Okay, so I really need to post a lot of different stuff here, because I do a lot of different stuff musically, but we'll start here because it's closest to and most inspired by DTB.

http://www.markscudder.com/hdf/idea9.mp3

I also wanted to post this because as I've been reading, people are talking about the best way to do certain things with computer recording and I think I got a couple of things right with this demo. Here's a breakdown of what's going on in this track:

Rhythm guitar part is tracked 3 times, two panned hard left and right with my favorite new PODxt program (basically a Mesa Rectifier and a particular 4x12, can't pull it up right now as I'm at work) - those are the two you really hear - and one panned center with a muddier preset with a little chorus, which is buried a little more just to give it thickness. Guitar is a Squier Stagemaster double-fat Strat with stock pickups and Elixir Acoustic strings on it (13-57 I think) tuned down 1.5 steps and then the lowest string tuned down another whole step for the open B-F#-B on the bottom.

Lead is an '05 OLP MM-1 with stock pickups running through a different POD preset (think a tube screamer driving a Matchless Chieftain with the amp gain turned to 11), the wah is built into the POD. The MM-1 is in standard tuning.

Bass is a '94 Ibanez SR506 recorded DI through the excellent excellent IK Multimedia Ampeg bass amp/cab modeller.

Synth is Spectrasonics Atmosphere (I don't like how this sounds particularly right now but otherwise Atmosphere is an amazing instrument), played through MIDI (Atmosphere is a VSTi plugin).

Drums are Toontrack's EZDrummer with the Drumkit From Hell add-on pack loaded, played (badly) with a MIDI controller.

There is pretty much no mastering on this, save for PSP MixSaturator on the drum track and then again on the output to give it that pushed, fuller tape-saturation sound. I've spent months trying to get certain tracks to sound half as right as this one and it's both painful and awesome when one comes together with almost no work like this did.

Tracked in Cakewalk SonarPE6 through an Echo Indigo io into my notebook.

So this is just a demo, threw this together in one evening last week, just to get the idea down, and if I listen to it enough I'll know where it goes from there . Thought you'd like to hear it and maybe it will give you some tips and tricks for your own recordings.

I dug it man. I can definalty hear the dev influence!

wow, that's some great work. sounds exactly like excellerated evolution. so, that's a minus on originality there ;D but nah, the production is really stunning considering you did it mostly with a pod, which i don't find that easy to produce a proper sound with. like to show some more of your work?

it's amazing what one person with some affordable equipment can put together these days.

it sounds very good and very thick but it is extremely loud and kinda clips in my teeny tiny earbuds at work

Really good stuff Definitely post some more please

Hey Devheads. I'm getting ready to re-release an old space-folk-metal record I did in 97-98 called Felix Culpa. The Re-release has re-recordings of some of the weaker tracks, some unreleased tracks, and a "commentary" with some more behind-the-scenes tracks weaved through it.

Basically, it's instrumental guitar-based soundscapes about a partnership in my past that went bad; just very visceral impressions of emotions. Not necessary like any one thing that Dev might have done (just trying to compare to something we all know), but a little bit of it all and more.

Anyway, I'm trying to come up with some last-minute things to promote the record, because I'm a starving unknown fuck who's all set to move millions of units if only I could make enough people aware of the stuff. I had this idea of taking some of the commentary tracks and overlaying them on the album tracks to create a little "trailer" or "sampler" that I could give away for free.

So here's the first edit of it: http://www.markscudder.com/hdf/fcteaser01.mp3

It's nine minutes long. Tell me what you think, how it makes you feel, and if it encourages you to want to learn more. This is straight-up marketing, and I'd like to get some opinions on how to make it more effective. The story itself is not exactly Sunshine And Happiness For All, and it ends a little cold, I think (it doesn't wrap up nicely yet)... I might record a little extra "commentary" just for this that wraps it up a little more effectively. Other than that, what do you think?

The primary use for something like this is going to be on a free CD with maybe one or two tracks from the album, that I can give out to promote it... sort of like a single with this on it too.

(Bonus: This is a quick way to post a little more of my own music, so you're getting a twofer here )

Thanks...

Idea9 sounds alot AE:ish indeed, especially the wah sound, nothing bad though. Great melody throughout, a bit boomy bass perhaps but that just might be my shitty speakers.

Felix Culpa sounds very promising, like a dreamy summer soundtrack thing. I actually listened through the whole teaser/commentary track, so I guess you catched at least my ears good. I'd love to hear the whole thing.

I really enjoyed the Felix Culpa teaser/commentary. This may sound strange, but it almost felt like listening to a radio play. The warm soundscapes sort of sounded like background music, with your vocal commentary almost sounding like a character's mental monologue or reflection on his past-- I suppose it's not a usual comment, but you have a great 'talking' voice. Coupled with the music in the background, I was very willing to just sit through nine minutes of it. I didn't realize it was that long, actually.

It'd be great to talk with you about some of the music (if I hear more of it that is) and throw some tunes back and forth or something. Keep it up!

Rock! Thanks for your replies. I may have to give that out starting as soon as tonight, so I'm really glad I got a little feedback!

Good news - I'm on Pandora now! I'm so stoked; it's been so long since I sent them a CD I thought they must've just thrown it out.

If you don't know, Pandora (http://www.pandora.com) is a site run by the Music Genome Project people.. the MGP is this effort to classify all music with hundreds and hundreds of attributes (things like "minor key tonality," "metal influence," "extensive use of synthesizers," "extensive use of vamping," "vocal-centric performance," "male vocal," etc.) You type in an artist, band, or song you like and it creates a "station" with other music that shares the attributes and it helps you discover new music.

Now you can type my name in there (Mark Scudder) and it'll play you tracks from my most recent ambient record, "Don't Wait." I like this one a little better than Felix Culpa, so after doing all this PR for FC it's nice to hear this one again.

I am SO stoked right now you have no idea!

[Blazingmonga]

Hi Fuzzplug,

Just wanted to chime in and say that your little 'idea9' track was awesome! I wont go into too much detail here, but suffice to say that I think you are a very talented dude. PLEASE continue to post your music here, I think what you have shown is something people here will appreciate.

I also thought of AE when it first played, mainly Storm...and that is a very good thing!

That was some wicked commentary. I don't mean to plug my own shit in your thread, but I think you'd be interested in what I'm doing with K. Project.

That analogy at the end of the commentary about movies and music....brilliant man. One of the the best ways of putting it. Thought the music was killer too. Nice work man!

Hi Fuzzplug,

Just wanted to chime in and say that your little 'idea9' track was awesome! I wont go into too much detail here, but suffice to say that I think you are a very talented dude. PLEASE continue to post your music here, I think what you have shown is something people here will appreciate.

I also thought of AE when it first played, mainly Storm...and that is a very good thing!

Thanks! If I could sing in even somewhat of a Dev style these things would be done but that's a major sticking point.

That was some wicked commentary. I don't mean to plug my own shit in your thread, but I think you'd be interested in what I'm doing with K. Project.

That analogy at the end of the commentary about movies and music....brilliant man. One of the the best ways of putting it. Thought the music was killer too. Nice work man!

Nah man, plug away! Thanks for picking up on that - I have always kind of been blown away at the dichotomy between two very similar things, movies and music. Now that you can get movies and TV shows on your iPod, it's finally time to call people on this.

I am literally a starving artist so if you like the stuff, please please pick it up.

That... is some pretty cool stuff, man. If I had the means to pick any of it up, I defenitely would... unfortunately, being a teenager rather limits my access to music that isn't carried or orderable by HMV or Future Shop.

I can hear the Devy influence, but it's still really cool. Hope you can manage to get beyond the "starving artist" stage and into the "living off art successfully" stage.

Post some more, please?

[JuZ]

Excellent. The Felix Culpa stuff genuinely caught my attention and I'd like to hear more. Thanks for sharing, Mark, and all the best with making a living out of your art.

My album Felix Culpa is released on all the major online stores NOW, even though I told them the 17th . There's a free three-track promo available on the site, right at http://www.markscudder.com/fc.php

There's also a video of me performing one of the songs from the album here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xQbpSw7qPvM