"Crash..." Update and a Bandcamp Idea

Let's spread some happiness, shall we?

Production on the “Crash, Burn, and Drown” re-creation is nearly complete. After giving up on the sub bass drop sound I was fighting with, I landed on an ARP 2600 sound from Ableton’s Daniel Miller sound pack (free, of course, for Ableton Live Intro version 9 or newer). After some creative programming, keyboard mashing, and envelope automating, the sub bass is finally complete.

The original “Crash, Burn, and Drown” Demo from 2003

In my previous post, I had mentioned re-creating the acid synth and the oscillating pads - both of those are now fully re-created and present in their proper spots throughout the song. Some completely new sounds have been introduced also. The whole track should be headed for the mixing process soon. Stay tuned for another preview post in the next few days and a full release to come in the next several weeks.

Spreading some Bandcamp Happiness

It’s a special kind of thrill to get notifications that someone has purchased my songs from Bandcamp. That thrill, combined with the Substack model being used by The Mad Records Monologue, gave me an idea: someone who has made a great song or EP or album but who has never had someone buy their music would get a huge kick out of having someone pay for their release. This would especially be true if it was someone who had never been paid for their music before.

To that end, paid subscriptions have been enabled here (PLEASE don’t stop reading yet, you don’t have the full story!). Let’s call our paid subscribers the Unappreciated Scholars (if you know, you know). Each month, any funds generated through RomHead Creative Technologies Substack paid subscriptions will be used to purchase an item on Bandcamp from someone who has had little to no paid support to date (2 or fewer purchases).

We’ll then write a post here, on RomHead Creative Technologies, about the release. It won’t be an opinionated review kind of thing, but more of an observation of the production methods and instruments used to create the song, similar to what I’ve been doing with “Crash, Burn, and Drown” posts. As I continue to learn new things, I want to be able to notice them in other work I listen to and pass along those observations to others who might also be trying to learn (or are just otherwise interested in music production).

The goal is for the first iteration of this to coincide with the returning Bandcamp Friday event. Bandcamp Friday is a day where Bandcamp waives their revenue share and pays all funds directly to the artists who have sold music on that day. There’s one on August 1, but that’s a bit too soon to generate funds and get a post written. Let’s shoot for the September 5th event.

Hold the phone - you said no subscription fees!

Ah, yes, I did say that, didn’t I? Good news - paid subscriptions will never be required to see what is posted here at RomHead Creative’s Substack. All posts will continue to remain unlocked for free subscribers to read, and this includes audio previews. However, if anyone would like to support the monthly Bandcamp post, subscribe here and your contribution will go to an artist who maybe has never been paid for their music. Let’s spark some happiness and some motivation!

As always, if you’d like to directly support Romhead Creative Technologies, the best way to do so is by making a purchase at romheadtech.bandcamp.com.

Until next time…

Steven/RomHeadTech