oddSprite Music

Split

2009-05-04T19:12:00.003+01:00

I've decided to leave this blog dedicated to music and associated audio productions and have created a new technology blog oddSprite Tech (link). This new blog will be updated regularly with articles pertaining to being a professional 'techie'. I'm also going to start posting here more regularly not only about music that I compose but about other music I'm listening to or have heard on the radio or in TV Shows/Movies.

oddSprite

The Joy of Smash

2009-03-17T21:42:00.002Z

I refer not to the brand of dehydrated potato but to the series of beat-em-up games from Nintendo, the latest of which is Smash Bros. Brawl (link). I will admit to being a bit of a Nintendo fan-boy. A lot of their titles appeal to the child in me and are in my eyes simple, pure fun. I spent most of my second year at university playing Smash Bros. Melee on the Gamecube and then Brawl when it came out on the Wii. Brawl is in some senses a masterpiece of a game. In some senses it's pure fan-fodder and in some other senses it's one of the most finely-tuned and intense fighting experiences on any console.

I had a friend visiting last weekend and we picked up Brawl again after a 6th month gap in play and the addiction quickly hit again. Each battle is varied, intense and spectacular. The characters and varied and it's still possible to get a hit out of playing as your favourite Nintendo mascot. Personally, I love Mr Game and Watch. For those of you who don't know he's a 2-D sprite from a series of hand-held LCD games from the late 80s (maybe early 90s). They haven't made him 3D, they haven't even given him fluid animation. He looks and feels like he's always felt.

As a comparison we tried to play Dead or Alive 4 on the Xbox 360. Now, I love a bout of Halo 3 and Gears of War so my gripe here certainly isn't the console hardware. My gripe is a game which can be won by someone mashing two buttons with their eyes closed. I kid you not. One of us was a seasoned player at the old Dead or Alive franchise. That poor individual in question nearly broke a controller after throwing it on the floor in frustration after the button masher triumphed for the third time in a row.

When I compare these two games the amount of depth that can be present in both games is immense. However, for me, the game which ends up being the most fun is obvious. I don't think I need to mention the title again. BRAWL!

oddSprite

A Year and a Bit

2009-03-13T13:13:00.003Z

Well, it's been a little over a year and a month since my last post. A lot has happened in my life: I've graduated from my masters degree, gotten myself a job, moved house twice and this week (God help me) joined a Gym. The really scary thing is how quickly it grabs you. I would describe myself as a 'Gym-o-phobe'. I cannot stand the 'Jockular' attitude that permeates through most Gyms like that glorious mix of sweat and oxygen through the air. But I guess it's a question of finding the right Gym for you. Exercise is good and so what if the guy next to you is doing reps with 36Kg dumb-bells; it just means that he's got less space in his body for his brain. Sorry, that was a little below the belt. But then comedy these days seems to be following a trend of 'The More Offensive the Better'.

I recently moved and updated my website (now located at http://www.oddsprite.com). It now hosts not only my most recent work but the two albums I've released and all the other tracks that I've composed and recorded over the years. I'm also working on turning the site into an ASP.Net website complete with a streaming web-player written in SilverLight so that visitors can listen to tracks before they download them.

I'm also going to try and post a blog entry once a week starting April. I plan to cover many topics including Software Development (I am a professional software engineer), Music Production Techniques, Computer Gaming, Films and Misc. Misc covers everything else. So really I guess I should be saying that I'll be posting about anything that occurs to me.

oddSprite

Transient Reasoning: The Album

2008-02-05T17:04:00.000Z

Dear Listeners,
It seems I have changed my mind, prerogative of a young scientist to be sure. The album material that I was going to release separately has been completed and fashioned into a 38 minute album. Yes, yes, I know it's short for an album. But then again, the whole thing is free, so please no moaning! The tracks are arranged in complementary or contrasting pairs either in terms of tone, orchestration or tempo.
I should also point out that even if you have already downloaded any of the tracks listed in this post, download them again. These are new versions, some with new lyrics and parts, and all have been re-equalized and the dynamics tweaked. I think it's safe to say that oddSprite has never sounded so good.

1 -- Birth of the Universe -- MP3
The beginning of creation, nothing but black, empty, nothingness. And out of the void comes life. The ambient pads represent the void and the orchestra is the giver of life. A moment of beauty in the dark.

2 -- Paradise of Life -- MP3
The universe has formed, the earth is a paradise. Mankind is building its cities, thriving in the cradle of earth.

3 -- Child of Technology -- MP3
A new life is created. A life brought into being by the machinations of science and industry. Confused and alone, it reasons its purpose in the universe.

4 -- Cyber War: Heart of Steel -- MP3
The life finds man unworthy to survive and starts a war of man against machine.

5 -- Angel of Vengeance -- MP3
A man stalked by guilt, the Angel of Vengeance has him in its grasp. A melody and narrative about the darker sides of the human psyche.

6 -- Angel of Mercy -- MP3
Compassion, kindness and mercy. Bravery, sacrifice and determination.

7 -- Tears for the Eternal -- MP3
A being who lives forever is a being cursed for eternity. When thinking about immortality, spare a thought for all those who will pass by, never to be seen again.

8 -- At the end, we Begin Again -- MP3
A man has lived since the dawn of time. He speaks to the people of the Earth, pleading them to improve themselves and their attitudes. To progress towards something bigger and better.

A fairly grand idea for a first album I'm aware. I'm also well aware that a lot of people won't agree with some of the views I hold about life and civilisation. And this is the reason the album is called Transient Reasoning. Since I may feel this way about the human race and society now, as a being of learning and youth my views will change with maturity, age and wisdom. As will yours.

Enjoy as always,
oddSprite

Cyber War Part III : Upgrading Soundtrack

2007-12-24T18:40:00.000Z

Many months ago in August, the last update was posted. Many things have occurred since then, least of all being term one of university.
The album project I was working on has been shelved. The tracks as they are will be released, but not as part of an album. Look out for them in the new year.

However, I have here to release to you, 4 tracks containing selected themes from my Christmas soundtrack - the latest installment of Cyber War.
Featuring the Cybermen from Doctor Who, the story tells the tale of the next Cyberman invasion of the parallel earth as featured in the second series.
With only one part remaining until this story reaches its epic conclusion, if you're interested in listening to the audio drama itself, the website is here with parts 1-3 available for download.

Cyber War Part 3 : Upgrading Soundtrack
1. Cyber Conversion/Titles - MP3
2. The Controller/Remember/'I will destroy you!' - MP3
3. Inside the Factory/Setting Humanity Free - MP3
4. True Motives/The Captain/Go on Alone - MP3

Enjoy as always,
oddSprite

Informative Update

2007-08-14T00:49:00.000+01:00

After a short while of silence I thought I'd update you all with what's happening at the moment. The album has been shortened to 10 tracks. 12 tracks is simply too long and the two new Cyber War tracks are gone, struck off the listing. The tracklist is now as follows (once again those complete are listed in bold italics):

1. Cyber War - Heart of Steel
2. Doctor Who - Nightmare Groove
3. In money we Trust
4. Desert Island - Paradise of Life
5. Birth of the Universe
6. Angel of Vengeance
7. Angel of Mercy
8. Forever Rain
9. Eternity Weeps
10. At the end, we Begin Again.

The astute among you may notice that 'Birth of the Universe' is listed as complete, but hasn't been released yet. Be patient, it's coming soon. Along with Desert Island, and just you wait... A nice groovy piece of synth jazz. It bares some resemblances to the original track, a similar beat, some similarities in the chord structure, but not a single element survives from the previous recording.
'Forever Rain' and 'In money we Trust' will be along shortly afterwards, hopefully sounding better for the extra attention. I tell you, the latter is causing me quite a headache.
The first draft of the album art is complete also, but I think it looks very ammateurish and could do with a professional touch. But then, my profession is not that of an artist. My profession is not even that of a musician!

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite.

At the end, we Begin Again

2007-08-07T21:45:00.000+01:00

Yet another version of 'Begin Again' although, this is the final version. The only further release of this track will be intrumental. Many would prefer an instrumental version no doubt, since the message is rather a hard pill to swallow. And was equally difficult to deliver.
The 'backing' however is something rather special, after the amount of time that's been spent on this one track I'd be concerned if it wasn't. As far as the end of an album track, this is it. I'd like to see a better finale, and no, that's not a challenge...
The bass and drums have been replaced. Many of the elements remain the same from previous releases, and there's also a whole orchestra underpinning the final run through the last chorus.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Album

2007-08-04T14:55:00.000+01:00

I've recently found myself thinking about the tracks I'd have on my album when they're all finished and decided I'd post a preliminary track listing (feedback appreciated). Some of the songs in the list you will know, other titles you might recognise, others you won't. Those already available to download are listed in bold italics. However, since I'm not changing the links yet the download links will still be in their individual entries.

01 - Cyber War: Heart of Steel
02 - Cyber War: Battle of Britain
03 - Cyber War: Death of a Hero
04 - Doctor Who: Nightmare Groove
05 - Desert Island: The Paradise of Life
06 - Birth of the Universe
07 - In money we trust
08 - Angel One: Angel of Vengeance
09 - Angel Two: Angel of Mercy
010 - Forever Rain
011 - Eternity Weeps
012 - At the end, we Begin Again

This is of course only a rough outline. However, expect most of these tracks to appear in the near future. Also a new album name is in the works, as I think Liquid Lightning is a tad, well, crap. It has served its purpose as a placeholder!
'At the end, we Begin Again' is the new name for 'Begin Again', and yes, the final version will include the ranting...
'Forever Rain' and 'Desert Island: The Paradise of Life' are remixes of the two tracks of similar names, possibly heard before.
The two new Cyber War tracks are based on music from the audio series and, like 'Cyber War: Heart of Steel', are expanded versions of the original cue's using material that wasn't appropriate during the series itself.
'Birth of the Universe' has been planned as a mid album breather, something very atmospheric and different.
'In money we Trust' has been planned as an industrial rock track, although that is subject to change...

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Angel of Vengeance

2007-07-30T16:42:00.000+01:00

The Angel of Vengeance has arrived. I've been sitting on this track for quite a while, ever since the days of Designs (http://www.myspace.com/designsband). The chord progression is based on a song written by Drew Harris (http://www.myspace.com/drewsdemotapes) called 'Pack of Cards', I felt that this deserves a mention, since if anyone actually picks them both apart it's blatanty obvious that musically, they are fairly similar (apart from lyrical content, which I shall get to momentarily)!
The soundset for this track uses the MS2000b and the TR in almost equal measure. TR for pads, bass, and other ambience. MS2000b provided the lead line for the chorus and the vocoder work. Drums provided by Hammerhead as always.
This track contains two firsts for my music: A distinct Verse/Chorus structure and Lyrics. Yes, that's right lyrics; and not someone else's either, I wrote them, although I believe that is obvious in itself. Nobody else would write a song quite like this...

Hidden Truth,
Trapped Within,
Living Cursed,
Bound to be,
Never free.
Never,
Never Free,
Bound for eternity.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Doctor Who - Nightmare Groove

2007-07-03T17:49:00.000+01:00

Well, I've ignored my update list altogether and have recorded what may well be my final Doctor Who cover. I've reached the limits of what I can do with the theme, so doing more than this is pointless (barring moments of mad inspiration).

I wanted to make this track very sparse apart from the Drums and Bass. This I felt gave a dark quality to the proceedings, hence the title. The soundset was created entirely on the Korg MS2000b, apart from drums which were supplied by Hammerhead (a freeware drum synth). As such this track sounds very synthetic, however I am completely at a loss as to which genre to put it in! All the classic elements are there from my previous Doctor Who covers, especially the vocoder theme which has made a comeback.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Eternity Weeps

2007-06-27T18:04:00.000+01:00

It seems I'm completing my update list in reverse. They say save the best until last, which is what I was planning. However I was in the mood so I got recording and here it is.

This track is actually a 3 in 1 of sorts. The last theme is recognisably from 'Absence Yields the Heart' (an old song of mine which Eternity Weeps replaces, and rightly so since it's a far superior piece of work). The first theme with the orchestra in the repeat I've been sitting on for quite some time now, I've been eager to use it, I think it complements the other two parts with a sense of scale, since the other two feel quite intimate themes. The middle theme with the flute and harp I composed before christmas last year and, like the first, I've been waiting to use it in something for a while.

This is a short track (for me at any rate), weighing in at 3:51, however it's definitely one of my better efforts. I've listed the genre as 'Soundtrack' because I really don't know where else to put this...

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Upcoming updates

2007-06-19T10:45:00.000+01:00

There are going to be a number of updates in the next few weeks, not limited to, but including:

The second half of 'Angel of Mercy', a contrasting track called 'Angel of Vengeance. This one will be interesting and rather hardcore!
The final end mix of 'Begin Again'.
A new and shorter 'War of the Worlds' mix.
And finally an adaptation of 'Absence yeilds the heart' called 'Eternity Weeps'. I want to see tears for this one!

All this will be released within the next month, you lucky people.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Cyber War - Heart of Steel

2007-06-14T14:02:00.000+01:00

This update really was a no-brainer!
After upating the Cyber War theme for the second release, I just had to update the full track version. Not that much has changed, the lead line is still there, the bass is still same and it still ends with an awesome vocoder shouting "Cyber War!". However the few changes I have made benefit the track immensely. New string and metallic bells are the main instrument changes. Both of which now evolve throughout the track.
The most important changes to note here are the reduced running time (now 4:35 instead of 5:10) and the addition of lyrics! Yes, there are Cybermen in the mix!

You are wanted.
You are compatible.
You will be different.
You will come with us.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

Angel of Mercy

2007-06-14T13:31:00.000+01:00

I was never entirely satisfied with the first recording of 'Angel of Mercy'.
Too many of the instruments sounded flat for my liking, the flute and string voices especially. The Korg TR gave me the chance to go back and make the whole thing sound a lot more professional. No elements from the original recording survive in this mix, apart from percussive elements.
I always wanted this track to be very emotive for such a beat driven approach. As such the Brass progression is meant to instil a sense a feeling of hope, whilst the flute and strings, along with guitar part, is meant to provide a certain degree of poignancy in the listener. The guitar part was a late addition to the track, but ultimately it would sound quite empty without it. Also the track was shortened to 5:05.

Enjoy as always,
Oddsprite

All change

2007-06-12T16:14:00.000+01:00

Exams are over! So it's music time!
Forget what you knew of my music before, when you hear it next it will all have changed!
I finally got around to setting up a myspace page (link below) with two of the new mixes: Angel of Mercy and Cyber War. Full song descriptions to follow.
More updates to follow in the next few weeks!
Oddsprite's myspace