Cliffords Piano: Virtual Instrument

 The second version of Clifford's piano, has been recorded. You can now download the updated Bitwig sampler preset. Kontakt and TX16Wx.

You may download the instruments here or support my creations on Gum Road: Purchase on Gum Road

The Bitwig preset has some extra FX for reverb and distortion. In this instance, the "tool" is plugged in there because I forgot to swap the L/R channels for low and high keys. As shown in the picture, the "right mic" is picking up the lower keys. when played, the low keys appear from the wrong side. For Kontakt, the channels are properly oriented. Edits were done in Reaper, sliced and rendered by regions.

Microphone setup within the piano

 Download: Bitwig Sampler Preset

Bitwig Multisampler & Device Macros: 
The sampler low-pass is controlled by velocity
 to give a lower tone on soft keypresses.
This compensates for the lack of many velocity layers.

 Download: Kontakt Instrument

Waveform trimming in Reaper to Kontakt sampler.
This instrument has a low-pass also modulated with velocity.
I've been studying the KSP scripting to get a basic interface
for a few FX, but that part is not quite ready.

Medieval Music Tapes Archive

Medieval Music: Tape Archives

Audio tape reels archived from the library of the Society for Old Music in the care of Clifford and Audrey Davidson. The tapes contain concerts, recitals and presentations of medieval and renaissance music, recorded between 1970 - 1980. Instrumentation includes: choir, organ, string, wind, and percussion.

A few of the tapes were in poor condition, and were processed with audio filters. Most are presented as direct digital transfer, with minimal editing. (leveling, and cutting out applause)

Captured on Akai GX-255.

Sounds Inspired by Arrival: Sample pack & Bitwig presets

Sounds Inspired by "Arrival, 2016" (originally designed by Jóhann Jóhannsson)
This project is a learning exercise, to develop deep listening and sound construction methods, based on films. A work in progress that could be updated with more content.

   

Sample Pack:

Download: "Arriving" Sound Pack

Samples of the instrument playback in WAV format.

Bitwig Piano Presets

Various piano recordings brought into Bitwig multisampler. The captured sounds were stretched and blended across all the octaves possible. Not extensively sampled set, but could work for some piano lines or textures.

• Download: "Clifford's Piano" V1
• Steinway grand piano; cover closed. Recorded very close in a muffler in small room. It sounds very soft and dull. strong for low and high keys, weaker in the middle. I plan to go back with more mics and more varied placement.
• Download: "Mall Piano"
• Bluthner grand piano; cover open. Recorded nearby with sensitive mic setting in a large open hardwood gallery. Captured after hours in the mall at night, still noises in the distance. This has brighter sound.

Sampling: Air Sounds

Sounds of Air:
Recordings of breath, wind, and air, produced with various household items.

Bitwig Presets:

• Paper Tube Flute
• Pipe Rough Air
  
• Plastic Pipe Hiss
• Plastic Pipe Puff
• Plastic Pipe Slap
• Ambient Road Noise

Sample Packs:

• PaperTube Flute Samplepack
• PipeSounds Samplepack
• WhipStick Samplepack
  
• Ambient Night Road Noise
  

Movie Inspired Sound Mix: "Rabid, 1977"

 During the Halloween season, I developed a few sounds and mixes inspired by the 1977 movie Rabid by David Cronenberg. Here are a few of the samples made in the process of watching.

Download: Rabid Textures Samplepack

D64 · 70sTextures D3B

D64 · Rabidish - Cominghome

D64 · 70s Textures D1a

Bitwig: Spring Theory

A spring reverb is a physical box with some short springs in it, a transducer, and a magnetic pickup that detects the vibrations. It can simulate a decaying reverberation based on how many springs, and the tightness of them. Typically used with guitars; sounds metallic, and echoed.

After listening to some reggae and "surf rock" style music, I became interested in creating a spring reverb in Bitwig. Here are some resulting presets that give a "springy" sound. The theory was to create a very short delay period with generous feedback. The higher resonance is cut off with a lowpass filter. the delay is inside a reverb with a small size to provide more vibration. the second version has some macro controlled parameters and a distortion at the end.

Within Bitwig there are probably many ways to create this type of device. starting with the basic delay, and reverb device.

spring theory #1:
an effects layer with 3 different tuned delays.

spring theory #2

chain with reverb and delay inside wetfx. rotary at the end to give channel variation.

spring theory #3

nearly the same as above, but with macros to control parameters and a distortion on the end.

• Download: Spring Reverb with Macros
  
• Download: Spring Reverb 02
• Download: Spring Reverb 03