Disease X

[RichardT]

I've continued working on my piece about the pandemic, and I've reached a point where I've had enough! Luckily, I think it's in quite a good state and ready to share with orchestras and choirs who might play it.

I have renamed it to 'Disease X'. This was a term invented by WHO in 2018 for a pandemic caused by an unknown virus or bacterium.

Here's a link to a Soundcloud album of the mock-ups. The renders from Dorico have now been mixed in Cubase so I think it sounds much more balanced and smooth than it did. There are a few phase issues here and there, which are down to the way the music is rendered in Dorico. I've reduced them as much as I can.

https://on.soundcloud.com/EAUM1GhkG9OfzDSItE

[Arpangel]

Beautiful, I'd love to hear it performed by a string orchestra and voices.

[Drew Stephenson]

Today I have been overwhelmed with Bandcamp friday releases so this is lined up for listening over the weekend.

[Martin Walker]

Today I have been overwhelmed with Bandcamp friday releases

As have we all Drew, as have we all

[RichardT]

I wanted to share something I thought was pretty good...

I used an AI called ReCraft to generate an image for one of the tracks, 'A Local Emergency'. I asked for an image of a health worker in PPE and some Chinese police in front of the meat market in Wuhan, with a title in white at the top of the page.

Instead, the AI generated the title as a slogan above the meat market entrance. I think that captures something of the Chinese attitude at the time, and I hadn't thought of doing that at all. Is it creative or just some kind of luck? I don't know.

Here's a link to the track with the image.

https://on.soundcloud.com/xkZyNOv5nysODfV70A

[Arpangel]

I listen to a lot of contemporary classical music, some performed by those in home studios that can’t have their music played by real musicians, the music is often very good, but totally spoiled by sampled instruments, IMO, it's better to not perform it at all, than expose it like this. Or, make music that realises it's limitations, and takes advantage of those limitations.

[RichardT]

Actually, I think the strings on my tracks sound pretty good - but the voices singing Ah can get quite wearing.

I agree that a lot of stuff is rendered quite badly.

I'm not putting this on streaming services for precisely the reason you mention. It will only go on there (i.e. be properly released) if it ever gets recorded by real people.

For now, only a few people will get to hear it.

[Arpangel]

Actually, I think the strings on my tracks sound pretty good - but the voices singing Ah can get quite wearing.

I agree that a lot of stuff is rendered quite badly.

I'm not putting this on streaming services for precisely the reason you mention. It will only go on there (i.e. be properly released) if it ever gets recorded by real people.

For now, only a few people will get to hear it.

You can’t do anymore, in these circumstances, your music is fine, well, I like it! it doesn’t matter how good the samples are, there are always artefacts that stand out.
My approach is to say well, lets just not try and imitate real strings etc, lets just use something completely different, but in a way that strings would have been written.
Like strings you would here in a dream, they just are what they are.

[Folderol]

Just started listening to this - very expansive

[awjoe]

Second great listen here tonight. It's wonderful and I like it.

[RichardT]

Thanks Paul!

[RichardT]

I've uploaded new a new version of Disease X to Soundcloud. It's my work about the pandemic.

There are lots of musical improvements, and the quality of the rendering is better too.

For anyone interested, here's a link. I hope you enjoy it.

https://on.soundcloud.com/JfWHslAUyuOeFeZPyt

An amateur string group has expressed interest in performing one movement - but I've heard nothing from them in a few weeks, so maybe it didn't work out.

I'm intending to send this version out to a few more orchestras and choirs.

[amanise]

Good luck Richard! Keep going! Have you seen the documentary of the same name on iPlayer at the moment by any chance?

[RichardT]

Good luck Richard! Keep going! Have you seen the documentary of the same name on iPlayer at the moment by any chance?

Thank Adrian, I saw the title, but I haven’t seen the program.

[OneWorld]

Quite timely this seeing as that Covid Enquiry has been on, with Boris taking centre stage "Covid nothing but a little cough cough cough.......'Erm Which Way to ICU? ' "