This is what happened.

This chord progression has been in the back of my head for awhile, but until this song I hadn’t found a good use for it.  While I like the melody and structure of “King of the Desert,” the real masterpiece is the countless subtle effects used throughout.  The strum of the guitar, the pitch fades on the high power chords, realistic harmonics on the guitar solos (I’ve never heard a synthesized song use them correctly until this) – this song is a product of a lot of carefully implemented effects.  I love way it all came together.  Hopefully this song is indicative of a new style I’ll be able to put to good use in future compositions…

As soon as I heard it, I knew this would be a perfect female character theme for the lead character of Defiance, one of the story premises discussed by the video game team I was working with at the time.  The protagonist of the story was a girl named Cara, who I see being comparable to the main character in “Underworld” (if you haven’t seen the movie, you should – it’s good).  Cara was a strong, action-oriented girl who ended up falling in love with a man she thought she was saving.  Thus the song is a mix of electric guitar and other rock instruments but with a mellow melody.

Technically speaking, the song may not be anything outstanding – but I’m pleased that my first attempt at producing a realistic alternative-type song using nothing but MIDI instruments worked out.  The mp3 version uses a mix of soundfonts and multiple VST effects to create a very nice, surprisingly realistic sound.  I think you’ll like it.