Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: hb3 on April 25, 2013, 12:07:09 PM

Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 25, 2013, 12:07:09 PM
Howdy folks...
 
I finished what I was working on when I posted the thread in January worrying about the sketchy input jack on my Alembic. It's still sketchy, but hopefully I'll hear back from Mica soon.  
 
Anyway, here's what I was working on: the new HB3 album. It's done, unmastered here, but anyone who's interested can check it out:  
 
https://soundcloud.com/hb3/sets/ragnarok (https://soundcloud.com/hb3/sets/ragnarok)
 
It's very bass heavy, divided up into stuff with piccolo bass and stuff with the Alembic. The stuff with the Alembic is tracks 5, 6, and 7. But if you're interested, do check out the whole thing. A lot of work and emotion went into this, and I think it makes some serious musical claims.  
 
I don't know how long I'll leave it up, but it's there for the time being. Again, unmastered, so the volume levels aren't matched from track to track. But you'll get the idea.  
 
Alembic -- the bass, the company, the community -- continues to be an inspiration.  
 
Thanks.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: slawie on April 25, 2013, 01:55:18 PM
I happened to listen to your music last night. It is just a coincidence that I jumped on soundcloud. Really nice work! Can you post here the feffects used? I am really lovin' this latest addition of material you've posted Hugh.  
slawie
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 25, 2013, 02:59:20 PM
Oh yeah, how did you find that?  
 
Here's the breakdown.  
 
First, the album was designed as an LP -- tracks 1-4 make up side 1, while 5-8 make up side 2. Side 1 is piccolo bass oriented, side two Alembic regular bass, except the last track, The Remnant, which switches back to the style of track 1.  
 
Besides the clean tone w/ reverb on the piccolo bass, I use an EHX Hog and Moog phaser quite a bit, and the Strymon delay.  
 
The Alembic stuff is through a couple of Tech 21 pedals -- the British pedal on track 5 and the VT pedal on track 6; OMFG, as they say. Straight up clean tone through reverb and delay on track 7.
 
(Message edited by hb3 on April 25, 2013)
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: David Houck on April 25, 2013, 07:06:58 PM
Very nice Hugh!  My favorites are numbers 4 and 7.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 25, 2013, 08:35:45 PM
Thanks, Dave! :D
 
I'm probably only going to leave these up for a few days....
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: slawie on April 26, 2013, 03:57:01 AM
Hugh you are one of the people I follow on soundcloud. I have been listening to stuff you post for about a year.  
Slawie
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: artswork99 on April 26, 2013, 08:24:18 AM
Listening to it this AM, nice Hugh!  Your web site's pretty cool too.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 26, 2013, 08:34:46 AM
The web site...oh, Christ, I've got to update that. It's flashed-based, so it's pretty outdated. There's so much to do, but I keep getting preoccupied w/ the music....
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: artswork99 on April 26, 2013, 08:49:32 AM
preoccupied w/ the music - a good thing!
Album name reference? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k target=_blank)
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 26, 2013, 09:46:00 AM
Yeah, for sure. Side 2, or tracks 5-8, tells the story of Ragnarok. Metaphorically, the tracks  represent: threat, war, aftermath, and rebirth. Aw, yeah!
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: pauldo on April 26, 2013, 04:46:53 PM
Hugh,
Damn it man!
I really, really dig the ambience of your material. Your Solo Piccolo piece and now this are both very enjoyable to chill out to.
Nice job!
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 26, 2013, 05:30:34 PM
Yeah, you know what I've noticed, even when it's aggressive it's still kind of relaxing. ;)
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: sonicus on April 26, 2013, 05:37:35 PM
Hugh ___ your music is therapeutic !  Thanks Alembic Brother !
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 26, 2013, 05:43:39 PM
Thanks Wolf! :D
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: pauldo on April 26, 2013, 06:43:26 PM
ok - sorry, I wrote my review while listening to the first track. . .  doh! Ain't nothing like Solo Piccolo.
 
I still stand behind my first statement Damn it man! - that is a great album.
 
Is that you on drums also?
 
The whole thing is great - Three Hearts & Three Lions and Nightwind are two standouts for me.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 26, 2013, 06:59:37 PM
That's me programming the drums, yes. ;)  
 
My thinking was somewhere along the lines of this: drum parts (and the other instrumentation in general) simple enough that I could get away with playing solo with backing tracks, but complex enough so that it could also be performed with other musicians...so, it could be played either solo, as a duo, or as a trio.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: oddmetersam on April 27, 2013, 07:19:39 PM
Hugh, REALLY cool on several levels. Did you see the movie, Book of Eli? You do starkly beautiful ambient stuff that would be perfect for big-budget movie soundtracks in a similar vein.
 
Great stuff and thanks for sharing.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on April 27, 2013, 08:14:52 PM
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I haven't seen that film, but I know what you mean. And yes, the idea of film scoring has come up before. I definitely want to get out and collaborate more.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 07, 2013, 03:23:28 PM
Mastering in progress...holy crap, big difference.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hieronymous on May 08, 2013, 05:02:52 PM
I enjoyed the pre-mastered versions - looking forward to the mastered ones!
 
Are you mastering them yourself or having someone else do it?
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 08, 2013, 05:54:35 PM
I'm getting someone to help...I only have limited objectivity at this point. It's an interesting process. My rule here is do no harm.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 10, 2013, 08:48:21 AM
Pump up the bass. I mean, if you had to choose between less and more, you'd choose more, right?
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: Bradley Young on May 10, 2013, 04:13:57 PM
Hugh,
 
I listened to it about 1/2 dozen times today, and must say that it's perfect coding music; very trance-y.
 
Bradley
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 10, 2013, 05:32:45 PM
Awesome. By the way, those aren't the pumped up ones. I've been listening to the pumped up ones in my car, and....wow.  
 
That API 550 is really something.  
 
Probably the ones you heard have had some significant work on them cleaning up the frequencies, though. I was about to take them down, but maybe I should wait....
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: Bradley Young on May 10, 2013, 09:01:20 PM
Lay it on me, man! I'm ready for the mixed versions.
 
Bradley
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 11, 2013, 08:55:29 AM
I think the official release date will be June 1st. The masters should hopefully be done this week. Working on artwork now. I have no idea what releasing an album even means anymore, but I wrote it as an album, so what the hell. It is what it is. Sonically, it's on track to be the best thing I've ever done. If I had to pick three albums to give someone, it'd probably be this, The Veldt, and HB3 Plays the Piccolo Bass. Magic Circles is a neglected dark horse, though.
 
(Message edited by hb3 on May 11, 2013)
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 25, 2013, 04:43:04 PM
Ok, I think it's pretty much done. Updated version here:  
 
https://soundcloud.com/hb3/sets/ragnarok (https://soundcloud.com/hb3/sets/ragnarok)
 

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/163957.jpg)
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hankster on May 25, 2013, 08:39:12 PM
That is totally, totally cool.
 
R.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: Bradley Young on May 28, 2013, 01:43:56 PM
Fav track so far: Nightwind. It's huge.
Title: New Bass Music
Post by: hb3 on May 28, 2013, 05:10:06 PM
Oh yeah? Right on. That one was hard. It's meant to be sort of a combination of the theme from Doctor Who and The Chase by Giorgio Moroder.