Hello everyone. Good news and bad news.
The bad news: I’ve removed the option to download the free low quality mp3 versions of my albums.
The good news: There is now no minimum cost for the high quality versions so you can download the various super-high quality formats (and lossless formats) for for free. The removed minimum also allows for small donations in the $1 – $5 range – now that is good news 
.
As for the new album. It’s coming. Have hit a little bit of a wall with it though – it’s mostly complete, but I think it still be missing something. Could I interest anyone in a preview in exchange for some suggestions/critique/ideas?
I’ve had a number of people asking what I use to make music. Well I used FL Studio to compose/mix the first two but with a lot of extra samples from all over the place with a bit of live recording thanks to some willing participants. Unfortunately I don’t make enough (any) money from Lunar to justify using a real orchestra so its all East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra.
With album number 3 (whatever it is to be called) a few things have changed. Firstly I switched to a Mac which makes FL Studio no longer an option. Its been a nice change though, giving me a chance to try some new tools. I’ve written/recorded most of the new album in Ableton Live which is a lot of fun and in some ways simpler than FL but more flexible (that is, not a complete hack – no offence to FL Studio 
). The other thing that is nice about Live is precisely that. You can use it live. And I’d be into doing some live stuff sometime after the album has been released.
While I’m in the mood for answering questions, if anybody has any thing they want to ask, now would be a great time. Maybe we can start a little FAQ thread.
Edit: Updated good news for clarity (I hope)
I’m disappointed that there’s no option to download for free anymore. I understand the decision, and it’s really really hard to blame you for it, but I’m working on it. I’ll be good and angry soon, hence why I’m commenting now. I’ll gladly preview your music, and I know some friends in the music industry I could share it with as well (not giving them the music, just showing it to them!) and I’d gladly do that with your permission. Email me if you’d like me to.
Also, while I can understand your not-free decision, I can’t understand the decision to switch to a Mac. I’m a diehard PC guy, but I’m not going to start that war on your comments – frankly, it seems you need to save bandwidth, so I won’t be a horrible person.
Thanks for answering the questions on how you make your music; I know I’ve never emailed you but I’ve always been curious. I think I’ll play with it some too.
Anyway, Nontoxic looks great and I’m sure Album 3 will be as well. Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks for the music,
Cathen
@Cathen
Thanks for your comments – maybe I wasn’t clear enough about the whole free thing. The reason I removed the free low quality version was because Bandcamp (the site I use for my album downloads) is no longer offering the low quality option.
So to combat this problem, I changed the minimum cost for the high quality version to zero. This means:
The high quality versions are now free so there really isn’t any bad news.
Is that clearer?
I discovered you today, you’ve really impressed me. Great collection of compositions! Just wanted to stop by and say keep it up, you’re great at what you do.
Hey man, i’m living in whangarei and i compose my own music too..
give me a text, 0210740740, ill be keen to listen to some of your stuff.
cheers
joe
Hey again. Remember me? xD Good to hear of the changes and that things are coming along. If you’d like suggestions, I would love to help out. Good luck with your work.
shame to hear you hardly make any money of lunar, you make amazing stuff. You should stick with it though because your work is amazing.
Hey, remember me?
When I first saw the news about you removing the free downloads, I was going to go insane. But then I read on, and I am extremely happy.
I have been listening to your music, and loving it, ever since you first started. I am willing to give extensive critique and recommendations, as I have done for many. Proof of this is if you look back to your previous blog post, “NonToxic”, and look for my comment, you will see just a tiny bit of the critique I am willing to give.
I just want to help you improve, and make the experience better for every one of your fans. Your music has inspired me, and will always hold that kind of effect.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Koolstr
P.S.: Oh, and congratulations on moving to a Mac!! You’ll love it. And if you need any help or advice with anything related to it, I am always open. I can recommend things, like useful applications and such.
As a musician, and knowing that music has many layers to its sounds that garner the whole effect of a song, where do you start? As a budding artist myself, I find it most difficult to work with creating a whole from nothing. Many things seem to come when you throw things together like a splatter painting, but what if you want a portrait? Every minute detail, I feel in some songs, should portray/add to the whole song’s feel as a single comprehensive piece.
So what do you start with? There’s so much to sift through, and there’s even less to guide with when you don’t even have a basic beat from the melody of lyrics. Instrumentals, I feel, are the hardest, yet you pull off such a clean and structured sound. Other than sitting at the piano/computer for hours at end plucking away, any suggestions/comments on the whole experience of writing music?
Hey, I’ve been listening to your music for a long time, and am really looking forward to your next album.
If you still need someone to critique your new album, I would love to! Just send me an email.
Hi!
First off I’ve got to say thanks for the now-more-free-than-ever music downloads!
It would be awesome to see your music on iTunes or Napster if it’s not already, though I’m not familiar with the digital music distribution process.
-Kai
P.S. I’d love to help out with any suggestions for your new album!
Wow toally loved your stuff. Made an amazing theater sound design project. My professor was really impressed at your overall feel of Wall of Sound and its diversity. I must also say, it is now one of my favorite overall CD. And i would also kill to give any kind of advice on the new album. Keep cracking guys!!
oh yea PLEASE COME TO ASHEVILLE NC!!!!!!!!!! i think you could throw some hella trippie dance parties. Plust theres like over thirty awesome venues…i am just sayin.
Hi,
I love Your music, every time when I need charge batteries or write something I hearing Lunar albums. So, if You still looking somebody, who can help You with Album nr. 3 – it will be pleasure for me
Best regards,
Arkadiusz Slowik.
When is your new album coming? I’ve been waiting for a while.
Hey, I’ve never left a comment for you before, but I’ve been listening to your album Hybrid Awaken probably ever since you released it (depending on when stumbleUpon got a hold of it). Anyway, I’m really glad to see you’re still making music. The only reason I found this website was because I randomly wondered if you happened to have anything new, and look what I find! A whole new album that’s been out for a while and another one on the way! I’m really excited for both of them; I feel your music is some of the most inspired sound I have heard in my lifetime. It really moves me and I can’t get enough of just the one album I have.
Having said that, I feel a bit lost on your free downloads. I keep reading over and over that you say the high quality versions are free, and yet, when I go to the page for Wall of Sound, I was able to download the first track, but when I went to download the rest, they all ask me for a $1 minimum purchase. Are the new albums not free? If so, I understand, it is too good to be true that all of your music would be free, but I’m just wondering if I’m screwing up somehow.
I wonder if you’ll even notice this post…
@Zeek Click the Download Album button on the main page and enter 0.
Edit: Oh it looks like bandcamp have decided to change the page around. What you are looking for is ‘buy now’ on the main page then enter 0. The individual tracks used to be free for 128k mp3s but bandcamp have removed those now.