Otto Halmén - All Roads Lead Home

[Otto Halmén]

Sounds:

• Jam Pack 4: Symphony Orchestra
  
• Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra
  
• AUMatrixReverb
  
• Luftikus
  
• DC1A2
  

No need for filters with me, all kinds of feedback is welcome.

[Aurelleah]

I really enjoyed this one, sounds like something you'd hear on a title sequence

Curious, do your VSTs have a slur articulation?

[Mattias Westlund]

Beautiful piece! I really love serene, pastoral compositions like this. I have nothing to object against on the music side, aside from that it's too short

From a technical standpoint I think it's too dry. I understand that you're going for an intimate sound, but even so that cor anglais feels close enough to poke me in the ear and I can hear every expression fade and jump between attack and release in the strings. A larger, more prominent ambience (if not an outright concert hall reverb) to help mask such details perhaps?

[Aurelleah]

(05-20-2016, 02:39 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: Beautiful piece! I really love serene, pastoral compositions like this. I have nothing to object against on the music side, aside from that it's too short

From a technical standpoint I think it's too dry. I understand that you're going for an intimate sound, but even so that cor anglais feels close enough to poke me in the ear and I can hear every expression fade and jump between attack and release in the strings. A larger, more prominent ambience (if not an outright concert hall reverb) to help mask such details perhaps?

Just to build on this, this is what I was hearing too. If, after applying reverb, some of the attacks/releases are still jumpy you can nudge the beginning of each note to start earlier so that there's less space between them the sustain portion of the sample. You dont wanna do this if you're going for stacatto notes of course, but slurs/portamentos benefit from this quite a bit

[Otto Halmén]

Thanks, guys! These are things that you typically end up being deaf to (well, at least I do) if you're at your desk for too long and your ears start getting numb, so it's nice to have them pointed out.

EDIT: I'd love me some slur articulations. Right now, it's just your average sustained samples. The upside of working without slur articulations is that you're kind of forced to make more use of higher species of counterpoint, which in itself can be a useful thing to practice.

[SineEyed]

I really like your work Otto! I'm not just saying that to get on your good side either   hehe.
No, I've actually listened to quite a few songs of yours over on YouTube (which reminds me, I need to hop over there and subscribe). 
Here's what I think: musically, I believe you've defined your own "voice" - that's to say, your personal style of writing, your creative expression is well developed enough that your music sounds like... your music. I bet I could pick out which song is yours in a double blind taste test with someone else's music. Being able to get to that point is in my opinion near/at the top of the list of things an(y) artist that takes their work even half way seriously. To develop a sound that stands apart from others is to demonstrate true artistry. Lol - that might not be what the "Industry" is looking for at the moment, but it will earn a nod from other artists. 

What I like most about what I've heard so far is that each piece seems like it successfully captured the particular mood or feeling you intended for it. I think that with a good composition, listeners can't help but to feel something inside as the music plays out. An impression is made, emotively.
A good composition has the ability to transport the listener from the physicalities of their current surroundings, to incredible places within their imagination that weren't known before. Personally, the remarks from others that I love to hear and am most proud of, are when they start describing what came to their imagination while listening to a song of mine. For me it makes me so happy - nothing really tops those compliments that weren't actually meant as compliments. Just to see a smile as they reflect on it - so friggin rewarding!! 
I recognized both of those qualities in each song of yours I heard. 
I also really enjoyed the flow of each piece - and you have a talent to impart really wonderful dynamics between the phrases. To write a dynamic transition with subtlety, from gentle to forceful and back again, it really is skillful you know that? 
Finally, and possibly what I found the most appealing, within your songs are actually heard... melodies! Does that seem like a strange thing to point out? It's strange to me. Maybe it's only my subjective taste but I feel that melodies are somewhat important to have in one's music. I've listened to a good number of others' works - songs with production values that blow any of my stuff outta the water - their sounds and samples are really amazing but, I hear no melody. I'm not sure what that's all about tbh. 

Anyway, great job creating real music! I hope for all of us that were able to continue for as long as it makes us happy to do so..

[Otto Halmén]

Thank you, SineEyed, for your incredibly warm message.

A unique composer's voice is definitely something I'm aiming for, but I'm pretty sure I've still got a long way to go.

If you think I captured particular moods or feelings with my music, I guess I'm taking steps in the right direction. My core ideas are almost always particular moods or feelings (and sometimes characters or scenes), rather than e.g. theoretically interesting musical devices.

I can totally relate to the feeling of someone else spinning their imagination to your tunes. It doesn't happen to me that often, but when it does, it's amazing. It connects you to people in a truly unique way.

As to the importance of melody: Yes! Melody is one of the fundamental aspects of music, and to me, personally, it's perhaps the most important aspect. The melody is what holds the listener's attention and delivers the emotional charge of the composition. It's like the voice of the composition as a whole. That's how I tend to perceive it, anyway.

Again, thanks!