Old 02-21-2019, 06:55 AM   #1
mschuster
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Default TRANSCEND - Metal Prog?

a friend thought i should try writing some prog, so i gave it a whirl. this is by no means a true prog song, but i guess my interpretation of one??

the lyrics sort of took a left-turn into WTF-ville half way through. A little different for me. every song i write sort of takes on a life of it's own. it's own journey. i just go with the flow these days. you never know where it'll lead.

hope you enjoy it.

post a comment if the urge hits!

mark

https://soundcloud.com/markbschuster/transcend


P.S.
i put together a video too. just felt like this one was begging for it. it's pretty lame. a bunch of free footage, but the best i was willing to do on this one. if interested:
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Old 02-21-2019, 08:09 AM   #2
ginodi
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Default Wow!

Yes, I watched the video and was quite impressed--surely a Prog metal piece. Production wise it sounds quite professional. The only problem I have with the Prog Metal genre is that Petrucci set the bar so high on the soloing aspect, that when somebody is a gifted player it is an almost instant comparison. You did not do that, which was a great move, and I was anticipating the solo saying to myself, "please don't let this sound like Petrucci."

The pounding heaviness was perfect as well. Mention anything Prog and I will listen--from the soft to the heavy. Great job!

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Old 02-21-2019, 08:22 AM   #3
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High class as usual. Liked the change ~3:30
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Old 02-21-2019, 11:20 AM   #4
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@ginodi - thank you! i'm not sure i could play like Petrucci even if i wanted to, so no danger there. thanks for listening and your comments.

@msundh - thank you Mikael!
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Old 02-21-2019, 12:15 PM   #5
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Love it! Great tune and great playing. I don't care for the part at 3:30 so much. When everything else abruptly stops and the solo keeps going, it almost sounds like a bad edit. But that's the only thing negative that I could say and it's probably a personal thing rather than a production thing.
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Old 02-21-2019, 02:26 PM   #6
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Love it! Great tune and great playing. I don't care for the part at 3:30 so much. When everything else abruptly stops and the solo keeps going, it almost sounds like a bad edit. But that's the only thing negative that I could say and it's probably a personal thing rather than a production thing.
hi Jeff - i agree, 3:30 is a little dodgy. i think the idea is good there, i just executed it poorly. the edits just prior to the solo could have been a little tighter and the intro of the solo itself could have been timed a little better. i always do solos last and unfortunately that's when my interest in a song starts to wane a bit. thanks for listening and your comments!
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Old 02-21-2019, 11:07 PM   #7
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hi Jeff - i agree, 3:30 is a little dodgy. i think the idea is good there, i just executed it poorly. the edits just prior to the solo could have been a little tighter and the intro of the solo itself could have been timed a little better. i always do solos last and unfortunately that's when my interest in a song starts to wane a bit. thanks for listening and your comments!
I think if the other instruments just hit a sustaining note with the solo intro over it, that would work very well. Just a suggestion but would require some recuts.
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Old 02-22-2019, 06:09 AM   #8
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Very impressive. I really like the sound of the drums. I really like the bit at 34 seconds where the harmony guitar comes in the on chord change. So many interesting musical moments. And the vocals are suitably over the top.

I think rock/metal music is really the hardest kind of music to do on a computer and you really pull it off. When I try and make rock songs I always get overwhelmed by what order to do things. So I end up being lazy about the structure or instrumentation. If you have time I'd love to hear a bit about your process for arranging your songs and making decisions. Well done!
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Old 02-22-2019, 08:28 AM   #9
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Very impressive. I really like the sound of the drums. I really like the bit at 34 seconds where the harmony guitar comes in the on chord change. So many interesting musical moments. And the vocals are suitably over the top.

I think rock/metal music is really the hardest kind of music to do on a computer and you really pull it off. When I try and make rock songs I always get overwhelmed by what order to do things. So I end up being lazy about the structure or instrumentation. If you have time I'd love to hear a bit about your process for arranging your songs and making decisions. Well done!
thanks!

my approach to putting songs together is definitely a cumulative process. i guess one of the great advantages of doing it all myself. i almost always start with a guitar riff and build from there. sometimes - to mix things up - i'll lay down some drums first, and then build on that. But 90% of the time i usually start with the guitar. once i get something working between the guitars and drums - i'll add the bass. usually work with those three core pieces to get the fundamental structure of the song - and then write some lyrics and embellish from there.

for me, the most fun i ever have with a song is during those early days of just writing it. no massive expectations yet. just pure creativity and the joy of creating something new. once done with that phase, it can sometimes become a death march. i've gotten a little more picky with age, regarding what i'll spend time on these days. if after writing the basic outline of the song things just aren't clicking - i'll either completely drop the song - or just rework the whole thing. i never use to do that years ago. i've released enough crap in my lifetime - no sense in adding insult to injury...

thanks for asking about this!
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Old 02-22-2019, 08:41 AM   #10
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Thanks for replying!
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Old 02-22-2019, 09:38 AM   #11
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Really fantastic- both the music and the mix! What are you using for your guitar tones?
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Old 02-22-2019, 11:07 AM   #12
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Really fantastic- both the music and the mix! What are you using for your guitar tones?
Thank you!

DI -> poulin legion-> x50 (cab only - SinMix MesST Vtype 04 dc)-> reafir -> reaXcomp -> BX opto pedal
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Old 02-23-2019, 07:41 PM   #13
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Definitely has some great playing and musicianship iii's of course top notch as expected. Really cool. It has a big massive sound, like that a lot. I am so not a prog guy.....at all.
Don't know why that is but, it is. Oh well. Great work as always Swami !!!!
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Old 02-24-2019, 09:22 AM   #14
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Definitely has some great playing and musicianship iii's of course top notch as expected. Really cool. It has a big massive sound, like that a lot. I am so not a prog guy.....at all.
Don't know why that is but, it is. Oh well. Great work as always Swami !!!!
thanks Erik!
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