Supercell ~ Atmospheric synth and piano improvisation with audio-reactive visuals
43If you enjoyed this week's video feel free to like, subscribe and leave a comment below! Also, if you would like to further support the channel with a small donation, feel free to buy me a coffee on my Ko-Fi Patron page. https://ko-fi.com/dcapoVGM
Some info about how I made this piece:
This piece was improvised entirely on the spot. All sounds and effects were decided on beforehand, and all mixing was done before I hit record.
All synth sounds are from custom patches on the Korg Minilogue XD analog synth. The piano featured in this video is a bit-crushed Garritan CFX Concert Grand VST.
I had all instruments routed through Studio One's Analog Tape delay plugin, which I set to the longest delay possible (17ish seconds). Doing so allowed me to create natural-sounding loops that flowed less rigidly. It was refreshing to have the ability to loop something naturally, without having to live on a strict time grid.
This track is not intended to be an album quality recording, but more of a live performance demo. Eventually, I'll refine my method to recording these more ambient pieces, and attempt to produce a more high fidelity sound. I think given the kind of aesthetic I'm going for, the raw and untamed sound here works decently well for now.
I designed the visuals in this piece using a program called Fragment Flow. https://www.fragmentflow.com/ I've been experimenting with live visuals through Max MSP for a long time, but only recently discovered Fragment Flow. It's a fantastic program, and I was able to produce some reasonably compelling live reactive visuals very quickly. For this particular video, I chose to composite the abstract visuals gradually over the performance footage. I think this a pretty exciting look, and I hope that it will help people lose themselves in the music a bit more. It definitely came out more psychedelic than I initially thought, but I think I enjoy the look! Hahaha!
This piece is inspired by my life-long fascination with thunderstorms. When I was a kid, I loved watching the large moving thunderstorms that passed over the Everglades, and it's something I still think about often. I could go more in-depth with how that inspired the music and visuals, but I'm hoping it speaks for itself.
These atmospheric performances have been a wonderful escape for reality for me, and if even one person enjoys this more abstract escape, it will have been worth making. I know it's a pretty big departure from what I usually showcase on this channel, but I hope you find something to enjoy from this bit of musical escapism.
If you have any sensitivity to flashing lights and colors, please take caution in viewing this video. I really don't think the flashing in this video is enough to trigger an episode in someone prone to seizures, but I would rather be safe and warn anyone who could be at risk.
This piece is a much longer than I usually post, and I know the sound of this won't be for everyone. What music really is? Hahaha! However, if this piece isn't your thing, I'll have a new VGM cover coming out late next week, so don't worry. I'm planning on having some new arrangement work completed and uploaded very soon.
I hope you are staying safe and healthy during these strange and uncertain times. The last several months have been mentally exhausting, but all things considered, we are doing well. I'm very grateful for the extra time I get to spend with my wife, and I have been studying synthesis and learning as much throughout these last couple of months.
See you guys again in the next video! Take care!
#korgminilougexd #keysteppro #analoguesynth
_________________________________________________________________
♫ "Supercell" improvised and performed by Daniel Capo
_________________________________________________________________
EQUIPMENT:
MOTU M4
Arturia Keystep Pro
Korg minilouge XD
Panasonic G7 Lumix
SOFTWARE:
DaVinci Resolve 16 Studio
Fragment Flow
Studio One 4
Garritan CFX Concert Grand VST
_________________________________________________________________
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter • • • https://twitter.com/DcapoVGM
Facebook • • • https://www.facebook.com/DcapoVGM
Instagram • • • https://www.instagram.com/DcapoVGM
SoundCloud • • •https://soundcloud.com/dcapovgm
Ko-Fi • • • https://ko-fi.com/dcapoVGM