Music: Discovering 'My Sound'

[ivankiss]

This is one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life. No doubt about it.

Today... I reunited with my long-lost love. It's been more than 4 years since I sold my 8 string, and I've been rocking the acoustic, ever since. I nearly forgot what it's like to play an electric guitar. Let alone an 8 string.

Clearly; I feel like God, at the moment.

My brand new 8 string came in this morning. The unboxing experience was heaven. I am nearly bursting with gratitude. It's just an outstandingly beautiful guitar. 

Cannot wait to start making love to it.

This journal is very important, too. I aim to go through a period of experimentation now. It's been forever since I've been active on 'the scene' - if you will. I'd like to do things a bit differently this time around.

I don't want to just return to my old sound and style. Much has happened in these few years. I am a totally new person. With totally new visions and ideas. I need a new sound.

And that means; I must play around a lot. Try out a lot. Fail and cringe a lot... It should be a fun ride. Hopefully; at the end, I'll stumble upon something really special and unique.

I'll be posting snippets of music here, different types of tones, ideas for songs, stories, lyrics, etc... Anything that has to do with music.

7 or 8 years ago; my music sounded like this:

https://youtu.be/xuaR1sxxuUc - this is one of my most technical and also most successful projects. Lots of math. Lots of heaviness. 

A lot to love.

But, something has been missing. It was not unique enough for me, even back then. I jumped on the whole 'djent' bandwagon, obviously. It was great. I recieved quite some attention. But soon it simply did not tickle my pickle anymore.

After that, I started working hard on another huge project. I think it took me around 3 years to write and record the whole album/ep. I was incredibly proud of it. I put my whole soul into it. My whole story. It was much less machine-like. You could feel the heart in it. 

But, I failed utterly when it came to releasing the thing. Life had other plans with me... 

I also ruined the whole production, last minute. I was so nervous and burnt out. I just wanted to release the goddamn thing already lol. Needless to say; it never got the recognition it deserved. Nearly no one knows it even exists.

The project is called 'Porcelain Safe'. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/p_EYK5bj_ko

 

While I am very proud of this work, and it's extremely close to the heart - it still doesn't feel quite like 'it'. It is far more unique than 'backward progression' - I'd say... but it's just not what I am now. That style would not mirror me well anymore. There is a lot of heavy, nasty and confusing elements in there. I'd like to make a bit less crazy music now lol.

Or so I think... We'll see.

I experimented with a lot of different genres in my life. I like to listen to a lot of music. Channeling everything into a single style and sound might be a bit challenging.

I'm sticking to prog, that's pretty much for sure. I'm just a prog guy. I like to do unusual things. Mix unusual elements. And also push my limits. 

What I'm looking for... is that special flavour.

My signature. 

Join me on this journey, if you like. Add your thoughts and views, ideas, criticism, anything. I'm sure it will all benefit me and my process greatly.

Rock the fuck on, baby!

 

 

 

[Zeroguy]

Bože, stvarno nemam reči. 

Rock on. 

Uživaj. 

Well I haven't played it for long. My usually serves purpose these days to impress women I bring in.(ok ok it stopped) Few extra points always welcome. 

Be careful here women will lose their minds about you. You are playing with fire hahahaha. 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Zeroguy

[ivankiss]

@Zeroguy Haha! Noted! 

Volim i ja tebe!

[Applegarden8]

1 hour ago, ivankiss said:

This is one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life. No doubt about it.

Today... I reunited with my long-lost love. It's been more than 4 years since I sold my 8 string, and I've been rocking the acoustic, ever since. I nearly forgot what it's like to play an electric guitar. Let alone an 8 string.

Clearly; I feel like God, at the moment.

My brand new 8 string came in this morning. The unboxing experience was heaven. I am nearly bursting with gratitude. It's just an outstandingly beautiful guitar. 

Cannot wait to start making love to it.

This journal is very important, too. I aim to go through a period of experimentation now. It's been forever since I've been active on 'the scene' - if you will. I'd like to do things a bit differently this time around.

I don't want to just return to my old sound and style. Much has happened in these few years. I am a totally new person. With totally new visions and ideas. I need a new sound.

And that means; I must play around a lot. Try out a lot. Fail and cringe a lot... It should be a fun ride. Hopefully; at the end, I'll stumble upon something really special and unique.

I'll be posting snippets of music here, different types of tones, ideas for songs, stories, lyrics, etc... Anything that has to do with music.

7 or 8 years ago; my music sounded like this:

https://youtu.be/xuaR1sxxuUc - this is one of my most technical and also most successful projects. Lots of math. Lots of heaviness. 

A lot to love.

But, something has been missing. It was not unique enough for me, even back then. I jumped on the whole 'djent' bandwagon, obviously. It was great. I recieved quite some attention. But soon it simply did not tickle my pickle anymore.

After that, I started working hard on another huge project. I think it took me around 3 years to write and record the whole album/ep. I was incredibly proud of it. I put my whole soul into it. My whole story. It was much less machine-like. You could feel the heart in it. 

But, I failed utterly when it came to releasing the thing. Life had other plans with me... 

I also ruined the whole production, last minute. I was so nervous and burnt out. I just wanted to release the goddamn thing already lol. Needless to say; it never got the recognition it deserved. Nearly no one knows it even exists.

The project is called 'Porcelain Safe'. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/p_EYK5bj_ko

 

While I am very proud of this work, and it's extremely close to the heart - it still doesn't feel quite like 'it'. It is far more unique than 'backward progression' - I'd say... but it's just not what I am now. That style would not mirror me well anymore. There is a lot of heavy, nasty and confusing elements in there. I'd like to make a bit less crazy music now lol.

Or so I think... We'll see.

I experimented with a lot of different genres in my life. I like to listen to a lot of music. Channeling everything into a single style and sound might be a bit challenging.

I'm sticking to prog, that's pretty much for sure. I'm just a prog guy. I like to do unusual things. Mix unusual elements. And also push my limits. 

What I'm looking for... is that special flavour.

My signature. 

Join me on this journey, if you like. Add your thoughts and views, ideas, criticism, anything. I'm sure it will all benefit me and my process greatly.

Rock the fuck on, baby!

 

 

 

This is not a joke. I would like your email or something in case you want to do a collab. This looks longer than 686 mm, and reverse headstock... with remaking of the nut you can get away with very low tunings. And looks incredibly fanned too.

Would love to know what you come up with. I plan on going along with music aswell.

[ivankiss]

@Applegarden8 Thanks man!

I'm down for collaborating, for sure. But first I need some time to play by myself.

The guitar is sexy as hell. I might do some tweaking these days, yes. But I doubt I'll be going any lower than drop E.

Wish you the best!

[ivankiss]

My new baby feels and plays amazing.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that it's not a giant piece of a wooden block. It's actually very compact, light and classy. I love the contours. The neck feels amazing. Super thin and super fast. The fanned frets feel very natural, too. I'm just super satisfied with this purchase.

The transition from 6 to 8 and from acoustic to electric does not feel weird, at all. Nothing is forgotten. It still feels like home.

Can't wait to start recording.

 

[ivankiss]

Already getting a feel of something pretty  cool. I managed to break out of the 'old box' pretty quick. I noticed right away that I was being pulled in that direction..

I aim to leave some of the 'djent' elements in my style. For the following reasons; It's fucking cool as fuck. It's as tight and as precise as it can be. It is cutting edge. Nothing is as advanced and futuristic in the modern guitar-world. The dynamics I can get are just awesome. And ofcourse; epic grooves and polyrhythms. Gotta love those.

What I want to avoid, is all that honkiness and unnecessary noise and distortion. I want my tone heavy in the low-mid range and with a nice sparkling, singing presence. Very clear, warm and fuzzy. Gotta tame those nasty hi-mids and trebles.

I want big, bulky, tight drums to carry the entire mix. Heavy kick and large snare. Quite some reverb. The bass should be nice and tamed as well. With some cool fuzz in the high end. Not too aggressive.

I'm also going with an orchestra as a necessary element of the sound. Nice, golden, money-brass and big, warm, emotion-filled strings. Occasionally I'd throw in a choir too - for extra drama and epicness.

I'm thinking of theatrical vibes. I want the whole thing to sound like an epic movie. But also very down to earth.

I'm not entirely sure about vocals yet. I have several ideas about the style of singing I'd go with. Perhaps I'd mix a few different voices and characters, as well. I must experiment. This is the area that requires the most to be played around with. This is the first time I'm planning on adding some serious vocals to my music.

Lyrically; I'm thinking... Truth. Obviously. What else could I sing of? But... How I will portray that is still a question-mark. I think I will be jumping a lot between the 'I' and 'You' frame. Possibly some 'We', as well. And then, ofcourse; None. Nothing. The Absolute.

I want to approach this with a clever, poetical twist. A theatrical vibe comes to mind, again. But in the meantime; also not lose the sense of authenticity. I don't want my lyrics to sound all airy-fairy. I want them to be very real and direct. But at the same time beautiful and magical, too. I want the listener to feel like I'm speaking directly to him/her. It must must feel very personal and intimate. Touching. Captivating. Real. Different.

Man... This is so much fun.

 

 

[ivankiss]

Alright.. I'm messing around a bit with the tone. Already getting out some yummy, rich sounds. But I'm not quite there yet..

My chain looks like this atm: Gate -> Tube Screamer -> Amp -> Compressor -> Cab

I'm after a big, warm, vintage sound with a modern twist. There is not too much distortion going on. Everything is nicely tamed and balanced. The tone 'collapses into itself', creating this pumping feel. I like it. But I need to work on gain and resonance a bit more.

All in all; a freaking awesome first day of creating my guitar tone. Super smooth, fun and easy. 

 

[ivankiss]

This is what I mean by 'a big, warm vintage sound with a modern twist'. 

This guy is so badass. His tone might be just a bit too dry and a bit too forward-placed, but it's close to what I'm after.

[ivankiss]

It also has this glassy, crystal vibe to it and a little bit of buzz. It's quite challenging to achieve all that, yet still keep the signal nice and healthy. 

I don't want any unnecessary peaks or dips.

[ivankiss]

I am a big Tesseract fan, obviously.

Just listen to those purrs. This mix is so sterile you could perform a heart surgery with it.

They are also integrating a lot of pop vibes. It's radio-friendly. Something I'm planning on doing, too. But their tone is a bit too djenty for me. A want it less aggressive.

The drums and the bass are pure perfection.

 

[ivankiss]

This is pretty much it.

Fuck... Just listen to how crispy and slappy and tight those guitars are. 

The drums are mixed and placed perfectly. Everything is just so perfect. Giant, sonic love-making.

Not to mention what an absolute superhero each one of the members is...

Flawless victory.

 

[ivankiss]

I cannot believe how easy this was...

I got my tone(s). And they all sound delicious.

So far I've got two Hi Gain presets and one Low Gain saved. A lead tone, as well. But not yet a Clean one. I'll play around with that a bit later.

I am beyond satisfied. 

These tones sound like big money. So rich and full. Technology has come a long way. It did not pause while I was taking a break. Dialing in an epic tone is child's play in this day and age. 

Even raw, the sound is magnificent. Cannot wait to hear it polished in a full-blown mix.

This went much quicker and much smoother than I thought it would. Next step; drums and bass. Thunder and lightning.

Once I get those all nice and ready; I'll be able to record a short piece and test how all the elements work together in a mix.

So exciting!

 

[ivankiss]

Looks like my drummer is out of the picture. He's too busy with other stuff. He does not seem reliable. 

I was going to write all the drum parts anyways, but it's good to have an actual drummer that can scan the writings for any 'unnatural-feeling' parts, and correct them. Or add better ideas, that flow more naturally.

I guess it's all me, for now.

I'm not going to go too crazy with drums - not to venture into that weird territory. I want that feel. That groove. That flow. 

I must play around a lot with ghost notes, velocity, dynamics... I want the drums to carry the entire mix. They're going to be placed right in the centre of the mix and be the loudest thing in it. So I cannot afford half-assing them. I am still in the process of choosing the VST.

I've got some stuff to do now, and then I've got the rest of the day dedicated to music. 

Last night was a big breakthrough regarding the style and overall approach when it comes to writing. I pretty much locked in on a thing. I'm beyond happy and satisfied.

Cannot wait to drop the first bomb.

[fopylo]

Dude you should really have a youtube channel. I believe the things you talk about like music, money, sex could be really valuable to people. Just a suggestion.

[ivankiss]

@fopylo Thanks man! It might happen.

I definitely want to reach out to people. Music is my main medium. But I might expand stuff.

[ivankiss]

Quick entry!

Holy shit!

I just came up with the grooviest, catchiest riff ever. And with it came an idea, or, vision for the whole song. And with that came the whole vibe and style I'm after...?

Could be!

For now; I'm only writing in my mind. I don't feel like actually starting writing things down yet. I don't want to interrupt this epic jam. I might just discover more!

[ivankiss]

Explore: Which frequencies sound best at what tempo.

[ivankiss]

Definitely integrating some operatic singing into the style. 

I'm thinking of going with a made up language. It comes to me quite naturally. It sounds like a mix between Latin, Slavic and Arabic. Some Germanic, maybe. I think it's very cool.

But, I'm not sure yet if I want to go all the way with it, or combine it with some lyrics in English. Will see.

[ivankiss]

@lxlichael Appreciate it!