VICTORINEMUSIC.COM

2013-05-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Man of Steel music preview: More Great Stuff from Hans Zimmer
Soundtrack release date set for 6/11/13

2013-04-17T05:54:00.002-07:00

Here is the demo reel my most recent tune ("Let's Go") was featured on.
Dodd Bros. are an up an coming film group here in Richmond.
If you're in need of any film work in the RVA area - these guys are great,
and they provide high quality work.

We'll be doing some more stuff together in the future.

You can check out additional work they've done over on
their site: http://www.adoddbrosfilm.com

You can catch John Dodd on twitter at @doddjd

2013-04-08T19:52:00.001-07:00

Inspirational words from Alan Watts

I hope this message finds you well, and you find these words inspirational as I did.

2013-04-01T12:05:00.001-07:00

This piece was put together for a trailer/demo reel for an indie film production here in Richmond.
I thought this photo would be fitting because of the wild west type vibe at the end of the tune, and because we're in Richmond - the heart of the civil war.
The photo features confederate prisoners captured at the battle of Gettysburg. To me - they look kind of mad - like they're plotting their escape.

How It Was Made:
Everything tracked into Pro Tools
Drums done with BFD
-Kicks and Snares layered
-for the last section claps layered on top for a bit more byte
Guitars tracked into Protools (acoustic and electric)
-tracked direct through the Chameleon Labs 7602 mic pre
Gang vocals by yours truley through the same mic pre with an AKG C414
Percussion and FX done in Reason tracked into Pro Tools
-All patches used were standard patches that came with Reason
Mixed in Pro Tools

Photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ooocha/2947975091/

More site changes coming soon... Thanks for checking in!

If you want an email when new stuff is posted you can sign up right over there >>>

2013-03-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

FINISH STRONG

2012-12-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

One final tune for 2012.

For everyone working to finish strong
while everyone else waits to start fresh.

"All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one... characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers."

-Henry David Thoreau

Pianos/strings/sounds - Reason
Drums - BFD
Guitars - Telecaster through TopHat club royale

Mixed in ProTools

ONWARD

2012-10-30T09:49:00.004-07:00

ONWARD by victorinemusic

This song started out with just the piano lines, I had other ideas for the big sections of this piece, but couldn't quite find the right thing (being the right drums beat) to keep the energy moving at a faster pace. The mix i feel may be lacking in the low end, but time for that later. Just like the title, Onward.

Pianos, strings and crispy sounds in Reason. Drums via BFD, and guitars as always are real.
(telly ran through Top Hat Club Royale miced close with SM57, and back 3 ft with an Oktava MK-012.
SM57 through my Chameleon Labs mic pre, and Oktava through focus right mic pre on the digi - 002.

Thanks for listening,

Wake Up September

2012-09-28T12:19:00.001-07:00

Wake Up September by victorinemusic

And we're back....

It's been a while. But the journey continues...

Drums done with BFD. Everything else in Reason with the exception of some acoustic guitars.

Showing Up: Learning How to Steal like an Artist

2012-08-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

We all do it. But I never had heard quite a great description of how we are influenced
until I read this great little book by Austin Kleon, "Steal Like an Artist."

I wanted to share with you 1 great piece of advice from this book that keeps me
creating, even when I don't "Feel the Magic"

Identifying and busting out of "Impostor Syndrome"

What is this Impostor Syndrome? Well according to Austin: "The clinical definition is
a 'psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their
accomplishments' When you feel like a phony, like you're just winging it, that
you really don't have any idea what you're doing."

But Austin doesn't just leave it there, he continues: "Guess What? None of us do. Ask
anybody doing truly creative work and they'll tell you the truth: They don't know
where the good stuff comes from. They just show up, to do their thing. Every day."

That, my friend, is artistic gold:
Just show up and try.

Even if you only have 15 minutes to be
creative, wouldn't you rather say, "Yeah, I createdsomething today," even if it
was just 15 minutes, rather than not creating anything? I've come up with great stuff that
I had no idea I was going to create is small 15 minute windows, just because I made an
effort, even though it was brief, it turned out to be a great start for a new piece.

Even though I haven't posted a new piece of music since last month, I haven't stopped
creating, there just hasn't been anything that's been to a finishing point yet. Day jobs
get too busy sometimes, and "life happens" BUT I've stayed creative, and kept creating
new ideas, and a lot of them are from changing my thinking about time, and just showing
up every day, even if it's only have a few minutes.

Try it! Just commit to 15 minutes and see what happens.

Now, go start something....

Austin's site is here: http://www.austinkleon.com/

His book is really good, and worth purchasing.

2012-07-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

No Way Out by victorinemusic

Sometimes, there isn't a way out. You just have to make one.

Pianos, strings, and extras done in Reason,
Guitars in ProTools, Drums with BFD.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alatryste/78017482/

More new music coming soon.

Thanks for listening,

Have you heard of Audiodraft?

2012-07-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

I recently found audiodraft.com through a contest they were running, and fell in love with
the concept for their site. This is a great way to see how your music holds up against what
else is out there, and gives some talented unknowns a fair shot at making some cash.

It's free to join, and they have ongoing contests
where you can submit your amazing music
for projects ranging from ring tones, to video games,
trailers and more. If you win a contest
you get paid, and if not, well good practice no?
You can hear it from them directly
on this page: http://www.audiodraft.com/howitworks/

I thought I'd give it a go for one of their contests, an 8 second trailer for Tim Ferriss's
new book. The prize? $2,000. I had a lot of fun with this, and here is my 8 seconds of glory:

This contest is closed now, but They have some others up if you want to give it a go.

I think this is a really cool way for people to learn, grow and even make some cash while they do it.

That's:http://www.audiodraft.com/
On twitter too: @AudioDraft

Share this post on twitter!
http://clicktotweet.com/ 1U98g

Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack Preview

2012-06-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine found this today, sounds like another great score from Zimmer. Many references to the two previous films. These tracks were posted courtesy of Batman-news.com

The Dark Knight Rises by Batman-News.com

2012-05-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

We Made This by victorinemusic

This piece was created primarily in Reason.
After getting the initial piano parts down, I decided to add some acoustic guitars, as well as a big kick drum from BFD and some gang vocals - in Pro Tools.

I wanted to create a song that had a steady build to it, and embodied the idea of progress.

Thanks for listening.

photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/pokpok/1439750860/sizes/l/in/photostream/

April Theme

2012-04-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

APRILTHEME by victorinemusic

Ever created something only to find out that you didn't really create it?

That it was just floating around your subconscious as a distorted form of something you hear or saw somewhere else? When does something you heard or saw change from being an "Influence" on your work to being plagiarism?

We have to laugh when this happens... And I'm pretty sure that's what happened when I finished this track.... then I remembered that I had heard a melody line a little too similar to this guitar line in a movie....that movie was Moneyball.

And this is the track that i think my subconscious ripped off with out telling me:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MVJAJO/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk23

For this track I just laid down a bunch of layers of "G" on synth/pads, and a reversing piano hit that I time-stretched and copied/pasted/cross-faded for the duration of the song. Tracked acoustic with my Taylor, and it was a little too noisy..I did not spend a lot of time mixing this track down. The pianos are from Reason Pianos.

Thanks for listening.

The Distance

2012-04-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

The Distance by victorinemusic

It could be feet, yards, or miles.
It could be dollars or pennies.
It could be seconds or it could be years.

Created completely in Reason, using Reason pianos, and strings.

Thanks for listening

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sophiadphotography/5964385325/

CHASER

2012-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

CHASER by victorinemusic

This song was pretty much created to have fun with BFD. I had a totally different guitar sequence in mind, but once I had a reason drum track set up as a click, the whole feel of this tune seemed to change, and here we are.

Verse/quiet drums done in Reason
Big drums done in BFD
Piano from Reason
Guitars tracked through my Top Hat Club Royale

Thanks for Listening

Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sup3rtux/6815551396/in/photostream/

March Update

2012-03-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

11 songs in, and writing everyday. Recording ideas is where things start to slow down, which is why everything that I write is not posted, I just keep running out of time to record it, which leads to gaps in the weeks as reflected below.

It's one thing to put time into writing, and then it's a whole other thing when it comes to recording and polishing an idea there seems to be no limit on how much time one can put into a song before walking away from it. So, as life balances back out, there will be more time for recording some of these good ideas.

Thanks for listening. New music coming soon.

GETTING TO CREATIVITY: HOW DO WE CREATE?

2012-03-01T09:41:00.001-08:00

I used to think creativity was a magic event that could take place when certain stars aligned, and often sat around waiting for this "Moment" that never came. But the truth is creativity has to be pursued, just like any thing else we want out of life. And there are people out there who are consistently creative, some who's very job depends on it week in and week out.

So what happens when you're not feeling the magic? You could be waiting forever. Why wait when there are proven steps to getting creativity flowing again?

Here is a great article I found back from 2010 on fuelyourcreativity.com that has a great summary of different steps you can take to attack a creative project, especially if your drawing a blank right out of the gate. While this article is geared towards designers, the principles, and methods can easily be used in music as well.

It's like the old cliche' "When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."

So here are a few ideas for planning out your next creative endeavor:
http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/the-steps-of-creative-communication/

Article by: @chadengle

Have a method for your creativity? I would love to hear it.

Email me:victorinemusic@gmail.com
Tweet me: @davevictorine

Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/india-nepal-iran/

The Triumph

2012-02-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

THE TRIUMPH by victorinemusic

“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying.
Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day.
Do it! I say.
Whatever you want to do, do it now!
There are only so many tomorrows.”

― Michael Landon, Jr.

Recording/Writing
This song started out just as the two guitar parts. The dotted 8th note delay and lead line. This is the first piece I've completed using BFD for my drum sounds. I performed and tracked the claps and vocals into Protools. All other sounds you hear are done in Reason. Mixed in Protools.

I just finished an orchestration book which led me to add some serious layers to my orchestra sounds, I feel like this helped the texture and depth of those melodies.

Painting: "Battle of Poitiers" by Eugene Delacroix

Great Statements by Foo Fighters and Bon Iver at Grammy's Last Night

2012-02-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

If you missed the Grammys last night, you didn't miss a whole lot. But worth noting is Foo Fighters (4 Grammy's) and Bon Iver's (2 Grammy's) wins.

In case you didn't know Foo Fighters recorded their latest record completely analog in Dave's garage with producer Butch Vig. IMHO it's an amazing rock record. Dave Grohl took the opportunity to reiterate that great music comes from the heart and mind, from the "human element" not from being perfect. Check it out:

Foo Fighters mash-up performance at the end of the night with Deadmau5 was horrible, but their earlier performance of "Walk" was really good. You can watch it below:

What I love about Bon Iver's acceptance speech was his emphasis that he only began making music simply for the joy of making music.

Bon Iver was on Saturday Night Live a week ago, you can see that video here:http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/bon-iver-holocene/1383318

I felt like those were highlights worth sharing from last night...also the dudes in Band Perry kinda look like girls (see Bon Iver clip above).

If you want to see who won what or was nominated you can also go here: http://www.grammy.com/nominees

# 9

2012-02-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

#9 by victorinemusic

An instrumental of a song I'm currently working on that actually does have words.

Tracked a few layers of acoustic guitars on my Taylor 414. Piano and Tambourine done in Reason.

Thanks for listening.

Do you know how to get your music on Spotify?

2012-01-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

Just in case you thought it was impossible to get your tunes on Spotify, it's not.
You can get your tunes on Spotify, even as an un-signed artist very similar to how you
would get music on itunes, through an "Artist aggregator."

Spotify shows you here:
http://www.spotify.com/us/work-with-us/labels-and-artists/artist-aggregators/

January theme (Rough)

2012-01-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is a rough idea for a new themed piece. I hope to have some more time to develop it over the next few weeks, will post the finished product when it's ready.

Thanks for listening.

When I Get Home

2012-01-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

WHEN I GET HOME by victorinemusic

Homesick? This song might make it worse....

This song is a first collaboration between myself and Davey Brown. Me and Davey making music together goes way back. Davey wrote this fine song, and you can hear the original version on his blog here: http://ihatedaveybrown.tumblr.com/

Dave tracked the guitar, I chopped it up in Protools, and everything else you hear was done in Reason. Mixed in Protools.

Photo credit: Evan Leeson http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecstaticist/2923215931/

Thanks for listening

The Struggle

2012-01-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Struggle by victorinemusic

Why is it so hard to break away from your past and actually make your future different?
Or to even believe that you future can be different? It seems that the moment you decide a new endeavor or decision the obstacles that were hidden begin to manifest, things that we may have had no idea were even there, and the struggle to actually break past these things, and follow through on your change begins.

If you're like me, you probably already set some goals for 2012, and maybe already, even in these first few weeks of the new year, you're seeing new obstacles between you and your goals that you didn't see before.

I'm a big believer in not letting your past dictate your future. It can seem so simple from the outside, of course we don't want our past to determine our future, but in the midst of change it can become so very difficult to actually not allow this to happen.

The struggle is inevitable, but breaking through to your goals is not impossible.

Don't quit.

What This Song Means:
This song was meant to narrate this very subject. The piano melody represents us, the people attempting to make a change, any change. Once introduced the resistance builds until you can no longer hear the piano just the clash of everything attempting to stop it, but our melody of change is not dead. He returns at the end of the tune, maybe a little beat up but on the other side of all that came against him.

Recording:
This song started out with the chord progression on electric guitar (see previous post). The loop for the first 1/2 of the song was used out of Reason, and manipulated as well. Strings,piano,bass, and random sounds done in reason. Super slammed drums at the end done in BFD.

Thanks for listening.