Harsh Backwards Resonated Rhodes

Posted on January 30, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

A variety of processing went into this segment of backwards Rhodes electric piano. I started with a chunk from a loop recorded during a recent performance. I reversed the chunk and then slightly time compressed in Ableton Live to give it a bit of a stutter. This caught my attention, so I dropped it onto a track that I had been using to test some processing including gate, distortion, Live’s paragraphic eq, compression, and delay. But in between the eq and the compressor I had added MDA’s RezFilter. I had also programmed a MIDI controller for adjusting the speed of the LFO and the maximum frequency on the plugin, so this gave me the tools to have some fun by automating these parameters while recording. There are some particularly harsh frequencies here, so I recommend starting out at low volume.

Unreleased Extended Version of Some Kind of Adhesive

Posted on January 3, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

Another collaborative effort that I am quite pleased with is this extended version of Some Kind of Adhesive produced and performed by myself and Nils Westdal. The piece is eleven minutes and seventeen seconds long and contains four interwoven movements. The original condensed version is heard on One Day to Save All Life (Unearthed Music, 2008). Once again, processing played an integral role in the production and performance of the work.

This is an ACB exclusive preview since the track has not been released on Unearthed Music, or any other label. It will probably be released this year on a compilation or as a single. In the meantime, please enjoy listening to this full length preview at 192kbps.

Some Kind of Adhesive
[Extended Mix]

Studio Version of Spring in December

Posted on January 2, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

I would like to share another track from One Day to Save All Life. This was one of the first pieces completed for the album and set the tone for the rest of the collection. The atmosphere at the beginning is created with water and wildlife ambiance mixed with a passage of backwards Rhodes electric piano. At around two minutes into it the main theme is introduced which is a combination of Rhodes along with two synthesized oscillators tuned to fifths done with one of my favorite workhorses, the Korg MS2000.

Spring in December

Fe₂O₃ from One Day to Save All Life

Posted on January 1, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

For my first few entries in 2009 I would like to take a quick look back at music that I’ve been involved in in 2008. One of my favorite tracks from Keston and Westdal’s album One Day to Save All Life is Fe₂O₃ which we named after the chemical composition of iron oxide. This is the middle piece in a group of three gapless tracks on the album, so unfortunately it has an abrupt start and end. A much better way to hear it is in sequence with the previous and subsequent tracks in gapless format as it was mastered on the CD. In any case, I am fond of the abundant processing we used creating a textural atmosphere on this piece.

Fe₂O₃

Acceptable Use of Factory Presets and Samples?

Posted on October 12, 2008 by John C.S. Keston

An issue that I often contemplate is, when is it acceptable to use factory presets and samples? I tend not to use them most of the time in favor of inventing new sounds and sampling from my own recordings and instruments. However, sometimes I make exceptions, such as using presets for classic keyboard sounds like pianos and organs, or individual drum samples for programming beats. Personally I have an aversion to using them, but I don’t doubt that lots of excellent music is produced using unchanged samples and factory presets. So the question remains, when is it a good idea and when is it a bad idea to rely on what has been painstakingly produced for us by industry professionals?

When I use presets I usually make some adjustments to in order to get closer to what I’m after sonically. In the piece Rihaku that I wrote with Nils Westdal for our album Truth is Stranger I used the factory sampled piano on the Yamaha A3000. I would have preferred to use an acoustic piano, but opted to give the sampler a go for budgetary reasons. In order to get a bit more sustain out of the sound I made some subtle but effective changes to the patch including manipulating the envelope, adjusting the velocity sensitivity, and slightly compressing the output.

Rihaku by Keston and Westdal