In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 31, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Quinquaginta
Date: December 31, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:30 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- I returned to my favorite key, Bb minor (natural), and improvised simple chord progressions in gradual shifts.
- There’s a good diversity of notes, including some atmospheric highs and immense lows.
- Shifts are subtle and changes never happen too abruptly.
- This completes 50 ambient tracks in 2008.
What I Don’t Like About It
- There is still too much phase distortion around 1.5 kHz, if listened on clean headphones at high volume.
- Some of the transitions could have been less muddy.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 31, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Abstractism
Date: December 31, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 6:18 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- This harmonic structure is something I haven’t tried to improvise on before. It’s a scale consisting of only six notes, the whole tone scale in C (C, D, E, F#, G#, A#).
- I managed to equalize out most of the phase distortion.
- It sounds much different than lots of the 16-note grid-based compositions lately.
- Dominant and major “chords” lead in unexpected directions.
What I Don’t Like About It
- Too much of the music here is below middle C. Of the notes high on the keyboard, I need to practice landing a little less aggressively.
- There’s still a little bit of phase distortion in mid frequences, but it’s only noticeable on good headphones at very high volume.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 31, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Zillah
Date: December 31, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:36 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- I’m using the full keyboard here, instead of a drum pad controller as usual (my Korg padKontrol’s settings knob that lets me choose note values broke off). The harmony is simply on the D minor scale, wavering between the natural and melodic minor.
- I’ve used the patch before. It’s unobtrusive and just floats.
- Many of the transitions are smooth, even when multiple notes change simultaneously.
What I Don’t Like About It
- The equalization is terrible, with lots of phase distortion that makes this whole piece sound muddy.
- Some of the chords are just too clustery.
- Due to my clunky fingers, sometimes the wrong notes stick out dramatically.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 30, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Yoncalla
Date: December 30, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:48 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- The harmony is similar to what I used yesterday, except this set of chords descends the circle of fifths (Cm7, Fm7, Bbm7, Ebm7).
- This patch has a nifty pulse in it that makes the piece seem like it moves faster than it does.
- Transitions, even with shorter notes than usual, seem to work pretty well.
- The flanger keeps the long chords interesting.
What I Don’t Like About It
- Sections without a bass note seem untethered.
- The cadence at the end is abrupt and the Eb7 chord doesn’t resolve to Ab. This sounds a little strange.
- There’s just a touch of phase distortion in the 1.5 – 3 kHz frequency range. This should have been eliminated in mixdown.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 29, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Xenophilia
Date: December 29, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:00 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- The harmony is different, this time, four minor seventh chords ascending the circle of fifths (Gm7, Dm7, Am7, Em7).
- I really like this patch, which shimmers and floats. I haven’t used it before, but I probably will again in the future.
- Multi-note transitions work pretty nicely here.
- Various key combinations yield unexpected surprises, which makes me want to use this harmonic structure again.
What I Don’t Like About It
- At high volume on good headphones, there’s still a touch of residual phase distortion.
- There are long periods without a bass foundation. In other places, the bass moves around too quickly.
- Some spots have tense dissonances that feel out of place in this piece.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 15, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Winnemucca
Date: December 15, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 5:42 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- The harmony is easy to play with (Dm7, CM7, Bm7b5, A7).
- The patch I’m using is one I generally overlook, but I like it in this piece.
- Transitions are subtle and don’t jerk the ear around too much.
- The mixdown is clean.
What I Don’t Like About It
- There are long bassless gaps.
- I should have used tensions and dissonances more.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 10, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Vicissitude
Date: December 10, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:24 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- I’ve used this patch before, but I love the subtle ringing aftertouch.
- The harmony is in descending seventh chords, diatonic to Db (DbM7, Cm7b5, Bbm7, Ab7), making it easy to transition from rich openness to clustering tension with the movement of just a couple of notes.
- The low notes contrast the highs, but not overbearingly.
- Transitions are subtle and always shifting.
What I Don’t Like About It
- A few of the notes are a little bit heavy and stick out too much.
- I should have done more with effects processing and the mod pad.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 5, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Umbriel
Date: December 05, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 5:06 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- This instrument is very unusual with strange bouncing filter effects, lethargically jumping around. I never thought of using this patch before, but it drives the urgency of the piece and gives it a very unique sound.
- The harmony is in minor Rhythm Changes (Fm7, DbM7, Gm7b5, C7), which I love a lot, because of the delicious tensions it lends.
- Multiple note transitions and a faster harmonic rhythm makes this seem more interesting.
- The low notes contrast the highs beautifully, especially with the filter bounces.
- There are subtle harmonic phases that make almost imperceptible countermelodies right at the periphery.
What I Don’t Like About It
- There are places where the lows are gone entirely for an unreasonably long period of time, which makes the piece feel unanchored.
- I probably could have done more with the aftertouch effects.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
December 2, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Tactility
Date: December 02, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:30 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- The harmonic structure is in minor rhythm changes (Am7, FM7, Bm7b5, E7). I’ve used it before, but it’s easy to get some nice tensions with this chord progression.
- It’s very quiet and has a light touch.
- The effects processing and equalization are unnoticeable, but effectively eliminate most of the distortion that’s endemic in a piece such as this.
- Moving multiple notes at a time gave a more singing, evocative feel.
What I Don’t Like About It
- There’s still a touch of phase distortion in a couple of places.
- There isn’t enough on the high end to counterbalance the deep lows — everything is just sort of in the middle.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.
In 52 Tracks, Ambient, Music on
November 21, 2008 with no comments
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Title: Apollo Lee – Siskiyou
Date: November 21, 2008
Software: Logic Pro 8
Genre: Ambient
Timing: 7:30 @ 40 bpm
What I Like About It
- The harmonic structure is much different than the set ups I usually use. FM7, Am7, BbM7, C7. This made everything mostly consonant, while allowing for tensions that were easily resolved.
- I used a light ring modulator again, with a number of other effects that flesh out the sound of this pad.
- There are some beautiful lows and sweeping highs.
What I Don’t Like About It
- I could have used more challenging harmony.
- There are long periods with no bass anchor.
Note: These are rough drafts. Constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.