TonyDickinson.net

NOTES: This is a song I made for my Audio Production Seminar class for the Fall 2012 semester. The assignment was basically an audio production “scavenger hunt,” where we had to create a song with tons of really weird shit like:

-Re-amping a part of a song through a crappy speaker (0:15)
-Putting an instrument other than an organ through a Leslie cabinet simulator (2:37)
-Record a bunch of random samples and assemble them into a drum beat (1:47 – Took samples of various kitchen utensils, slamming cabinets and drawers, pots & pans, garbage disposal, can opener, etc.)
-Record an instrument doing a chord progression in reverse, and then reverse that again (2:53)
-Get a toy or thrift store item and use it in the song (0:02 – Choo choo! Wooden train whistle toy I had laying around)
-Use a non-musical instrument in your song (2:18 – Sampled a noisy ass hard drive I have around. Makes a nice E when spinning at full speed)
-Etc.

There are twenty “weird” things throughout the song. TRY AND FIND THEM ALL.

You know what the weirdest part about making this song was? I had an easier time writing music.

NOTES: This is another I song I made for my Intro to Music Apps class from my Spring 2011 semester. This time the project was to use instruments from Logic to create a song. I said SCREW THAT and took a few loops and made something on Cubase on my own gear. This song was actually written with a storyline in mind. Imagine you are Liam Neeson, once again as a CIA Operative or assassin or other guy with a super vague background that knows martial arts and shit (like he is in every movie). You are in a cliche middle eastern setting. Now listen to the song.

0:00-The scene comes into focus and you’re in a persian market. There are people selling blankets and fruits, and a little kid trying to peddle you VHS duplicates of sitcoms shown on UPN in the 90′s. You’re amused by this and go on your way WHEN…
0:48-Some henchmen from a local drug smuggling ring that you ripped off walk around the corner so…
0:56-A CHASE ENSUES! Run Liam, run! You can’t use your epic martial arts skills for some unspecified reason! Maybe because they have GUNS!
1:20-IT’S A ROOF CHASE NOW! Oh shit! Don’t look down! The buildings are only a couple stories tall and made mostly of clay and stuff, but you could really hurt your ankle!
1:36-They’ve cornered you! Use your amazing martial arts skills! They wasted all their ammo already.
1:52-MATRIX BULLET TIME MODE
2:08-You’re royally kicking their asses and the boss shows up. He just kinda came out of nowhere…he takes off his Mission: Impossible III style mask to reveal he’s actually…
2:24-MICHAEL C. HALL! JESUS CHRIST!
2:40 and beyond-The ending…is UP TO YOU

It doesn’t even matter if you like Liam Neeson. Imagine yourself as Daniel Craig, Matt Damon, Jason Statham, Keanu Reeves circa 1999 (well, maybe that’s pushing it)…doesn’t make a difference. You’re a hollywood badass who kicks ass, takes names, and knows 47 different ways to kill a man with an ironing board.

NOTES: What if you had a warning telling you when you were about to die? What if you knew how much time you had before you die? What if it was 8.5 seconds? I know what I would do. Hopefully, I would be in a very crowded public place, like a bus or in a school. Then, from out of nowhere, I’d have this sound start blaring at ear-deafening levels. I would shriek at the top of my lungs and thrash around, right before I burst into a blaze of flaming glory and set at least 15 people on fire.

POSTED June 26th, 2008

NOTES: This was originally written by my Candian friend, Mike Morgado. I took the little bit he wrote and made it METUHL. Unfortunately, Mike dissapeared off of the face of the earth and I haven’t talked to him in well over a year. He is missing and presumed dead. This song also features another one of my only vocal performances! This one’s for you, you damn Candian. Talk to me when you finally get your MSN working again.

POSTED June 26th, 2008

NOTES: This song was written for an online forum guitar solo competition. Being that the forum was on a Metal board, I wanted to write a backing track that would force the participants to venture outside their comfort zones a little bit. Almost all of the backing tracks that had been in competitions in the past were the same crappy blues-shred tracks. This one is much, much different. I will be expanding upon this a little more so there will be lead melodies instead of it sounding like just a backing track.