Since SEB 199 was released, producers were allowed to return to a more “classic” style, one that was more akin to one of the previous Para “Booms” (don’t ask me which; I know very little about the Parapara world). Since then, we’ve seen what I would say is a great improvement over the sounds of previous SEB installments, and some great music that I for one am willing to hear more of. (No, I’m not just saying this because I was in one such installment; SEB 201 would’ve been one of my favorites regardless. Neverending Love is on my miiind~) I think 7A should at least be given her dues for taking SEB in a positive direction.

And even if not for that, we should be very excited that there are new releases to speak of. SEB could have ended on 200, a nice round number. Instead, we see more releases, with the plans of releasing in new locations. We see releases on international iTunes, continuing steps in the right direction (hopefully these steps are part of a journey whose end includeds international SEB releases as a whole).

Even if not for that, we have the same producers still in the game. Dave Rodgers recently alerted 7A that he will be starting a new label, Sun Fire Records. For all we knew, it could have been rock-exclusive and we could have lost one of the greatest Eurobeat minds of all time. Instead, we have a fresh new approach from a renowned producer. No, the business world of Eurobeat is NOT perfect right now, but it’s in pretty decent shape and I see few signs of it going otherwise.

This is, of course, nitpicking for trees inside of a larger, still-lush forest; the fact that Eurobeat is still being made by ANYone is a true sign of its joy. Anyone can make dance music, only slightly fewer could make Italo/”Euro”. We have a steadily increasing base of fans and fan-producers coming in (doujin circles and fans eager to contribute to the Eurobeat world), in a genre that is truly unique. Sure, you can have any song with a dance beat, and you could set it to 150+ bpm, but would it be Eurobeat? “Max 300″ from Dance Dance Revolution is technically 150 BPM (it’s the stepchart that’s at 300), but I would argue that it is not, in fact, Eurobeat. No, Eurobeat is something more coherent, more sublime. I’ve yet to hear similar synth brass, “upstroke” stabs, the same ‘woody’ bass fused in any other dance genre. Sure, some forms of J-Pop use them, but that’s usually within the knowledge that they’re taking their cue from Eurobeat first. Sure, you can get an “upstroke” beat anywhere, but… no other genre can execute it in quite the same way. No other genre has the same sense of humor, the same compositional ardence, the same feeling on any level. It’s NOT the most adaptive genre for remakes of other songs, a theory I’ve tested a few times. But, isn’t that just a sign of how truly unique the genre is? It contains such similar elements, but we get such a new result from them.

I have this odd joy of relating Eurobeat producers/composers with bakers; they take ingredients (in most cases the same KINDS of ingredients— flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, etc.— but the ingredients themselves differ from the other labels) and create new audio “cookies”, if you will, that taste so different from other baked goods anywhere else. Anyone can make an audio “cookie”; few could make a sugar-topped, juuust-chewy-enough Hi-NRG Attack cookie.

It’s not all flowers and butterflies, I’m aware of this. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any, either; ours is a genre that has stood the test of time in more than one way. It could have lasted for 10 years (long for any genre) and faded out. Shoot, it could’ve done that for 20 (the genre is approximately as old as I am… go figure). No, what Eurobeat has that any high-caliber fandom has, is a fanbase that contributes back to it. Take any big franchise or successful book, or even a famous painting, and chances are you’ll find people creating new things from that work or world, testing their creativity parallel to the original creator’s. That’s why you find writings on Shakespeare’s plays, explorations of art 300+ years old, entirely new games based off existing ones (from Mario to Touhou). Eurobeat thrives on such a system, as well.

What a genre we’ve got, ladies and gentlemen. I raise a toast to Eurobeat, a genre that has lasted so long and still continues— may it continue to strike inspiration and joy, perhaps even a little laughter sometimes, into the hearts of many as it has for years.

Cheers.

This album contains some old-school favorites from the previous release/5 song sampler on iTunes, as well as some new releases and revamps! Also included is “Magnetic Love”, a non-Eurobeat tune on which I collab’d with friend and acoustic guitar player Cameron Miller!

http://odysseymusic.bandcamp.com/

*ahem*…

I think people who want to hear music should hear good music. However, I also think that artists, writers, producers and publishers should be compensated for their work. So, the big thing is this: How can both sides be satisfied? Once a generation is used to getting something for free, it’s hard to say to them, “you really should pay for that”. Who’s holding them responsible?

There are those who will pirate because it is there to be pirated; I know people like this offline. These people… I can do nothing about.
Then there are those who will pirate because they may not have options in their area to buy it. The solution, here, is to tap into the (increasing) options to buy the album on places like Musico, iTunes Japan (as posted in a local guide), etc. It’s a little daunting (Musico’s kinda scary for me!), but there are guides out there that will guide you through the process. After all, the prices are usually close to 1 USD per track… slightly above pocket change each one. (My bank is totally compliant with every international purchase I’ve made for individual tracks, it’s a thing of beauty really.)

Some may be ready to present the “quality” argument to me at this point; to this, I say… unfortunately, until options increase, there’s little that can be done about that. Yes, many of the purchase options are not perfect audio quality, and rips from the CD really do sound pristine. Well, what then? Why steal from the creators and artists for a decision the stores have made? I suppose it becomes, on an ethical level, a battle between quality and price— if you really want that high-quality sound so strongly, it really does work better to buy the album. Yes, it’s a great deal pricier than track-by-track, but… that is no fault of the creators. Alternatively, if you’re drawn more to the song of it than the audio quality of it, purchasing track-by-track isn’t so bad after all. The question is this: “How badly do you want the song, vs. how badly do you want it in HQ”? If you’re truly wanting to hear the song very quickly, it may be more rewarding to hear it in a slightly lower quality. If you’re patient enough to save up for a higher-quality version of the track (or, better, the album as a whole), then your patience shall be rewarded.

Eurobeat music does not have some of the sources of revenue other genres have; due to a drop in popularity in contrast to rap/hip hop or electro or whathaveyou (not a bad thing— I freaking LOVE 3Oh!3 and Owl City), there are few live shows, and infinitely less merchandising (Dave Rodgers bedsheets???). The point is, the creators of Eurobeat are paid by the purchase of albums or individual tracks, and little more. There’s little radio play to speak of, an occasional club night, and that’s it. By someone not purchasing the songs, everyone involved in each track is DIRECTLY affected. Thus “exposure” does not work as well with Eurobeat; it all points back to the track and album sales. Showing someone new tracks is less likely to produce the response “Hey, this is good, where can I buy it?” as it is to produce “Hey, this is good, where can I download it?”.

I know it’s not an ideal situation for audiophiles OR for those with less money. But it should not come out of the pockets of the artists/creators, either. Not all of us drive Porsches y’know. (I’m hardly rich off this either— I’m still struggling to find scholarships to attend university next semester!!)

(…for the record, I’ve got a pretty sweet 2000 Nissan Sentra. It’s nice for a college kid like me, but hardly ‘rock star’ status.)

(…and I’d totally buy Dave Rodgers bedsheets.)

I’ll usually start by checking on Eurobeat forums that discuss upcoming/current releases, so I can see how fans liked certain songs from certain labels. (Moreso since 201, for obvious reasons~!) After that, I bust open Youtube and run a search for the most recent videos uploaded that are tagged as “Eurobeat”, so I can see (and hear!) what’s new from other creative minds… I can catch up on Touhou music circles, DJ Command, newly uploaded Parapara routines, and so on. It’s one thing to keep an eye on avex; another, to keep an eye on independents. I hold DJ Command, for instance, in about as high of regard as I do, say, Neo of ABeatC.

After this, I’ll whip out Garageband and either finish an older tune or start sketching out a new one. In most cases I have the riff and other musical parts already in my head and the lyrics come later, but the one that I’m procrastinating on right now (by blogging) has the lyrical concept first…

And that’s it, really! I say I spend less time making my own material, and more time checking on the Eurobeat world. And, for my money, I can’t imagine doing it any other way; how can you know what fans like without seeing what they’re listening to/creating themselves? It’s the sign of a successful community, no matter its focus (be it a genre, a specific movie/artist/character/etc), when its fanbase GIVES BACK to it. Think about how many Mario fan-games there are, or the sheer number of Touhou THINGS there are in the world (the amount of material that comes from fans ALONE is astonishing)! Think about any show, song, anything of that sort that has fanfiction or fan-art (in which case we must, unfortunately, consider quantity over quality). You can tell how well something is doing when its fanbase and community are not just enjoying it, but using it as a muse for their own creativity, as a catalyst for their own creations.

…of course, I’m just sensationalizing by now. But you get the point; I create Eurobeat by knowing what Eurobeat fans want/like. “When The Sun Goes Down”, while a great track in every respect (barring lead vocals :\ ), is a great deal ‘old’ in terms of what I’ve been writing lately. Perhaps the Eurobeat world will enjoy what next I have in store for them.

I am the very same Ken Blast that appears on “When The Sun Goes Down”, on track 12 on Super Eurobeat 201! Here’s hoping that you all enjoy the song, and I invite any constructive questions and criticisms you may have.
I think Newfield, Vince and Clara did fantastic jobs in their own right. I was just along for the ride, is all. P:

…more on this when I’m not looking up scholarships.

…and, no, the expletive on Nitro was not my idea. But, if it works for you, then, more power to ‘ya.

Welcome to Part 2: Kicking things up a notch! In this case we’ll be working with the Jam Packs that I have (meaning, everything but the Vocal FX Jam Pack), and working off the sounds supplied there!

OVERVIEW

So. You’ve tinkered a few times with the sounds I suggested last time and are pretty satisfied. But with the dearth of new sounds, it’s worth exploring new territory. In fact, in order to produce any amount of diverse Eurobeat works, one MUST learn to incorporate new/varying sounds. After all, not every Eurobeat song uses that synth-brass sound; most Aishu (slower, more sentimental Eurobeat) uses a rounder, more crystalline sound, and some songs use a shorter-length “clickier” brass that’s used in very quick succession (think Speedy Speed Boy or “Initial Rin” Buchigiri Ni Shite Ageru). And that’s EXCLUDING such groups as SAIFAM who will use darn near any synth sound, or Hi-NRG Attack who has used literal brass and even an accordion! Also, attentive listeners will notice that “stabs” prominent in most Eurobeat productions are difficult if not impossible to mimic in the basic GB sounds. With the new sounds in the Jam Packs this is no longer a problem. Before we go too crazy, though, we need to use the basics to…

FLESH OUT THE SOUNDBED

“Wha? Zoupzuop2, not everyone understands your music lingo.”
In layman’s terms, this means “make the song sound fuller”. If you have too many high-pitch instruments your song will sound tinny; too many bass sounds, it sounds drudgy and almost depressing. Also, too many sustained sounds makes the song seem like it “drags”, and too many quick sounds makes it sound weak (of course, these CAN be used to a composer’s advantage if taken into account). I find that the best productions have a nice mix of many layers of all of those; some mid-range sustained notes holding the basic chord structure together, with some hard-hitting bass and small trills of high-pitched strikes. Phil Spector is known for the “Wall of Sound” approach (amongst other things I won’t go into); I vary in the sense that instead of many instruments playing the same thing, my approach is many instruments playing similar/supplemental things that cover the general audio spectrum (High-Mid-Low). Given that much of this is personal approach and ‘flavor’, it’s up to you to agree and implement or prove that the opposite may be true.
Nevertheless, let’s consider some basic Eurobeat arrangements and how they can be attained with our new Jam Packs.

THE “STAB”

So many new producers don’t have this, and it really kills the Eurobeat feel if neglected! Fortunately we have a sound called “Ard Core” (hurr hurr) that we can modify to make a workable “stab” sound (a chord played on the same beats as the bass). Select the Ard Core sound, then next to the word “Manual”, click the pencil logo (I’ll refer to that step as “Modify” from here on for speed) and change the sound. I use these settings:

• MODULATION: 91
• CUTOFF: Crank it to 127.
• RESONANCE: 52
• ATTACK: 58
• DECAY: 102
• SUSTAIN: 103
• RELEASE: 51

That gives us our basic “stab” on the beats! You can already go back and fill these in for your previous tunes, or incorporate them into your new/current works. Don’t get too carried away though, we’ve just gotten started!

BEEFING UP THE DRUMS

Oh! Before I continue, if you have the “Euro Dance Kit”, start using that instead of Dance Kit. In fact, you can use that ALMOST exclusively, the sounds are MUCH more conducive to making decent-sounding Eurobeat. After all, Eurodance and Eurobeat are both descendant of the same parent genre (Italo Disco), so work with it as much as you like, unless the Dance Kit is your preference.

AISHU (*Sniff… sniff… SOB*)

Anyone who’s listened to Norma Sheffield songs at ANY point knows what Aishu is; this is quickly followed up by such names as Leslie Parrish and (arguably) Rick Castle. These songs tend to use a different setup than the traditional “BLAST ‘EM WITH ENERGY” approach. A common arrangement for this would be your basic Drum Kits, a round bass sound (try to go for one that’s not too distorted; the basic “Round Synth Bass” or Trance Bass with the echo removed works well), any sort of strings (I tend to like the Orchestra “Xtra Cello Sect Legato” a lot, it sounds a great deal like the same thing), and Berneray Chill (for the life of me I can’t seem to find the folder that contains this…) for the lead. The way I like to do things is I’ll take the Chill and pair it with a Piano, and let the sounds really ring out. Let the Chill dominate, in this case. Aishu is the closest thing to “dark beauty” you can get in Eurobeat, so let the riff really sound out, and don’t let much pollute the somber feel.

ENERGY’S OVER THE RED DEGREES~

Speedy Speed Boy! I Will Survive! My Rock is for Japan! Bratt Sinclaire really seems to like sounds like this, and we could argue that Go Gos Music’s “hit-synth” is very close to it. If you want to give this sound a try, let’s revisit our friend the Ard Core. This is a sound I’m still working out, to be honest, but what I’ve found comes close comes from Modifying Ard Core to these specs:

• MODULATION: 91
• CUTOFF: Cranked to 127
• RESONANCE: I like this high, like 114.
• ATTACK: 58
• DECAY: 28 (Remember, the sound doesn’t have much longevity of its own!)
• SUSTAIN: 17 (See above hint)
• RELEASE: 51

Remember to use this sound in really fast riff lines. Getting this sound right is a bit tricky, as it requires a certain flavor of riff, usually chord-based by default (whereas a synth-brass can be somewhat more single-note oriented).

YOU GOTTA FIGHT THEM ‘COS YOU’LL BE THE ONE

SAIFAM… they’ve put out songs I’ve loved, loathed, and both at the same time. In either case, they have some of the most distinguishable sound choices in the Eurobeat world, much like Hi-NRG Attack does. One such sound that sets them apart is this really heavy-hitting, almost distorted Bass. This sound doesn’t work in every approach, but if you want an aggressive sound with lots of speed and energy, hit this one up. (In fact, a good practice to have is to use more than one bass sound, or mix the same sound very differently each time so it sounds different. Don’t let your sounds go stale!)
For my “Saifam-esque” bass sound, I used a Digital Mono instrument and used THESE specs in the Modifier:

• TUNING: 42
• HARMONICS: 0. Zilch. Don’t touch ‘em.
• TIMBRE: 16 (BTW, for those unfamiliar with this term, Timbre— pronounced “TAHM-brr”, for reasons known only to whoever made the word up— has to do with the specific nature of the sound; I.E, why a saxophone sounds different from a trumpet or a tuba or a log of wood.)
• TIMBRE ENVELOPE: Also 16.
• DECAY: 37
• RICHNESS: 33
• DISTORTION: 3 (Could be 0, see why in just a sec)

Now hit up the Visual Equalizer and give the very extreme edges a very light boost. The reason we didn’t distort this sound is because the extreme nature of the sound as it is— with no harmonics and low numbers in other fields— gives it its own “carry”. You can apply overdrive to this sound but it’s unnecessary if you ask me.

SHAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PIT-CHA

One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of Eurobeat songs is the use of Modulation— that is, when the synth brass starts to sound “shaky”. If you don’t know what I mean, revisit the basic Synth Brass sound we made together in the first EB in GB tutorial, go under the Piano Roll/”Scissors” button, and click the dropdown that says “notes” and click “Modulation”. Play around with it (and maybe the Pitchbend too if you haven’t already).
Now that you know what modulation sounds like, let’s put it to practical use. The sound we’ve made is a bit TOO “shaky” at 127 Modulation, so instead of giving a note/set of notes a constant value of 127, I make a “ramp” in the editor that goes from 0 to 100, then cuts off.
BY THE WAY! It’s important to know this about GarageBand’s Modulation/Pitchbend editors: To make one point just beneath the other (say you wanted to make the ramp I suggested), first you draw the beginning point at 0, then the end point at 0, THEN you click above it at the value you want. This may take some VERY slight mouse movements to get the exact value you want (God forbid GB could just let it work…), but it’s worth it.

Alright, I’m over it now, brah

Alright! That’s enough out of me. Those are some of the presets I use in Garageband when I arrange/compose, and my approaches. With this info, you’ve got enough to make Eurobeat songs worthy of attention and praise!
Before I conclude, though, some of you may notice I don’t address EQUALIZATION very much, at least, not for more than one instrument, anyway. The reason I don’t address this is twofold:

1. I’m still learning how to do this myself. Some sounds in the very same instrument field (basses, synth leads, guitars) need wildly different mixing in my experience, and not all of my songs follow the “proven” methods.
2. There is no ONE, SET way to do things. ABeatC and Go Gos Music do not mix the same way as each other. A Time song is mixed very differently from a Hi-NRG song. Most songs don’t use as much reverb as SinclaireStyle songs seem to use. I could go on, but the point is, it’s up to you to experiment, make mistakes, FIX the mistakes, and create unique mixes FROM those mistakes to make something that catches our attention.

In fact, my entire personal musicianship journey, from MIDISoft Studio to Logic Studio, could be claimed to be one big collection of small mistakes that worked. Now, go out and make yours.

www.magichammermusic.com

…okay, in all honesty, it’s a project that the mastermind “RainbowDragonEyes”, known for “Dance On Fire” and “Blue Sky” from Super Euro Freak Vol. 1, has been working on. I’ve lent my writing and vocals to a couple of tunes, and the one that’s up on the page will be getting revamped vocals.

Anyway, I was asked to review Super Eurobeat 198 for Super Euro Power Hour. It wasn’t an album I liked entirely (I’m enjoying 199 MUCH more thoroughly, EVERY label performed MUCH better in that one), but I did try to review the songs in a way that was both appropriate for SEPH and the labels listening in. I realize now that I started liking “Star Heart” a little more after this review, that I was a bit rough on I’m Superstar by Futura, and that I sound really nasally and geeky through the internal Mac Mic.

If I have said anything that offends any of the creative minds behind the Eurobeat world that happened to be on SEB 198, please let me know. I stand by much of what I said (though I can be a bit exaggeratory), and would love to know if I’m just not catching enough of what happened or what’s happening.