* Last Chance *

Here's another recent tune I did -- called LAST CHANCE. This is another electronica tune, and my goal was to show off alot of MIDI manipulation, as well as synth programming and filter techniques. I also wanted it to sound retro-cool, with kind of a John Carpenter "Escape From New York" vibe... this was for a demo montage, so like RAZORCHASE, I just needed to create a mood, and then I'd let it trail off.

OK Tech-addicts, here's the juice: The synth ostinato and lead bass sounds were created with a Nord Lead 3, which I ran through an Electrix Filter Factory. I did all the manipulation on the Filter Factory by hand, so I could shape the sound however I wanted. I recorded the MIDI data of my perameter tweaks, and then played the MIDI data back into the Filter Factory -- instant MIDI automation. There were multiple passes, so when I finished a layer, I'd bounce the filtered synth tracks and then reset the Nord and Filter Factory to new settings that I came up with. The drum loop is a combination of a Korg Triton loop called "Last Chance to See", some sounds from a Rave Drum Set in a Roland XV-5080, and some really hip stuff that Steve Bryant created and "loaned me" (Thanks SB -- I owe you one, dude!). Most of the wacky percussion sounds were created by running them through the Filter Factory as well. There are also two transitional sound effects from the "Transfusion" sample series. And the "slowed down voice" is actually me, speaking slowly, and then pitch-shifted and altered using the stock spectral effects in Digital Performer.

(I can't say enough good things about the Filter Factory -- in my opinion, it's really the last piece of outboard hardware that any electronic musician needs)