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pyrocicle · 7 years

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{ Ribbons }

Tap, tap, tap. Soft but distinct footsteps echoed across the antivoid. She didn't really need to walk, but it helped her feel more connected - unlike the first version, she wasn't immune to the disassociation caused by the emptiness of the whiteroom. It'd taken a while to find who she was looking for; there were any number of Errors, but only one Null.

"you're a difficult one to track down."

{ with guest star @errorinjudgment }

Null's hanging by his ankles when she locates him, swaying forward and back on his bright blue threads of magic with an absent, almost blissful look on his face. Something about that particular type of movement aids him in maintaining his calm, which is entirely necessary when he keeps finding himself back here without explanation. He doesn't want to be here, and has taken dissociation into the realm of meditation.

"h-h-hello." He chimes in that pleasant-if-not-so-distorted tone of his. "that is intentional." An eye cracks open for a good look at his latest guest, first traveling up and down the whole of her form, then settling on her face and staying there almost challengingly. "familiar. do you know crow and dove?"

Ribbons tilted her head at him, liquid-looking eyes seeming to splash with the movement.

"hiya! I know them, yes, though they don't know me. that's intentional, too." She laced her fingers together behind her back, rocking back on her heels, then up to her toes with the snarky grin so common to them. Short, dark green hair bounced with each movement. "a little birdy told me you've been having problems."

"problems? my wh-whole existence is a problem, lady." He lowers himself down onto the imaginary floor then gets to his feet to stand a respectful but already rather comfortable distance from the somewhat familiar woman. Her eyes hold his interest for a while then drift back down to what she's wearing, now commiting her appearance to memory.

"i ta-take it this is a business call, then?"

"I feel for you, glitchbean. friendly business!" She held out a hand. "you can call me Ribbons, for disambiguation. I'm... mm... here with proposal. not that kind, of course." Black coat, gray pants, cool, dusty green shirt and fur. Black boots with spiked soles. The pendant Dove wore had a bright red gem in it for Ribbons, and the lovely, complicated bow tied around her neck mimicked her eyes, the colors on it seeming to splash about like a liquid. She's small, and both sturdier than Dove and less squishy than Crow. A happy medium, perhaps. Her style certainly was a happy medium between the two!

"heh. gl-glitchbean." The use of the term of endearment is enough that Null feels comfortable brushing off his remaining paranoia. Ribbons has put him at ease, an advantage gained simply by being who she is and knowing what she does. He takes her hand and gives it a firm shake like a proper businessman, his hand radiating that same dry warmth her lesser alternates are familiar with.

"oh, not that kind of proposal. wh-what a shame. nevertheless, i am l-listening."

It's soothing. She's icy cold, fingers as short and stubby as ever. She tilted her head to one side with a giggle, another familiar gesture that proves she's who she appears to be, squeezing back firmly.

"keep sweet talkin' like that and it might turn into that kind." She stood up straighter, eyes focusing onto his. "you and I are beings with purpose. destruction's in your nature, salvation in mine. but we both know that there are some places that just can't be saved. all the LucK and determination in the multiverse couldn't set things right. and denying our nature is... unpleasant."

"you're c-cold." He notes aloud, shuffling closer to her upon realzing that he rather enjoys that contrast. His eyes match hers, focused and a little stubborn, comfortable but still rather serious. "your flirt game is just as st-strong as theirs, i see. you are correct. denying it has been... painful. are you asking me to destroy something beyond sa-sa-saving for you?"

"I'm always cold. you're warm." She scootched closer to him in return, resting her shoulder against his. With a jacket that thick and floofy she should be overheated, but she's just... icy. "well someone had to start the trend~"

Her expression changed from playful to grim in a blink. "I am. there is one that has become... painfully obvious. so much so my little Dove's flown the coop."

"i do believe that de-destruction can be an act of mercy." He tries to look grim, but fails. As much guilt as it comes with, he can't help smiling. What a confused monster, or glitch, he's become. "if there's really no helping them, why not give them a quick and pa-painless end? all the better if they're..." His eye socket twitches. "i-insulting to start with. you already know how i feel about the e-extent of widespread deviance."

"I do, yes. I don't always agree, but I certainly understand the sentiment and it's been known to factor into the choice to mark a timeline." She grinned back at him. "the proposal is for a partnership, in fact. I've uncovered a number of timelines where it would be more merciful to give them a clean and painless end. the little Doves can only do so much, if there's no hope then... why leave them to suffer?"

"y-you send dove to repair broken timelines? tha-that is admirable, and explains some things about her. if only i had the patience for it myself." He laughs a little. There was a time that he too would have preferred the route she's taken. Perhaps he'd still prefer it, were it not for his unique affliction.

"the answer is... ye-yes. i would love to help you. this is just the justification i need to stop putting off the inevitable. i know that i can't resist forever, not with this anger threatening to boil over every moment i spend pretending to be a pa-pa-pacifist."

Ribbons grinned broadly. "bingo, bingo, bingo! give the bean a prize!" she giggled and clapped. "good! excellent! far better to put destructive proclivities to a productive use than allow them to affect that best left alone, yes?"

"ye...-yes." He had to pause for a moment there, expression very thoughtful and slighlty pained. It's not easy to accept that he might not be entirely in control of himself if he fights too hard for too long, but such is life. He'd always been particularly good at going with the flow prior to his accident.

"would you care to give me the details on this world you want wiped clean?"

Ribbons smiled kindly, patting his shoulder lightly. "we all have ugly sides. alright, let me see..." She pulled out something that vaguely resembled a pair of short chopsticks, until she pulled them apart. Ribbons, like the one around her throat, stretched between it, before changing to an image of that particular world's Load Screen.

At the top left corner is a universe designation; below are profile pictures of the inhabitants. Dove is a question mark. Asgore's been Xed out, Sans and Papyrus have a green border. The others have red borders. There are five SOULs on the screen; Dove would have replaced Justice, and Chara hasn't fallen yet.

"wh-what in all the worlds..." The Error squints at the page. Asgore is gone that much is obvious at a chance, and Chara still isn't present? Toriel a single mother? And why the green border around himself and his brother? He shakes his head, trying not to think of it that way, trying to tell himself that he's not Sans anymore.

"interesting. please explain?"

The Patch giggled at his confusion.

"this is a universe designation. tells us what sort of variant it is, in this case, a 'swapped fell' timeline. that means Asgore's taken on Toriel's usual role, Mellow," she tapped the Sans, "has taken Papy's, and so on. The X means that she failed to befriend Asgore, the green borders mean she befriended Mellow and Papy. I believe... mm, yes, she'd reached Waterfall but gone no further. You see how there are only five souls? Dove was meant to replace the Justice child, but her soul is... unstable. I'm sure you've noticed. She needs a chance to heal before she dies, or her soul will simply shatter rather than being able to be collected. Evidently that wasn't possible here."

"i'm familiar with the variant and generally... not fond of the i-inhabitants. that explains why asgore is the first out of the picture." Predictably, he looks pleased, grin spreading and eyes brightening a touch as he looks and listens, piecing her method of illustrating the timeline's variables together. "fell and swap... two of the most abomination-prone iterations of our world. this will be rather fun."

"I think you'd rather like this one, but given they have no hope left... best to let them have a peaceful end. perhaps you'll get to see a happier iteration later." She looked grim, but managed a smile in return. "shall we, then?"

"no." He mutters, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "let me think this way. otherwise, i w-won't be able to do it. let me fuel my hate." And just like that, he's right back to the act. Is it an act? It's hard to tell and at this point in time even he's not entirely sure how he feels about this. "i'll consider it a te-te-test, on my part. i need to understand what's going on with me, and i... well i can't do that if i never try making a more. it's e-e-experiment time."

He clasps his hands together in front of himself and draws a deep breath. "we shall."

"fair." She nodded, taking a deep breath. They have to think different ways, but that's alright. It'll keep them more balanced if they're not simply an echo chamber for each other. "excellent. an experiment is just what the good doctor ordered." She clasped the... tablet? ribbontop? back together and returned it to her jacket, then held out her hand again.

Null takes her hand and gives it another firm shake before using it to pull her into a hug, complete with a soft, warm sort of laugh. He hadn't realized that he'd missed her half as much as he did. Well, he'd missed... others hers. Close enough. "tha-thank you. this should be beneficial to everyone involved. call me when you're ready."

#v; ribbons #v; virus 💚💛#errorinjudgement #glitchbean; null

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severeathletemughero-blog · 6 years

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BUCKS NEW UNIVERSITY

“Audio Production Techniques: Studio”

Course Title: Audio & Music Production Tutor’s Name: Gerard Gormley

Student’s Name: Alexandros Charalampous Assignment: CW1

Introduction

The track produced for the purpose of this assignment was made to match the style and aesthetics of famous rapper and producer Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre could be considered as one of the best producers in hip hop, with various hits and who has helped some of the best hip hop artists' careers to take off. These include Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, The Game and many more. Dr. Dre's unique sound, using either clasical, or soul-based samples and compositions and strong drums has helped in order to create an impact in hip hop music, as well as a unique character that can be easily identified in the "West Coast" version of hip hop. According to a user in gearslutz.com, the main things noticed in Dr.Dre's music by the user were clarity, smack and wideness. Another source like Youtube channel BeatsbyVanityTV, claims using other references, that one mixing technique Dr.Dre uses is basically mixing in mono, as it helps translate the mix better into real-world environments without being based on stereo panning. Therefore, taking into consideration some of these references these techniques were put to the test, but must importantly, our aim was the Dr. Dre "vibe". We based our production and mix in Dr. Dre's music in the early 2000's, or to be more specific, in songs like The Game - Westside story, Dr.Dre - The Watcher and many more.

Production

The song was created using Fruity Loops 12, mixed using Pro Tools and Studio One and mastered in Studio One. The samples include various parts from The Jaggerz's song "Memoirs of the traveller" as well as James Brown Vocal saying "hey" and many more for the purpose of minor, but precise aesthetic purposes. The drums were arranged in an Akai MPK Mini MK II and the FPC plugin, as they would be arranged in an MPC as Dr. Dre used this technique in the past. The synth, subwoofer and piano sounds were provided by plugins like Nexus and Sytrus, using different packs. The production on its own could be considered a bit repeatible, however in a hip hop track the instrumental's purpose is usually to create an atmosphere, or vibe, and a rhythm, while the emphasis is given to the lyrics of the rapper. Thus, even though the song does not change massively from start to finish, it does give minor changes so that it supports the lyrics and the changes of attitude. Being creative the piano composition were very simple, but the reason the sound more complexed was because of a pitched down delay, which ended up bonding very well, giving a certain "darkness" in the end. The drums were picked from different sampled packs, with enough smack and tension in order to match Dr.Dre's tough drums. Because of the genre, the drums would be ideally digital, with enough mixing to give a slight analog feeling, creating an atmosphere close to the soulful sample, and still related to the strong kicks and snares the define hip hop. The lyrics on the other hand, were simply one big verse that was written within two hours, while the chorus was an off the top freestyle. The verses are in English, while the chorus is in Greek, and they express feelings certain skill and ability in rap itself, and that being humble is far from being unable, but even though the need to prove certain things to random people was not there, it came to a point of a exhaustion and anger about the subject, leading the lyrics to be aggressive. The samples include vocals, guitars and other instruments wich were reamped in a studio using the amp Tiny Terror Orange amp, and a Shure SM57 in order to create more space in the feeling of the track. The Vocals were recorder under tough circumstances and limitations, so the vocals were recorded in one take, and a bit silently. That created a lot of problems, but they were kept in the song nevertheless.

Mixing

Production was a bit easy compared to the mixing. A lot of techniques, skills and time were put into the track in order to create something decent out of the song, and also aiming for Dr. Dre's sound. From equalization, to compression, to consoles and mixing in mono, it was mostly about making a track with strong low end, snares with enough smack, and warm melodies for the sample. The mixing was mainly done in Studio One with a lot of organization. Stereo tracks were mixed in mono with, sometimes, different mixing between Left and Right in order to give a more detailed outcome and experience listening to it. While reading a discussion in gearslutz.com, the song was tested between stereo and mono monitoring, in order to have a nice result in different circumstances and equipment.

Drums:

For the kick, the SSLE module was used in order to give warmth, accompanied by digital and analog equalization and compression. The analog eq was also an SSLE model, in order to keep the flow. The same goes for the snare, hihat and shakers, using an SSLE console and equalization. The toms, that can be noticed in the intro of the song, had the same console and equalization, with the addition of Earth equalization to give more air into them. All of the drums had various levels of LiquidSonic's Verbsuite Classics reverb plugin.

Samples:

Four different parts of The Jaggerz's song were taken for sampling. Two were used for the intro, one for the main part of the song (main part is the one used during the verses and the end of the song), and the last one for the chorus. The samples were reamped once more, digitally. The main sample had, once more, the SSLE console and equalization, as well as a tube saturator to give more warmth. The same applies to the other sampples, with the differences in the EQ. The main sample had changes in the low-mid end at around -6 kHz, with a dicrease of -3 dB with a tight q, another decrease of -1 dB at about 5.25 kHz for the high-mid frequencies, and -3 dB at 10 kHz for the high end.

Bass:

The bass is could be considered as one of the most significant parts, when it comes to this genre of music and this producer. In my opinion, it defines tension, aggression and can completely change the attitude a song shares. That is the reason why the aim was a strong subwoofer for the mix. The mixing for the bass was done in conjuction with the kick in a way to control the mid low and low frequencies of the bass and work well with the low and mid frequencies of the kick. This time the plugin for the equalization chosen was FG-N's Brit N EQ, with boosts of 4.5 dB at 60 Hz, 12 dB at 1.6 kHz, and 13.5 dB at 3.2 kHz.

Synth and Keys:

The target for the hammond-like synth add a nice old school touch and provide the song a more melodic, funky sound. The SSLE console was once again used, with equalisation focusing on the high end on the right mix, and the high-mid end on the left, to create some sort of diversion and melody. In a way, slightly confusing the listener. Trying to provide the synth mix with an analog touch, the hollywood console emulation was used with very few modifications, but precise nevertheless. The same plugins were used for the keys, along with the FG-401 VCA compressor, with the threshold set at about -23 db, a 3:1 ratio, slighlty slower attack and faster release going 100% in the mix. After the slightly more melodic touch to the chorus, we wanted to add a twist and change of attitude for the ending of the song, so in order to achieve that kind of "darkness", reverb, delay and the low-mid end of the keys were given more emphasis as some would, mixing keys. Both the keys and synth had some level of delay and reverb, using the Verbsuite Classics plugin for the reverb, and the Repeater Vintage Modelled Delay plugin for the delay.

Vocals:

As mentioned before, the recording session for the vocals was under many difficulties and limitations, and in order to get a decent result, a lot of effort had to be made in the mixing even though the result was still not satisfying in terms of quality and aesthetics. Using the SSLE console and equalization plugins with en emphasis given in the high and high-mid frequencies, and a slight reduction in the low-mid end. The use of London Tube Saturator ofr warmth, and the FG-116 Modern Blue Edition FET compressor was an extra push to get a more decent result. Because the result was still not decent enough, with the vocals feeling a bit too empty and dead, we duplicated the vocals and pitched them down with a transpose of -1 and the tone reduce by 3, for the sake of giving an impression as if back vocals were recorded. The same effects plugins used for the keys and synth, were used for the vocals with the goal of creating a space and environment into the vocals. Still not having the ideal sound in the vocals, the idea of distortion seemed to be helpful to give a certain level of aggression. Thus, the vocals were reamped with a digital version of the 59 Tweed Lux amplifier. The gain was set to max, with changes in the middle, going from 5 to 7 and the presence from 5 to 3, living everything else balanced at 5. That was as good as it got, as a certain point was reached, in which the vocal mix was already too much and should not go further than this.

Master

Having little experience and knowledge in mastering, I started doing research, learning techniques and asking for opinions and tips from friends, The mastering took place using Studio One. The compression was set to a rate of 1.5 to 2 with auto release and an attack se between medium and fast. When it comes down to the equalization, a tight q was se at 500, with a -0.5 in frequencies were ring was noticable. Some other changes include a low cut at 40 kHz with a 12 dB shelf and a boost of 0.8. As for the limiter, 4 dB were added with a peak set to -1, having in mind that the ideal outcome that we aimed for was for commercial release. Once again, a tube saturator set at 25% was applied, giving a nice and balanced atmosphere and warmth to the master. Lastly, a tape emulator helped in giving an aesthetic boost in mid-low frequencies.

Conclusion

My personal goal was to achieve was to end up with a track that is a balance between a good hip hop mix, a good Dr. Dre-type of production, and a musical piece that can be enjoyed by many different music fans. Personally, even though the song achieved a vibe and sound close enough to some of Dr. Dre's records, the vocals devastate the whole experience. By having a normal and proper recording session, the result could be way better. With vocals and back vocals, different takes for the chorus, not only the troublesome mixing would be easier with a greater result, but the song would have more natural flow as well. Hip hop seems like an easy genre of music in terms of performance, production, mixing, even if it is or not. Whatever the case is, another problem is that music producers in this genre do not share many techniques and secrets, which was the case with me trying to find Dre's techniques as references for the track. Therefore, apart from a few techniques I managed to find, the main key to the creation of this track was my own critical listening. However, being a fan of this artist's work in music since a young age, the result was a bit easier to achieve. The samples are like a shadow of the strong kick, snare and sub bass. I think of the kick, snare and sub bass as really close to how the mix intended to be, I would prefer if they stayed on the same levels. Instead, I would prefer to experiment with different amplifiers that give a brighter outcome to the sample. Something brighter, giving more emphasis on the core of the sample, instead of adding a huge amount of reverb and delay, an amplifier that just makes the sample sound old school.

References: Online Sources: Gearslutz.com. (2018). Dr dre mixing techniques ! - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. [online] Available at: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-and-production/1110386-dr-dre-mixing-techniques.html [Accessed 16 May 2018]. Gearslutz.com. (2018). Dr Dre Still using mpc 3000 - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. [online] Available at: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-and-production/1086003-dr-dre-still-using-mpc-3000-a.html [Accessed 16 May 2018]. YouTube. (2018). The Mixing Tip I Learned from Dr. Dre. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRNiVBtrCeM [Accessed 16 May 2018]. YouTube. (2018). Discover Classic Samples Used On Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic 2001'. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enf4QVynQfk [Accessed 16 May 2018]. YouTube. (2018). Westside Story-The Game feat. 50 Cent-The Documentary. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiMC0IEym6w [Accessed 16 May 2018]. YouTube. (2018). The Watcher - Dr Dre (Chronic 2001). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLp-gOXvGrg [Accessed 16 May 2018]. This work was completed for module AP508 of my undergraduate studies in the faculty of Design, Media & Management at Buckinghamshire New University

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