- Questions and Answers
- The Nature of the Music
- Listening Experience
- Technical Aspects
- Why Bandcamp?
- The Website: Accessibility and Validity
Questions and Answers
Q: Why are the drums so loud?
A: They may appear loud, though, if listened through laptop speakers or at low volume. Especially tracks 2 - 4 focus on bass. Listening via good speakers or headphones at appropriate volume, and enjoy :D
Q: Why are the drums so monotonous?
A: The tracks are too short to have drums competing with the bass or guitar. The monotonous beat allows the guitar and bass themes to develop during that short track length.
Q: The drum pattern is the same on track 1 and 2. Why?
A: That's right. The idea is to have a fluent transition from the intro track to the other tracks.
Q: The drums on track 1 and 2 are synthetic, right?
Q: And why are the songs so short?
A: Right. That reminded me of good old computer music. Listen to the intro of "Elvira - Mistress of the Dark" - the intro with the werewolve howl. It is short and comprises a simple drum beat. Yet, it sticks in my ears since I've heard it as a child. It still creates a tense atmosphere, and drives my imagination. I've learned: This kind of music is not about complex drum beat patterns, nor is it about song length. It is about transmitting the essence of the atmosphere through your ears right into your mind. That is what I try to achieve with Tales Beyond Reason.
Q: Can you describe the motifs in the music?
A: Yes. :D
Q: What are the motifs in "Misty Woods?"
A: The synthetic drums symbolize the progression of the events. Only guitars are used to have a rather damp sound than a blasting bass. Two clean guitars paint the picture, while a third distorted/fuzzy guitar lets the shadows lurk and creep. Regularly, all play a chord together. That's when a shadow jumps out of its hide-out. Finally, the fuzzy guitar screems out in despair.
Q: What are the motifs in "Dagon?"
A: The story is about a shipwrecked guy who finds himself on a vast muddy plane. The music sounds muddy at the beginning for that reason. Two basses are competing to sound slippy. He walks on and on until he reaches a rock. That's where he sees Dagon. That's where the guitar screems. This track is played by two basses and synthetic drums. Using bass only contrasts the first track, "Misty Woods", which contains no bass but guitars.
Q: What about "The Doom That Came to Sarnath?"
A: It begins with bubble. That symbolizes the beings of Ib. Then the men of Sarnath came to fight the beings of Ib. The warriors of Sarnath were so superior, the fight was over, soon. Consequently, this is symbolized only by a clash. Then the drums change. The bass wipes/slides; that's where the men of Sarnath capture the green idol stone; depicturing Bokrug, the water lizard. At the same time, the drum beat symbolizes the basis of the econominc rise of Sarnath; mining. Then, the bass starts to play the main theme, the theme of Sarnath; dominating, standing above all, an audible symbol of triumph. It also symbolizes the feast the men of Sarnath were clebrating regularly in memorial of the triumph over Ib, which marks the beginning of the city empire and its growth. A second bass comes into play, in a higher pitch. It is symbolizing the nobles that came to join the feast. Then, the water of the nearby sea, which was the home of the beings of Ib, rises. The waves are clashing against the wall. This is symbolized by poundings, played on guitar. The nobles, concerned of their safety, say good-bye and leave the feast. This is symbolized by the last three notes played by the second bass. The feast goes on - as does the main theme. The water rises even more, the punding is played again. Then, the bubble returns. This symbolizes the people of Sarnath turing into lizard-like creatures. The Doom That Came to Sarnath is symbolized by the long bass that follows. The drums symbolize the horror of the remaining guests which, in shock, saw the others turning into lizard-like creatures. Then, the bass fades, as does Sarnath in the tale. Finally, nothing is left, not even ruins. Therefore, the drums change to symbolize an oriental, desert-like setting. Two basses play the main theme, this time rather melancholic than dominating. It now turns out that the main theme is the theme of Bokrug; for the only thing that remains is not Sarnath nor its ruins but the idol stone of the great water lizard.
Q: What is going on in "Just a Glance?"
A: It is about a man who is sick of boredom. He is driven to find something exciting. This is symbolized by the two basses which are competing. A third fuzzy bass adds details symbolizing his research; in the field of alchemy and the supernatural. Then, he finds out about a ritual. The basses are more in synchronisation, symbolizing his straight-forward research. He wants to chime the bell. Should his search come to an end? Will he find excitement? The nervousness is symbolized by a pounding sound in the bass, depicting his heartbeat. Then he chimes the bell. Each chime is symbolized by the clean bass followed by the distorted/fuzzy bass. Then, the drums change, as he takes a glance in a world beyond reality. The bizarreness of the scene he sees is symbolized by the fuzzy bass. Then he gets excited. His heartbeat can be heard again, right until the end - as he in horror sees... well, I do not intend to spoil that much :D
Q: What is the happening in "A Dream?"
A: I made up a setting deep in a well; a well used as symbol for the source of dreams, and also related to the well in norse mythology, where the Norns are braiding the life-threads and thus the fate of men. Deep down there in the well, a glowing green light is dancing above the water surface. Around are brick walls, caverns, and corridors. That is why an echo delay is used. Now, sitting there and longing for a dream; that is the meaning of the guitar intro. As dreams are hardly created consciously, the snapping of fingers symbolizes the forces that drive the dream creation; they may be gods, Norns, parts of your own (un)conscious, whatever fits your beliefs. The snapping stirs the water surface. Dream bubbles are born from it, each of it bearing of dream motif. The two competing guitars symbolize the fragile and temporary nature of a dream motif. Once you like it, it fades away. The more you force it back, the more it alters. Finally, I realize, it is but a dream. I give in. The guitars are no longer competing, the dream ends. The following outro symbolizes the melancholy and yearning for the just lost dream.
The Nature of the Music
Tales Beyond Reason (TBR) is a brand new music project. It started in 2013 as an arts project. Soon, it became clear that the focus was set on the music. Nevertheless, care is taken to provide a sound overall package comprising descriptions, pictures, and the music. These three parts are consequently designed to lend wings to fantasy without revealing too much interpretation. The aim is to transfer the essence and atmosphere of scary moments and weird tales; the music gives the impulse, you give rein to your imagination!
The first EP - extended play, in this case, means a digital album with four to nine tracks - contains three tracks which are based on stories of Howard Phillips Lovecraft:
- Dagon,
- The Doom That Came to Sarnath, and
- Just a Glance, based on "The Bell in the Tower", by Lin Carter.
Intro and outro tracks are based on the experience of special moments:
- Misty Woods,
- A Dream.
The music may be considered as experimental / doom / indie - or whatever musical genre you like to put it into. Anyway, the music may need some time to enfold.
All tracks are kept reasonably short. They are intended to give an impulse, making the listener creating his own experience. Just like looking at a picture, or reading a story: Not everything would be described in detail. The illusion works, if it provokes the listeners own imagination to fill all the details.
In order to make the music work, TBR suggests you to take some time, and listen to the music using appropriate gear.
Back to topListening Experience
On the first EP, no compression has been used. As compression nowadays is widely used, the Tales Beyond Reason may sound unecpectedly damp and silent, at a first glance. However, once you got used to it, you may find the dynamics catchy.
CAUTION: Some tracks may appear too silent, in the beginning. Nevertheless, they are getting louder, later on. They will! So, please do not turn the volume too loud. To be on the safe side, start at reasonable, normal volume level when listening TBR for the first time. Adjust the volume when listening to the loudest part of a track, so that the sound experience is best for you. Once you have adjusted the volume, it should fit for every track, as all are mastered to reach the maximum volume.
TBR is not made to be background music. The passages within each track are quite dynamic. A sudden stroke on the bass may interrupt a nice chat. So, please do not expect TBR to be good background music, for it is not. Due to the dynamic nature, using proper audio equipment / gear is suggested. This not necessarily means expensive gear. Even on a protable MP3 player, the music may enfold - if not listened using the crappiest earphones :D Simply try out any platform (PC, tablet, smartphone, MP3 player) you like, and which enables you to listen to the music in the most comfortable way - so you can relax and let your fantasy paint the pictures to the Tales Beyond Reason.
The music makes heavy use of bass. So, MP3 may not the audio format of choice for audiophile persons, as the low-end of the audio frequency spectrum would be cut off. The preview tracks are in MP3 format at 128 audio rate in kilo bit per second (kbps). However, the release tracks are in full quality which is much higher.
Back to topTechnical Aspects
All TBR tracks are mastered reaching almost equal peaks; around -1 db full scale (FS) +/- 1 dB. In other words, each track will reach almost the maximum possible volume of the media. It is just 1-2 dB beyond technical maximum, which is left as headroom to prevent clipping when converting the music to other audio formats.
For the EP, the tracks are available as 24-bit stereo WAV at 44.100 Hz. Other formats, like FLAC, ALAC or AAC may also be offered to make it as comfortable for you to listen to the music on your target platforms of choice.
24-bit may sound like a key word to brilliant music. In fact, it exceeds the resolution of a compact disc, which is 16 bit. Some people would not be happy with 16 bit, as 24 bit enable smoother gradients. However, 24 bit itself does not guarantee full resolution sound and high dynamic range. For the EP, the high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and the dynamic range could only be reached in that quality thanks to digital recording, mixing and mastering. 24-bit output after mastering can be a nice feature - provided the previous stages, recording and mixing, have been performed at such a high level that there is a dynamic range that can make use of those 24 bits. Then, even the 16 bit of the CD may suffice to offer a great listening experience. Just trust your ears not numbers.
Dynamic range? What does that mean? elektronikinfo.de gives an impressive example: Living in a silent neighbourhood, the surrounding "noise" might be around 30 dBA. In order to hear the most silent part of the music, it would need being amplified to the same level of 30 dBA. The loudest part of a CD then would be around 130 dBA, which is equivalent to a jet aircraft. The loudest part of Tales Beyond Reason would be even louder! However, that might be hardly reasonable; not for your ears nor for your amplifier. On the first EP, the most silent parts may be the intro and outro of the fifth track; "A Dream". The main part is around +20 db RMS (root mean square) louder. That already can be a challenge for stage amplifiers, if you want to hear it loud and clean through the hall or even open air. At home, your amplifier should have no problem coping with the dynamic range at reasonable volume - unless you want to get into competition with some jet aircraft :D
Credits: Thanks to elektronikinfo.de for that impressive example!
Why Bandcamp?
Bandcamp offers the opportunity to provide music in high quality and also loss-less formats. Bonus items such as booklets for reading on-screen and printing can be provided as well. And that for a price that you can significantly name by yourself. These three points are important to me in order to provide to you a sound listening experience.
In case you run a portal that offers the same opportunities to TBR, then please feel free to send me a note via e-Mail - I would really appreciate that.
The Website: Accessibility and Validity
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