[vertexguy]

Hey all,

I was originally going to release this along with a video, but since I'm running into more delays on that, I figured I'd get this out there so you didn't have to wait any longer.


At long last I give you my Duke Nukem Jam HD. (Under Audio / Tributes)

http://www.vertexguy.com

There are 2 versions up. One with Duke Talk (SFX), and one without. They are posted at the highest bitrate possible for mp3 with no filtering...so essentially lossless quality. As such they are quite a bit larger and will take some time to download / stream.


I will come back and modify this post when my video is done to go along with it. (maybe a few weeks) I might also write up a little back story to all the trials and tribulations this song has taken me through over the years to get to where it is now. It was not a smooth journey by any stretch of the imagination and required a huge amount of sacrifice and dedication on my end to achieve! While there are still little nuances I'd like to be able to tweak, I had to call it good, or much like DNF, it may have been delayed even longer. This song represents overcoming an enormous hurdle in audio production for me. I hope you can clearly hear the difference when reflecting back at the original release from 2005. I also hope it sounds comparable in production quality to the famed Megadeth version, and of course the new iterations of Grab Bag from Duke Nukem Forever.

Again the intent of this release was to improve the original remix, not to rewrite it from scratch. That said, there are certainly lots of new additions and tweaks to this version, including live bass, drums, synth, and orchestra parts. I think these additions helped to make it an even more powerful composition.

On a side note, I've also been in contact recently with Lee Jackson and Gearbox to see about other opportunities around Duke Nukem music. I don't know if anything will come of it...but we'll see.

I'd like to thank each and every one of my fans who have been long awaiting this release. You have been the primary inspiration and driving force over the years that made this possible. I hope you all like it! Enjoy!


Chris Kline
vertexguy
http://www.vertexguy.com

[DavoX]

I'll say it again here!!

Yes for the love of jesus nukem yes!!! Downloading now!!!

[UglyNacho]

Just finished listening to it. Holy s***! You are freaking amazing! This version just oozes epic win! Amazing job!

[DavoX]

It boggles the mind how Gearbox didn't hire you man.... This should've been the grabbag for DNF.

[viper3885]

Just finished listening to it. Dude that fucking rocks! This is the best version I've heard. Awesome work.

[storm8ring3r]

okay so it's the megadeth version with a solo full of satriani licks...

you play well, at least.

[DavoX]

Not really. Have you seen the previous version that he made years ago? MAN WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

[MusicallyInspired]

Very nice! An excellent polished version of the original jam. It's a meld of all the best bits of the best versions of Grabbag and you personalize it with your own solo and style. You're ten times better than I am as a guitarist that's for sure and I don't need to offer anything but praise for your ability.

From a fellow aspiring engineer's point of view, the mix sounds just a little muddy with everything seeming a little clumped together in the mid to hi-mid range and also a little over-compressed, but compared to the original it's a huge improvement. I recall you mentioned you were using headphones so that's probably the root of a the issues. It sounds bigger than the earlier version for sure and it packs a lot more punch. The added orchestrations are very effective reinforcements too. I don't think you were intending to win any awards with this either so it doesn't really matter a whole lot. This is one of the best and definitely the most talented Grabbag cover I've ever heard. Thank you for finally making an HD version!

Can we hope to see some OGG and/or FLAC versions?

[BugsBunny]

Man, honestly, Gearbox should have done the official Grabbag for DNF from you. The second one completely kicks ass, and chews bubble gum too

[vertexguy]

MusicallyInspired, on 23 June 2011 - 09:14 PM, said:

Very nice! An excellent polished version of the original jam. It's a meld of all the best bits of the best versions of Grabbag and you personalize it with your own solo and style. You're ten times better than I am as a guitarist that's for sure and I don't need to offer anything but praise for your ability.

From a fellow aspiring engineer's point of view, the mix sounds just a little muddy with everything seeming a little clumped together in the mid to hi-mid range and also a little over-compressed, but compared to the original it's a huge improvement. I recall you mentioned you were using headphones so that's probably the root of a the issues. It sounds bigger than the earlier version for sure and it packs a lot more punch. The added orchestrations are very effective reinforcements too. I don't think you were intending to win any awards with this either so it doesn't really matter a whole lot. This is one of the best and definitely the most talented Grabbag cover I've ever heard. Thank you for finally making an HD version!

Can we hope to see some OGG and/or FLAC versions?

Thanks for the crit MusicallyInspired. My studio monitors were hand me downs from my dad, so they're quite old and have had a very long run, but they did completely blow out on me a while back forcing me to use less than desireable outputs. I'll be getting some replacements soon and hopefully I don't absolutely hate my mix when I get them. I've listened to it on as many sources as possible (headphones, car, tv, iphone, laptop speakers, etc) to find a happy balance. Some of the "over compressed" sound you're referring to may be intentional to make it sound more powerful and grungier like Duke. When I first started on the HD version several years back I started re-recording everything from scratch and ended up throwing that out because it didn't have enough grungy power to it. That said, I still don't think it's perfect. Given that this entire project was essentially one massive patch job, I think it came out ok. I'm hoping my next song will benefit from all my production knowledge gained here and come out even better than this. I intend on starting to work on my own original CD soon in addition to a few new game remixes.

As far as other formats, no I don't intend on releasing it in those because I really don't see the point. I don't notice any audible difference in the max output mp3 I posted against the raw wav file. If OGG or FLAC were more of a standard, then I might consider it, but I also can't host that many different versions. My monthly bandwidth would go through the roof.

[MusicallyInspired]

Also, that's a little sad about lack of other formats, but understandable. It definitely came out extremely well and you should be proud! Looking forward to more of your work!

[vertexguy]

Thanks for all the comments everyone. Just to give you all a quick update, the video is getting close to finished now. It's taking quite a bit more time than expected, largley because it's unlike any video I've ever attempted before. You'll understand when you see it....

[DavoX]

Can't wait to see it man!

[MusicallyInspired]

Eagerly awaiting.

[Loke]

Rock on!

[AlwaysBetOnDuke]

That was awesome. Well done!