Music that sounds like Tomita

First album out by guitarist Jean Côté & the psychic who finds missing children Robert Lindblad on keyboards.

http://www.bluetracks.ca/index.php/bluetracks/category?srch=Robert+Lindblad&srch_type=3&initialized=0&oid=&rev=&action=0&sid=f61cfc6b0bb1de8682d75f14591b6c2e&x=37&y=7

 

I know this clown - he couldn't find a kid in a kindergarten. Stay far away.

 

boo@icsnet.com's linked tracks are worthwhile to check out since they are worthy attempts to coax Tomita inspired sounds out of modern software.

 

Ah, right you are - I was in the wrong place, and have deleted those misplaced posts. Sorry! Here are the links to the Tomita-inspired work I've done. Not a case of self-promotion here - just that there are precious few listeners that would be interested. I hoped I'd find some here.
http://exobit.org/~boo/Ravel.mp3
http://exobit.org/~boo/Presto.mp3

 

My comment on the Ravel piece would be that while what I assume is the left hand piano part going 1 - 2,3 1 - 2,3 throughout the piece isn't outright mechanical sounding it is a touch lifeless. Perhaps a little more freedom in the tempo, a slightly more expressive, less unchanging electric piano timbre, something along those lines. There are some nice spacey bits.

The second one has nice orchestration. Lots of shifts in instrumentation which I can commend. One idea perhaps is to think a bit like Carlos and highlight certain notes by overdubbing instruments for just a note for emphasis. In other words to construct phases that are played by several simple sounds not at the same level or even playing for certain notes. I for one don't really like the sound of readymade orchestral hit samples, they tend to sound canned. It's usually better to track a few different sounds in unison to make your own, then the hits sound less canned

 

Wow! Very nice.... Thanks for posting the links to your music. I enjoyed both pieces a great deal.

Can you tell us a little about how you created these songs, sounds, and the recording itself? I also play synthesizers, so I won't complain if you'd like to talk about the details of any sounds that you're especially happy with.

Glad I came back to the forum to see what has been going on. I haven't been visiting very often.

 

You are right about the rigid tempo, unfortunately the software I use doesn't give me any leeway there (yet). That's an acoustic guitar patch, actually. I have learned a lot since doing this one from working on the Presto, I suspect I will go back and do an overhaul. Also, I've since gotten some better software instruments. It is very dull-sounding to me now, and way too much of the string patches.
But I first want to tackle the first movement. (The slow piece is the 2nd m., the curiously short Presto is the 3rd) I have a rough plan and have tried some initial ideas, but haven't found my muse yet. I will. This will be a tough one, but I was equally daunted by the Presto and thought i would never get that together. I'm honestly quite new at this software instruments/sequencing business, but I've played keyboards for a long time and know what I want to hear in this 'project'.

These are very good ideas, thank you. That's not an orchestra hit sample, by the way, it was constructed and layered like any other of the parts. But I know what you mean about the sound. Also, the 'preverb' makes it sound somewhat odd. I think I still like it, though.
Thanks for listening, both of you. Andrew, I'll get to your post next time, it's way late.

 

Well the more you think about it the more one realizes that music composed for humans to play really works best with actually played by someone. Now the interesting things result if you can enhance aspects of the music with technology. So while it's harder to do, one does discover that many of the arrangers who get better results get them by for instance by creating a tempo track and then working to that track rather than a rigid tempo, because of course a conductor never creates a completely steady tempo. There are lots of variations on this.

My comment is mostly that you hear similar "hit" sounds several times.

I guess the greatest Achilles heel of sample based synthesis is it's pretty easy to sound kind of like real instruments and kind of okay (unless you have serious demands). This pretty easy and effective result is why so many of the music tools out there use rom samples. I think what's intersting about analog or non-sample based synthesis, especially if you don't have presets, is you can sound like crap without effort (or presets). So in order to sound good I think one is forced to put in more effort into tone color and one almost always finds sounds that are far more surreal than real. I mean you can get surreal sounds out of ROMplers too, but you get them by altering sounds that are "normal" rather than synthesizing a new sound. Vintage Tomita did use lots of Mellotron, but he's not only heavily treating the sound but the sound to begin with has a different sample of every note and not perfectly stable so that combo really minimizes any "canned" feeling. A "canned" sound would be one that's a musician could instantly use because it's consistant and convenient, there's little chance of it being totally rotten or superbly fresh. The almost fiendish thing is that the big electronic instrument companies spend lots of time and money making sure there are sounds in most gear that are more or less appealing to more or less everyone. One kind of loses the original curve of effort = getting better. It's not totally gone, it's still possible to make something awful or superb despite their effort, but it's in fact harder to do either. What's real easy is to do something that's good enough.

Anyway I hope someone gets something from my rambling and it's not meant to be just picking on or entirely a comment on these mp3s.

 

I like to think I have some serious demands, these recordings did not come about quickly or easily. As far as sounding 'kind of like real instruments', that's one thing I consciously shunned with 'Presto'. In regards to the other piece, it is rather common-sounding to me now. Pretty, but boring. However, it was one of my first efforts and, like I said, will most certainly be re-done. This is a learning process for me, and I'm reasonably satisfied with my progress. Here is something more recent, and a return to those 'real instrument' sounds that underwhelm you so. This was written for an Eddie Jobson tribute CD that is in the works. I'm quite happy with the end result, I'd be interested in what you think.
http://exobit.org/~boo/Day.mp3
Say what you will, GarageBand has opened some big doors for me. It is quite easy to get right down to the musicmaking.

 

Thanks for sharing your creations. I thouroughly enjoyed them especially "Presto". We are kindred spirits. I don't play keys but I am a guitarist/composer who records instrumental guitar music so I appreciate anyone who takes the time and lets the creative process work.
Kudos.
I'm a fan of Eddie Jobson (especially The Green Album) so would love to hear any more of your tribute album works.
Found this site while surfing for Tomita info and joined just so I could post this one but I'll be back.

S

 

I never met you. You may know of me but you don't know me at all your uneducated and erroneous comment helps no one including yourself as it exposes you as a liar.