Kain Nobel's Music Videos

[Kain Nobel]

Hello and welcome to my music video thread.

You can find my YouTube channel (>> here <<) and my SoundCloud channel (>> here <<).

If you enjoy my work, please like and subscribe.

The process of creating this album started in October 2022; it had been on by bucket list to do an album, and I've been pushing this back for 3 years in a row. I was going to go through the whole album making experience; writing, recording, mixing, mastering, making the videos, creating the album art, etc. Certainly I didn't set out to make a 19 track manifesto, I was hoping to do something shorter but as soon as I started I couldn't hold back.

I hope you enjoy the album (and the other misc content) as much as I enjoyed making it.

And I'll be back to revisit and improve this album in the future. Plus I'm looking forward to making some new music too whenever I find the time.

Welcome to the Kain Nobel experience.


(Go ahead, use your mouse to pick my nose. I dare you. Click on a nostril to dig for gold. Go go go!)

01 Logo


02 After Hours


04 Ambushed!


05 Wicked Underground


06 Hostile Environment


07 Cold, Dark Place


08 Hellrazer


09 Coastal Mist


10 Surfside Groove


11 Desert Travelers


12 Exploring the Unknown


13 Funk You Up


14 Unsolved Mysteries


15 Tough as Stone


16 Shrouded in Darkness


17 Technocratic Nightmare


18 Dread and Despair


19 Shattering Skulls


Kain Nobel : Miscellaneous Music / Videos

These don't belong to any kind of 'album', this is just a section for covers, miscellaneous one-off tracks and gameplay videos.

Underneath the Rotting Pizza (FF7 Cover)


Project BEAST : Navigation Demo

I'm only posting this here because it too contains live instrument music; early versions of tracks that appear on the "Lightning Strikes" album.

Featured tracks are "After Hours (Title)", "Better Be Careful", "Exploring the Unknown" and possibly a couple others.

"Exploring the Unknown" is radically different in the game than it is on the album.

There are also a couple tracks in there that aren't on the record.
 

[Kain Nobel]

So it looks like half the album has been uploaded with videos. Just added "Ambushed!" to the list.

I'm planning on reissuing "Surfside Groove" as I've already re-recorded the entire track and added a guitar solo to it (plus a bridge which I may or may not keep.) I actually have like 3 versions of this song and I go cross-eared listening to them. The current video is old but I think it's still good too as it stands. I can never truly know what people like, I only know thyself and sometimes not even that can be satisfied.

Other tracks may get reissued. I've already fixed some stuff up. Improved solos, better mixing. I don't hide from my mistakes but I do try to improve parts if I don't like them. Either way, I'll be pushing forward with uploading the rest of the album and getting videos made for them somufabitches before I bother going back and reissuing what is already there.

If you enjoy any of this, please like and subscribe. Take care.

[Kain Nobel]

Just added "Logo", "After Hours (Title)", "Better Be Careful" and "Shrouded in Darkness".

Also reorganized the thread so the music is in designated album order.

Added the album cover art to the post. I wasn't attempting such a sinister look, I would like to go back and soften it up a bit. Still very rough around the edges.

YouTube channel has been internally updated too but I'll spare the boring details.

[Kain Nobel]

BREAKING NEWS!

The Kain Nobel "Lightning Strikes" album is complete and all tracks have been uploaded!

I may revisit and reissue this album in the future but, for all intents and purposes, I'm considering this complete!

Thank you all for your support and inspiration. Take care and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

[Kain Nobel]

NEWS BRIEF

Celebrating 20 Years of Making Music!

My best kept secret is making music.

One of the biggest pushes to do this album? I started making music 20 years ago! My first track was cooked in 2002 and I don't think it even exists anymore.

I've been wanting to do this for awhile, and I figured now was the time to do it. Plus I'm planning to do more in the future.

So I've always kept my music private because I've always made it for the game project - and that project is TOP SECRET (until it's done).

I figure I better put something out for people to listen to, just in case the projects never get finished, so they'll at least know something about my work.

If you enjoyed the Lightning Strikes! album (or any of my other tracks) please like, subscribe, share and all of that.

Updated YouTube and SoundCloud - NEW TRACK ON SOUNDCLOUD

I've also uploaded "Lycan in the Moonlight" to my SoundCloud page. This track was a gift to DerVVulfman and now I'm sharing it for all to enjoy!

Also, I've just updated the YouTube and SoundCloud pages; they each have a playlist for the album.

(I actually have more music on my SoundCloud page than I do on YouTube, just for anybody who has never heard the classics.)

"Surfside Groove" music video reissued

Also, I've reissued the audio and video for "Surfside Groove"; the old one didn't have a guitar solo, the new one does. Also, the video quality on the new one is better (I personally like the crappy old video better, but I digress.)

The YouTube and SoundCloud copies should both be the new version (and the old version has been deleted.)

This is a track I'd love to revisit because I've actually wrote more music for it but I never had the time to properly practice, record and incorporate those parts. A whole bridge stemmed from the intro, a longer and much better solo was written, then there is the heavily altered verse 2 with a key change and some merry melodies. More rhythm, more blues, just an extra dash of funk.

One day I'll come back to this because you're still missing out on the full enchilada.

Possibly Doing An E.P. Later in the Year

Later in the year looks like there is a slim but good chance I'll be doing an E.P. if I find the time to practice and record it.

This is something I'm very much wanting to do, so long as the environment is right for me to be doing some more instrumental work. It's easy enough to click some notes onto a screen in a program but I'm wanting to strum some metallic strings again and play you some tunes. If I'm too busy to put my full effort into it, I'll call it off, but I'm keeping it at the forefront of my mind because I still have a lot bottled up and I love making music with live instruments. The noise, the distortion, the clean plucking of a string, messing with pedals, trying to master a chord or a scale - I just love it!

Granted, I'm still working on Project REGAL (and ECHO and BEAST), plus I'm on the hunt for that 2nd job to catch up with inflation. If I don't do an E.P. in 2023, I'll try to do an L.P. in 2024.

[Kain Nobel]

Hello and good day everybody!

Doing some spontaneous and unplanned work.

(I'm not supposed to be doing ANYTHING right now. I should be sleeping but I can't sleep.)

Re-Recording in Progress

My latest practice session started about 12 hours ago and now, in a blurred daze of activity, I'm sitting here realizing I just re-recorded the entirety of one of the tracks. I have been in the process of mixing and editing it (again.) I feel like a possessed man on autopilot; what just happened?

Now that I've turned everything off, ahhh sweet silence! (My ears are ringing but I'm feeling good about it all. I'll return to this Tuesday when I have fresh ears and see if anything else needs to be done.)

Let me back up a little and just explain : "Lightning Strikes!" had a soft deadline (January 1st, 2023) and a hard deadline (February 28th, 2023). Well, obviously, I decided to publish it on the January 1st as-is. Not so much to rush the work, but because I'm looking for work (see: inflation). I didn't want to come back in a year or two and be like "Oh yeah, here you go, I almost forgot I finished this, sorry, busy with work, yadda yadda. Enjoy!"

I wanted to release it while it was still fresh, especially if inflation goes up a million percent and I never have time ever again in my life to do anything.

No deadlines set yet for reissue. I just do this when I can. I wasn't even planning on re-recording it yet (but apparently I am.)

Reviewing Analytics

EDIT : I just added the statistics to the spoiler below. Large image.

Statistics

Analytics is more of a personal matter, but I've been reviewing and trying to interpret some of the data for insights on what works and what doesn't.

I had much lower expectations from the jump. Not because I'm a bad musician (nor am I the GOAT) but because it's not like I'm Eminem or Metallica or even an active YouTuber. This is just a hobby. I'm not doing much to promote the album, or even to monetize it. More of a social experiment than anything.

(Next time will be a little more serious. Just a little. I'll probably publish it to more streaming platforms, monetize it, go on a short promotional campaign, etc.)

To be fair, in some instances I don't know how to make heads or tails of listener sentiment based on these statistics alone. I see good views, good likes (moreso on SoundCloud than YouTube) but I'm actually surprised how good some tracks are doing. I'm especially surprised people in Uzbekistan like the music so much, that's pretty cool. What is it about my music that would make it popular with people of Uzbekistan?

Anybody from Uzbekistan who has traced me to this forum and may be reading this post, I greet you with a friendly "Hello" and thank you very much for your support and interest. If I purchase a NextPro plan on SoundCloud I'll be personally saying hello and thank you to some of these wonderful people.

Another strange anomaly with analytics; videos that are popular on YouTube have a lower viewer duration than videos that don't chart very high. If a video isn't charting high, but it has a high 90 percentile view duration, while the ones that are charting high have low viewer duration, this is something that confuses me a bit. I understand though, even stuff I like and enjoy I'm not always going to watch to the end. You could have the best music video, documentary or comedy skit I've watched all month, there is still a slim chance I may only make it partially through it. (Doesn't mean I like ya any less, just people are very busy including myself.)

Practicing Brand New Material

Yes, I have been practicing a little bit of the material for the next EP. The difficulty and challenge has been ramped up, but that's only because I'm forcing myself out of the comfortable confines of my usual techniques and playing style. I'd like to pull of a good Dave Mustaine impression but I can only be me, thus far. I am who I am, even in the writing. I need to develop better solos and shred some shit. IMO, the solos are good, but they still don't shred. Meh.

Nevertheless, this is not a friendly album (for me). It is an act of torture and damnation. I probably won't record anything until June. Practice has been difficult.

If this winds up being too much, I'll cancel, write a new album and follow the KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid!) Besides, some of my best stuff is the simpler stuff; people seem to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

[Kain Nobel]

NEWS : Using Different Video Software

So now I'm ditching the software I was using and have switched to NCH Software's VideoPad Video Editor (paid) and the Debut Video Capture Software (trial). I'll purchase Debut once I have the funds.

Since I've switched, it seems like Debut does a better job at capturing gameplay closer to the true FPS than what I've used in the past. It's still a tiny bit of a slowdown, but not as bad. Not as choppy. I don't suppose there is a perfect solution, but this seems to work the best.

I could go open source but I've already taken a liking to using these. NCH has a lot of good things going for them, I don't mind paying money especially for useful software.

"Exploring the Unknown" (Pathfinder Edition)



NOTE : The song has not changed, only the video is new.

What's really going on in the video is just a brief test of the pathfinder DerVVulfman sent me, but the video doesn't really go on long enough to show the true capabilities of the system. I wanted to see how well the video software (Debut) actually captures gameplay, which was the bigger reason in recording this. The game still runs smoother without video capture software running in the background but I must say this did a much better job capturing it closer to the true FPS it runs at. Maybe slowed it down 2%-6% at any given time, little to no choppiness or stutter.

If you look at the other video for "Coastal Mist", that one was recorded in Flashback Express which did not do well capturing the live render at all. Choppy, laggy, overall bad. The live render, when not having the overhead of recording, is much smoother. Sample below.

[Kain Nobel]

"Lightning Strikes!" Music & Videos to Be Reissued

Both the music and the videos for the "Lightning Strikes!" album will be getting reissued!

• Music Tasks: Minor re-recording will be done on only a couple of tracks.
  
• Video Tasks: Every video will be re-issued proper.
  

When I finished the album, I had never worked with video before in my life. Big learning curve. I was originally screen casting videos made with the new experimental game engine, but now I'm making them with proper software tailored for video editing. Also, the new templated format I've set up should make for a better experience.

"Desert Travelers" Music Video Reissued

I'm only reissuing one video (for now) but the rest of the music videos will get a proper revision.

Let me know if you like this format or if I should do anything else with it.

• Guitar tracking has been re-recorded.
  
• Drums have been slightly re-arranged.
  
• Brand new video format too!
  

Embarrassing Backstory

I had completely recorded this track. It was a beautiful recording, better than even this new version.

When I went to delete the samplers, I had accidentally deleted the recordings. Big stupid mix up!

In other words, the "Outdated" track was all sample. This new track is recorded.

The sample version was terrible, I'll be deleting it sooner or later.

[Kain Nobel]

Most Music Videos Updated

The videos themselves have been updated, just so people have something to cool look at. Very little has changed musically, but I did clean up the mix a bit. I might update the audio score later, but I'm more interested in pushing forward to making new music.

Here is a list of all the videos that have been replaced, and what is still old (and unlikely to be changed if it hasn't been changed already.)

List of Brand New Videos

• Logo
  
• After Hours
  
• Ambushed
  
• Hellrazer
  
• Coastal Mist (same video, cleaned up solo)
  
• Surfside Groove
  
• Desert Travelers (entirely re-recorded the music / made a brand new video)
  
• Exploring the Unknown
  
• Funk You Up
  
• Unsolved Mysteries
  
• Tough as Stone
  
• Shrouded in Darkness
  
• Darkness and Despair
  

List of Old Videos (Nothing Has Changed)

• Logo / After Hours / Better Be Careful
  
• Hostile Environment
  
• Cold, Dark Place
  
• Technocratic Nightmare
  
• Shattering Skulls
  

New Music Written For BEACH EP (and the 2024 LP)

OK, so the short EP has been planned and most of the music has been written. Haven't practiced it much, but some of it is simple enough.

What makes this album different is it will be recorded as a "clean" channel electric guitar rock album. There is still a slight chance of encountering some distortion and some overdrive, but I'm plotting to keep it subtle and effective. Not grunge, not metal, nothing highly technical, just some simple party rock grooves.

Trying to Find Out What People Like (or Don't)

Videos seem to matter way more than I thought they would've.

Even music with terrible videos did better than music with a static image so I feel there is an importance to keeping a relevant visual pulse going. Now that those old terrible videos are being phased out for higher quality videos, the analytics is showing better numbers and an overall better experience. Thanks to the ShaderToy, GLSL Sandbox and Book of Shaders communities I was able to apply some even better eye candy to the mix!

Granted, these weren't the videos I was going to do (I was going to do some gameplay / RGL videos) but the REGAL Engine ran into a problem. The core engine itself is fine, but there is a 3rd party library component that failed and needs addressed...

Anyways...

I just got a huge spike in viewers yesterday. This was before I even announced the change in videos or updated this thread.

[Kain Nobel]

NEWS: Classic Tracks Being Uploaded

OK, this is great and I'm excited to have found these. I thought they were lost forever.

The "Lightning Strikes!" album was released New Years of 2023, but these tracks were recorded in 2019/2020 for a demo I was going to present to a band I wanted to join. Needless to say, they never got the demo and I never got to join because I was to be moving to another state a year later. The band was great, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't a big loss because the members grew to resent each other and none of them answer my texts because they're a bunch of (talented) FLAKES. Meh.

...Then came "The Pandemic"....

Anyways, here are those tracks, hope you like them...

Hellrazer (O.G. Version)


Funk You Up (O.G. Version)


BONUS: Knight Blade #4


I do not take credit for composing this last track as it's from the RPG Maker XP game Knight Blade. The instruments are all synth, except for the bass guitar (which I had recorded live.) While I wanted to replace the lead wind instrument with an electric guitar, and add an epic guitar solo, I never got around to doing those things. I might come back around one day to do it because I'm completely infatuated with this song and have fond memories of Knight Blade.

The infamous mercenary Cain Greywood and some BATTLE MECHS? Don't tease me with a good time!!!

"Beach EP" Album Delayed Until Next Year

Yeah, I was going to do this one this year, and I still might record it (some of it is already recorded), but I'm just not feeling the vibes right now. Too busy, too many things going on IRL, some family members have fallen on hard times and need my heroics to save them from their fucked up situation >.>

(God bless their souls.)

Yeah, I'll be doing this next year sometime. The tracks are growing and maturing into something pleasant and catchy (in my opinion.) Family needs come first, and I'm not in the right vibe to be recording this at the moment. As soon as everyone is OK, I'll be cracking the whip on myself and getting this done.

Also, I have a track I'm going to be donating to a friend, as I've promised, so I can't delay this for too long.