Track #8

Now, on to the slow and dirge-like tune entitled "Twang Opus". The intro to this song came out of some early explorations of the new gear I acquired. The snare drum pattern was the first MIDI track I layed down, and was inspired by the orchestral percussion preset in the Cakewalk TTS-1 soft synth. The snare drum sound immediately conjured up one vivid image: Hogan's Heroes!!

This snare pattern served as a template for the rest of the song and is reflected in the bass as well as hi-hat. The guitars in the intro are the only guitar tones on the album generated within the computer itself, utilizing the Cakewalk-provided modeling software and the guitar plugged directly into the audio interface. I concluded that the Boss GT-5 provided far superior guitar tones than the modeling software, but kept these early tracks, as I liked the genuine improvised feel of the lead guitar. I was looking for a powerful and dramatic keyboard sound to go with the intro, and a de-tuned sitar with a heavy chorus ended up fitting the bill. The overall feel is a bit Indian and Middle-Eastern.

The bass tone heard throughout is MIDI generated. The guitar tones build in intensity with "Bloooz", "Oz" (a variant of Bloooz), "Cap'n Crunch", and "Main Dist". There are a few sections I would like to have punched in and fixed, however, I did not have my recording techniques down yet, and could not re-create the precise settings. Well, I suppose keeping things a bit raw and spontaneous is good as well!

The intro is then reprised and embellished with the heavy distortion tones. I think they ended up meshing quite well!! The lead guitar in the fadeout is with the Strat on pickup position 4, and includes GT-5 reverb on top of the normal Lexicon Pantheon software.

Although some people don't really "get" this song, it could serve as my requiem!! ;)