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 Read and Write WAV Files in JavaIn this code tutorial, I show you how to get java to play nice with WAV files. It's a little bit trickier than you might expect! Wii Play the DrumsThis is a fun little piece of software that turns your wiimote into a drum kit. It uses natural drum-kit motions to trigger sounds, and it is easy to set up on any windows pc. You can get the source code here.  Suite for AudioSurfAudioSurf generates gameplay based on music. That gives us musicians a unique opportunity to act as level designers. See how I took advantage of this. How to Code a Sampler in .NetAn introduction to audio programming with managed directx. Source code included! How to Code a Sampler in JavaIn this tutorial, I cover the basics of timing and audio playback in java. Full source included, of course. |
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Waltz on the Water by Evan X. Merz (#60 posted on July 28, 2008)
I wrote this piece as an entry for a Waltz 'challenge' at TIG Forums. I wanted to write something really sweet sounding, for once, but I wanted to keep within my style. So this piece combines strings and synthesizers in my usual fashion, but is a little more harmonically traditional than most of my work.
Liberty City Indie (for GTAIV) by Evan X. Merz (#59 posted on April 27, 2008)
An independently produced radio station that players can drop into their mp3 channel in GTAIV. This station includes hand-picked indie rock that is perfect for running from the cops and a slew of references to in-game locations.
Proposal Part 3 by Evan X. Merz (#58 posted on April 21, 2008)
This is the 3rd and final part in the suite that I wrote to propose to my (now) fiance. It continues and closes a few ideas that were started in the first two parts.
Drowning by Evan X. Merz (#57 posted on April 14, 2008)
This is a tune recorded by my former band back in 2005. It was written by my brother Isaac and I. The time signature switches between 7 and 6, and I like how it pushes the boundaries of pop music.
Proposal Part 1 by Evan X. Merz (#56 posted on April 07, 2008)
This is the first part of the suite that I wrote when I proposed to my fiance. There's a bunch of stuff going on in the suite, but I'll leave it up to the listener to decipher it.
Improvisation on Bioshock I by Evan X. Merz (#55 posted on March 30, 2008)
This is a piano improvisation that I recorded literally 5 minutes after I played through the last level in Bioshock. Essentially, it's a portrait of Rapture, the setting for the game. There's a bit of digital distortion in the recording, but I suppose that is one of the risks of improvisation.
Improvisation on Bioshock II by Evan X. Merz (#54 posted on March 30, 2008)
This is, essentially, a tape piece. Of course it was recorded and edited digitally in a matter of time sufficient to call it an improvisation. The three loops are taken from the game Bioshock, and I employ a tape technique popularized by Steve Reich.
Rock Bottom Remix by Evan X. Merz (#53 posted on March 23, 2008)
This is a remix of an indie rock tune by a friend and collaborator of mine, whose current band is known as Beware Fashionable Women.
Proposal Part 2 by Evan X. Merz (#52 posted on March 16, 2008)
This is the piece I wrote to propose to my fiance. I even left the proposal in there at the end.
RickLicks-Remix by Evan X. Merz (#51 posted on March 10, 2008)
This is a remix of a piece by James Phelps. The original can be heard on the Jululu site. The original was inspired by a Beatles guitar, and my remix is studded with Beatles references.
My Dark Mind by Evan X. Merz (#50 posted on March 02, 2008)
This is a tune that I wrote while still an undergrad at the University of Rochester. So the recording isn't flawless and the mix is less than perfect, but I like some of the ideas here. Carrying the melody on a synth with a really slow attack is always interesting, and the brushed snare over the typewriter sample conjures up an interesting image.
Horizon by Evan X. Merz (#49 posted on February 25, 2008)
Horizon is the first piece in my suite for AudioSurf. AudioSurf is a videogame that generates race tracks based on music files. Just as some music is intended to be experienced on 5.1 speakers, this suite is intended to be experienced in AudioSurf.
Breakers by Evan X. Merz (#48 posted on February 25, 2008)
This is the second piece in my suite for AudioSurf. It is also the most relaxed. The race track generated by this piece is a long slow track that slopes gently upwards.
Dunes by Evan X. Merz (#47 posted on February 25, 2008)
The 3rd piece in HPF Tide. When loaded into AudioSurf, it is an even combination of uphill and downhill sections.
Midnight by Evan X. Merz (#46 posted on February 25, 2008)
The fourth piece in my suite for AudioSurf, HPF Tide. This piece is the climax, and when experienced in-game, it is a maddeningly fast rush down one giant hill.
Sunrise by Evan X. Merz (#45 posted on February 25, 2008)
This piece is based on Bach's First Prelude. It is the last piece in my suite for AudioSurf, HPF Tide.
Erin by Evan X. Merz (#44 posted on February 17, 2008)
A folky tune for piano and voice that I wrote for Erin. This is one of those pieces that I sketched out on paper, then just sat down and recorded.
Wedding Song by Evan X. Merz (#43 posted on February 10, 2008)
I wrote this for Erin's sister's wedding. I'm not sure if I will give it to her or not, but I am proud of the way this composition brings together the old and the new.
Harlem by Evan X. Merz (#42 posted on February 04, 2008)
Sometimes I just sit down at the keyboard, turn on my metronome, and hit record. That's how this tune was conceived, after I watched a documentary on the history channel about Harlem in the 70s.
She Said by Evan X. Merz (#41 posted on January 28, 2008)
A solo piano piece, this tune is interesting because I didn't through-compose the melodies. I wrote the start and end point of each melodic phrase, but I improvised the path.
Love by Evan X. Merz (#40 posted on January 20, 2008)
This track comes very close to embodying all of my compositional ambitions. It unifies synthesizers, digital effects and improvisation with more traditional instruments. Further, while it relies on certain string cliches, it has a kind of laissez faire tonality that I love.
Seven by Evan X. Merz (#39 posted on January 13, 2008)
This is a protest song, I suppose. Really, it's an elegy for all the young soldiers who are dying. It was inspired by an NPR tribute to a 21 year old soldier who was killed in iraq.
Bluebird by Evan X. Merz (#38 posted on January 06, 2008)
I wrote this song with my brother, Isaac, back in 2005. We wrote this as a loud bar song, but for this arrangement, I chill it out a bit and add a few personal touches.
Starlight II by Linda Reiling (#37 posted on December 30, 2007)
Linda wrote this piece on the day she heard of her father's fatal cancer.
Ave Maria by Evan X. Merz (#36 posted on December 24, 2007)
This is my (short) interpretation of Schubert's Ave Maria. I didn't change the harmonies, or even mix up the arrangement very much, but you will notice one significant deviation from Schubert's original.
Arabian Dance by Evan X. Merz (#35 posted on December 17, 2007)
My version of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece. Needless to say, it's a little different from his original score.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Evan X. Merz (#34 posted on December 10, 2007)
A glitchy piano interpretation of the Christmas Carol.
O Holy Night by Evan X. Merz (#33 posted on December 02, 2007)
This piece, like my version of Carol of the Bells, combines traditional Christmas sounds with sounds that are not usually associated with Christmas. The melody is played by a flute, but then I glitch it up. The texture is filled out with pretty traditional instruments, but then I use a synthesizer to carry the bass line.
Carol of the Bells by Evan X. Merz (#32 posted on November 25, 2007)
This is my interpretation of Carol of the Bells. It is a strange hybrid. I mash together traditional Christmas sounds (orchestra, glockenspiel) with a drum machine, rock organ, church bells and a mellotron. Also, I force the tune into a 12-bar structure.
Vive 2 by Evan X. Merz (#31 posted on November 19, 2007)
This is the second part in my fractal suite called Vive. I call it a fractal suite because in each piece, and in the 5 of them together, you can see the same motif at nearly every level of organization. From the phrase level on up through the suite level, the same melodic motive guides the work.
Vive 1 by Evan X. Merz (#30 posted on November 12, 2007)
This track is the first in 5 part suite called Vive. It combines a lot of normally disparate stylistic elements. Ambient sounds, wild effect, 4-part harmonies and improvised keyboard solos combine to make this tune ... well, interesting at the very least.
Marching to Zion by Evan X. Merz (#29 posted on November 05, 2007)
This is my solo interpretation of a classic christian tune. What most people don't know about me is that I've been playing music in church for most of my adult life. This arrangement deviates a bit from the traditional arrangement, with just a touch of reharmonization.
Speak by Evan X. Merz (#28 posted on October 29, 2007)
This is an ambient piece that I wrote using an instrument of my own creation that is based on samples from the beta of maphub.org. The samples are geo-tagged phone calls played back by moving the mouse over a map.
One by Evan X. Merz (#27 posted on October 21, 2007)
I wrote this one for my girlfriend. A love song in a minor key. It is probably as close to pop music as my music gets.
October 14th by Evan X. Merz (#26 posted on October 14, 2007)
I improvised this piece on October 14th, 2007. It's another electronic jazz amalgamation that may or may not work in the end.
Two Years by Evan X. Merz (#25 posted on October 14, 2007)
I improvised this tune around a synth loop that had sat unused in my samples directory for about a year.
Procession by Evan X. Merz (#24 posted on October 01, 2007)
I am proud of this piece because it is a sampling masterpiece. It combines samples of an orchestra with trumpet samples pulled from 3 or 4 different jazz tunes. On top of that I layer a flute melody that I recorded myself and a synth bass that sounds like Darth Vader.
Tragedy Victory by Evan X. Merz (#23 posted on September 23, 2007)
I'm not sure when I wrote this piece, or what I wrote it about. It's an electronic improvisatory piece in the same vein as much of my other music; there's a looping section that backs a keyboard improvisation and the form is just a slight variation on the standard bebop form (Head - Solos - Head).
Blame by Evan X. Merz (#22 posted on September 16, 2007)
This tune combines elements of rock, jazz and electronic music in a very cohesive way. The icing on the cake is that it is a very dance-able tune. It may be the best thing that I have ever written.
Feather by Evan X. Merz (#21 posted on September 09, 2007)
I wrote this piece in my last semester at the University of Rochester. So that puts it back in early 2004. It combines some words from a piece that my brother wrote with samples from romantic film scores.
Rochester by Evan X. Merz (#20 posted on September 09, 2007)
The third piece in a suite that I wrote for Erin. This one is called Rochester after my alma mater, the place we met, the University of Rochester.
In Paris by Linda Reiling (#19 posted on September 03, 2007)
The 3rd track off my solo piano album, Introspections.
Hes a Boy (Remix) by Evan X. Merz (#18 posted on August 26, 2007)
Thie tune is by longtime friend and collaborator, Barak Shpiez. The original is an upbeat pop tune with thick vocal harmonies. I added a sliced beat, some 3 oscillator synths and an interestingly syncopated bridge.
Girl Named Kat by Evan X. Merz (#17 posted on August 20, 2007)
If you don't have a subwoofer, then you aren't going to hear all of this one; the bass line is clamped off somewhere around 75Hz. It's a piece that I wrote about 2 years ago as a response to Hurricane Katrina. Oh and it's in a slow 5/4.
Track 03 (Insomnia) by Evan X. Merz (#16 posted on August 12, 2007)
If you know me well, then you probably know that I don't sleep much. Six hours a night, at most, and even that makes me somewhat angry. I don't really like to sleep, but in addition to that, sometimes going to sleep can be a hassle. This piece is about that struggle. I'm releasing the poem and piano solo as open source (10Mb). As usual, use the open source for whatever you please, as long as you credit me.
Abstractions by Linda Reiling (#15 posted on August 06, 2007)
Track 5 from my solo album, Instrospections. -Linda
Ovation by Evan X. Merz (#14 posted on July 29, 2007)
This is a piece that I recently wrote and recorded for my father's website. While it is not the most original piece that I have ever written, it works as background music. Also, it could make some good source material for a larger composition, so I am releasing some source loops here.
Trees by Evan X. Merz (#13 posted on July 22, 2007)
Writing this on the eve of the 2006 midterm elections, I was rather worried that this government was going to become more lopsided than it was at the time. So the full title of this pessimistic piece is Trees, Navigating the Democratic Process Without Them.
Yellow (live on WPTS) by Evan X. Merz (#12 posted on July 15, 2007)
I wrote this song with my brother, Isaac, back in 2005. This recording was made from a live performance at WPTS, with Isaac on vocals, Mike Molnar on drums, and myself on keyboards.
Halfway Man by Evan X. Merz (#11 posted on July 08, 2007)
This is the accompaniment I wrote for a poem by Tom Lehner called Halfway Man. It's a fun little tune with a bunch of layered synths. The poem is a catchy one with a kind of adult Shel Silverstein vibe.
Hope by Evan X. Merz (#10 posted on July 02, 2007)
This is one of my favorite improvisations. I feel like my piano performance really carries the entire piece, and the few loops that accompany the piano add texture without taking the focus away from the solo.
Reduction by Evan X. Merz (#9 posted on June 24, 2007)
I'm not sure what to say about this tune. It doesn't really fall into any particular genre. It's a bunch of keyboard improvisations and four lines of vocals. I guess the most I can say about it is that I like it.
I Love You, Erin by Evan X. Merz (#8 posted on June 17, 2007)
A solo piano piece that I wrote for my girlfriend and recorded back in 2006. D minor is the key and 6/8 is the time.
Starlight by Evan X. Merz (#7 posted on June 10, 2007)
This composition is a response to my cousin's funeral. While I was ultimately not that close to Jeff, it's hard to go to the funeral of a person who you remember running around with as a kid.
Sunlight - One More Day by Evan X. Merz (#6 posted on June 03, 2007)
This piece typifies my writing. I manage to get a variation on a 12-bar blues, a long piano solo, thick vocal harmonies and crazy effects all squeezed into 4:01.
Corrupter (remix) by Evan X. Merz (#5 posted on May 28, 2007)
This is a remix of an original by Barak Shpiez. Much of the source material can be had here. These samples are free to use for anything as long a
Afterwards by Evan X. Merz (#4 posted on May 20, 2007)
Afterwards is the first recording that I am releasing 'open source'. Get the source material here (33Mb) (license: use it for anything you want, as long as you credit me).
Colors by Evan X. Merz (#3 posted on May 14, 2007)
I improvised this piano part and wrote/recorded the rest of the music all in a single night. Gear I used includes a Korg Triton, Presonus Inspire 1394, Fruityloops and Audacity.
Dirty Dishes and Locked Doors by Evan X. Merz (#2 posted on May 06, 2007)
This is a solo piano piece that I wrote and recorded for Erin in 2006. This is the first of five that make up a little piano suite.
Inevitable by Evan X. Merz (#1 posted on May 03, 2007)
I recorded this piece in 2004. The time signature is 11, and the clarinetist is Aaron Gallant. |
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