Music

[seeds]

Wonderful soprano sax and plucking of strings, along with a percussion solo and others, but what’s that alien noise in the middle, when he sings alien?

STING - Englishman In New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPCLDAxDm-s

Yes, Sting made some superior pop music.

By "alien sound" do you mean the small gongs at the start and end of the 80s style drums after the soprano solo? The cymbal family can be surprising, eg. this incredible symphonic gong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sj8DvH0l-g

That's quite the gong. However, did you see the YouTube video of its owner's full drum kit? (here - https://youtu.be/bwCD9JfTpB4). According to the video it's the largest kit in the world.

I used to own and engineer a small 16 track, analog recording studio back in the 80s and 90s. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to mic that monstrosity. I guess you would cover the kick, snare, and hi-hat and then catch the rest with a few overheads suspended from a crane or something.

Another less spectacular example. Roger Waters created really effective cymbal effects in Pink Floyd's Saucerful of Secrets (their Pompeii version is transcendent IMO).

How do they sound so amazing? Look at what physically happens to a struck cymbal in slow motion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpoanOlb3-w]

I never realized how much "jello-ish" movement there was of the metal. Makes sense though as the sound of a cymbal shimmers and waves. Pretty cool vid.
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[Hobbes' Choice]

That's quite the gong. However, did you see the YouTube video of its owner's full drum kit? (here - https://youtu.be/bwCD9JfTpB4). According to the video it's the largest kit in the world.

_______

Obviously compensating for being a mediocre drummer

[seeds]

Sorry, deleted post.

[Walker]

I Am Lakota (Pity Me)
Joni Mitchell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrlxZGpBgPs

[Greta]

I used to own and engineer a small 16 track, analog recording studio back in the 80s and 90s. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to mic that monstrosity. I guess you would cover the kick, snare, and hi-hat and then catch the rest with a few overheads suspended from a crane or something.

Just one of a couple of minor logistical issues

Most times I played a 4 or 5 piece.

[seeds]

I used to own and engineer a small 16 track, analog recording studio back in the 80s and 90s. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to mic that monstrosity. I guess you would cover the kick, snare, and hi-hat and then catch the rest with a few overheads suspended from a crane or something.

Just one of a couple of minor logistical issues

Most times I played a 4 or 5 piece.

Greta, are you saying that the alleged 813 pieces in the above mentioned drum kit is 808 more pieces than you yourself needed to make actual music? (Are you counting your sticks? - because that would make it a 7 piece kit.)

Kidding aside, what style of music do you play, and what was the name(s) of the group(s) you played in? Any recordings?
_______

[Greta]

I used to own and engineer a small 16 track, analog recording studio back in the 80s and 90s. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to mic that monstrosity. I guess you would cover the kick, snare, and hi-hat and then catch the rest with a few overheads suspended from a crane or something.

Just one of a couple of minor logistical issues

Most times I played a 4 or 5 piece.

Greta, are you saying that the alleged 813 pieces in the above mentioned drum kit is 808 more pieces than you yourself needed to make actual music? (Are you counting your sticks? - because that would make it a 7 piece kit.)

Kidding aside, what style of music do you play, and what was the name(s) of the group(s) you played in? Any recordings?
_______

Yup, a YT and three Soundcloud channels. All amateur fun aside from some old recordings of my old bands bumbling around the traps in the 80s and 90s. This is the most updated one, mostly instrumental home recordings with an old friend (and one of my cohorts in in the 80s as above) https://soundcloud.com/in-the-house-5. Do you have any recordings online?

You'll laugh at my primitive recording approach - stick a Zoom H2 in the middle of the room and jam, or put it in front of the kit if we are dubbing, and then clean it up in Audacity I was going to upgrade by adding a Zoom H6 but it never worked out of the box and the Hong Kong retailer refused to acknowledge the problem (surprise, surprise), and there's no recourse when overseas companies play you.

Alas, thanks to "severe degenerative osteoarthritis" in my feet, it looks like my drum set days are just about over unless someone here knows a non-shonky stem cell therapist.

[uwot]

https://soundcloud.com/in-the-house-5.

Yeah baby.

[attofishpi]

Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q31WY0Aobro

[Walker]

Wonderful soprano sax and plucking of strings, along with a percussion solo and others, but what’s that alien noise in the middle, when he sings alien?

STING - Englishman In New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPCLDAxDm-s

Yes, Sting made some superior pop music.

By "alien sound" do you mean the small gongs at the start and end of the 80s style drums after the soprano solo? The cymbal family can be surprising, eg. this incredible symphonic gong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sj8DvH0l-g

Another less spectacular example. Roger Waters created really effective cymbal effects in Pink Floyd's Saucerful of Secrets (their Pompeii version is transcendent IMO).

How do they sound so amazing? Look at what physically happens to a struck cymbal in slow motion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpoanOlb3-w

Fantastic gong! Can’t stop laughing, the delighted kind.

Maybe it was some synthesized sound. With Sting, the gentleman in New York, every time he says the word “alien” the alien sound is in the background. It could be mistaken for the water drop sound, which can be found on youtube, of course. But the organic water drop sound is clearer. It’s the clarity that makes it startling. Perhaps Sting’s lyrics intended the sound of an alien moving about, rather than speaking.

I once heard a radio show about the making of the sound effects in the first Star Wars, one of the two or three that I saw beginning to end. Pretty interesting.

[attofishpi]

Underworld - Push Upstairs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Ud0UG7JbQ

[Greta]

Fantastic gong! Can’t stop laughing, the delighted kind.

Maybe it was some synthesized sound. With Sting, the gentleman in New York, every time he says the word “alien” the alien sound is in the background. It could be mistaken for the water drop sound, which can be found on youtube, of course. But the organic water drop sound is clearer. It’s the clarity that makes it startling. Perhaps Sting’s lyrics intended the sound of an alien moving about, rather than speaking.

The "bloop" sound sounds like a keyboard that plays all the upbeats of the passage, including under the lyric "alien".[/quote]
I love the atmospheric attenuated gongs at the start of Mahavishnu Orchestra's Birds of Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv_bkS5VVaA. Not sure too many here will like the tune though :)

[seeds]

Kidding aside, what style of music do you play, and what was the name(s) of the group(s) you played in? Any recordings?

Yup, a YT and three Soundcloud channels. All amateur fun aside from some old recordings of my old bands bumbling around the traps in the 80s and 90s. This is the most updated one, mostly instrumental home recordings with an old friend (and one of my cohorts in in the 80s as above) https://soundcloud.com/in-the-house-5.

You'll laugh at my primitive recording approach - stick a Zoom H2 in the middle of the room and jam, or put it in front of the kit if we are dubbing, and then clean it up in Audacity...

Actually, I thought that the raw and live sound of your drums, combined with the excellent playing of your guitarist friend (Tim?) sounded great.

If you haven’t already, you should put those tunes out in a CD. Maybe get some airplay on a progressive rock/jazz station. Good stuff there Greta.

Good job on your laying tracks and mixing in Audacity too.

A while back, I purchased the pro recording software called Studio One 2 by Presonus, of which I haven’t even begun to figure out how to use its vast array of features yet.

I’m so accustomed to using the old analog recording methods (hands-on mixing board and outboard effects processors with faders and knobs, etc.) that it is difficult for me to make the transition to digital (less energy and patience for learning new things due to old age and memory issues ).

What’s the link to that YT upload you mentioned?
_______

[Greta]

Kidding aside, what style of music do you play, and what was the name(s) of the group(s) you played in? Any recordings?

Yup, a YT and three Soundcloud channels. All amateur fun aside from some old recordings of my old bands bumbling around the traps in the 80s and 90s. This is the most updated one, mostly instrumental home recordings with an old friend (and one of my cohorts in in the 80s as above) https://soundcloud.com/in-the-house-5.

You'll laugh at my primitive recording approach - stick a Zoom H2 in the middle of the room and jam, or put it in front of the kit if we are dubbing, and then clean it up in Audacity...

Actually, I thought that the raw and live sound of your drums, combined with the excellent playing of your guitarist friend (Tim?) sounded great.

If you haven’t already, you should put those tunes out in a CD. Maybe get some airplay on a progressive rock/jazz station. Good stuff there Greta.

Good job on your laying tracks and mixing in Audacity too.

A while back, I purchased the pro recording software called Studio One 2 by Presonus, of which I haven’t even begun to figure out how to use its vast array of features yet.

I’m so accustomed to using the old analog recording methods (hands-on mixing board and outboard effects processors with faders and knobs, etc.) that it is difficult for me to make the transition to digital (less energy and patience for learning new things due to old age and memory issues ).

What’s the link to that YT upload you mentioned?
_______

Cheers Seeds, that's good feedback. Here's the YT https://www.youtube.com/user/AlmostEthical/ - the good, bad and the ugly Have you anything online?

Tim & I are fans of raw instrument sounds too. The Zoom is a good demo quality unit - miles better than those dinky cassette players we'd bring along to band practice back in the 80s. Tim's keen to tidy up some of the tracks and make a digital album or CD.

I am also flummoxed by most digital audio software. In the 80s I had a 4-track Portastudio and an ESQ-1 sequencer but I have the same issues as you in learning new formats and with the added dopiness of age. I looked up some Presonus products online. I'd have no hope - good luck!

[Walker]

Fantastic gong! Can’t stop laughing, the delighted kind.

Maybe it was some synthesized sound. With Sting, the gentleman in New York, every time he says the word “alien” the alien sound is in the background. It could be mistaken for the water drop sound, which can be found on youtube, of course. But the organic water drop sound is clearer. It’s the clarity that makes it startling. Perhaps Sting’s lyrics intended the sound of an alien moving about, rather than speaking.

The "bloop" sound sounds like a keyboard that plays all the upbeats of the passage, including under the lyric "alien".

I love the atmospheric attenuated gongs at the start of Mahavishnu Orchestra's Birds of Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv_bkS5VVaA. Not sure too many here will like the tune though

Mahavishnu. A hopeful name for times of war.

Bloop, Perfect!

*

Joni Mitchell - Number One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGQG9lwUmOw