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Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 09 2008, 20:23 I really liked Harbinger a lot on Music of the Spheres and I thought it really deserved a remix/beat.  So, I added one.  I've also remixed it slightly to accommodate the beat better.  As a side note about this track, I tried to keep the essence of the song while giving it a house beat, so I didn't go wild cutting it up.  BTW, This is not an extended remix.. so it's about the same length as the original song. It's called Harbinger (Spherical Mix).  Let me know what you think.  Enjoy. Harbinger (Spherical Mix) Back to top

Harmono Group: Members Posts: 759 Joined: May 2005 Posted: Aug. 10 2008, 12:47 Hello Commorancy, I've wanted to hear Music of the Spheres mixed with drums and electronics ever since I first heard the Spheres single. The beat in your mix is perhaps a bit too 'wacky' for my taste, nevertheless, I like the way it doubles the tempo, a simple but interesting idea. Welcome to the forums. Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 10 2008, 16:07 Quote (Harmono @ Aug. 10 2008, 12:47) Hello Commorancy, I've wanted to hear Music of the Spheres mixed with drums and electronics ever since I first heard the Spheres single. The beat in your mix is perhaps a bit too 'wacky' for my taste, nevertheless, I like the way it doubles the tempo, a simple but interesting idea. Welcome to the forums. As I said in my previous post, this is a 'House' beat.  House, by nature has a fairly hefty and fast beat.  Note that I just uploaded a slightly modified version with more continugous drums.  So, check it out again, but the overall beat has not changed much. However, note that most of Harbinger appears to run at 150BPM which is fairly fast by rock musical standards, until the very end where Mike slows the tempo down.  But, 150BPM doesn't sound fast symphonically when you're drawing the notes out.  I could probably half that speed with the beat (around 75BPM).  But, it would probably be too slow to sound right for House.  Keep in mind that 80-90BPM is considered 'slow' by rock standards.  So, the only other option is to slow down the tempo of the whole track which I was trying to avoid. As an aside, 150BPM is a tempo that only really lends itself to Techno, House and other dance beats.  You can't really come up with a traditional rock beat that sounds correct that fast (or that slow).  So, this is the reason I decided to go with a house beat once I determined the tempo of Harbinger. Thanks for your comment. Back to top

Harmono Group: Members Posts: 759 Joined: May 2005 Posted: Aug. 10 2008, 18:27 Quote (commorancy @ Aug. 10 2008, 22:07) But, 150BPM doesn't sound fast symphonically when you're drawing the notes out. It doesn't sound fast in Harbinger because there aren't really any 16th notes. Adding those faster 16ths gives the track a totally new character and twice as fast feel (without having to tamper with the original tempo) and that's what I like about your mix. Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 10 2008, 18:40 Quote (Harmono @ Aug. 10 2008, 18:27) It doesn't sound fast in Harbinger because there aren't really any 16th notes. Adding those faster 16ths gives the track a totally new character and twice as fast feel (without having to tamper with the original tempo) and that's what I like about your mix. I just released another mix called the Pi Mix.  This one is of the Hip-Hop/Rap flavor.. it uses a 75BPM beat (much slower).  This speed works much more nicely for a Hip-Hop beat. As far as your comment about the original Harbinger track, there are some 16th notes, but not enough strung together to make it feel that fast.  But, when you add a beat, you can hear them. Harbinger (Pi Mix) Back to top

Harmono Group: Members Posts: 759 Joined: May 2005 Posted: Aug. 10 2008, 19:07 That's a nice beat but personally I liked the faster one better. Ice-T actually made a track where he ripped-off Tubular Bells (maybe you've heard it), yours is better but there's just something about Mike's music in general that doesn't go together well with hip-hop or rap. He's not really much of a gangsta. (thank gawd). More MotS mixes would be nice. Back to top

Tati The Sentinel Group: Members Posts: 3360 Joined: Feb. 2002 Posted: Aug. 11 2008, 10:11 The beat used on the mixes isn't my cup of tea,it doesn't work with a tune based on a strong melody like Harbringer. Personally I can imagine it more ambient or trance,to work better as a whole. -------------- "But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014 "I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011 Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 11 2008, 11:40 Quote (Tati The Sentinel @ Aug. 11 2008, 10:11) Personally I can imagine it more ambient or trance,to work better as a whole. I'm not sure an ambient beat would work on this.  As you said, the melody is already strong and ambient.  Adding an ambient beat would be close to not adding a beat at all.  It would just get lost.  So, I can't readily hear that beat working or being effective.   A trance beat might work, but again, it's a beat that will have to work at 150BPM unless the track is slowed.  Trance wouldn't work at 75BPM and still be trance.  BTW, trance usually relies heavily on synths and electronica to pull off the beat.  So, you'd probably need some synth work (or possibly even completely redo Harbinger as synth) to make the trance work.  Even after that, it still may not work.  That said, I'm not into trance, goa or IDM.  So, if you have something in your mind, you're welcome to give it a try and share. Personally, I think the House beat works the best as it's, by far, the strongest beat that fits the 150BPM.  But, that beat effectively turns the track into a dance mix.  Which is effectively what that one is supposed to be.  The Pi mix was more just done on a whim. If you're simply trying to preserve the sound of the original track, then why put a beat on at all?  You've already got the original track from Mike.  The point to any remix is to change it up.  To let you experience the track in a whole new way.  There are plenty of remix tools out there, so you're free to create your own mix and share it with us. Thanks for the comments. Back to top

Sweetpea Group: Members Posts: 1476 Joined: April 2007 Posted: Aug. 11 2008, 14:36 I've always been intrigued with the thought of MOTS getting an electronic treatment. Your mix, commorancy, has opened my eyes a bit more to the possibilities. I like how you've kept the original music mostly intact - the combination of orchestra and electronica appeals to me. I'm also intrigued by Tati's idea of using ambient or trance. Would that be more subtle in beat? I think MOTS would be quite versatile to many sorts of styles and treatments. Then again, redoing MOTS in synth - as commorancy suggested - is an exciting thought, too. -------------- "I'm no physicist, but technically couldn't Mike both be with the horse and be flying through space at the same time? (On account of the earth's orbit around the Sun and all that). So it seems he never had to make the choice after all. I bet he's kicking himself now." - clotty Back to top

BlueTape Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: Dec. 2000 Posted: Aug. 12 2008, 15:19 Thought I'd join this topic and add my "different" version to it mots_mix it has various themes that seem to go well with new strings etc Just dont be afraid to cut up a track, its a good way to be creative - the track i did was only for messing about so there is mistakes but its only for fun! enjoy -------------- my music website www.bluetape.co.uk Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 12 2008, 16:51 Quote (BlueTape @ Aug. 12 2008, 15:19) Just dont be afraid to cut up a track, its a good way to be creative - the track i did was only for messing about so there is mistakes but its only for fun! I'm working on a more 'cut up' version that I will release shortly.  For my first mix, I wanted to retain as much of the original track as I could.  The next mix I had planned was one that would cut it up and be more 'creative', let's say.  It probably won't preserve much of the original track and I may throw in things from other MOTS tracks. When I get it done, I'll post it here. Thanks. Back to top

BlueTape Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: Dec. 2000 Posted: Aug. 12 2008, 17:45 look forward to hearing when ready -------------- my music website www.bluetape.co.uk Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 18 2008, 02:46 Quote (BlueTape @ Aug. 12 2008, 17:45) look forward to hearing when ready Here's the latest mix.  This is a combination Electronic + Symphonic.   There's no real beat to it.  The beat is left up to Mike's melody and the synths.  There's still a little I'd like to do to it.  It's called: Harbinger (Radius Mix) or Harbinger (Radius Mix) Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Aug. 18 2008, 19:49 @ commorancy, sorry for expressing my opinions here in such a frank and impassioned way, but I think that your Radius Mix of Harbinger is quite bad, because techno/house-sounding synths sound to me very much out of place in a track such as Harbinger. In contrast, however, I think that the first mix you posted here (Spherical Mix) is very, very, very good - and the reason why it's so good is IMHO because you didn't change anything in the structure and in the instrumentation of the track, you just added a (very powerful) beat and some samples - very good ones as well. So, if you wish to cut up & re-build the tracks, that's fine by me. Just don't add other instruments. @ BlueTape: your "MotS Mix" is excellent as well, congrats. That's exactly the sort of "creative cutting-up" that I had in mind... EDIT @ BlueTape: hey, but isn't that one of the themes from Taurus I (and II - "The Deep, Deep Sound") playing in the background, starting from 0:54 and 2:05? That's the sort of musical devices that Mike himself used to surprise us!! As I said above: excellent. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Aug. 18 2008, 20:47 Quote (Ugo @ Aug. 18 2008, 19:49) @ commorancy, sorry for expressing my opinions here in such a frank and impassioned way, but I think that your Radius Mix of Harbinger is quite bad, because techno/house-sounding synths sound to me very much out of place in a track such as Harbinger. You are quite entitled to your opinion and I do respect that.  However, my point with Radius mix was to skirt the edge of Harbinger and partly redo it with synths.  So, in essence, at once it is remix and a redux.  Some people here wanted to hear a synth mix, but perhaps you don't.  I don't personally think it's 'quite bad' more than simply being different.  It is most definitely different and perhaps not what you expect.  And, at least, it evoked a reaction from you.  But, as I've said, it isn't intended to BE Harbinger. Again, I say, if you want to listen to Harbinger, it's already there for you to listen to as Mike intended.  There's no point in me redoing Harbinger over again because it's been done already by Mike.  A remix is taking an existing work and adding to, modifying or producing a work inspired by it.  That's what Radius Mix is, partly inspired, partly redux and partly a remix.  Even though it is different, there's nothing that says you have to like it. The first two mixes I did were simply intended to take Harbinger and add a beat, but not to recompose it. The Radius mix was intended to be cut up and partly recomposed. Thanks. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Aug. 19 2008, 19:28 In my post above, I wasn't really criticizing the addition of synths in itself - I was criticizing their sound. BlueTape also added synths to his remix of Harbinger, but the way they sound in that remix is, IMHO, more consistent with the overall 'feel' of the original track. What I don't like in Radius Mix is the fact that the synth sounds collide with the sonic ambiance of Harbinger. @ commorancy, if your aim was to create a sonic collision, well, I don't really have anything to say about it. Other people in here may enjoy it much more than me, I'm not even remotely trying to impose my feelings on them. *nitpicker mode on* The word redux does not mean "re-done". It means "brough back". We have a similar word in Italian, réduce, which means "someone returning home from a war". *nitpicker mode off* -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

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