Sewer Drain Clog

This was supposed to be the Big Bloomer demo, but it got out of hand with CPU usage, at least for my old computer. I tried my best to finish something here, but i definately need a better computer.

http://soundcloud.com/thebellows/sewer-drain-clog

Here’s another one, it’s some kind of EDM i guess:

http://soundcloud.com/thebellows/midnight-dance

The bells are actually synthesized using the Big Bloomer 2.0 (x2) and a convolver with some kind of church IR file. To me they sound pretty realistic, what do you think?

Sewer Drain Clog does rather sound like a demo, more than anything I’d listen to. Still, not a bad demo.

Midnight Dance is more interesting, at least in terms of the rhythmic development. Hints of ADD in the way it develops, but not bad. The bells seem to lack some of the higher natural overtones, but that might be owing to filtering.

It would be fun to shoot the monsters in FPS like Doom to this track, it creates suitable atmosphere. The second track takes up with its rhythm and memorable tune. Bell sounds realistic, but it may lack echo and reverberation to produce the pattern of the wind shaking under its pressure. I liked saws in both tracks, they burn into the space with their power. Interesting works.

Sewer Drain Clog:

Creepy screamy bleepy stuff! I like!

AND THEN SUDDENLY–SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS, fuck yeah (robotic voice and/or vocoder is my weakness, an instant +23 to every track that uses it)

I really really like this. Fresh and cool sounds. I do agree with Jan Koekepan, it sounds a bit more like a demo than a real track. In the sense that it mainly just “does things”, many different things. I bet you could take it apart, and create a whole sort of Dark Ambient/EBM/Pounding Techno Music album or long EP out of it (thinking of atmospheric stuff like Bad Sector - Ampos with a bit more Industrial beats like Winterkaelte - Drum’n’noise, except all with your own sound, made from this Bloomer device)

Midnight Dance

As for the bells (in the intro), a really good bell has a super long sound, with a decay you can still detect after seconds (it may be very quiet, but the frequency is also quite high and concentrated). Maybe you cut those off with a Gater, or got lost in the mix? Apart from that they sound pretty good.

In the beginning, there’s some sidechaining going on with the kickdrum and the synths, right? As the kick speeds up a little, this gets very obvious. IMHO a bit too obvious.

However I love the choppy slidy sound at 1:20! More of that, please :smiley: Then I don’t care much for the arp bits that come right after that (personal taste). But when that bit finished, it gets cool again.

Some more chopped stuff that I like again, but by then (about 3:30) I think the song has gone for long enough, it seems just a repeat of something we heard before? You should probably add something to make it more powerful, as a final send-away act, possibly also take away part of the old and replace with something semi-new.


Hope my comments are useful to you. They’re all intended as constructive criticism, so don’t take it hard if I say I don’t like something–some of it is personal taste anyway, music is a personal thing, but YOU are the one that decides what sound they want to produce.

Thanks for your comments guys, it’s very much appreciated! :slight_smile:

Good stuff. :slight_smile:

Sewer Drain Clog does rather sound like a demo, more than anything I’d listen to. Still, not a bad demo.

Midnight Dance is more interesting, at least in terms of the rhythmic development. Hints of ADD in the way it develops, but not bad. The bells seem to lack some of the higher natural overtones, but that might be owing to filtering.

It was meant to be a demo in the first place so i guess that’s not a bad thing.

I sometimes wonder myself about my ADD tendencies, seems like it’s getting worse. :stuck_out_tongue:

It would be fun to shoot the monsters in FPS like Doom to this track, it creates suitable atmosphere. The second track takes up with its rhythm and memorable tune. Bell sounds realistic, but it may lack echo and reverberation to produce the pattern of the wind shaking under its pressure. I liked saws in both tracks, they burn into the space with their power. Interesting works.

I’ve always been fascinated by game music, one day i hope to be featured in a cool game, that would be awesome!

Sewer Drain Clog:

Creepy screamy bleepy stuff! I like!

AND THEN SUDDENLY–SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS, fuck yeah (robotic voice and/or vocoder is my weakness, an instant +23 to every track that uses it)

I really really like this. Fresh and cool sounds. I do agree with Jan Koekepan, it sounds a bit more like a demo than a real track. In the sense that it mainly just “does things”, many different things. I bet you could take it apart, and create a whole sort of Dark Ambient/EBM/Pounding Techno Music album or long EP out of it (thinking of atmospheric stuff like Bad Sector - Ampos with a bit more Industrial beats like Winterkaelte - Drum’n’noise, except all with your own sound, made from this Bloomer device)

Midnight Dance

As for the bells (in the intro), a really good bell has a super long sound, with a decay you can still detect after seconds (it may be very quiet, but the frequency is also quite high and concentrated). Maybe you cut those off with a Gater, or got lost in the mix? Apart from that they sound pretty good.

In the beginning, there’s some sidechaining going on with the kickdrum and the synths, right? As the kick speeds up a little, this gets very obvious. IMHO a bit too obvious.

However I love the choppy slidy sound at 1:20! More of that, please :smiley: Then I don’t care much for the arp bits that come right after that (personal taste). But when that bit finished, it gets cool again.

Some more chopped stuff that I like again, but by then (about 3:30) I think the song has gone for long enough, it seems just a repeat of something we heard before? You should probably add something to make it more powerful, as a final send-away act, possibly also take away part of the old and replace with something semi-new.


Hope my comments are useful to you. They’re all intended as constructive criticism, so don’t take it hard if I say I don’t like something–some of it is personal taste anyway, music is a personal thing, but YOU are the one that decides what sound they want to produce.

I didn’t compare the bell sounds with anything, but i realize now they don’t sound as authentic as i thought at first. I just played with the Big Bloomer and i thought it sounded like real bells without really knowing how a real bell should sound. :smiley:

Think i can pull of something more authentic if i put some more effort in it. The decay can easily be made longer and maybe i can add another bloomer for those high frequncies maybe? Some echo perhaps and some reverb adjustments maybe?

Hehe, i’m a sucker for arpeggios i guess. :stuck_out_tongue:

Maybe i’ll work some more on these or steal from them in future projects, but right now i’m on to something different again, but i’ll shure keep your constructive feedback with me. :slight_smile: