Extending Music

Extending sections of music is not an easy task, especially when you are trying to make it seamless. Yet, I find it engrossing. You have to zoom in to the millisecond and microsecond to cut and align, then zoom out to full swathes of seconds to test and listen for odd skips or pops. If the music skips at all, then you just haven't found the right place to splice the two sections together yet. If it pops, then that conjoining point between the two sections does not transition smoothly.

1 minute 42.2305 seconds

The section that's circled leaps suddenly in both parts. If I were to include the mp3, you'd not only hear it skip because I haven't quite aligned the first section to the 2nd, but you'd hear a pop as well because of that sudden jump. It's amazing how one tiny imperfection within a nanosecond of music can detract so much from the entirety. Truly, weaving music together in such a way is an art.

What I learned is, you want both frequencies to be as close to their center line as possible, or, failing that, splicing the two so they follow a natural trajectory from one clipped section into the next:

1 minute 17.63180 seconds

As you may have guessed, I'm doing this as part of my project for Teyr'loch Delter Pach. I've always loved the intro for Black Mages' version of "Distant Worlds," anyway, so it's a win-win for me to clip and lengthen that section of music.

From the beginning of the synthesized choral section to ~1:05 is where I've clipped. You would think it would be easy because of how drawn out the ambiance is with only the harp providing an easily measurable rhythm, but is a 1,000 piece puzzle comprised mostly of the same color easy to put together? I've learned the hard way that it is not, and this concept is very, very similar. It just relates to sound instead of vision.

It's definitely taking me longer than I anticipated it would, but on multiple occasions, I've actually lost track of time because of how absorbed I get while working on it. I shouldn't have to lengthen the intro by too much, maybe to a grand total of 2, 3 minutes max?

We're nearing the end, folks. We're nearing the end.

Other Notable Accomplishments:

• Started a new 4-day split for my BWS workouts, and I am feeling it. Though fewer exercises/session, they target either upper or lower body as opposed to my 3-day full body routine. I enjoy the shorter sessions; it felt like the previous routine was becoming unruly with its 9 exercises. The new routine:

  • Upper 1:

    • Flat Dumbbell Press - 4 sets

    • Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets

    • Dumbbell Chest Supported Row - 4 sets

    • Lean-In Lateral Raises - 3 sets/side

    • Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extensions - 3 sets

  • Lower 1 Quads:

    • Bulgarian Split Squat (Quad Focused) - 3 sets

    • Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets

    • Heel Elevated Goblet Squate - 3 sets

    • Superset: Single Leg Weighted Calf Raise & Dead Bug - 3 sets

  • Upper 2:

    • Low Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 sets

    • 3-Point Dumbbell Row - 4 sets

    • Superset: Band Assisted Pull-Ups & Push-Ups - 5 sets

      • This one I added in personally because I want to keep working toward pull-ups without a band. The reason it's 5 sets is because I can only do a few at a time before taking a short break, though the number is steadily rising to the lowest number rep goal per set.

    • Superset: Dumbbell Lateral Raises & Incline Dumbbell Overhead Extensions - 3 sets

    • Weighted Prone Arm Circles - 2 sets

  • Lower 2 Glutes:

    • Bulgarian Split Squt (Glute Focused) - 4 sets

    • Weighted Single Leg Hip Thrusts - 3 sets/side

    • Single Leg Weighted Calf Raise - 3 sets

    • Bodyweight Sliding Hamstring Curls - 3 sets

    • Reverse Crunches - 3 sets

• Editing Teyr'loch Delter Pach is progressing. I rewrote the dance between Cael and Kosris to fit my piece choices better, which did make that section longer. Seeing as how important Kosris is to Cael, it makes sense that they might linger on some of those memories longer than perhaps they should.

  • Now that I can hear properly again, I'll be resuming the variation of the lullaby I was working on before I got sick. Once I finish that and have practiced/edited the portion before the "intermission," my partner and I will be able to have that session. Then, I can finish cleaning up the post-intermission portion of the performance, which shouldn't take nearly as long. I said at the beginning I didn't want this to take 9 months, but here we are.

• Discovered that adding vanilla protein powder to my chai latte makes it 100x better. It tastes almost like a milkshake now. I'm finally reaching triple digits in my protein intake, which was difficult to manage before.

• C25K Week 7 Day 2

Questions for Contemplation & Discussion:

• What is something you've never tried doing before but having seen the output from others has made you think, "That seems easy"? For example, making an extended version of a song or piece of music. Next time this thought crosses your mind, give that particular skill a try. Having tried it, I know it's made me respect those who make seamless extensions of music.

This Week's Obligatory Cat Pic: Qiri