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I loop to live. With a violin. No, really.

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Stockholm Syndrome

Muse + Ian Peaston, Violin Variations

Well, this was the day that things came together for my live-looped electric violin cover of Stockholm Syndrome by Muse! (Thank you Paris, for all the inspiration yesterday!)

I spent hours tweaking the sounds and the balance and now I can play it from start to finish — all violin, all live! Phew! :-D

Still a few tweaks to do, of course, but it looks like I’ll be performing it at the Brighton Fringe in a few weeks after all!

Tags music violin electric violin ableton live Brighton fringe muse stockholm syndrome

Bye-bye cute, now-decimated, Star Wars notebook. You’ve been a huge help! Now all remaining notes for Stockholm Syndrome will be digital. I had that weird moment yesterday that comes with any new arrangement — elation mixed with fear! The first time it works (more or less) from start to finish it’s amazing. But then you also hear all the things that don’t work. And get an idea of the thousand-or-so tweaks that are left before it sounds good. And about 900 of those tweaks you had no idea about. OK. It’s gone through two fully new versions since yesterday. Now to the next. I am in love with my captor. I have my own Stockholm Syndrome going! Time to crack it!

Bye-bye cute, now-decimated, Star Wars notebook. You’ve been a huge help!

Now all remaining notes for Stockholm Syndrome will be digital.

I had that weird moment yesterday that comes with any new arrangement — elation mixed with fear! The first time it works (more or less) from start to finish it’s amazing. But then you also hear all the things that don’t work. And get an idea of the thousand-or-so tweaks that are left before it sounds good. And about 900 of those tweaks you had no idea about.

OK. It’s gone through two fully new versions since yesterday. Now to the next. I am in love with my captor. I have my own Stockholm Syndrome going! Time to crack it!

Tags music violin muse stockholm syndrome looping Brighton fringe

So I think I managed to map out the whole of Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome tonight for live-looping electric violin via Ableton Live — where to start loops, where to turn them off, when to change sounds, when to crossfade from one section to another, when and how to bring the first loops back, etc. etc. etc. I also got some quite complex sounds programmed, which hopefully won’t sound complex at all — guitar distortions with several layers of texture as well as the bass line, on a single preset in my Guitar Rig 5 plugin. I’ll leave it for tonight, now, and see if I’m able to programme it this way tomorrow. If so, it might work in time for my Brighton Fringe gigs next month! Fingers crossed!

So I think I managed to map out the whole of Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome tonight for live-looping electric violin via Ableton Live — where to start loops, where to turn them off, when to change sounds, when to crossfade from one section to another, when and how to bring the first loops back, etc. etc. etc.

I also got some quite complex sounds programmed, which hopefully won’t sound complex at all — guitar distortions with several layers of texture as well as the bass line, on a single preset in my Guitar Rig 5 plugin.

I’ll leave it for tonight, now, and see if I’m able to programme it this way tomorrow. If so, it might work in time for my Brighton Fringe gigs next month!

Fingers crossed!

Tags music violin looping muse stockholm syndrome Ableton Brighton Fringe

Stockholm Start

Muse + Ian Peaston, Violin Variations

Ouch my ears — part 2! It’s quite dangerous to have music thumping straight into your ears at high volume. But there’s no other way for me to get this all mixed properly. I just have to take regular breaks to keep my ears alive!

Here’s a new mix of the beginning of Stockholm Syndrome by Muse for looped violin. Gradually working my way through an ever-growing list of tweaks, hopefully in time for performances at the Brighton Fringe next month.

Tags music violin looping muse stockholm syndrome Ableton Brighton Fringe

Stockholm sounds

Muse + Ian Peaston, Violin Variations

Ouch my ears! Been tweaking my violin drums the past hour for my Muse Stockholm Syndrome cover. Not balanced yet, but sounding quite good.

Tags music violin ableton electric violin