Twelve Tone Semi and A Matter of Diplomacy

It's here, folks! Twelve Tone Semi- an association of composers, musicians, and songwriters of which I am a part of- finally has a website! Click below!

Twelve Tone Semi Home Page

Over the coming months, it will be updated and refined, but having a presence on the internet is important. The above link has some of my work, albeit not too recent. This will also change soon. This association was made possible by the ever talented Dreux Priore, who got several Berkleemusic and independent artists of all stripes to join him in a collective noble quest for glory, the creation of amazing music, and establishment of ourselves as reputable music artists.

I'm very excited about this prospect.

In other news, I had a recent online run-in with an individual who thought the Protect Chagos video I created music for was of my own making, and further assumed I was an agent, representative or advocate for the Protect Chagos campaign. This was and is not the case. I tactfully explained that I merely posted the video online so that others might so my music in action, and was not a move to show my support of Protect Chagos. The individual had opened dialogue through means of sharply worded messages. I can only presume that this might be a case of internet "butthurt," seeing as the Protect Chagos campaign was ultimately successful.

To top this all off, this was not a matter of United States politics, but of United Kingdom politics (at least, to my understanding). So basically, I had someone from across the pond attack my nonexistent views on this campaign, insisting that I "learn the history of the Chagos Islands." I responded with tact in 563 words explaining my non-position in the matter, and so far, have not received a response- which I hope means I was successful in getting my point across. And it only took me a short essay to do so!

Verbosity aside, I hope you enjoy my work and will announce more exciting things as they happen with Twelve Tone Semi.

New Song, Announcement, and More

As Warren Ellis says, "Good morning, sinners."

I've made a song, and if you care to take a listen and comment, feel free to do so.



In other news, my peers and I are forming a group, a banner we will be united under. This group will be a loose network and collaboration of individuals such as myself, and we're looking to establish ourselves as a reputable music service. This fall, a CD compilation of our work may head its way to a certain bishonen doll convention, so I will post details here when things become clearer. That said, have a great day, ladies and gentlemen.

Ceremonious Blog Post

Well, I finally got my Master Certificate in the mail. What, don't believe me?

Have at you!




To commemorate this, have some video game arrangements I did. The first is the Koopa Samba (I think it's samba, at least), an arrangement of the boss battle music from Super Mario World.



The second tune is an arrangement of "The Muse's Song," from God of War III. I haven't played the game myself, but I watched an entire walkthrough of it! Does that count? In truth, the music is one of the reasons why I like God of War in the first place.



Enjoy the tunes! If you comment, I might share a download link. Or two. If I like you.

The End is the Beginning

Well, I finally did it. I finished all of my coursework with Berklee. It's weird to have it be over after basically nine straight months of schoolwork to get here. It's quite the feeling. I should receive my Master Certificate in Orchestration for TV and Film in the flesh (or on paper, I guess) sometime in the next month or so. And this is where the fun begins.

Here's a couple things I did this semester.
Alchemy Wedding Scene (Source Music)

Alchemy Montage Scene

Waterford Crystal Factory Documentary

I honestly don't know what else to say. I'm thrilled to be where I am right now. Now I'm off to do all the projects I staved off while finishing my certificate. And to figure out how to build a website proper. Not so much looking forward to that, but it's a necessity.

I really don't know how else to close this post. I'm just very, very, happy.

Various Updates

Good evening. It's been a while since I updated here, but I suppose enough developments have transpired to warrant another posting.

First up on the docket, a song to share, with a sampled instrument courtesy of one Dave Graham. This piece uses several instruments, including percussion, strings, guitar, synthesizer, and more. However, it is Graham's sampled prepared piano instrument that offers a unique percussion texture. Take a listen!



Next on the docket is a happy development in the job world- I have finally gotten a job as an independent contractor for WeGame.com. This has thus far occupied my time for the last two weeks, as I get up at the crack o' dawn to post all news related to video games for the humble site. I am very glad to contribute, the site has a lot of potential and I truly hope WeGame succeeds.

Lastly, a monumental celebration of sorts. I am officially half-over with my final quarter at Berklee. Despite some gripes I have had in the past with it, I really can't complain. It's been a phenomenal educational experience and I am forever grateful to those who made this opportunity possible, and those who have furthered my education.

That said, may the rest of you have a happy evening.

Winter Term

So. I've just begun my new term with Berkleemusic. Well, actually, I'm three weeks in. I'm taking an Orchestration class, a Game Audio (sort of like Audio Engineering for video games) class, "Recording and Producing in the Home Studio," and "Songwriting Workshop: Writing Hit Songs." Out of the aforementioned, the one I'm enjoying most is Orchestration. My instructor, Ben Newhouse, is a very encouraging and particularly wise individual. I feel like I'm unlocking the potential of EastWest's Symphonic Orchestra. Which is fantastic.

My other classes are so-so. I am most definitely not enjoying Songwriting Workshop. I am a terrible lyric writer, and I don't have a knack for verse. So without having any previous lyric writing instruction, I'm more or less stabbing in the dark for that. On top of that, I have to sing my own lyrics (so far). And let me tell you, I am no vocalist. At all. Game Audio isn't too bad, some of the scripting stuff goes over my head, but I'm sure it will all make sense to me soon. I'm just glad I can get some insight into game audio implementation and architecture.

In other news, I worked for Grassroots Campaigns for all of three days. I discovered it wasn't my thing.

But hey, I'm $150 richer- if only to be used for subsistence.

Education, Rediscovery, Occupation

I am now moving into my sixth week of school online at Berkleemusic- which means I'm halfway done with the quarter. So far, things have been pretty interesting. I'm taking four classes this semester in order to prepare me for the Orchestration for Film and TV Certification program. I'm currently in Music Theory 1, Getting into Harmony (yes, that is the actual name of the course. Terrible, isn't it?), Desktop Music Production for Mac and Arranging 1: Rhythm Section.

Thus far, it would seem that the classes I'm breezing through are (surprisingly) Music Theory and Harmony. I imagined that both of those courses, being theory-based, would be a little more taxing. Oddly enough, I'm getting A's on the majority of my work. Desktop Music Production (hereafter referred to as DMP) and Arranging on the other hand are a little different.

DMP has me learning a totally new digital audio workstation- Reason. I'm finding that Reason seems to be more for sequencing as Logic is for recording (though I am not going to switch to Reason because I am only able to use my PLAY sample libraries with Logic). This is not to say that Reason has impeded my success in the course, but I feel like Reason's learning curve is steep. You certainly can't do a whole lot unless you really spend some time with it.

Arranging on the other hand, is the most taxing course; I have many assignments due in a week and often I will have to go back and revise my assignments for this reason or that reason. It's a lot of work in my opinion, especially since I don't normally notate music visually (in Sibelius, an equivalent to Finale), but just go ahead and sequence it in Logic. So I have to work backwards in a way. Most rewarding is the glowing reviews I've gotten from my peers in that course, and that reminds me that it isn't all for naught.

This leads me to my rediscovery of the music network GANG. I remember I'd heard of it, but I never investigated as to what it is. Sure, I have a commercial presence with iStock Audio, but perhaps GANG is an opportunity as well- it is specifically for video game audio. Hallelujah. While I don't expect to be immediately noticed, it's surely a possible avenue for future jobs.

That, then, lastly brings me to jobs in the present. I've been struggling to get a job- and I'll be honest, sometimes out of fear and sometimes out of reluctance. However, I did just send 4 applications each to 4 Apple stores in the Bay Area, and I did happen to get one to respond to me. While I am not one for putting all my eggs in a basket, I sincerely hope that this works out. I'm getting a little desperate as the bills stack up and I have but a limited non-art/music resume- I'm not incredibly marketable as a potential employee in this economy, but I have hope. Rejection and failure are often hard to deal with when searching for job- at least to me. I've sent out numerous applications and gone to outlets here and there but to no avail. Keep your fingers crossed, boys and girls. I could use a little luck.