm Composer") chugs away.
One pattern. Oh, yeah, how long? Again I forgot to time the thing. About
1/5 of the time (8 phrases=perfect) would actually say something, given
the best ideas culled from the production. This tune lasted from Concord
NH to almost Contoocook NH on I-89. The ending fits, unfortunately.
jeez this would be great if it would only develop instead of being a
looong jam.
9 [compromise]
great timbres. Nice production. That's a 707 isn't it? Sounds like one
anyway. Good programming. I like the mechanical feel in this case. Fits
the sequence. Nice development. This made the bird fluff his feathers
and sit back and cluck with it. Bass could have been more (just slightly)
prominent. A couple of weak transitions. Let the drummer do a couple
of fills worth playing.
10 [Hand in Hand]
Oh yeah. Is this a Gospel cover? I think I heard it before. But it had
words. Some singing female. Either that or it was an easy-listnin station.
It works well for either application if it is original. There is an
interesting keyboard choppy-background? neat. Key change makes the
connection to the Gospel song. I'm really terrible with the names of
songs, I just remember the tunes... Eek! CSF!
[Peter Lequerre, You Better Start]
11.
This sounds like Liv Taylor. Nice. I always liked that kind of music.
The mix is really dark. Should have pushed the treble on the strums
and string squeaks, etc. Not hearing anything above 8K. Lyrics are good!
Do you play this stuff out? Miking needs work, or did you bounce trax?
Too dark sounding.
12. [Rebecca]
Bizzarre mix. Schmoozy lead sound. Too loud, or too dry? Must have
been mixed up loud, but I couldn't say for sure because turned up, it
sounds the same. This song must be called "Rebecca", right? Makes sense.
Lots of low-fi mud in this mix. The song is fine. The song does not
deserve this mix. Catchy. Nice hook.
[Dave Bottom, Born in Chicago]
13.
Startled the bird. Had to turn it down again. Good stuff. C'mon, this
is Commusic? Where's the piano, at least? I take it back - this is _great_
stuff. Can I put this on one of my party tapes?
14. [TV Eye]
Ah, this must be the flip side of the single. This should be in juke
boxes playing in pool halls and video arcades
nation-or-world-wide-take-your-choice. But is this Commusic?
15. [Payday]
Yee-Haw. needs wild-assed piano doing JLLewis gyrations. You guys must
be good live if you play out.
[Steve Sherman, Just About Enough]
16.
Another 707? huh. Nice mellow synth brass woof lead. Gospel sounding
again, sort of. The organ is classic but could have used sustain/reverb,
just a bit. The 707 is terrible for this kind of music. I have the same
problems.
[Dan Dube, The Reason Why]
17.
Pop!!! Very bubblegum. The vocals are excellent production. Drums are
fine. Keyboards too loud. If the mix was balanced more then vocals would
mix with the rest. Am I making sense? Oh, so commercial. Great HM lead.
How did you get such a good mike on the guitar? nice.
18 [In Your Drums]
This sounds like Rush. Must be the vocals. I like this stuff. Nice synth
stuff. Real bass? Sounds good enough to be. Great keyboards - effective
if not terribly technical but that's all you need to be - effective.
[Mitch Norcross - Visions]
19.
What is this? Beautiful! Gorgeous timbre. I use arpeggiators too.
Beautiful, sensitive, expressive. Phase II of this piece is haunting.
Another soundtrack. Was this sequenced? It would make sense. Voices
sound like a theatre organ - da Gambas and krumhorn plus electronix.
Fascinating and dynamic.
[Tom Janzen - Rite of Spring excerpt]
20.
Interesting concept. Somehow it all makes sense to me. Should have
continued into the pice a bit more. I like Stravinsky.
21.
Gee, sounds like Bach. Clean. Programmed. Interesting timbre.
22. [on D]
No development. Some fascinating timbre. Ambient. Phun with Phlanging.
The part at the end reminds me of what slow-scan TV sounds like.
|
| 1201.39 | obviously a distribution problem | SALSA::MOELLER | conducting the Silicon Symphony | Sat Mar 26 1988 13:10 | 4 |
| No new reviews/comments in three weeks. If only our music were as
interesting as the electronic gadgetry we make it with.
karl
|
| 1201.40 | No reviews cause no new orders | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | MIDI DJ | Mon Mar 28 1988 10:41 | 15 |
| There have been no orders for a few weeks either. It looks like this time
we were able to distribute most of the tapes via these "distribution
networks" (I thank the folks who set these things up) which is great.
Of course, now I find myself stuck with about $10 worth of envelopes
and $20 worth of stamps in denominations not useful for seending
regular letters.
Looks like I *have* to do Commusic V if I want recoup that money.
Anyway, looking at my distribution lists it looks like Commusic
IV outdid Commusic III so I'm gonna presume that most
people who want a copy already have it.
db
|
| 1201.41 | Review from Tom | MORRIS::JANZEN | Tom LMO2/O23 296-5421 | Mon Mar 28 1988 10:53 | 7 |
| Hi
I don't know anything about pop music, and all of the music except
mine sounded like pop music, so I won't comment. It would be silly
to review my own pieces, two of which weren't my pieces.
So, no review.
Sounds like you're working hard, though.
Tom
|
| 1201.42 | | AKOV68::EATOND | | Mon Mar 28 1988 11:18 | 11 |
| RE < Note 1201.40 by DREGS::BLICKSTEIN "MIDI DJ" >
I had wanted to get a tape, but the last word I remember was that
distribution was kind of halted. Not wanting to create any more work for Dave
than was necessary (or be bugging him for a tape when he was overworked), I
have held off making contact. Are there any others out there that have held
back for the same reason? Can we assume, then, by this dicussion that you
are back in 'distribute' mode again?
Dan
|
| 1201.43 | Another Late Comment | AQUA::ROST | Bimbo, Limbo, Spam | Mon Mar 28 1988 11:49 | 30 |
|
I borrowed a copy from Mitch Norcross about two weeks ago and have
to say that I though the general level of recordings was up from
vol. III but most of the material was a snooze this time around.....
What *did* grab me....
1. Dave Bottom's stuff was great, but it was so different than
everything else it couldn't help but sound like a breath of fresh
air. Sounds like a nice band, too bad I don't live in ME....
2. Karl Moeller's stuff just passed by unrecognizable from the
rest (I had to check the liner notes later to figure out where it
was on the tape) which either means Karl's submissions are heading
towardthe maninstream or the mainstream is heading toward Karl's
submissions...
3. Once again I enjoyed Tom Janzen's experimentation. These
submissions were better recorded and easier on the ears then his
last one, which I had also liked. I'm not sure I understand why
you go to such extremes to get your sounds via SW when you could
do it on exisiting HW a lot easier, but more power to you...wish
they were longer.
Maybe I was having a bad day...looking forward to vol. V.
Brian
|
| 1201.44 | Commusic IV is "shipping" - sorry 'bout the confusion | DREGS::BLICKSTEIN | MIDI DJ | Mon Mar 28 1988 12:28 | 19 |
| Dan,
I announced the availability of Commusic IV some time ago in 945.5.
Sorry about the confusion.
Anyway, I guarantee instant turn-around cause thanks to several
people who loaned me their decks, I've managed to actually build
up a BACKLOG of about 10 copies or so!!!
> Not wanting to create any more work for Dave than was necessary (or
> be bugging him for a tape when he was overworked), I have held off
> making contact.
Bugging me would be placing an order and giving me crap about not
filling it right away. Placing an order does not constitute bugging
me.
db
|
| 1201.45 | Watergate tapes were easier to come by... | HEART::MACHIN | | Mon Mar 28 1988 12:34 | 19 |
| Over here in the U.K. Comm IV tapes are scarcer than Tory M.P.s
in Scotland. Basically, there are none.
Anyway, I imagine it's jolly nice. I would have enjoyed Karl Moeller's
piece -- the Lyle May influence is deployed with skill. I also like
Tom Janzen's compositions, so I expect his contribution is very
good. I think I would have criticised the drum programming for being
a little 'unrealistic'. I want to hear the drummer inside the drum
box, if you know what I mean. Other than that, I imagine it's a
step-up in quality from Comm III.
If anyone would hum the highlights down the telephone, I'd appreciate
it.
Richard.
P.S. I'm off to the 'Commusic submitters reply' not now to imagine
your responses.
|
| 1201.46 | Late review in . . . | IOENG::JWILLIAMS | | Thu Mar 31 1988 14:36 | 239 |
| ]\ Well, after listening to COMMUSIC IV, I must say I am fairly
impressed with the level of creativity you people have shown. It's
kind of hard to be objective, being that music is a very subjective
experience, but I'm going to try. The criticisms I offer are going
to be more along the lines of suggestions, and hopefully ways to
improve what I already consider to be good material.
I should also state that you all will get your chance for
revenge. :-)
John.
Paul Harmon:
12 tone vocals requires a great deal of training/practice.
What do you get for all that practice? You sound like another
instrument. If I were to make an overall suggestion, it would be
to let the natural tonal qualities of your voice come through,
rather than trying to emulate an instrument.
A Smaller World
This is where I found the 12 tone instrument emulator to
detract from the expression of the music. Mind you, the vocals
for this song are difficult, but sometimes the timbre of the vocals
is more important than the pitch, and with enough expression, the
pitch can be comepletely irrelevent. Dylan, Knopfler, et al are
good examples of tonal expression. Obviously this is one extreme,
but try it, you might like the effect.
I like the bass lines in this tune, and it has a healthy
pulse. The abundance of thirds made it sound a little fragmented
in spots, but overall, I like this song.
We're Not Supposed to Die
This song sounds like an interesting cross between procol
harem and little feat. The vocals are better in this song, and
show some of the expression that was missing with the first one.
Some of the articulation gets a little muddy at times, but this
one is good.
Leap!
I've never been a fan of that free form jazz stuff, it
sounds incoherent to me. It was kind of interesting for the first
minute or so . . . Not much you can do with it. I'm impressed that
people can actually do something like this, but cosmic debris is
cosmic debris.
Karl Moeller
First thing I decided was that this is definitely soundtrack
material. The keyboards have good expression, and you don't mind
going off on dissonent excursions that go unresolved for long periods
of time. This, more than anything else I can think of, makes it
soundtrack material. Very ambient. One or two rushes wouldn't hurt,
it might help pull me into your space a little more. This is the
kind of music that is hard to directly experience. This may be
completely out of bounds for me to suggest, but a melody layered
on top of all that great ambience would lend the presence that
your music deserves. I like your stuff alot.
Seven
There could have been a melody here, but there were no
rests, no time for reflection. Stringing rapid fire phrases together
can be interesting when done for a particular effect, but the risk
is that you lose phrase articulation. Again, I like a melody. This
is really good ambient stuff. If you want to keep the ambience,
you might want to play with some tonal phrasing.
Walk In Music
Like, wow. That bass line has me hooked. The transition
is a little too long - two times rather than four I think would
have been more effective. The keyboards were a little too busy
in spots, so much so that it lost the expression that I found when
I forced myself to focus. You have great expression on keys, but
too many expressions layered on top of each other can quickly an
otherwise good piece expressionless. Too many themes is like no
theme at all. This stuff has great potential. A genius knows when
the piece if finished.
Frank Rene
This music has some very interesting effects. I really
like the use of the synthesizer and the way the sequences accentuate
rather than dominate your peices. Your specialty is obviously chords,
and you have some interesting modulation. I found, however, that
sometimes your work lacks structure. For all the modulation you
put in chords, the rhythm tends to be abrupt and mechanical. The
bass is often very effective for bringing out the modulation, and
alot of splendid opportunities were missed.
Learning To Sail
Very interesting, but the low end, that is, the structural
support, is noisy. By noisy, I mean random and unconnected. Granted,
that was part of the effect you wanted to create. I think that
some dynamics and more modulation in the low end would have given
alot more continuity.
We Can Be (what we want to be)
I love those sequences! The chorus, however, is kind of
thin and unsupported. I really missed those drum fills, and that
might have made all the difference. Your sequencer stuff is top
notch. Pattern transition is the kind of rhythm modulation you
left out. Sink those hooks into some meat.
Brad Schafer
You certainly have some interesting stuff. Maybe it's
symptomatic of keyboard players, but the bottom end seems to cry
out for possibilities left unfulfilled. I really like your material,
but sometimes it's a little too easy to admire your keys and forget
about the foundation. Otherwise, your stuff is great.
10 to 9
A stronger bass line would have made this great. Drum fills
would have made this great. To use a metaphor, a talented craftsman
like yourself should not think it below his dignity to pour cement.
Compromise
A little too pentatonic for my tastes. It's also a shame
you buried the guitar virtually out of the picture. It could have
added the sweet presence that this song really deserved.
Hand in Hand
This song is excellent. What can I say, I pulled out my
guitar. This is the kind of song that I wish I had done. GREAT!
Peter LaQuerre
Now, I usually don't listen to lyrics critically, and I
don't know if you really are god's gift to women, but these lyrics
annoyed me. How does one identify to a song that makes those kind
of demands? The zero ego factor sounds cheap and fraudulent. Lyrics
are funny, they are often listened to least, yet artists tend to
be the most sensitive towards criticism to lyrics. I suppose lyrics
are the most subjective part of a work, so it is a matter of personal
taste.
You Better Start
James Taylor meets CSNY? Is this COMMUSIC? That's it, fast
forward.
Rebecca
Well, OK, this is more like it. Nice voice, the vocals
aren't as offensive. Kinda catchy in parts. You obviously used
a CZ, a softer attack would have worked better with the portamento.
Simple lines, nice. Could have experimented with more than one
note at a time . . .
Dave Bottom
I am not going to comment. Blues is blues is blues, ad
infinitum, ad nauseum. You like it. Your audience likes it. I'll
just fast forward. Respectable for your genre, zero for originality.
Born in Chicago !medium
TV Eye !slow
Payday !fast
Steve Sherman
So, have you thrown away that CZ yet??? Your music suffers
from serious CNV ( Casio No Velocity ) syndrome. Your stuff is
catchy, and you have far outgrown what that CZ will let you get
away with. Those short notes, in particular, really stick out
obtrusively. Velocity is the medicine you're looking for. CZ's can't
hack expressive lead.
Just About Enough
You know, the first few times I heard it, the CZ really
ruined it for me. It's catchy, I've caught myself humming it a
few times, but the CZ does not do justice to it. What an awful
thing to happen to this tune. Some of the chord changes needed
an inversion or two, to give it a little less stark modulation.
Good though.
Dan Dube
OK, men, man the guitars. This is classic rock and roll
gladiator music. Ego on full, earbleed volume, capacity frenzy.
I like this stuff. I am not convinced it's COMMUSIC, but, what
the hell, if someone goes through the trouble of recording and
sending in a tape, the least we can do is have the common decency
to release it. I prefer not staying in the strict COMMUSIC genre,
anyway, more variety.
The Reason Why
Great! The synth was a little shredded. But, alas, you
didn't burn out, you faded away.
In Your Dreams
The synth hit me like a rasp file. I was waiting for those
hooks, but they never came. This song is kind of a throwback,
actually. It's too easy to be overly critical with mainstream.
Who, raspberries influences. Definitely mentor music.
Mitch Norcross
Really nice timbres. Very original. However, modulation
is very hard to work in a strict 12 tone setting. Drums come in
really handy for this. As a result, some of the changes sounded
a little awkward.
Visions
I really like some of the ideas in the piece. This is really
good commusic material. There are a zillion things I could borrow
from this, just chock full of tidbits. Full credit for originality.
Some passages sounded a little awkward, like you were rushing to
get somewhere different. This is a familiar syndrome, having so
many ideas and not enough patience to develop them. Drums would
have helped, and might have given you a means to return from a
tangent without sounding a little clumsy.
Tom Janzen
To comment on each song individually would be to miss the
point completely. Each experiment was short enough to survive through.
Building music from the ground up is an interesting excersize,
and I daresay I think I might have learned something. Thanks.
La Sacre de Printemps
Suite for Cello: Prelude
On D
|
| 1201.47 | Tom wears disguise, tape at 11 | CTHULU::YERAZUNIS | Hiding from the Turing Police | Thu Mar 31 1988 15:19 | 16 |
| Only last night did I find out (from dB!) that Tom Janzen's _On
D_ appears TWICE on the tape. First, at a normal pace, and second,
as fast as the /11 can belt it out.
Not being completely familiar with Stravinski's _Firebird_, I had
assumed that the first (normal-paced) _On D_ was part of _Firebird_,
and the second high-speed blast of it (the famed "MIDI Data Dump")
was the "real" _On D_.
So Tom, you fooled me! I thought ya wuz Stravinski! And I liked
it! So keep writing!
(it also fooled Eirikur and Carol)
-Bill\
|
| 1201.48 | Pretty Unusual Stravinsky | DRUMS::FEHSKENS | | Thu Mar 31 1988 16:58 | 4 |
| re .47 - except that it's not the Firebird but The Rite of Spring.
len.
|
| 1201.49 | I was wrong, but I was also meta-right | CTHULU::YERAZUNIS | Hiding from the Turing Police | Thu Mar 31 1988 18:04 | 4 |
| I _told_ you I wasn't very familiar with it!
_Now_ do you believe??? :-) :-)
|
| 1201.50 | Better late than, er, even later... | AKOV68::EATOND | No, no, no... 47!! | Mon Jun 13 1988 16:31 | 238 |
| Side A
Paul Harmon
I'm going to have to qualify my remarks on Paul's material by
saying that I have heard him speak with frustration on the lack of
sophistication in general among general audiences. Unfortunately, I will
admit that I fit that description. I am pretty much an easy listening musician
and listener. To quote the comedian, that's the way I am. Therefore, some
pieces on this tape are just kind of beyond me. Much of Paul's material is in
that category.
- A Smaller World
Of all his stuff, this seems the most conventional (not meant as an
insult, though I fear Paul may take it that way). I liked the instrumentation
- I wouldn't change anything myself. The voice was a bit dry and, at times,
faultering. I couldn't always understand the words, but that may be more the
fault of the nth generation copy. Nice guitar break in the middle.
- We're Not Supposed to Die
Again, I wish I could hear the words - even moreso on this
one. Is there any chance you could put them on-line? Nice feel to this piece,
as carried by the guitar. Nice percussion, too. THe cowbell brings in a nice
taste of variety. Oh, and EXCELENT harp!
- Leap!
This piece is where I have to abstain from comment. Just not my style,
I guess. And because I don't understand what's going on, it appears too long.
Karl Moeller
- "Seven"
The first thing that comes to mind is that this sounds BIG - I mean it
hits you as being larger than life. I suppose when its Karl, you expect that
8^). Excellent sax. What drums are you using? A little long for my tastes,
but not overly.
- "Walk In Music"
You know, for the longest time, I thought when you said 'walk-in' music
I thought you meant entrance music for a particular actor. It just hit me now
that what you really mean is music for before the play starts (did I get that
right?). It was such a puzzlement for me to think that it would take THIS long
for an actor to make his entrance. Phew.
Anyway, nice piece. It captured me. My copy was extremely overdriven,
though, so I couldn't enjoy it to its fullest. I hear some familiar tricks
(like the analog filter sweep panning accross the back-ground). I enjoyed this
a lot.
Frank Rene
- Learning to Sail
Quality kind of hissy, moreso than the others. Are these drums from the
Mirage? Nice unison horn parts. Nice synth part, too. In fact overall, this
is a very satisfying piece. Bass comes out, when appropriate, quite nicely. I
liked it.
- We can be (what we want to be)
Lyrically, which is where I am most critical, I didn't care at all for
this piece. Musically... I didn't care for the drum intro, or the filter
sweeps. The use of the delay on the voice was nice. Most of the synth parts
were kind of annoying to my ears - I just would have done it differently, I
guess.
Brad Schafer
Ahh, a friend. I will be careful here, as Brad was for my last
submission, but for different reasons. I have heard Brad's work before and
jammed with him a little and have a great admiration for his musical prowess.
So it is sometimes difficult for me to be objective. I consider him a superior
musician.
- 10 to 9
Right from the first time I heard this piece, the thing that struck me
the most was the Oberheim synth patch. Kind of a string patch with a nice edge.
That aspect of this piece still grabs most of my attention. The guitar part is
obviously played by someone with a taste for expression and not just playing
notes. That goes for the synth leads as well. When you consider that the
keyboard of the OB-XA is non-touch sensitive, you appreciate it all the more.
There were some bad notes here and there, as is expected on a jam. And it is a
bit long, but for me, that just gives me more time to listen to the OB. (Can
you tell what I want my next synth to be?)
- Compromise
I wonder what is meant by naming this piece thus... Of Brad's three, I
think this was the least enjoyable to me. I would have liked to have heard the
direct guitar (I'm sure Brad would have, too). The beginning of this piece
reminds me of Karl Moeller. The drums are VERY well done, with a good deal of
variety. Somewhat lengthy...
Side B
Brad Schafer
- Hand in Hand
I have the privelege to be able to claim that Brad did some of the
writing of this piece in my basement (big deal, right?). This has to be my
favorite on the tape. I wish he could have gotten the lyricists voice on this,
as she is a tremendous vocalist, as well as song-writer. The most strinking
thing on this piece to my ears are the drum parts. The programming, in my
opinion, is the best of the tape. Now that he has the HR-16, he'll be in hog
heaven (as he would say). Not much more to say - thumbs up.
Peter Laquerre
- You Better Start
I enjoyed Peter's work less on this tape than on CM III. I can't really
grasp why. Maybe its the subject matter, I don't know (I con't get "My Name's
Matthew" out of my mind). Sometimes the lyrics seem forced. Nevertheless, it
is a VERY clean recording, and I am again impressed by the use of that frowned-
upon-by-snobs machine, the X15. The instrumentation is simple and needs no
improvement.
- Rebecca
Ahh, drums. Needs a little more variety with drum programming. I'm not
sure how much memory a TR505 has, but my suggestion is to use as much as
possible to provide some variation. THe CZ patch was a bit more in the
foreground than I would have liked. But, I will say that your voice, Peter, is
one I enjoy listening to.
Dave Bottom
My copy of these pieces were seriously overdriven, especially when the
harp was present. Thus it made it difficult to listen to very often. All of
these pieces are genrally not my cup of tea, but I could appreciate the
musicianship that went into each of them. Sounds like it was a fun group to be
in. Lyrically, I am often at odds with the songs, but there's not a lot of
subject matters that I would hail a carte blanche at anyway.
- Born in Chicago
Overall, all these pieces had a nice production quality to them. But,
that would be expected by a pro studio, I suppose. Dave's voice was at its best
here.
- TV Eye
Again, voice is quite good. Harp solo enjoyable.
- Pay Day
Interesting hearing this version after hearing the CM III version. I
liked elements of both. This one swings more, I think.
Steve Sherman
- Just About Enough
You've got a unique style, Steve. (That's a compli, I say a compliment,
son) I like the clean-ness of the recording. I don't think the drums are as
bad as you indicate. 'Just About Enough' of what? I agree the ending needs
work. I think you use the best features of all your instruments. Very good
work!
Dan Dube
- The Reason Why
Good pro sound. Vocals were probably the weakest element. Synth
effects part was a bit too loud in the mix. Overall, though, it showed a
good feel for production, instrumentation, and tasteful playing.
- In Your Dreams
First impression - good drum recording quality. Mix was excellent
overall, except for the synth, again, occasionally seeming to high in the
blend. Rythm section has nice depth. The cymbals got a bit lost on my copy.
Mitch Norcross
- Visions
I really liked this piece. While far from mainstream, it held my
attention. Recording quality was very good, too (read: clean). Nice choice of
timbres. The next step up in improving this piece would be only to get
mega-expensive recording equipment (that's meant as a compliment, btw). I liked
the string parts the best - I take it they come from the FB-01, right? Quite
effective use of volume, too. Was volume controlled via MIDI? Ending a bit
abrupt.
Tom Janzen
After Brad's pieces, these were my next favorite. I'm not sure how much
my enjoyment is a mix of the novelty or the actual skill. Both were completely
commendable. I'd love to hear more of this kind of thing, Tom (although I
understand you have given this line of work up - lamentable, to say the least).
- Le Sacre de Printemps: Stravinsky.
Nice oboe timbre (I hope I got that right?). The noise made it hard
to hear all that was going on.
- Suite for Cello: Prelude: J. S. Bach.
BEAUTIFUL! Great timbres, excellent programming, timing, everything. I
could listen to this piece over and over again. Nice ambience as well. This
kind of piece renews my interest in baroque.
- On D: Tom Janzen
Another very enjoyable piece. The noise, again, masks a good deal of
what is really going on. There's also a flanging effect on my copy. Is that
intentional? The repetition of this piece starts to make me wander... The
fast version of this is fun to listen to.
Well, that's about it. I hope I was fair to everyone in the amount of
time I spent on each person's submissions, although I know I started to get
impatient toward the last half (I reviewed the whole thing in one sitting, while
listening to the tape). Overall, I liked this tape more than all the others.
Can't wait to hear CM V!
|
| 1201.51 | Another late review | MARVIN::MACHIN | | Fri Jul 22 1988 09:14 | 36 |
| This is late, but I just got a copy from Paul Kent, so I thought
I'd add a couple of comments. These are just thoughts that I had
while listening to the tape, on the pieces that I remember.
Overall, a much better tape than other COMMs I've heard.
Paul Harmon writes a catchy tune and arranges it well.
Karl Moeller's pieces sound very professional to me, both in the
arrangements and in the textures he uses -- but then, I'm a big
Pat Metheny fan, too.
Frank Rene's 'Learning to Sail' uses great harmonies and very
impressive brass sound.
Brad Schafer's 'Hand in Hand' was a very immediate tune -- something
to whistle after one listen, and I should think a very effective
vehicle for any message that might have been in the lyrics.
Peter LaQuerre sings well, and must be fed up with comparisons with
Neil Young, so I won't make any. Good results on a simple setup.
I'd go a fair way to see Dave Bottom's band -- as long as someone
else was driving, because I'd DEFINITELY enjoy myself. Very solid,
self-assured bar blues. Great harp.
Tom Janzen's pieces are always interesting and memorable, and --
as has been pointed out -- the closes thing we have to the spirit
of COMMUSIC. I wonder what it is that makes an apparently simple
tone so 'organic'? Perhaps I should read the Seashore book. Beautifully
executed, and well within the spirit of Bach, I'm sure.
Thanks for the hard work,
Richard.
|