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#818785 08/05/24 10:38 AM
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This is the 4th in a series on a WW2 theme and a tribute to the secretive, unpredictable and dangerous world of the submariner; a special breed indeed. I tried to capture the sense of the unknown that these men must have felt. Are we doing the hunting? Are we being hunted? Will we ever see our families again or will this steel tube be my coffin?

The captains faced incredible challenges in trying to piece together the 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle of the battle-scape from acoustic inputs. I’m guessing today’s modern attack subs have unmanned drones that orbit the mother ship to feed it a constant stream of data from a variety of vectors with supercomputers integrating the data into full, easily interpretable 3-D holograms; technology that the WW2 skippers could barely imagine.

Amongst the allied nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and the USSR deployed submarines. Of the 263 subs the US deployed, 52 were lost, killing approximately 3,500 men.

A good glimpse into what it was like for WW2 submariners can be viewed here. There’s even a little blues guitar involved.
Submarine Documentary

I tried to up my game on the keyboard by taking baby steps with a few chords. Comments always welcome.

Technicals
80 BPM

BiaB
RealDrums in style:RockThrashHalfTimeEv16^1-a:Snare, Bell Ride , b:Snare, Crash Ride

Me
Roland Drum Pad: Percussion
Korg Keyboard: Acoustic Piano, E-Piano, Strings, Synths, Xylophone
Fender: Bass Guitar

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Sound Effects

Mixed in Studio One Pro
No AI was used (or harmed) in the making of this song wink

Down Periscope



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For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Man that was amazing! I loved those sound effects. I just closed my eyes and listened as it sounded as though I was in a movie theater. Way to go man, very good.

Brad

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Like your other WW2 songs, this is a pretty interesting song, and you use some cool sound effects to create the atmosphere.
The first 2 minutes or so are a bit too repetitive, I would add a bit more variety to keep the listeners attention.
But apart from that, it's really good.
You're on the way to a good concept album.

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Steve,

You have created something very special here...

The track conjures up images, scenes and leaves room for tons of imagination. So well done!

The mix is stellar. This is a great series!

Bob

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Man, I REALLY enjoy your historically inspired tunes. LOVE the whole mood you set, and that low frequency rumble is deliciously ominous. Fantastic job, again!

FWIW, I grew up a Navy brat in the 60s, and while my Dad was a surface ship guy, we were always around the sub community. They were different cats. The loss of the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion underscored their dangerous mission, and the respect many had for a job that not everyone is brave enough to do.


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Cool song.

I'll watch the documentary later.... but just from a few glimpses into it.... that's not a job for someone with claustrophobia.


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Originally Posted by Brad Williams
Man that was amazing! I loved those sound effects. I just closed my eyes and listened as it sounded as though I was in a movie theater. Way to go man, very good.

Brad
Hey Brad, so glad you enjoyed this. There is a lot that can be communicated sonically and I'm pretty sure I'll always be a student of this craft.
Many thanks for the listen and favorable review.


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For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Nice compliment to your WWII series. Very interesting concept.


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Originally Posted by B.D.Thomas
Like your other WW2 songs, this is a pretty interesting song, and you use some cool sound effects to create the atmosphere.
The first 2 minutes or so are a bit too repetitive, I would add a bit more variety to keep the listeners attention.
But apart from that, it's really good.
You're on the way to a good concept album.
Hey B.D, I agree that there's a a bit of repetition going on and more variety would be good.
Thanks for the listen and feedback.


https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2026 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Man, I love how you work with history to make these outstanding creations, Steve. I like how the piano immates sub sounds. Speaking of sub sounds, your bass is perfect with just the right taste and execution. Did you ever spend any time in a submarine? Yeow, I toured one at harbor in Baltimore. No thanks. Now, if they piped in your music. it would've been so much better.


Enjoy whatever happens!
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Very cool musical soundscape you've created here!! Would be a great soundtrack! I've always been terrified at the idea of going down in a sub. Take care. Greg

rsdean #819129 08/08/24 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by rsdean
Steve,

You have created something very special here...

The track conjures up images, scenes and leaves room for tons of imagination. So well done!

The mix is stellar. This is a great series!

Bob
Bob I am so flattered by your uplifting review.
You put your finger on a central topic . . . imagination.
With historical, docu-type songs it's all about trying to configure sonic elements in a way that allows the imagination to fill gaps, allowing some kind of story to be told.
Many thanks.
--Steve


https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2026 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Steve, this sound great.
Nice playing and effects
Outstanding drums!
Another great song added to your WWII playbook.


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Hi Steve,

You have a very cool concept going with your WW2 tributes. Great sound effects and a terrific mix. Congrats on a job very well produced.

Alan


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Enjoyed it.
The somewhat Eastern/exotic melody mid way was a change up.
The percussion, before the kit came in, reminded me of the late 80s when Elvis Costello use similar sounds in his side projects as The Imposter.
Australia has subs too...not quite as problematic as the ones we've now bought on the never never.


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Hi Steve,

A lot of creativity and imagination went into this piece. Loved the sound effects.

A good listen through the 'phones, enjoyed!

DC Ron #819250 08/09/24 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by DC Ron
Man, I REALLY enjoy your historically inspired tunes. LOVE the whole mood you set, and that low frequency rumble is deliciously ominous. Fantastic job, again!

FWIW, I grew up a Navy brat in the 60s, and while my Dad was a surface ship guy, we were always around the sub community. They were different cats. The loss of the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion underscored their dangerous mission, and the respect many had for a job that not everyone is brave enough to do.
Hey DC, thanks so much for the positive feedback AND big kudos to your Dad for his service. Thankfulness and tributes to all (past and present) that have contributed to our freedoms and way of life; freedoms that hostile nations would gladly strip from us if they could.

I vaguley remember when the USS Thresher tradgedy happened. I don't believe a definitive root cause was ever established (Silver-brazed joints may have contributed) but the good news is that it led to a rigourous quality assurance safety program called SUBSAFE which I'm sure you are aware.

A fact that the general public may not know is that (in the US) every major military contract has a HIGHLY qualified military officer in the programs office to oversee the project. Often these have a rank of Major General and have a Masters or PhD in the relevant technical domain; physics, software, aerodynamics, engineering, etc. I learned this years ago while working on satellite systems.

I'm not sure how realisitic that low frequency rumble actually is, as I've never been on a WW2 sub, but with a bit of imagination, hopefully it passed muster.


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For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
Cool song.

I'll watch the documentary later.... but just from a few glimpses into it.... that's not a job for someone with claustrophobia.
Thanks for the listen GH,

I agree, if you have claustrophobia, being a submariner is probably not a good career choice smile

Did you get a chance to watch the documentary? I'd be interested in what others think about it.
Hopefully DC Ron can tell us if it aligns with his knowledge since he interacted with the sub community.


https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2026 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Originally Posted by Bass Thumper
...Hopefully DC Ron can tell us if it aligns with his knowledge since he interacted with the sub community.

Cool video. A little dated but the basic structure of submarine life aligns with my understanding. From my visits on non-deployed submarines, the aspect of the scarcity of work and living space is the part that's perhaps hardest to convey. If you need personal space, this ain't the life for you...

Originally Posted by Bass Thumper
...A fact that the general public may not know is that (in the US) every major military contract has a HIGHLY qualified military officer in the programs office to oversee the project. Often these have a rank of Major General and have a Masters or PhD in the relevant technical domain; physics, software, aerodynamics, engineering, etc. I learned this years ago while working on satellite systems...

Spent close to 30 years working for the Navy as a civil servant, and worked quite a bit with the Program Executive Officer (PEO) community, including PEO Subs. It's a fascinating and somewhat imperfect acquisition model, but it still produces the world's most powerful defense force. So that's something...


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Originally Posted by Elliott Kayne
Nice compliment to your WWII series. Very interesting concept.
Thanks for listening Elliott, it's appreciated.


https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2026 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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