Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Modulator section is beginning to grow. I just added the first sample track and plan on adding some "before and after" tracks, including some pieces showing the process quite a bit along the way.
This should get more and more interesting as I add stuff of my own, in addition to new stuff from the other collaborators. Alex Machacek's version "24 Tales" is coming out the same day as Modulator: May 18. Mike Keneally's is on his way, as well as John Czaikovski's and Marco Minnemann's.
This new excerpt is the final track of the disc, entitled "Hymn." Like much of the recording process, I hadn't the faintest idea what Marco was doing. In general with this recording, I either decided to "not find out" what was going on or I decided to discover the inner movings of the clockwork. With this finale, I started out trying to just go with what felt right to me, without engaging my intellect to decipher Marco's part. That didn't work. Then I made a good effort to decode the rhythms. That didn't work either. So I made the call to him and he explained it to me.
Aside from the explosive bars, the main rhythm is alternating bars of 4/4 and 9/8! Doh! Why didn't I think of that? Well, because I am not Marco and I was born in a different Galaxy from him.
I can't say where I came up with the idea of using the extensive amount of orchestra for this piece. It just seemed like something that I hadn't done on the record yet, and...hey, why not go for it. I was very surprised how great it sounded right from the beginning. Though it took about a month of tweaking to get all the elements balanced just right with the drums and with the Warr Guitar parts.
More to follow....
