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  • Winds of Time (Symphony No.1) by Hetoreyn

    Hey Folks,

    Had this album sitting around for quite a long time. Actually finished it back in late 2010 but was pursuing record labels hoping to get it published. Sadly there were no takers so I decided to release it anyways. You can listen to demos and buy the album (CD version coming very soon) from CD Baby or iTunes. The iTunes music store has 1min 30 second demo clips.

    Here's the links:

    http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/winds-of-time-symphony-no.-1/id516175143

    Or

    http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hetoreyn6

    This album was made with 98% VSL. Mostly instruments from the Vienna Special Edition, but also featuring download instruments: Epic Horns, Trumpet in Bb, Flute 1, Bass Waterphone, and Soprano Choir. Also used a couple of Logic's built in synths for a few of the weirder sounds. And of course should mention that two tracks feature nature sounds from the Apple Jam packs.

    I used Logic (from version 7 to 9) to create this album. Starting with "Peace of the Storm" way back when in 2007 after a friend of mine asked me if I could put together a nice soothing track to help him sleep. And from that it grew into a full on fantasy environment album. The last piece "Dreams" was completed mid 2010 when I did the initial multitrack and moved from Logic to Pro-Tools (M-Powered 8 at the time). After a few months of agonzing over the mix I bought the Vienna Suite which help tremendously. I sat on this for a while hoping that a big record label would phone up and say "Welcome to the mens room son!", but sadly not .. and so I reopened the sessions in Pro-Tools 9 (Mbox 3 Pro), and began my final attempt at the mix having lots of fun with VSL's Hybrid reverb.

    And bingo .. it's now done and out there for all to appreciate. Had lots of nice feedback so far and most people find the album a relaxing and otherworldly experience. I'm now working on my next symphonic adventure project and also a cybergothic trance project which I think will raise more that a few "WTF!!" from people :P

    Hope you enjoy .. if you do buy the album I'm extremely grateful, and I am always interested in hearing feedback and discussing comments about my work .. either spiritually or technically. There REALLY needs to be a record label for music like this. Every damn label I talked to isn't doing anything .. they're scared to even look at new work. Makes one wonder where the hell new stuff even comes from. Anyways .. enjoy.

    Hetoreyn


  • Hi Hetoreyn, long time no see or hear in the forum or iTunes, but I understand now that you were happily busy. Congratulations on this release, if you'll permit the (sounding but not intended as such) patronizing comment, I think you've come a long way through the years in this genre, and I must say from those iTunes snippets, I didn't hear the "familiar" turns of phrase or harmony of old - which were your own of course - but it seems you have expanded your musical vocabulary and scope, well done! I do have a few constructive criticisms for you, but since I haven't heard full tracks I am reluctant to offer them for I may be wrong, so I'll just stick to the outweighing positive ones.

    Perhaps VSL might entertain the thought of a record label? The Demo zone has more or less been "dead" for a few years now - except for mostly commissioned tracks. Why not? Three letters is good and fits a lot of tradition (EMI, CBS, HMV, etc.) [:)]

    You've been a Logic boy for a very long time now, what made you take the leap to Pro Tools? Or was it just for the final mix?

    Anyway, I hope you find your market soon, all the best!


  • Hey man,

    Yeah I've been pretty busy lately. Keep thinking about new topics for the podcast, but I barely have time to do what I do now :P Oh there's probably plenty one can critisize on this new album .. the mix went through quite a few re-itterations before I settled on the final. And even then I looked at some of the pieces and thought 'Wha? .. why did I do that?" .. one of the problems of writing something and then sitting on it for so long. But I'm still very happy and proud of the work I've done here. As you say, it does have an expanded musical vocabulary and I think (or hope anyways) that it shows my growth as a composer.

    And yes I think one does have to hear the tracks in their entirety in order to really hear where this takes you. The demo of Track 7 (Pixie) really does not show some of the very complex elements of this piece .. the demo only shows the slow part at the beginning. But still, you get some idea of mood and feeling of the album. Interestingly the 10th Track is available as an 'Album only" track because it exceeds the 10 min limit, though it is certainly one of the best tracks .. my personal favourite anyways.

    I decided to move from Logic to Pro-Tools after being interested in mixing with Pro-Tools. Though since then I've found that interfacing VSL in Pro-Tools is a troublesome prospect .. even with VE Pro, becuase of the 32 bit limitation of PT, which causes issues. And so I've settled on creating my pieces in Logic but mixing the mulitrack in Pro-Tools as I just personally get a better mix sound out of PT. I know it's all in how one routes signals, and I know Logic is more than capable of a good sound, but I've wrestled with it for too long .. and I find PT just gets me there quicker. I would like to work only within PT, but until the lift the 32 bit limit so I can host all the instruments I want in the instrument tracks I'm stuck in my current way of working.

    And I certainly second a VSL label. That would be awesome! Especially if some deal can be struck where our works get to enter a chart system and so new composers could actually be rated against each other, rather than against the corporate giants like Sony, Universal etc. 

    Anyways, I'm working on a new symphony for an author (Yes I FINALLY found one that wants to team up :D), and so I'm enjoying writing a new adventure which combines techniques that I've learned from doing both my "Winds of Time" project and "Tales of the Thorns". I'm hoping to have this new project .. and my new Cybergoth (Long, looooooong story) project ready by the end of this year.

    Good to hear from you Errikos, and I thank you for your kind comments.

    Hetoreyn


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    @hetoreyn said:

    And I certainly second a VSL label. That would be awesome! Especially if some deal can be struck where our works get to enter a chart system and so new composers could actually be rated against each other, rather than against the corporate giants like Sony, Universal etc. 

      I am sure a day will come when musicians will see musicians as musicians (^_^), no matter if they use their bodies to play a piano, a cello or a computer to express their musical ideas, and no matter if they do it in real real time or not. Then... maybe music lovers won't judge say Jay Bacal's version of the Rite of Spring as just a "mock-up". Then... maybe a record label that includes music in its catalog just based on its quality and the quality of its performance (irrespective of the means by which this music was produced) could be a reality. It seems a long way to me... but greater distances have been covered in just days (^_-). For sure, it'd be wonderful to see VSL or any other three letter label (^_^) breaking those prejudices.

      Congratulations for your CD and your new project!!


  • Hetoreyn, congratulations on your album! I agree totally there needs to be a label just for these musical projects.  It would be so great to have a venue that you could pool together with other like minded composers.    Good luck Hetoreyn with the album!


  • Hi William, for sure I will buy some of your work .. It's only fair seeing as you have bought two of mine :D, I hope you enjoy the experience. Please do let me know what you think when you've had the chance to listen to it all. Many thanks. I also would be interested in pooling my music with other composers.


  • Hi William,

         one of your previous posts in another thread had a link to your album on either CDBaby or eMusic (I can't remember which one). Would you share the link again as I had intended to go buy this but can't remember where to get it from. (edit: got it now, wasn't too hard to find after all!)

    Hetoreyn,

        congratulations on your fruits of your labour! I look forward to hearing the full experience also as an Easter present to myself!

    Regards,

         Tom


  •  thanks Hetoreyn and mcelvogue!  I am looking forward to listening! 


  • Hey Tom .. Thanks for buying the album, hope you enjoy it .. please do let me know what you think. And if it pleases you, I'd be very grateful for a review. Busy working at the moment on my next opus :D


  • Hi Hetoreyn,

        I will be in touch shortly as I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would be happy to provide you with a listeners perspective. I also liked the written text accompanying the work. I have to say I was so happy to hear both your "Winds of Time" and William's Romantic Symphony and it was the best easter treat I could have wished for.

    I probably spoilt myself by buying both so close together as they are so different and I really have had to seperate my listnening by hours in order to listen to each work with a fresh set of ears.

    Anyway, thanks for sharing this and best of luck with the new opus!

    As a thought, even if VSL didn't want to get into producing its own label etc (which I could totally understand), it would nice if they could provide a page whereby works produced using their sample libraries were linked in some way from their website to each of the individual composers shops/pages so that it was easier to find should people be interested in buying. I know I would be interested to hear/buy other commercial works made using the VSL libraries. Just my tuppence worth.

    Best Regards,

         Tom


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    @mcelvogue said:

    As a thought, even if VSL didn't want to get into producing its own label etc (which I could totally understand), it would nice if they could provide a page whereby works produced using their sample libraries were linked in some way from their website to each of the individual composers shops/pages so that it was easier to find should people be interested in buying. I know I would be interested to hear/buy other commercial works made using the VSL libraries. Just my tuppence worth.

       I think it's a great idea, and it shouldn't be that difficult or problematic to implement, I guess. Maybe just a corner providing a little info about composers using VSL products. I think it could be a very useful and inexpensive promotional tool for VSL, as well as for composers (and also very useful for prospective customers or even newcomers like me, who are avid to learn how to use VSL samples and tools).

       I don't know... it's just a simple, useful thing, they surely must have thought about it. They might think it could be an issue how to give a kind of "quality stamp" to their links (I guess not everybody is using VSL products by VSL's standards) or something like that, I really don't know.... just thinking "aloud". But a record label or even a community site, although very needed, is surely not a task for VSL, as you mentioned. I think we will have to wait a while until composers of virtual orchestral music have a full-fledged site, with it's own marketplace for example and things like that, like graphic artists have (renderosity.com etc.). KVR is clearly not the same. 

      Anyway, at least it would be nice if the demo zone included more info about the programmers, or even links to their sites. It would be also nice to be able to browse the demos by programmer instead of composer. I didn't even know that William in this forum was William Kersten... (^_^)


  • Hello, my dear Hetoreyn

    It also seems to be a meeting point for "oldies" here.

    So let me say: Nice to hear from you and to see that you are still in business. 

    I remember our first contacts within this forum when we tried to get good or better mixes and depths etc.... (2003? 2004?)

    Then all your podcasts... the films, the albums

    You are so a hard-working man.

    Respect!!! [^]

    I'm doing more real recordings and mastering-jobs today.

    Beside this I have some VSL-teaching-jobs from time to time.

    Further, I'm also teaching in the privat scool of my wife...(German, and Mathematics), I'm producing Websites for several customers here in my town...

    So I often can't find the time to produce music any more.

    Nevertheless, I'm happy how life is...

    Still all the best for your projects, films, albums etc., Hetoreyn

    Beat


    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • Hey Beat, Yeah long time no see! Yep I'm still doing stuff .. still learning (Guess we never stop eh!) I'm now living in Vancouver BC. Glad to hear your tutorial work is paying off, and I hope you can find the time to make your own music again sometime. I have some new projects and films coming up that I'll post on the forum when they're up.

    Stay well man!


  • Good luck with those films Hetoreyn! You don't have to respond to this publicly of course, but I do hope you are finally getting paid for your work; you deserve it!


  • hetoreyn, I got your newest and it's great.  I really admire your continuing to put out imaginative work like this.   i want to create a website that focuses on original use of the virtual orchestra on a high level.  Not just to substitue for cheap film scoring, but realizing good new music .  You are doing that, and we composers need to work together!  I was inspired by your concept of the film score of the imagination to keep going on a  project of my own, somewhat similar in being a heroic fantasy oriented suite.   I salute you as an inspiring composer and wish you the best! 


  • Hey Errikos,

    Well, it may be a while before you see me driving an Aston Martin :P .. but hopefully I'm on my way! Many thanks for your kind comments, and I also wish you success with your own projects.

    Hey William,

    Again I thank you for enjoying my music and giving me such a terrific feedback. It's very much an honour to have a composer such as yourself appreciate my humble efforts, and very nice to know that I am inspiring my fellow peers.

    I would be very interested to participate in a website, or organization that promotes us, the current generation of symphonic composers, so please feel free to email me directly if I can help out in any way. Also looking forward to hearing your work .. I will buy a few albums soon. And your new project sounds very interesting. I'll be very happy to show you my new Symphonic Adventure when it's done (Still about 10 months away from completion :P).

    Hey Tom McElvogue

    Man thanks for the awesome write up you gave me on CD baby. Really does make me float in happiness to know I hit the spot! :D


  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on