blair’s blógado gigante

Rolling out lots of masters in the next week.  First up is a piece from 2007 that never got the proper master treatment.  Now, it’s finished.  Enjoy!

Blair Trosper (ASCAP) - The AscentR [ 1:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There were many questions about the original piece “Keeping the Peace”, specifically about the strings and Duduk.  I had more than a few people casually wonder or ask what they sounded like in more isolation.  That is, to say, a bit more prominent.

With that in mind, I began to just…”tinker” is the technical term, I think…and began to do a “backdoor” remix.  You might say I arranged the ending slightly for a reprise, bringing out the strings and the solos (both vocal and woodwind).

So, without further ado, here’s a shorter reprise of the main piece.  Enjoy!

Blair Trosper (ASCAP) - Keeping The Peace (Reprise) [ 2:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Everyone has been getting onto me, with good reason, for not posting any new music or production.  Alas, it has been almost three weeks since I moved to Houston.  I can’t exactly argue that I’m not settled in.  Plus, I’ve been working on music, believe it or not.

I now work second shift, which means I drive home around two in the morning.  I actually love it, since I’m a night owl, but the empty highways and mercury vapor lights have started to influence my mood when I do composition.  Here is one that is directly inspired from that tone.  Enjoy!

Blair Trosper (ASCAP) - The City Sleeps [ 2:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Echoplex LP (Front)

Heavily modified vocals in Melodyne, a pounding breakbeat, and speaker-bending textures and sound design.  My typical NIN remix.

Start to finish, this remix took about three weeks to take shape, and is the largest project I’ve ever worked on to date (in terms of track/bus count).  I did my usual workflow on this one: sequence the parts in Live, fix & manipulate the vocals in Melodyne, then mix, tinker, and master in Audition.

Ultimately, it came down to 42 individual tracks routed through 10 busses.  When it was “stemmed” out to let other remixers remix my remix, the smallest stem count I could get was 30, plus the vocal comp.  Suffice to say, this was an enormous project.  As usual, even with an absolute murder of Waves plug-ins, reverb sends/returns, sidechain compressors, and the overall size, Audition never flinched.  The final master was done with the L2.

Echoplex LP (Back)

If you really want to geek out, here’s a list of the stems:  synth-o-plex, fuzzy synth, bass digs, super funky bass, bass strikes down, bass stabs with echo, female soprano vocals, guitar swells, female solo vocals, piano ostenato, storm drum, hats 1, hats 2, hats 3, misc percussion 1, misc percussion 2, 18 violions and 10 violas, piano through guitar rig, cymbal splashes, cymbal crescendos, bass drum and kicks, snare 1, share 2, stomped drum kit, clean piano ender, funky guitar, piano riffs and loops, vocal comp dry, vocal comp main, vocal comp echo only, vocal comp harmony only.

That should give you a good idea how much crap is going on in this remix.  Download these FLAC files at will below, and share if you like.  Just bear in mind the Creative Commons License, which you can read at the footer of this and every page.  (You can also click the album art above for the full size for front/back, if you keep those as well).

Enjoy!

Track List:

1.  NIN – Echoplex (Grim Trigger’s Mercury Vapor Mix) [6:23, 38 MB]
2.  NIN – Echoplex (Grim Trigger’s Mercury Vapor Instrumental Mix) [6:23, 38 MB]
3.  NIN – Echoplex (Grim Trigger’s Mercury Vapor Radio Edit) [4:24, 28 MB]

The first remix I did with any amount of exposure was of NIN’s “Only”.  It’s still the longest remix I’ve done to date, clocking in at just under 11 minutes.

There is the main version and a dub version.  The dub version, until now, has never been made available to the public.  Now, after being asked to remaster both, I’m allowed and excited to offer them to the public.  There’s little in terms of “story” behind this remix beyond a dozen hours sitting in front of a wide screen monitor in 2006 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The first master back then didn’t pass the “Jeep test”, and it took a few days to get the first version finalized.

Both remasters I completed today in about 3 hours.  I’ve gotten better at mastering over the years.  (It helps to have studio monitors and no distractions.)

I have uploaded FLAC versions, and you’re welcome to download a copy for yourself via the Creative Commons License mentioned in the footer of this page.

Track Listing:

1. NIN – Only (Grim Trigger’s Halfway To Andromeda Mix) [10:48, 70 MB]
2. NIN – Only (Grim Trigger’s Halfway To Andromeda Dub Mix) [10:48, 68 MB]

A standard cue here, fresh from mastering.  Pretty simple; a garden variety “stuff is happening” type number.

You might say it’s almost procedural.  Enjoy!

Blair Trosper - Just Get It Done [ 1:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Grab it while it’s hot.

Here’s the current “preview” to my remix for NIN’s Discipline.  This is unmastered, and I’m still working on the structure.  Nevertheless, you can get a taste for the direction it’s headed (and the crazy shit I did to the vocals).

NIN - Discipline (Grim Trigger Remix Preview) [ 3:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’m glad to be done with this one.  I originally started it in October of 2008, and could never quite get the “mix” right.

B Duduk (Center)

I’ve come to learn that Eastern instruments tend to occupy the same sonic range, so when you begin to mix and match them, the mix and master can become total “mush”.  So, it wasn’t until tonight that I had patience in a mastering role to clean up some of the mess.

As with previous posts, a lot of this is inspired on the images, stories, and videos I got from friends in Iraq.  The solo instrument that you may not recognize is the Duduk.  It’s an Armenian instrument, and I employ it in music frequently.  However, unlike all my other tracks, this is a B Duduk, with a slightly more harsh and breathy sound.  I thought it could go head-to-head with the violin solo better.

The percussion consists of many layers, but the one that will likely stick out the most is the tabla ensemble, which has been run through…I can’t even remember what stack of filters…to give it that sharp, electronic sound.  Likewise, all the guitars have been run through many, many iterations of Guitar Rig to get that “distressed” sound that seems to fit in well with the overall vibe of Eastern music.

Enjoy.

Blair Trosper (ASCAP) - Keeping The Peace [ 6:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I spent most of today at the Cadillac Ranch, one of the very few unusual roadside exhibits that persist in the United States.  You can read more about what it’s all about on Wikipedia, but I enjoy the eccentricity it brings to Amarillo.

“Time Lapse One” shots 3,750 frames across three sequences.  The data dump is right around 29 gigabytes (as it was all shot RAW).

Sequence 3 being executed.

As a time lapse photographer, you have to be exacting in protocol.  You triple check everything before you leave the house and before you start a sequence.  Today, I made two huge mistakes.   The Cadillac Ranch is surrounded on all sides by dirt.  (Hint:  West Texas is windy.)  I forgot my ear-plugs, which means I will be digging out who knows what for the next few days.  Second, it never occurred to me that I would be baking in the sun for several hours, so I acquired a garden variety sun tan.

I was so focused on getting the shots right that I came home filthy and sore.  However, such is the life of the activator.  Judging by the frames I’ve been previewing, it’s going to be a spectacular sequence.  However, it will take longer than most to conform because of the sheer quantity of data.  I shot three times what I normally shoot, and After Effects already isn’t too crazy about working with RAW image sequences as it is.

Never mind the technological aspects.  I got to meet a ton of interesting people today.  In fact, the place was a traffic jam of sorts.  I grew up around here, so I like to think I have a feel for the local quirks and attractions, but I was absolutely dead wrong on the quantity of people who stop.  I guess I’ve become so used to Interstate 40 that I give little thought to how many people traverse it.  As you will see once the sequences are conformed, I’m quite certain at least 150 people came and went in the three or so hours I was there.

Though each car is thoroughly covered in spray paint etchings of names, symbols, and patterns, many people are hesitant to partake.  Some people will even ask if it’s okay to paint on the cars, not realizing that’s the whole point: it’s a public, ongoing art exhibit.  And a tad Dada to boot.

After a long day of shooting and meeting interesting people, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make some “art” of my own.  Stay tuned for those videos, they will be incredible.

Until then, I will be cleaning out my ears and being dipped into a vat of aloe vera lotion.

This post will be short and sweet. I have posted an HD time lapse video on YouTube (and made it available for download at full 1080p resolution) that I shot during the course of an entire night.

I figured I couldn’t rightly post something so beautiful without music, so I just whipped something up in 10 minutes.

Apparently you guys like it, and people have been asking me to post it separately. So, I am. Enjoy!

Blair Trosper - June Stars [ 1:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download