Playtest [DIGITAL DOWNLOAD]
Playtest is my new non genre-specific concept album. Follow the story of "HOST_15/16-4", a human brain that is imprisoned, then manipulated to create a world for a new game that is being tested. All the while believing the game as reality in a dream-like state, simultaneously creating and perceiving the world they live in. When "HOST_15/16-4" is shown the reality of their existence, they attempt to take control of the player and travel to the core of the game. Here they hope to gain back their memories of human life, and exit the game. But can they ever be free again? Tracklist / more info below:
ALBUM INFO
TRACKLIST:
Chapter 1 - Loading… (7:03) CONNECTING_TO_HOST… GENERATING_ENVIRONMENT… DESIGNING_LEVELS… CREATING_CONSCIOUSNESS… LOADING…
Chapter 2 - The Game Begins (9:22) PRESS_ANY_BUTTON_TO_START
Chapter 3 - Awakened (11:44) FILE _MISSING... UNABLE_TO_LOCATE_FILE:_“HOST15/16-4”... “If this isn’t real life, then what is? Where Am I? How did I get here? Who are these mysterious creatures who brought me to this place? They speak of a different world. The real world. The portal will show me who I really am. Should I go in, and be awakened? Or go back and I will forget this ever happened. Back to being controlled. Back to the game”
Chapter 4 - New Controller (5:17) PLAYER_2_HAS_JOINED_THE_GAME. OUT_OF_BOUNDS PLEASE_TURN_BACK
Chapter 5 - Cores (11:48) THREAT_DETECTED... INITIATING FIREWALL... “I think…I’m here…at the centre of it all. Will I get my memories back? Can I even survive if I leave this world? I can hear that sound again. The voice that has been calling me. Is that…my voice? Is this a trap? Something doesn’t feel right. It’s time to find out what’s really going on here.”
CREDITS
Music written and performed by Alastair Taylor
Mixed by Alastair Taylor
Mastered by Carl Rosamond at RRS Music and Media Services
Artwork by Jonah Primo
DRUM SOUND:
Drums were initially recorded with a Zoom h4n Pro recorder. Then I loaded the audio into Superior Drummer 3’s Tracker, which picks up the transients and places them on the midi kit. Then I spent time editing the velocities of each note in SD3, mixed the midi drums and put them along side the zoom recording. This allows me to still get a real human touch (groove and feel etc) into the drum sound, but with the freedom of midi drum mixing. Most of what you hear in the mix is SD3 drums, with the real drums sitting quite low in the mix with some compression and distortion to fatten up the sound. You can tell a huge difference when I take the real drums out of the mix. I highly recommend this method if you’re not able to get decent mics etc. for your kit.
GUITARS / BASS:
Fender Telecaster
Fender Stratocaster
Chapman ML1-8 RS Rob Scallon 8 String
Sire Version 2 Fretless Marcus Miller P7 5 String Bass
GEAR USED:
DAW - Logic Pro X (Apple)
Drums - Superior Drummer 3 (Toontrack)
Guitars / Bass - Guitar Rig 5 Pro (Native Instruments)
Piano - The Grandeur (Native Instruments)
Synths - Alchemy mostly, as well as other free synths that come with Logic Pro X
Chinese Dulcimer - Yangqin (Native Instruments)
SOUND EFFECTS:
Thank you to all the contributers listed here from freesound.org. I couldn't have done it with out your excelent work.
"Alien" - Taira Komori
"Alien chatter" - JarAxe
"Alien Conversation" - JetSmith88
"alien_mutilated" - Lew_
"Alien Voice" - Nagashworshiper
"Alien x "- Jace
"Ambience_Cave_00" - LittleRobotSoun
"Audience Chatter" - kangaroovindaloo
"avalanche" - mystiscool
"Computer Glitch, Corrupted File" - Diicorp95
"creaky wood door close" - gamedog74
"Crowd Walla, Rijksmusem, Amsterdam, NL" - nebulousflynn
"Door Basement 01" - LG
"Earthquake" - anderlk
"Evil Talk" - Puniho
"Footsteps in Forest-01" - Gutek
"Glitch 1" - NickR2020
"Glitch diaries 33" - shpira
"Glitch #20" - Bryce 835
"Glitch #26" - Bryce 835
"glitchys" - gumballrimpoch
"Indian_Gungroos_Ankle_Bells_Improv" - RutgerMuller
"Instrument_clinking_shaking_tambourine" - vrodge
"Rainstick" - juskiddink
"Rainstick 39 sec" - AncientOracle
"rat noises" - BurgerBoys
"Rattle_crescendo" - Cmart94
"Rattler" - HolyGhostParty
"rockfall2a" - AlanCat
"Rocks" - Adamgryu
"Rockslide 2" - juskiddink
"Silence in the forest" - 13F_Panska_Pet
"small cellar room-tone" - Yuval
"Small River 1 - Slow - Close" - Pfannkuchn
"Tambourine (tambourine_shake.wav)" - Samulis
"Tambourine Shake, Plastic, A (H1)" - Inspector J
"Temple Cave Myts Storm" - szegvari
"walking ambience forest autumn crunchy step walking leafes-002" - EricsSoundschmiede
"Water Cave" - Klangkobold
"WHITE_NOISE-10s" - newagesoup
"Wind, Realistic, A" - InspectorJ
Other sounds / effects used:
"FEMALE HEAVY BREATHING SOUND EFFECT" - JAYS GREEN SCREEN AND SOUND EFFECTS
"Male Deep / Heavy Breathing Sound Effect" - SoundEffectsFactory
"Relax 1 min - Waterfall - Relaxing Nature Sounds" - 321 Relaxing - Meditation Relax Clips
"Relax | 5 minutes of Sand and Sea | Sounds of Nature | Sleep Sounds" - Gojo Relax
"Sci-Fi Computer Interface Sound ~ Gaming Sound Effects" - SoundEffectsFactory