Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

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caprenter
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Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

Just released a new track called Walk on Bandcamp.

Made with free and open source tools.
Licensed for re-use.
Free to listen/own.

A simple song that combines voice, acoustic guitar, and synth.
It's a reflection on appreciating what you have while you have it.
It's also a reminder that the changes that are coming may not lead you to what you really want, and that it's always later than you think.

Comments/feedback welcome.

Software
Ardour: http://ardour.org
Audacity: www.audacityteam.org
Lubuntu: http://lubuntu.net/
Jack: http://jackaudio.org
GIMP: www.gimp.org/

Plugins
Calf Studio Gear (http://calf-studio-gear.org)
Dragonfly Reverbs by Michael Willis and Rob vd Berg (http://github.com/michaelwillis/dragonfly-reverb)
Guitarix team (http://guitarix.org/)
Robin Gareus (http://gareus.org)
Yoshimi (http://yoshimi.sourceforge.net/)

Thanks to anyone who has ever made a linux audio plugin:
http://linux-sound.org/plugins.html
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by milo »

Wow, I really like this! You have created a brilliant mood in this recording. It is painfully nostalgic, and powerfully minimalist. The sound is very polished. Sounds like something off of a 90's alternative album. Very nice work!
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by Basslint »

Very intimate sound. Great track :D
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

Thanks @milo @Basslint Kind words.

Had a little laugh to myself about the '90's alternative album track' comment. I've got plenty of 90's alternative albums in my music collection, so while I didn't have that in mind when i set out on this track, i guess those influences just work their way into things. (You're spot on btw!)
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by jeanette_c »

This is really well recorded! Perhaps the could, possibly might, benefit from a little cut in the lower mid frequencies, and then again not. :)
Very immediate, transparent and warm! And very well sung too!
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distro: ArchLinux, DAW: Nama, MIDI sequencer: Midish
All my latest music on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rf ... 7jhC1Jnv7g
Albums, patches and Csound on http://juliencoder.de
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

Thanks @jeanette_c
"..well recorded" - it didn't feel like it at the time! Had to do many takes, quite a few punch ins and so on. The close mic technique pics up every little thing (and lots of things I didn't notice at the time), so there was a fair bit of editing going on. (But again, thank you to Ardour for making it a fun experience!)

i know what you mean about the lower mids - I find it differs depending on what I listen on - should probably get some good studio monitors! (I have some half decent head phones, and some fairly standard studio speakers. I check my mixes on in ear headphones from a phone, in the car, on the living room stereo, etc, and try to find something I'm generally happy with across those.)

Appreciate (all of ) you taking the time to listen and feedback. Thanks.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by Michael Willis »

This is lovely. Occasionally a song comes around that really hits me in the heart with some big feelings. This is one of those.

Are there really only three tracks? I heard acoustic guitar, vocal, and the Yoshimi synthesizer. As @milo put it, it is "powerfully minimalistic." Sometimes less really is more. I like how you saved the synthesizer for the second stanza that comes in at the one minute mark, it felt like it multiplied the feel of the song.

P.S. It always makes me smile when I enjoy a piece of music and then find out that the mix involves the Dragonfly plugins.

Edit: P.P.S. After listening to this a couple of times, I got out of my home office and went for a long walk around the neighborhood. I looked at the contrast between the blue sky and the snow-capped mountains off in the distance. I listened to bird songs and children playing in the school yard across the street. I thought about life and appreciated today for what it is.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

@Michael Willis Thank you so much for taking the time to write your response - and thank you so much for the Dragonfly plugins! (They are pretty much the only reverb I use, and feel like a standard/essential bit of kit)

There are only 3 tracks, exactly as you've heard. (I have the reverb on a bus, so technically 4!) The vocals and guitar are mono, the synth is stereo.
I did lots of messing about with doubling and so on, but ended up stripping it all back.

I have to give credit to my mate Stu for his suggestion of holding back on the synth and bringing it in at verse two (and dropping it out again etc). His point was to increase the impact, and when I tried it, I knew he was right!

I'm also really touched by your reaction to the sentiment in the song - your walk sounds similar to my recent walk experiences. I've been walking a lot, taking time, noticing things, talking with and listening to others. As everything starts to open up here in the UK, it's partly a call to not lose some of that connection with what matters in life, and as you say appreciate today for what it is.

As an aside I've always loved a very different song with a similar sentiment - Enjoy Yourself (It's later than you think) (I came to it via The Specials many years ago!)

Finally, I really can't thank you, and all the people involved in creating the tools to enable people like me to make music this way, enough. I hope this track is a small way of doing that.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by folderol »

A truly emphatic proof that less is sometimes a great deal more! Lovely chillout song.
The Yoshimi guy {apparently now an 'elderly'}
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

Thanks @folderol !
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by PieterPenninckx »

Very nice song, I listened to it a couple of times. The close mic and the sparse number of tracks lend itself beautifully to this intimate song. Well done!
jeanette_c wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:22 pm possibly might, benefit from a little cut in the lower mid frequencies, and then again not.
I was thinking the same: first I thought: "Wow, there's a lot of low mids in the voice" and then "But I like it!". Maybe I'm just not used to it.
caprenter wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:04 pm Had to do many takes, quite a few punch ins and so on. The close mic technique pics up every little thing (and lots of things I didn't notice at the time), so there was a fair bit of editing going on.
I think I would have tolerated some more of the little things you edited out, but it's probably just a creative choice. Anyway the end result is very nice.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by caprenter »

Thanks for taking the time to comment @PieterPenninckx, and for the kind words.

Making the vocals front and centre was definitely a leap of faith for me. In other stuff I've done I've taken out much more (or even all) of those low mids, because I'm not sure about them in the sound. While I wasn't overly conscious of them in the making of the track, I was trying to 'use the low end to keep warmth' in the final mix. It's really useful feedback, and something to focus on/bear in mind in future.

So again, thanks to you, and everyone else for their feedback. It's really valuable.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by spamatica »

Very nice song!
I like the airy build up and joyful mood.

If I would change anything, I would possibly remove a little bass from the voice or lowering it a little bit. But that is just marginal comments, it works fine as it is.
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Re: Walk - The Argent Grub (made with Ardour)

Post by GMaq »

Hi, Great work!

Can't really add to what's already been said but I agree with all of it!
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