more music stuff

_notes/Hidden Mineral World.md

@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+---
+title: Hidden Mineral World
+tags: music
+---
+
+_written in the middle of making this_
+
+### Intro
+
+Hidden Mineral World EP (or HMW for short) started out as a challenge from my friend. He generated this:
+<img src="/assets/hmw.png"/>
+using StableDiffusion and  I jokingly said I will do a dark techno/glitch EP for that.
+
+==and the game was on==
+
+### First try
+
+I started dabbling in Ableton Live but with no real progress. After some short loops I kinda forgot about this.
+
+### Second try
+
+As I saw the cover again, I decided to give it another go. This time I used ChatGPT4 to write the song structure, bpm and track titles. It came up with
+1. Subterranean Frequency
+2. Crystal Resonance
+3. Geode Rift
+4. Iron Vein
+
+I also got BPMs and tracks structures, but, having more draw into Ambient stuff it, again, got forgotten
+
+### Third try
+
+Third's time the charm, right?
+
+I may have neglected this, but this EP kept coming back to my mind, so I decided to give it a final try, this time with extra challenge - I will work on it for 15min daily. No more, no less. I open up Ableton Live, start the timer and save&quit when timer gets off.
+
+And, surprisingly, this works. Works so well, that I have force myself to stop.
+
+As of the time of writing this I have a premix versions of tracks 1 & 2 and track 3 is in progress.
+
+#### Subterranean Frequency
+
+This is what I got from ChatGPT4
+
+```
+BPM: 125
+
+- 0:00-1:15: Opening with a pulsating sub-bass drone, the sound of distant drilling emerges to introduce the thematic elements of the track.
+- 1:15-2:30: The sub-bass transforms into a steady, dark techno beat as the percussion intensifies. Metallic glitches layer over the rhythm.
+- 2:30-4:00: A breakdown in the middle introduces distorted synth elements, building tension.
+- 4:00-5:00: The track closes by revisiting the initial rhythm, while the drilling and glitches fade, leaving only the deep echoes of the bass.
+```
+
+I started with marking the timestamps (which I had to move a bit to align with bars) and named locators after the defined structure. This helped me a lot, as I exactly saw how long each section is, what it is and what comes after another. I also added "end" locator to have a clear indication where the track ends.
+
+It was a nice challenge, I used some CC0 industrial samples (drills, pickaxes, stones etc), learned a lot about wavetable. Used some more samples for glitchy beats above kicks, needed to use parallel compression to make it work properly.
+
+This was the first one, I think the quickest one.
+Going on for 15 minutes and with set structure was a bit of a challenge, but did help greatly move forward. If you have only 15 min to do work, you make every second count.
+
+
+#### Crystal Resonance
+
+This is what I got from ChatGPT4
+
+```
+BPM: 132
+
+- 0:00-1:00: Introduction with ethereal pads, a soft, minimalistic drum beat enters to set the tempo.
+- 1:00-2:15: Glitchy beats are layered over the pads, the tempo increases. Synths mimic the sound of crystals resonating.
+- 2:15-3:30: The final section features a crescendo of resonant sounds, ending with a series of glitchy echoes that fade out to silence.
+```
+
+Again, I started with location markers, and, again, I had to adjust them to align with the beat. Here I added extra one for "echoes" before "end" - to show the time of the echoes to decay.
+
+Another dive into wavetable. A lot of youtube diving into understanding this tool more definitely helped. 
+
+I tried to make "glass needles" sound for `crystal resonance` here and I actually decided to use a MIDI drum clips from Ableton's packs. I did eventually change them a bit, partially to maintain `techno` feel.
+Here I had a huge clash of frequencies and had to use a lot of parallel compression to make it sound good. It's actually even better than I've wanted and had an extreme case study of clashing instruments.
+
+
+#### Geode Rift
+
+This is what I got from ChatGPT4
+```
+BPM: 128
+
+- 0:00-1:00: A heavy bassline starts the track, suggesting the outer shell of the geode.
+- 1:00-2:15: The track 'cracks open' with sparkling arpeggios and expansive synths, replicating the awe of discovering the geode's interior.
+- 2:15-3:45: Techno beats enter, increasing in intensity to represent the geode's harsh formation environment.
+- 3:45-4:30: The music reduces to a soft, twinkling outro, mirroring the closing of the geode and leaving the listener with a sense of intrigue.
+```
+
+This one is still in progress, so this entry may actually start being interesting.
+
+As usual, I started with location markers. 
+
+Then I used operator -> noise with some processing (EQ, filters, erosions etc) to create cracking noise to simulate "cracking open". LFO helped give it some rhythm.
+
+Quick heavy bassline in wavetable, quick synth arpeggios and some beats.
+
+Challenge here was that it was the most melodic track yet. I started with some scale to help me - continued to use that for other stuff, but I knew it was not working.
+
+Actually after initial bass I went into designing fading outro, with automated autofilter and freeze from reverb.
+
+I actually broke from the scale suggestions and went with what sounds cool to me (and arpeggiated). Grouping wavetable with second, more plucky one, did help to get more pleasing sound as well.
+
+_tbc_
+
+
+
+### Random thoughts 
+
+- As said many times, both image and text generative AIs give "raw material" rather than finished product. Cover was worked on in PhotoShop after it was generated. I did interpret the song structure in my own way.
+- OTOH, not having a blank page to start with is a great help. While here it's way more constraining that I would use for something else, LLMs can be great for ideation and getting some concrete starting points.

_notes/Spectral Forge.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ tags: music
 _postmortem_
 
 Second solo ambient live I ever did.
-May 2023 at https://festiwalswiatla.hs3.pl/
+May 2023 at <a class="external-link" href="https://festiwalswiatla.hs3.pl/ ">Festiwal Światła</a>
 
 I took some lessons from [[Stellar Chant]] and had some more time. Biggest change was that I decided to make my own visuals (and it kinda worked, more on that later).
 
@@ -26,9 +26,7 @@ Setup for this year:
 - I had killer outfit to "transform" into MonoChromancer. This seems silly, but helped me a lot to "play character".
 - Had a proper soundcheck
 - Have better photo/video than last year
-- Actually released Spectral Forge as debut album! (even if it's not mixed as well as I would like, it's still a huge lock out of my head)
-	- https://monochromancer.bandcamp.com/album/spectral-forge
-	- https://album.link/s/2YVFDSW2w99MUYaijNaytQ
+- <a class="external-link" href="https://album.link/s/2YVFDSW2w99MUYaijNaytQ">Actually released Spectral Forge as debut album! (even if it's not mixed as well as I would like, it's still a huge lock out of my head)</a>
 - A lot of my stickers found new home
 - Discovered I can manipulate volume "kinda as an extra instrument" - small changes in volume for some parts really did enhance the show
 
@@ -39,4 +37,6 @@ Setup for this year:
 
 Lastly, I think I focused too much on "let's make something that will be playable live" and lost track somewhere along the lines. I kinda got lost in a quest to "make live for a festival" that I made a bit compromised version of music. At least it was eye-opening afterwards to change direction and go back to the "proper path" (aka path that actually is fun for me).
 
+Also, it made me rethink my "all live" approach. I may come from local rock bands background, which may not necessarily translate 1:1 to ambient music.
+
 Overall a huge net positive, especially with release out and a "wake-up call".

_notes/Stellar Chant.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ tags: music
 _postmortem_
 
 This was my first ever solo live and first ever ambient live.
-May 2022 at https://festiwalswiatla.hs3.pl/
+May 2022 at <a class="external-link" href="https://festiwalswiatla.hs3.pl/ ">Festiwal Światła</a>
 
 ### How I prepared
 - I talked a lot with folks and gathered informations and inspirations