One Dollar Trilogy: A stranger in these parts

And this is the third piece from the "One Dollar Trilogy".

A stranger in these parts.

This is again built with the same instrument set as the two other tracks. I saw no need to change the sound too much since all the parts of this trilogy are short (hence the cheap sounding name).

I imagined this as a sort of farewell for the nameless (these dudes never have names, their parents must have hated them) hero as he limps into the sunset boding ill omens for the next town he stumbles into.

Although this trilogy was a rush job it was great fun to write these and I think I will return to these on a later date to create more pages for this story.

Gear I used for this track:

DAWs and editors:

• Cakewalk Sonar 8.5

Samplers, instruments and effects:

• NI Kontakt 3
• Independence Free
• Kjaerhus Classic Master Limiter
• Melda Equalizer
• Sonar PerfectSpace

Libraries and impulses:

• Project SAM Brass
• VSL Horizon series Chamber Strings
• VSL Horizon series Overdrive
• VSL Horizon series Concert Guitar
• NI Kontakt 3 Library
• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion
• Ilio Origins
• Independence Free Library
• Gnomehammer Sleigh Bells

• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion impulses

One Dollar Trilogy: Bullets, bloody bullets

So, today I finished the two other parts of my "One Dollar Trilogy". The second track is titled:

Bullets, bloody bullets.

I built this one around the same palette as the first one. It's actually in the same frigging project file. This one needed to be a battle music, but I didn't want to go the normal way and raise the tempo to make it more faster paced. I kept the tempo same but used the snares to bring a military march type feel to the track. I also gave more room for the trumpet to play to give that Texas/Mexico feel so essential to Westerns.

This is clearly a tighter sounding song and it's a track I might want to extend once I have more time to do it. But for now (and for the theme of this trilogy) it is as it is.

Gear I used for this track:

DAWs and editors:

• Cakewalk Sonar 8.5

Samplers, instruments and effects:

• NI Kontakt 3
• Independence Free
• Kjaerhus Classic Master Limiter
• Melda Equalizer
• Sonar PerfectSpace

Libraries and impulses:

• Project SAM Brass
• VSL Horizon series Chamber Strings
• VSL Horizon series Overdrive
• VSL Horizon series Concert Guitar
• NI Kontakt 3 Library
• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion
• Ilio Origins
• Independence Free Library
• Gnomehammer Sleigh Bells

• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion impulses

One Dollar Trilogy: Red Creek

I received a project at work which required me to write three short western themed music bits for an awards gala. It was a rush job since I only had a few days to do everything. And to top that I didn't get the video clips the music was meant for since it was in edit at the same time. Here's the first of these tracks. I titled it:

Red Creek.

Since time was sparse I didn't even begin to create something inspired and new but started with a basic western palette of sounds: lonely primitive drums, the Mexican trumpet, the acoustic guitar. Around these I wrote a simple progression to create a foreboding mood; a waiting but driven atmosphere. The track grows as it goes along. I used a lot of other familiar elements on this one as well. The always ominous church bell is present as is the massive french horn section and the gritty distorted electric guitar.

This is not a very difficult track as it is simple in structure and melody. But I like it all the same.

Gear I used for this track:

DAWs and editors:

• Cakewalk Sonar 8.5

Samplers, instruments and effects:

• NI Kontakt 3
• Independence Free
• Kjaerhus Classic Master Limiter
• Melda Equalizer
• Sonar PerfectSpace

Libraries and impulses:

• Project SAM Brass
• VSL Horizon series Chamber Strings
• VSL Horizon series Overdrive
• VSL Horizon series Concert Guitar
• NI Kontakt 3 Library
• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion
• Ilio Origins
• Independence Free Library
• Gnomehammer Sleigh Bells

• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion impulses