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CONTENTS
JANUARY 2010
KEYSPACE 12
M U G A M U Y A H A R A
ARTISTS ALEX BROWN JAMES TALK BROOKE WAGGONER UNSIGNED ARTIST OF THE MONTH ADVICE QUICK TIPS: RACHAEL SAGE SESSION SENSEI CAREER COUNSELOR COMMUNITY CD REVIEWS GO SEE WEEK END WARRIOR
FEATURES 26
HIROMI The fleet-fingered fusion master returns with a stunning solo piano album — and takes Oscar Peterson to Vegas in the process. Learn all about the inspiration, composition, and technique behind Place To Be, right here.
32
ADAM FRE ELAND Check out the plug-in tricks and production secrets the reigning king of breakbeat used on his slammin’ new album Cope™.
38
JACK’S MANN EQUIN Piano rocker Andrew McMahon on songwriting roots and the resurgence of the piano as a rock instrument.
PLAY IT! 42 44
46
POP Play the signature synth riff from Muse’s “Uprising.” AMERICANA Get close and comfortable with the Floyd Cramer country slip-note. JAZZ Spice up your voicings with upper-structure triad textures.
DO IT! 48
50 52 54
DANCE MIX Think you can’t change vocal melodies when sculpting remixes? Learn how to re-pitch the vocal and keep the feel here. NOTATION Harness the power of ReWire with Notion 3. SOUND DESIGN Eleven essential tips for recording your own sample library . SOFT SYNTHS Rock down to “Electric Avenue” and re-create the “motor” sound from Eddy Grant’s one-hit wonder.
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Cover photo by Pak Ok Sun
8
@keyboardmag.com B-3 MASTERS CHECK OUT CLONEWHEELS Booker T. Jones, Chester Thompson, and Tom Coster converged on our offices to discuss the influence of the B-3 organ on their musical lives, and compare some of the latest clonewheels. Learn from some of the best organists to ever hit the keys in our exclusive videos.
EDITOR’S NOTE
10 LETTERS 20 NEW GEAR 71 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 73 CLASSIFIED ADS
iGOT RHYTHM Continuing his iPhone music app blog, electronica guru Francis Preve focuses on groove and beat-oriented apps in this installment.
GEEK OUT 74
Warfus “Moon” Powell has 75 keyboard and rack synths in his studio. We fit as many as we could onto one page.
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F R O M T H E E D I TO R
eyboard VOL. 36, NO. 1 #406 JANUARY 2010 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Stephen Fortner SENIOR EDITOR: Michael Gallant MANAGING EDITOR: Debbie Greenberg EDITORAT LARGE: Craig Anderton ART DIRECTOR: Patrick Wong MUSIC COPYIST: Elizabeth Ledgerwood GROUP PUBLISHER: Joe Perry
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Music or Technology? Yes! When someone asks me “What’s your
New Year’s resolution?” I usually say, “To the root major seventh, recorded at 192kHz” without blinking. If they don’t begin backing away slowly, I know I’ve found a kindred spirit who’s into both music and technology. The pun between the music theory and audio recording meanings of “resolution” points to an identity issue that always faces tech-savvy keyboardists. It’s the old dichotomy of “Are you more about music, or more about technology?” In the case of guitarists, bassists, and horn players, causal observers tend to perceive that it’s mainly about the player and his or her t alent — whatever technology is involved (whether that’s an amp, guitar synth, etc.) is seen as being there to improve the listeners’ experience of what’s already being performed on the instrument. Stand behind something that has black ’n’ whites and a power cord, though, and at best, you have to answer some version of the above question. (I get “So do you play piano, or keyboard?” a lot.) At worst, you’re a buttonpusher, a cheat. You’re in good company. In our cover story beginning on page 26, Hiromi points out that the piano lets you think of your fingers as different players in an orchestra. That’s precisely why even the stately, highbrow acoustic piano was once a technological controversy, believe it or not. The piano gave you the polyphony, note range, and tonal variation to work out melody, harmony, and dynamics for any orchestral part you could think of, and unlike the pipe organ, you could keep one at home. So, musos of the day worried that patron-backed composers would spend less time interacting with — and less money compensating — orchestral
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players. The point? The instrument we see today as the epitome of musical purism was once seen by some as a technological cheat. Let’s ride the wayback machine even further. Pythagoras wasn’t just the reason you had to study all those triangles in freshman geometry. He was a musician, and was so impressed by the correspondence between musical intervals and the physical world — cut a string in half and the pitch goes up an octave, hit a fret two-thirds of the way down the string and you get a fifth, to take just two of his observations — that he s aw music as the purest expression of the mathematical secrets that drove the universe itself. To put it another way, technology didn’t make music — music was the source of all technology. If technology is the use of tools to improve our lives, then the first time a caveman hit something with something else, then hit it again, then again, just because the sound and vibrations felt good, that was an application of technology. Why the waxing philosophical? Because the next time you get some form of that recurring annoying question, I’d like to suggest an alternative to showing them you can play Rachmaninoff, Keith Emerson, or “Giant Steps.” That just plays into the “either-or” of it, where the above examples prove it’s more of an “and.” Instead, when someone asks you if you’re more about music or technology, take a page from another great ancient Greek smarty-pants, Socrates, and answer with a question of your own: “Music? Technology? Can you help me understand the difference?” If they don’t begin backing away slowly, offer to buy a round of drinks. Immediately.
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LETTERS top. As far as sample resources go, I concur that they could have foregone some of the sounds to devote more to an additional Rhodes patch, as well as a better Clavinet (as I mentioned in the review). Korg didn’t indicate how the memory was allocated, but as you know, there’s a judgment call to be made as far as what any manufacturer deems practical and attractive as far as sound selection goes. —Tom Brislin, Contributing Editor WORLDWIDE WOODSH EDDING KORG SV-1 KUDOS
Nice job, Mr Brislin! A couple of comments: I would have included lack of a flat top as a “con.” I’m sure the SV1 looks stunning, but I would have traded looks for the ability to place a second keyboard on top. Second, am I to understand that there is only a single set of Rhodes samples? Personally I would have traded the synth brass or even the organ sounds for multiple Rhodes sample sets a la the Nord Stage series: the Mark I, Mark II and Mark V samples all sound different to me in the Nord and I liked having the variety. Third, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the amount of ROM in the instrument. I believe I’ve seen it listed as 512MB. That’s a lot by current standards. I’d love to see the breakdown by instrument family, like the piano is 150MB, etc. Just the geek in me, I suppose. Fourth, Korg gets big points from me for not using an external AC adaptor. I left my Casio adapter at home and had a hard time matching one at a local Radio Shack for a gig last week. Anyway, nice review. Good job. —Jamey Was Right, from the Keyboard Corner Forum
I must say I do agree with much of what you add here. I, too, lamented the curved top on the SV-1 and wished it had a flat top on which to stack another ’board. However, I gave it a pass because, first of all, I’m hard pressed to find any current keyboards out there that are conducive to stacking, so I didn’t want to single out the SV-1 unfairly. At any rate, there probably wouldn’t be enough real estate to securely hold another keyboard, even if it had a flat
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I listen to some of the recordings of the artists you write about. Many of them are amazing. They must practice for hours to get their technique so refined. But how do all of the talented keyboard players in Keyboard magazine keep their fingers in shape when they are traveling on tour? If you fly all over the place, you may not be able to get to a piano to practice. Bands and artists can be on tour for months at a time. I can feel my chops slipping if I’m away from a piano for even two or three days. Bummer. —Gabriel
Speak of the devil — our cover artist Hiromi addresses this very topic in our interview. Flip to page 26 for her excellent advice. —Michael Gallant, Senior Editor CLAVICHORD CRED
clavichord and not the harpsichord. The ability to bend a note also makes the clavichord a great blues and folk instrument. Use a pick and steel bar and it turns into an abstract electronic monster. Hope this is of interest to you. —Jim Lowe
Jim, this mod is surely one-of-a-kind — definitely one of the most interesting and original keyboard photos we’ve received in quite some time. I’m also enough of a geek to remember Heathkits, and coveting stuff from their catalogs of build-it-yourself electronic gear as a kid. Offhand, I don’t recall them ever offering a clavichord kit, so I’m intrigued. It’s a very undersung and misunderstood instrument, thought by Bach and many others to be the best keyboard on which to perfect your touch. If you have more photos of yours, I’d like to invite you to post them on our Keyboard Corner reader forum at keyboardmag.com. Click on the “Community” tab, then on “Forum” and you’re there! —Stephen Fortner, Executive Editor COVER CREDIT CORRECTION
The lovely photo of Tori Amos that appeared on our December ’09 cover was taken by Miranda Penn Turin.
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Back in the ’70s, this one-of-a-kind pickup (with preamp) was invented for my clavichord by Carl Countryman. The instrument itself was built from a Heathkit, and Countryman’s expertise preserves the delicate sound only a real clavichord produces, while bringing it into the realm of amplified sound. The clavichord allows the player to bend a note by pressing harder, and that’s why Bach tested his students’ touch on the
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KEYSPACE
A R T I S TS , A D V I C E , C O M M U N I T Y
ALEX BROWN
Rising Star of Latin Jazz Few aspiring jazz artists finish college with a top tier
gig waiting for them in the wings. But that’s just what happened to the prodigious 22-year-old pianist Alex Brown, who graduated Boston’s New England Conservatory to occupy the piano chair in legendary saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera’s band. “I met Paquito’s bassist Oscar Stagnaro in Boston,” Brown tells me from his home in New York City. “He was actually directing the Latin Jazz Ensemble at New England Conservatory. Oscar introduced me to Mark Walker, Paquito’s drummer, and I started playing with the two of them. About two weeks later they asked me if I could do a trio gig with them in Washington, DC, as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. I’m from Maryland, and I was going to be down there anyway, but honestly, I probably would have driven down there even if I wasn’t , just to play with those guys. They ended up inviting Paquito to the show, and that’s where I met him. There were a few gigs that his last pianist couldn’t make, so I subbed for him a couple of times. And I guess Paquito was happy enough with my playing to offer me the gig.” Brown started playing classical piano at age six, but wouldn’t develop a penchant for jazz until years later. “In middle school, I joined the jazz band,” Brown continues. “I ended up having to do an improvised solo, and I didn’t really know what to do at all . I had no idea what was happening, but I really wanted to learn how to do it. So I decided to start taking lessons on my own, outside of school. Then in high school, I started studying with the pianist Stanley Cowell. I was really fortunate to hook up with him. He’s incredible.” Brown would also develop an interest in Latin jazz, fortuitously fueled by admiration for his current employer. “I was always interested in it,” Brown continues. “In fact, I was always a huge Paquito fan. But I started realizing that I needed to check out the people who came before the people I was listening to. I needed to go back to the roots.” At NEC, Brown would study with the acclaimed pianist and educator Danilo Perez. “Danilo’s incredible,” Brown says. “He is one of my favorites — maybe even my favorite pianist of all time.” Brown will have a full schedule throughout 2010, touring with Paquito across the U.S. and the world. When asked for advice to the next generation of aspiring jazzers, Brown waxes practical: “There are so many great players, but a lot of people don’t know how to promote themselves,” he says. “I have friends who never played any gigs during the four years they were in Boston. That’s supposed to be the whole point of school, to get you to the point where you are out playing.” Jon Regen
N O T S N I W A I M
For more, visit alexbrownmusic.com.
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JAMES TALK Acid House and ’90s Rave Favorite songs: This
Sound: My sound is a mixture of deep,
acid, and tech house. Webpage: jamestalk.co.uk Favorite gear: I write all my music in Logic Studio, and use Mackie HR624 monitors.
week? Souls Of Mischief, “Infinity.” Jay Z, “Off That (Ft. Drake).” Enigma, “Gravity Of Love.” Massive Attack, “Teardrop” — I’ve been watching House all week; it’s the title song! Influences: Having grown up in the ’90s, my sound is influenced by early ’90s piano and acid house, and rave like the Prodigy. Also, listening to DJs like Pete Tong, Josh Wink, and Terry Francis on the Essential Mix . Play by ear or play as written: I play by ear, I don’t have any musical training, but I
have a little understanding about keys and scale. Sometimes I think that’s better — you perhaps try notes together that shouldn’t work, but do. Newest project: I’ve been working on a lot of music on my own as well as a remix of Booka Shade’s “Mandarine Girl.” I have also done two new tracks with Ridney. Favorite artist we’ve probably never heard of: Reset Robot. He’s a production
genius and can create amazing grooves in the studio. He also engineers for half of the South Coast DJs including Tom Budden and Alan Fitzpatrick. Practice Regimen: I sit and play on my keyboard almost every night — not religiously, just for fun! Words of wisdom: Eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning to kick-start your brain and your metabolism. Francis Preve
B I L L B E R N S T E I N
QUICK TIPS
RACHAEL SAGE Recording artist and Founder of MPress Records Finding your unique songwriting voice: Write in a journal, religiously. No
one else has the same experiences or reactions that you do. Even if you never directly write a song from the observations you make in a notebook, you’re still developing your “voice.” I have hundreds of notebooks full of rambly prose and poems from the last 20 years, and while I’d never show anyone most of it, it’s all part of a process that has helped me get my ideas out of my head and onto the page. Running your own label: Approach the business side as creatively and reverently as you would your musical endeavors, because in my experience, that’s the only way to keep from “burning out.” Dealing with distributors, publicists, retailers,
radio folks, and booking agents is no different from cultivating your creative audience. You want to be charismatic, memorable but professional, and try to always consider the other person’s point of view when presenting your work. I find that it requires so many of the s ame personality “muscles” to stay sharp as a label owner as it does when pursuing music: physical discipline, emotional and spiritual dedication, and a genuine respect for the individuals with whom you’re communicating. Beyond that, remember that there’s always someone excited to work at a label for college credit — so harness those interns! For more: Visit keyboardmag.com. Michael Gallant
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A R T I S TS , A D V I C E , C O M M U N I T Y
BROOKE WAGGONER Chamber Pop Piano The music: It’s fairly piano driven with heavy orchestral elements — a mix o f chamber pop and cinema. Website: brookewaggoner.com Latest album: Go Easy Little Doves. Sounds like: Someone once told me that if Elton John and Tinkerbell had a love child . . . well, maybe that’s stretching it a bit. Influences: Debussy is a huge influence as well as film scores from Masterpiece Theater productions, old Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel, the poetry of Pablo Neruda, and novels by Larry McMurtry. Studio keyboards for GELD: I used two different Yamaha grand pianos, a baby and a full grand. I also experimented a bit with the actual piano strings — strumming, using the damper pedal while plucking the high treble piano strings, etc. Songwriting process: It’s usually just random moments of me tinkering on the piano. If I find something I like, I record it in my phone, or on my little handheld recorder, or jot down the melody in my tiny staff paper Moleskine notebook. Lyrics usually come from scraps of lines I’ve collected over the years, usually from times of boredom when I’m jotting little ideas down on random materials. Cool string arrangements on GELD: They came from old scores I had written in college and wanted to revamp. From piano melodies I loved and decided to orchestrate. From afternoons of sitting with old
manuscripts and discovering combos of instruments that I thought sounded so pleasing together. Biggest challenge in the studio: Learning how to capture “moments” on record-
ings. You can play something right a million times, but it’s usually just one special take that harnesses the emotion behind it. For the rest of this interview: Visit keyboardmag.com. Michael Gallant
UNSIGNED ARTIST OF THE MONTH Dave Keyes
On “Blues Bearing Down,” the opening track of Dave Keyes’ punchy Roots in the Blues, the artist proves himself a down-home quadruple threat — between verses sung in a husky, charismatic baritone, Dave fills out the original tune with a rollicking piano solo, which then morphs into an even-more-rollicking B-3 solo. Wow. “Black and Blue” is another standout, showcasing strong horn arrangements over another soul-rocking B-3 solo; “Down To The Bones,” by contrast, delves into tasty, piano-driven funk territory and features one of the hottest breakdowns we’ve heard all year. Dave is a class act, and it’s an honor to name him Keyboard ’s Unsigned Artist for January. Michael Gallant davekeyes.com
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KEYSPACE
A R T I ST S, A D V I C E , C O M M U N I T Y
Session Sensei WOODSHED RESOLUTIONS by Scott Healy, keyboardist for The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien
If I were to make just one New Year’s
resolution, it would be to practice more. It always feels great to spend a few hours in the shed, whether I’m working on technique, time, tunes, styles, or just noodling around, and no amount of playing with other people can replace it. It’s all too easy to skip, though, and so I offer these tips as encouragement to join me in my commitment to practice more in 2010. When? I’m not the kind of guy who insists
on a rigid practice routine. In fact I feel that trying to stick to a regular schedule of anything can set you up for a major guilt trip at best, and the feeling of failure at worst. Just get to it when you can, but make an effort to plan each day so you can find the time. Where? You may not always have a tuned Steinway B in a soundproofed room at your
disposal; you may have to make do with a semi-weighted keyboard and a set of headphones. Just make sure that whatever your situation, you have a good vibe and a clear head. What? There’s nothing wrong with practicing scales and arpeggios. Hanon’s great too, but realize it’s only in the key of C , and most of the rest of the world is not. I have really mixed feelings about metronomes — but more on that next month. What else? Practice that tune you stumbled through last night on the gig. Work on a style you’re not comfortable with. Practice your favorite ten tunes in different keys. Hack through some Bach, or rekindle a sonata. Then grab your iPod and play along with some great record. Listen to where the drummer’s putting the beat, and what the keyboard player is doing in relation to
the song. These elements are universal and independent of the style of the music. Anything more? Be critical of your playing, but not obsessive. If you do something that you like, do it again. If you hear something you don’t like, work it until it improves. I’ve always noticed about a six month lag in musical improvement — it seems to take a while before things really sink in and become part of your automatic musical skill set. Don’t be disappointed if things don’t stick for a while, as you might find improvement when you least expect it. The best part of practicing is that there’s no downside. It’s just about impossible to get worse, although the more critical you get of your own sound, the worse you may sound to yourself! Just be cool, and think about the long haul.
Career Counselor GOING HOME AGAIN by Jon Regen, recording artist of critically acclaimed album, Let It Go
Last month, I was invited down to the
Frost School of Music at the University of Miami to give a master class and concert to the school’s jazz piano majors. Truth be told, I had studied jazz piano at UM for a year back in 1988, before leaving to apprentice with Kenny Baron, the pianist that would become my mentor at Rutgers University. So returning to U M two decades later as a guest artist and clinician would prove to be an honor, as well as a chance to revisit my musical youth. The world outside music schools may change, but the environment in which a musician gets his or her proverbial chops together has remained virtually unaltered for generations. You listen, you learn, you practice your brains out until your hands, ears, and mind become synchronized.
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Being back at UM after so many years in the “real world” made me realize what a utopian atmosphere music school really is. Seeing younger versions of myself practicing, performing, and viscerally moved by just talking about music made me realize how lucky I was to have had the chance to study in such a nurturing atmosphere as that one. Presenting to the students was a rare chance to give back. I told them, through anecdotes and examples from my own professional career, that never giving up is much of the battle in mounting a music career — that no matter how offbeat their musical ideas may seem to others (and even themselves at times), it’s that very unique perspective that makes true innovators sound the way they do. Believing in
yourself, and staying open and positive to what life hands you, can carry you a long, long way. My career is proof positive of that very idea. After finishing my lecture, I performed a few of my own songs with a rhythm section from the school’s concert jazz band. Hearing kids nearly half my age play my music with fire and ferocity reaffirmed my faith that the music of tomorrow is in good hands. In the words of Reverend Al Green, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” I returned to New York with a sense of accomplishment. Two decades ago I set out on an uncharted path towards a career in music. Returning to the place where it all began showed me, and the talented students studying there, that anything is possible if you never give up.
ART
AND
SCIENCE “Ivory is without a doubt the fnest sampled piano that I have ever played.” —ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
IVORY GRAND PIANOS Three glorious grands in one virtual instrument
IVORY ITALIAN GRAND A brilliant masterpiece of expression
IVORY UPRIGHT PIANOS Four authentic uprights for an alternative attitude
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A R T I S TS , A D V I C E , C O M M U N I T Y
CD REVIEWS
GARY GO Gary Go
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gary Go’s eponymous debut is fine-tuned power-pop at its best. On his new album, the U.K.-born songsmith (and iPhone music app expert) fuses deft production with emotionally charged songwriting, delivering a soaring set of polished pop hits. Go shines here as both writer and performer. Supported by a band of ace session ringers, Go’s originals span the stylistic as well as emotional divide. Tracks like “Open Arms ,” “So So,” and “Wonderful” (the album’s first single) brim with kinetic energy, taking their production cues from past hits by perennial favorites like U2 and Coldplay. “Life Gets In the Way” injects a vintage vibe by way of a swirling Hammond organ. And on “Brooklyn,” the introspective songsmith turns the volume down with a string-drenched piano ballad. Recommended. Jon Regen (Decca Records, whoisgarygo.com) new light on a classic collaboration. DAN DEAN WITH Richard Leiter GEORGE DUKE, LARRY GOLDINGS, (Origin Records, origin-records.com) GIL GOLDSTEIN, KENNY WERNER REDEMPTION
well. Tastefully explosive! Michael Gallant (InsideOut, insideout.com)
251
SNOWFALL ON JUDGMENT DAY
SOMETIME S I’M HAPPY
Seattle bassist Dan Dean is no stranger to Keyboard magazine: His sample libraries have won three Key Buy awards and he’s played with piano heroes like Dave Grusin, Bill Mays, Joey DeFrancesco, and scores more. On 251 (think jazz changes) Dan invited four stellar keyboardist buddies into the studio for a fantastic romp through ten standards and a George Duke original that will teach you how to play ballads, swing, and funk with a bassist. Whether you play B-3 (like Larry Goldings on “Georgia”), accordion (like Gil Goldstein on “Lover Man”), funk piano (like George Duke on “It’s On”), or straight-ahead jazz (like Kenny Werner on “Dolphin Dance”) this uplifting album shines an exciting
The accomplished rockers of Redemption know how to deliver the sort of driving, guitar- and synth-driven prog that gets fists pumping and eyes lifted upward. Snowfall on Judgment Day contains more than enough gritty and glittery keyboard tones, boiling grooves, and harmonic and rhythmic surprises to keep things interesting — but to its great credit, artfully avoids going too far into wankiness. “Fistful of Sand” rumbles deliciously, mixing dirty keyboard and guitar tonalities into an engagingly warped metal soundscape; “Black and White World” opens with a piano solo that foreshadows the rock to come, fleshes out one section of groove with unexpected lofi blips, and throws in lithe synth leads as
Don’t let her age fool you — jazz pianist and singer Champian Fulton is still in her early 20s, but she sings and swings with the authority of a seasoned pro. On her latest Venus release Sometimes I’m Happy , the Oklahoma-born, New York City-based double threat dishes up a tasty serving of gutsy, grooving trad jazz. From her tasty block chord solo and proud vocal prancing on the album’s opener “When Your Lover Has Gone,” to her spirited take on the venerable ballad “Darn That Dream,” Fulton (nimbly backed by bassist Neal Miner and drummer Fukushi Tainaka) finds her own way through even the most familiar of material. More than just another singerpianist on the retro scene, Champian Fulton is an artist to keep an eye and ear on. Jon Regen (Venus Records, champian.net)
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CHAMPIAN FULTON TRIO
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WEEKEND WARRIOR
Check out these keyboard-heavy acts, on tour this month.
DON STAMEY Webpages: dennyrussellband.com, stamey.org Day job: I’m a software designer based in Grass Valley, California. I’ve been involved professionally with computers since 1983. In the early days, I wrote software for large mainframe computers. I became self-employed in 1986, and soon after, started writing software for Macintosh. In the last few years, I’ve transitioned to working on web-based software and custom programming for websites. How I got started: I had wanted to play since about age six, probably after hearing the piano in church. My family wasn’t musical at all, so it wasn’t until I was nine that we got a piano and started tak ing lessons. By age 15, I was playing regularly in church, and was in the high-school jazz band. Band: I currently play at Twin
Cities Church in Grass Valley. We have about 2,000 attendees, which is amazing for our small town. In the last few years, I’ve also been playing with the Denny Russell Band, a country-rock outfit that plays mostly original music. We started out in late 2005, helping a friend record his songs, and by 2006 we had become a band. We’ve performed at casinos, county fairs, sports bars, parties, wedding receptions, retreats, and fundraisers. I’m also trying to start a Carpenters tribute band. Why I play: Music caught my attention at an early age. I really liked hearing chords with a lot of
Lady GaGa ladygaga.com
color, even before I understood them, and the piano was the best way for me to create those sounds. I love the ability to play what I feel are the best chord voicings possible on any single instrument. I tried to learn guitar when I was 16, and got very frustrated because I couldn’t voice chords the way I could on the keys. Ed Coury
“In the Denny Russell Band,” says Don, “I mostly need piano, so the Roland RD-500 is the main keyboard in front of me. A few years ago I bought a portable Yamaha PSR-282, because I wanted something small and battery powered. There are several good sounds in that keyboard, including some organs, so I use it in the band. Both keyboards are plugged in to my Roland KC-100 amp, which I use as a submixer and monitor. When playing at church, I like the same basic setup, except I have a Yamaha C7 grand in front of me, and a Roland XP-80 to my left.”
Marcia Ball marciaball.com
Squirrel Nut Zippers snzippers.com
Tegan and Sara teganandsara.com
Carpenters, 40/40 (A&M)
Richard Carpenter, of the iconic pop group the Carpenters, is one of Don Stamey’s favorite players. “When the Carpenters became popular in the early ’70s, I was in my early teens,” says Don. “Karen’s voice really caught my a ttention. As I listened, I noticed all the great things Richard had done, especially his arranging and orchestration. I’m sure Richard’s style has shaped the way I play. When I wrote a song for my wedding, many people said it sounded like a Carpenters song. I didn’t intend that, but I guess that’s what happens.” A solid collection of the Carpenters’ best work can be found in the 2009 greatest hits compilation 40/40 .
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Bill Charlap managramusic.com/ artists/billcharlap
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NEW GEAR
by Stephen Fortner
KURZWEIL PC3K BACK TO THE FUTURE THE PITCH
The PC3 gets a load of most-requested
upgrades. Full backward compatibility with K series sounds and setups. Has 128MB of non-volatile sample memory, so there’s no reload wait after turning it off and on. Loads WAV files. Takes USB thumb drives. Still does everything the original PC3 does: VA oscillators, KB-3 mode, VAST, all that. WHY NOW? Andrew Lloyd Weber’s people asked Kurzweil for a modern K-compatible synth that could load user samples. Thus began the PC3K project. $TBA, kurzweilmusicsystems.com WHAT UPGRADES?
STEINBERG THE GRAND 3 PREMUIM VIRTUAL PIANO
BLUE YETI
Yamaha C7 grand and CP-80 electric grand, Steinway D, Bösendorfer Imperial, and Nordiska upright pianos. THE BIG DEAL All-new samplng sessions compared to The Grand 2. Two mic positions at up to 20 velocity layers. Onboard reverb, EQ, plus a full tuning editor. Uses VST3 spec for best results but supports VST2, AU, even ReWire. WE THINK You should watch Keyboard for a full review soon! $449.99 list/approx. $350 street, steinberg.net
THIS IS A USB MIC?
THE PITCH
The world’s first THX-certified USB mic. THE BIG DEAL Has three capsules, two of them in an X-Y orientation. Patterns include cardioid, omni, figure-eight, and a stereo mode we think is doing mid-side miking. Headphone out effectively makes it an audio interface. WE THINK This has gotta be the coolest USB mic we’ve ever seen. $149.95 list, bluemic.com THE PITCH
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS PIANOS AKOUSTIK A LA CARTE
Pick and choose updated versions of the four pianos formerly available only in the $229 Akoustik Piano software. THE PIANOS Berlin (shown), a Steinway D; New York, a Bechstein D-280; Vienna, a Bösendorfer Imperial; Upright, a Steingraeber 130. All four work with the free Kontakt Player or your full Kontakt soft s ampler. $79 each or $189 for all four, native-instruments.com THE PITCH
Want to check out the same press releases that we see about new gear, as soon as we receive them?
Go to keyboardmag.com/news 20
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NEW GEAR NOVATION NOCTUR N KEYBOARD ONE GOOD NOCTURN DESERVES ANOTHER
The control surface features of the sells-like-hotcakes Nocturn knob box, now with keys. THE BIG DEAL High-quality Fatar synth action. Automap for controlling plugins. Transport and mixer control of every major DAW. LED-ringed endless knobs. Bigger drum pads than Novation’s otherwise high-end SL Mk. II. WE THINK It’s a bitchin’ controller, giving you all the essentials — keys, pads, knobs, and software integration — for a remarkable price. 25 keys: $329.95 list/approx. $300 street; 49 keys: $379.95 list/approx. $250 street, novationmusic.com THE PITCH
BITNOTIC OCTAVIAN 1.1 THEORY IN PRACTICE
The popular iPhone keyboard calculator now lets you hear the scales, chords, and modes instead of just seeing them. THE BIG DEAL Shows you chords and scales with any root, any mode, and any inversion. Just about any chord extension or alteration you can think of is accounted for. High-quality piano s amples do the playback. WE THINK It’s a cheat sheet no keyboardist should leave home without. $2.99 at iTunes App Store, bitnotic.com THE PITCH
ROLAND SP-404SX GROOVE SAMPLER RELOADED
Roland’s most popular portable sampler gets even more powerful. THE KEY SPECS Battery power and built-in mic for sampling anywhere. Records in 16-bit uncompressed WAV format. Glitch-free switching between 29 built-in effects, which include a voice changer and a looper. Takes SDHC cards up to 32GB for tons of sampling time. $465 list/approx. $400 street, rolandus.com THE PITCH
DAVE SMITH POLY EVOLVER POT EDITION GET YOUR TWEAK ON
Putting pots (old-school knobs) on the Prophet ’08 instead of endless encoders was so cheered that Dave did the same to the Poly Evolver Keyboard. THE BIG DEAL Prophet-5 style knobs give great tactile and visual feedback when, say, you’re sweeping a filter in live performance. THE GOOD DEAL A kit with the circuit board and knobs to convert your old PEK is $399 and easy to DIY. It’s $449 factory-installed. WE WONDER Is the Mono Evolver Keyboard up next for this makeover? $2,899 list/approx. $2,600 street, davesmithinstruments.com THE PITCH
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museresearch.com
In 2008, Novation’s Nocturn redefined plug -in control. Touch sensitive controls and one-click assignment made Nocturn an instant hit with music makers. We’ve added a velocity-sensitive, real Fatar keyboard with aftertouch, 8 ‘soft-touch’ drum pads and t ransport control, turning Nocturn into a full keyboard-DAW controller. Nocturn Keyboard’s award-winning ‘Automap’ software graphically displays the entire control surface, showing all the information where you really nee d it - on your computer monitor. Can you imagine the possibilities when you can simply click on a parameter, touch the controller and see it all laid out for you on screen? Its time to play. CLICK ANY PLUG-INCONTROL
TOUCH AN ENCODER TO ASSIGNTHE CONTROL
WHO WANTS A SMALL LCD SCREEN ?
Automap’s heads-up GUI mirrors Nocturn Keyboard’s control surface, allowing you to see which controls your soft synths and effects are assigned to easily. Change its opacity, size and whether its even visable, now you can’t do that with an LCD screen!
PLAY ANDCONTROL THE PLUG-IN WITH EASE
www.novationmusic.com
[email protected]
A R A H A Y U M A G U M
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Hiromi The Solo Piano Sorcery of Place To Be by Michael Gallant From its very first moments — a
machine-gun volley of perfectly-timed notes, frenetically joyous and angular — you can tell that Hiromi’s Place To Be is anything but another sleepy, contemplative solo piano album. In fact, filling the space left by her excellent regular bandmates, the young jazz fusion keyboardists’ musical energy manifests even more vibrantly, resulting in one of the most explosively creative solo piano albums Keyboard Central has ever heard. If you know Hiromi’s synth-y trio with bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora, her stellar collaborations with Chick Corea, or her über-funky work with guitarist Dave Fiuczynski in the quartet Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, you’re aware that she’s a free spirit of outstanding technique and fierce compositional prowess. Place To Be showcases her talents on both fronts, leading the listener through a glitzy Las Vegas-themed suite, as well as a truly original, time-travel reinvention of Pachelbel’s Canon — all while continuing to pay tribute to jazz piano greats like Oscar Peterson throughout. Coming from the same mind that created the unforgettable synth-fusion epic “Kung Fu World Champion,” such eclecticism, skill, and fun is entirely to be expected. We caught up with Hiromi at her home in Brooklyn, shortly after her return from
concerts in her native Japan, to discuss the roots and realization of Place To Be. Why did you decide to record a solo album?
It’s something that I wanted to try for many years. I recorded the album just before I became 30. When I was considering making this solo album, I started to think about how my life has been these past ten years. I realized I was touring and traveling to so many places, and I just wanted to make an album with the gratitude I felt for my audiences. I wanted to thank the people who gave me the places to be. Your version of Pachelbel’s Canon is striking. How did you get such an interesting sound out o f the pia no?
I just put a metallic ruler in the piano and I took it off with my right hand while I was playing with my left hand during the song. It was pretty hard. I had to practice so I didn’t make noise when I took it off — and I had to make sure I didn’t go out of time w ith my left hand when I was doing something else with my right hand. Do you play inside the piano often?
I’ve been doing it since I was very small. Just through curiosity I started playing with strings and putting stuff inside the piano. How did you come across the idea of using a metal ruler as opposed to bubble gum, marbles, or anything else?
When I was small, I had some chances to play the harpsichord. I was fascinated and I was looking for that same kind of sound — and I just found it with the ruler. I thought, “Yeah, this is kind of similar.” Pachelbel’s Canon is such an old song. I wanted to do something that went from the past to now. I wanted to make that transition from original to current, and that’s why I started it kind o f oldie style. [ Laughs.] What was the compositional process like for this album?
I wanted to choose songs that came from physical places. Sometimes when I see a landscape, a melody lands in my head — that’s how I start writing. It’s just like how some people paint — but I write music. I compose bit by bit, trying to construct the song, have it make sense, and have it be close to the image that I saw. Of course, I write things that I can’t really play. I do that so often. I just hear it, write it, and then realize that I need three hands to play what I’ve composed. When I record songs, I have to practice so that I can play complex things with one hand. So that’s hard stuff. [ Laughs.] So you really push your comfort zone when it comes to technique.
I write things that I’m not used to playing. I don’t like to go with the habits that my hands have, so I try to sing a melody, so that my fingers don’t lead the way, so that 0 1. 20 10
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Hiromi the melody really has to lead itself. The melody that is ringing in my brain, in my heart, has to lead the song. Having small hands made me have to work hard to play piano — a nd I still have to work hard. My goal as a pianist is to make the instrument sound full. Whenever I listen to amazing pianists, they make the instrument sound like an orchestra. I can hear how much potential that instrument carries, so I really want to capture that as a pianist. To make it happen with small hands is not that easy, so I have to practice hard. How wide do your hands stretch? Can you hit tenths?
No, no way! Octaves — and if I stretch harder, I can play more, from C to D, but that’s the maximum. Octaves are very hard already.
Hiromi On the Road Piano preferences: Most of the time I try to bring the Yamaha CF-II IS. I grew up
with a Yamaha, so the action and the pedal — everything feels like home. My body’s just accustomed to playing Yamaha. Of course, I’ve met many beautiful pianos from other companies. I love their sounds, but I just don’t feel home when I play them. Every piano maker makes a different instrument. So even though I love the sound, I just don’t feel I belong to the instrument. I use the piano as a melodic instrument and a percussion instrument as well. It’s very hard to find a very warm piano that also has a very clear attack. Synth rig: I’m playing a Nord Electro 73, a Nord Lead 2, and a Korg MicroKorg, which I used on the two albums before this solo album. Why the MicroKorg? It’s a very simple keyboard and I just needed some extra sounds. I was looking for a k eyboard that fit on top of the piano, and with the Nord Lead [there already], I only had a very small physical space available. M A K O T O H I R O S E
Given how strong your technique is and how quickly you can move, you’d never guess. [Laughs. ] That’s good news. What advice could you offer to piano players who want to make the piano sound as big as you do?
When you play, you have to hear the orchestration in the piano. Try thinking like you’re playing bass with the pinky and the ring finger on the left hand, and then maybe guitar with the other three fingers in the left hand. Maybe three fingers in the right hand
Music doesn’t come from music — music comes from experiences. can be trombone, saxophone, and trumpet. The top two — the ring finger and the pinky on the right hand — can be flute and oboe. That’s what I see when I play. Even though the piano is only one instrument, it can be so many pieces of an orchestra. It sounds like you’ve really spent a lot of time with orchestral and big band music.
Yes, and I’ve written for orchestras and big bands. [Having had that experience] definitely helps in my solo piano playing. If you’re trying to make the piano sound like an orchestra, how do you avoid playing too much? 28
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It’s just like any orchestral piece. Everyone doesn’t always have to play. Sometimes it’s flutes only. Sometimes it’s strings only. For me, it’s so important to honor all 88 keys — not necessarily to play all of them, but to be aware of them. The piano is like a living animal. I feel that each key has a soul and every key is trying to get my attention to be played. A lot of pianists, when they play with a bass player and drummer, tend to use the upper side of the piano because a bass player covers the lower range. But I think that if I did that, the left half of the piano would miss out, and be sad. That’s
how I think when I make music for the band as well — I want to be aware of the existence of 88 keys and make them happy. I’m the player, but at the same time, I’m like a conductor in charge of 88 players. I don’t always play every key in one show — that could be too busy. The important thing is if I’m conscious of each one. Awareness is always the key. When you write music, do you write it by hand, use notation software, or neither?
I write by hand. It can be chords, notes, and words. Sometimes I just write words that
Hiromi M A K O T O
can make me connect to the landscape.
H I R O S E
What sorts of words?
I’m walking down the street and then suddenly I think, “Why am I standing here?” And I look at the sky and it’s blue. Or something like that. So that I can reconnect to that image and feeling, it’s nice to put [reference words in the musical score] as I write. When I play music, I want people to see a landscape. Music and visual images are very strongly connected, and music makes people dream. I’m like a soundtrack creator and listeners can be the film director. I’m always curious if the images I see and the images the audience sees are the same or not. Maybe it’s completely different. Either way, I want to stimulate that part of the brain that makes you see the landscape in the music. What advice could you offer to musicians or composers who want to do that as well?
Experience more things in life, because music doesn’t come from music — music comes from experiences and what you see, what you feel. You cannot think about notes when you compose. You have to think about something else — to translate what you feel into notes. So if you spend all of your time in a practice room, you’re not going to have much to say.
Definitely not. But practicing is an important thing. I am a practicer — I love it so much, so I do sometimes lock myself in the house and practice hard. But it’s important to feel the weather changes. It’s important to feel the seasons. It’s important to talk to people, and learn, and just experience life. It’s very important because there are so many things that you can learn outside of the practice room, and then bring back to your music. Can you talk a little bit about how you practice?
When I’m with the piano, I do exercises. I do play a little classical music, not only for the technique, but more for the compositional aspects because classical composers really know how to make the piano sound full. They have a deep understanding of the instrument. I also just love playing standards. And when I’m not with a piano, I listen to great musical giants. That’s the most amazing practicing source, I think. 30
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How do you keep your fingers in shape when you’re flying all over the world?
You can do so much practicing just from a table. I always try to move my fingers somehow, so that my muscle memory doesn’t go away. When I can be in a club for a couple days, of course, I go in earlier than the performance time so I can feel the piano.
okay, let’s try this route. It’s a completely new journey that I’ve never taken before. And it’s very risky as well, because [this time] there’s nobody else on the stage apart from me, so I have to be responsible for every single decision that I make. No one will save me if I’m about to jump out. I love that edgy feeling.
Do people ever look at you funny on airplanes when you just move your fingers around a lot? Yes, they do. [ Laughs. ] Sometimes, I don’t
Do you ever get nervous?
realize that I’m moving the fingers and making these huge noises on the armrest. Then the person who’s sitting next to me will ask, “What are you doing?” And I’m like, “Huh?” I’ve been doing it for too many years. I don’t even realize it sometimes.
The melody and the interlude are pretty much it, I think. The BQE [BrooklynQueens Expressway in New York City] is chaotic and hectic. Then when you are very tired of the drive, you suddenly see the beautiful skyline of Manhattan, which makes everybody dream, and there is a crazy contrast between reality and fantasy. The interlude actually stands for the skyline that suddenly brings you back to the reason why you came to New York in the first place. The BQE is kind of the road that you have to take to get to the dream. Every day has different places and directions that you have to take — of course in the expressway — but in life, too. So when I’m playing in a performance, I always can create new drama in the song. I always have to come back to the interlude.
You cannot think about notes when you compose. How much of the music on Place To is written note-for-note, and how much is improvised?
Be
It depends. The “Viva! Vegas” songs are more written, but others are less so. Songs like “Somewhere” are very open. It’s more like a standard where I only have a lead sheet. I have a lot of freedom, especially because I’m playing solo. In a live performance situation, as long as I’m responsible for what’s coming next, then I can go anywhere and make new stories. Sometimes some idea hits my brain when I’m playing —
No. It’s just far too much fun. On “BQE” in particular, which parts were written out beforehand?
How similar are your overall performances show to show?
I want to be a storyteller when I play music, and I have so many stories to tell. Some parts are set, but then I also have these improvised parts, and improvised stories that I can only tell on that very day I play them. It’s so much fun.
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In the world of nu-skool breaks, Adam
Freeland is something of a legend. From his 1996 mix CD Coastal Breaks to his initial productions with Kevin Beber as Tsunami One, Freeland quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the breakbeat world. The year 1998 saw the launch of his über -influential imprint, Marine Parade, which showcased white-hot releases from Bassbin Twins and Evil Nine. Since then, his collaborations with BT (“Hip-Hop Phenomenon”) and groundbreaking remixes for Nirvana and White Stripes have earned him his place in the pantheon of world-class DJs. This summer, Adam took a few steps in a different direction with the release of his lat32
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est artist album, Cope™. With guest appearances that run the gamut from Gerry Casale of Devo to the needs-no-introduction Tommy Lee, Cope™ is a star-studded affair that blurs the line between tough-as-nails breaks and brooding, thoughtful atmospherics. We caught up with Adam and got him to reveal some of the secrets behind his latest electronica tour de force. Here’s what he had to say. More and more, DJs are blending the intricacies of dance music with their more private musical tastes. What was the overall inspiration for Cope™ ?
It’s my second “artist” album, and I think my eighth album release. I don’t really see myself as a “DJ writing an artist album” —
it’s just that I’m more known as a DJ. In my head, I’m just an artist who also DJs. I’m really into heavy droney ‘om’-like sounds, desert rock, and shoegazey guitar tones, so I wrote a record on that tip, then realized it was way beyond my audience and too self-indulgent. So I wrote a dancefloor electronic album and decided that was just too “now” with not enough longevity. Shortly thereafter, I had this epiphany moment and realized I could do both. That’s how Cope™ came about. Gerry Casale of Devo even makes an appearance. How did that come about and what were his contributions?
We met through a mutual friend, Matt Diehl — who’s writing the Devo screenplay — and really hit it off. I played him some
tracks and he freaked out, so we started working on stuff together. We wrote about three songs together, but not all were right for the album. On the record, he performs the lead vocal on “Only a Fool” and backing vocals on “Under Control.”
you choose that give it the more live feel or electronic feel. For ideas, I’d write general vibes and play them to Tommy. He’d jam on them. Then I’d mix and edit his drum takes and beef up the sounds with more electronic drums to give it real oomph.
The entire approach to drums blurs the line between live and sequenced. You’ve got Tommy Lee at one end of the spectrum and tightly quantized grooves at the other. Tell us about the drum production.
There are a lot of different flavors of distortion and overdrive throughout the record. Hardware? Software?
Well, I start all of my beats in the computer. We wrote most of the album in Apple Logic. That is, Alex Metric wrote most of it with me and I also wrote some with Damian Taylor. In fact, it’s all pretty tightly quantized! To me, it’s really just the sounds
Both. I have some really nice outboard guitar pedals that I use a lot. We’re also running synths really hot through the Roland Space Echo set with no delay or reverb on, just overdriving it to hell, to get that really nice warm distortion. [Camel Audio] CamelPhat and D16 Devastor plug-ins also played a big role in what you’re talking about.
The compression and tightness of the whole album is especially evident in tracks like “Under Control.” What’s the secret to nailing those punchy mixes?
Universal Audio UAD plug-ins were really key to the sound of the record. A lot of stuff was slammed through the UAD gate/compressor then sidechained to the kick using the Logic compressor. But as far as really nailing down that sweet final mix on “Under Control,” it’s down to Q [from Überzone]. He’s been a mentor to me in how to get things sounding they way they do. The key to what I do is knowing my limitations and delegating to someone who’s really the don of their field, such as Q and the South Rakkas crew — who did the final mixes on the album. 0 1. 20 10
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Adam Freeland The call-and-response arrangement of “Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada” is quite intricate. What’s doing what and how was it arranged?
It’s really a play between Arturia’s Moog soft synths, and some live guitars which are going through a lot of reverb. All of it was processed and then edited heavily in sections. The breakdown really lets it step into droney shoegaze territory with layers of feedback, which can be hard to get right in such an electronic track, but I think it works. What about touring to support Cope™ ? Will you be doing any live P.A. gigs?
We rehearsed for a month solid in Los Angeles and did our debut shows this year at South by Southwest in Austin. We played to a way bigger and more receptive crowd than anticipated, which was great. We’ve also done a couple of short U.K. tours and are now gearing up for a big European festival summer. After that we’re planning to do more comprehensive U.K. and U.S. tours with Spinerette this fall.
Song-by-Song Sound Secrets The huge synth pattern that runs through “Do You!”: That’s the [Arturia] Moog
programmed in Logic and used in arpeggio mode with a tickle of CamelPhat distortion, a load of compression, and a hint of reverb. The stabs in “Do You!”: That’s a random sample, edited and distorted. The granular effects in “Bring It”: Minimoog Voyager hardware synth, through tube warming and distortion pedals. Then we ran it into the computer and edited and chopped it to hell. After that, we distorted it more with CamelPhat in sections and jammed through the UAD Dreamverb. There’s also me whispering through a mic, compressed and chopped up. All our edits are manual — we’ve never used glitch-type plug-ins. The ethereal vocal treatments in “Wish I Was Here”: The key ingredient there is a great vocalist: Kurt Baumann! That’s many layers of his vocals through the UAD LA-2A and then UAD Dreamverb. The beautiful, layered, evolving pads in “Mancry”: Surprisingly, not so many layers on this one. That main riff is a toy Casio synth that cost two pounds in a jumble [garage] sale playing chords and jammed through Alex Metric’s broken Roland Space Echo, which added the beautiful harmonic distortion. We were trying to do something heavy for this Marilyn Manson remix we were working o n but it came out too beautiful, so we used it for the album. The other layers that come in later in the track are pads, plus Tony Bevilaqua playing guitars through lots of UAD Dreamverb. The live setup includes Kurt Bauman on lead vocals and guitars and Hayden Scott on drums and backing vocals. He’s a
bad-ass drummer, and people have been comparing him to John Bonham. I’ll be on computers, effects, and synths.
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Adam Freeland Will you also include DJ gigs in your touring plans? Yes, I DJ a lot still. I’m lucky to have this
option, as touring the way we do is expensive, so the DJing kind of bankrolls the live shows.
Gear to Cope™ With Hardware
Mac running Logic and Ableton Live Event ASP8 and Yamaha NS-10 studio monitors TLA Audio M3 Tubetracker Lynx Aurora 8 sound card Korg MS-20 analog synth Hughes and Kettner Tube Factor pedal VHT Valvulator pedal Electro-Harmonix Memory Man and Germanium pedals Oohlala Truly Beautiful Disaster pedal Roland RE501 Space Echo As this issue went to press, Adam Freeland has found himself at the center of a sampling brouhaha. Not that Freeland sampled anything without clearance for Cope™ . Quite the opposite. It seems that will.i.am has gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar by sampling huge chunks of Freeland’s “Mancry” for a new Black Eyed Peas track, “Party All the Time.” In mid-July, Freeland tweeted, “OK. Check this. Listen to our song ‘Mancry.’ Now listen to Black Eyed Peas ‘Party All the Time.’ WTF!” Astute fans may recall that back in 2007, Will used a big ol’ chunk of Daft Punk’s “Around the World,” for his single “I Got it From My Momma.” Let’s just hope that by the time you read this, everything will have been sorted out amicably, as we’re big fans of both artists!
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Software
Apple Logic Pro Ableton Live Arturia Moog Modular V2 Camel Audio CamelPhat Universal Audio Powered Plug-ins: Dreamverb, Neve88RS, LA-2A, and Gate Compressor Live’s Resonator effect is also used a lot for rich harmonic drones
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Jac Ja ck’ k’s s Ma Mann nnequ equin in Andrew McMahon’s Piano Pop Phenomenon by Robbie Gennet
What do you think of Jack’s Mannequin? Post your thoughts on our forums at keyboardmag.com.
For those in the know, Andrew
McMahon has been an underground sensation, a wunderkind who spent his formative years fronting the piano-punk pop of Something Corporate, only to shift gears a few years back into his newest project, Jack’s Mannequin. His latest record with the group, an elegantly upbeat offering entitled The Glass Passenger , has found a wide audience and a cherry opening slot for the Fray all summer long. Keyboard met up with McMahon at his house in Los Angeles to get the scoop on the new record and what it’s like being a piano rocker in the 21st century.
dent step-up, a catchy and listenable journey through McMahon’s stories of love, life, and loss that moves from full-on, upbeat rock (“Spinning”) to melancholy introspection (“Annie Get your Telescope”) and all that lies between. Now that Jack’s Mannequin has established itself, it’s delivered a sophomore effort more than worthy of both old fans and new. “ Glass Passenger was so involved and intense,” says McMahon. “It took the better part of a year, and a portion of a second year. But I’m always writing songs. It usually takes a few months to digest what’s happening in my life.” GROWING UP AT THE PIANO
THE MUSIC
If their debut album Everything in i n Transit Transit was the opening salvo of a newbie band, 2009’s The Glass Passenger is a transcen38
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“I discovered piano when I’d just turned nine,” says Andrew. “I played eight to ten hours a day, usually until my parents told me to shut up. My mother was a good
player, and I started playing by ear. After a year of that, I began writing songs, and found outlets to perform them at school assemblies. Eventually, I got lessons.” Lessons or not, McMahon had something he needed to express and the piano provided a great outlet. “It was more personal experience that drove me to sit down at the piano,” he says. “I had always been infatuated with it in some sense. I had always written words. What drove me to the piano was having something to put my poems to.” One piano man in particular stood out as an influence. “Early on, I was a Billy Joel freak,” McMahon says. “I would listen to him all day long, every record. I was obsessed with it. My favorite was Songs in the Attic , which had the really early stuff like ‘Summer Highland Falls.’ I was so young when River of Dreams and
Jack’s Mannequin Stormfront came out, and I loved those. Then I learned in retrospect that those weren’t considered his best records. But I still have a place in my heart for all of it.” CORPORATE LIFE McMahon’s first band, Something Corporate, formed during his sophomore year of high school, and began playing — and winning — the requisite Battles of the Bands here and there. The only problem was that there weren’t many gigs for underage groups besides parties and said Battles of the Bands. “Eventually before my senior year, two of the guys had to leave for college, so we did a goodbye show for them,” McMahon says. “Since nobody would give us a gig, we agreed to paint a playhouse if they let us use it for one night. We had 300 to 400 people show up! After that, we were flying guys back to do gigs.” Something Corporate went strong for a few years until, like many bands, they needed a break. “We were all burnt out but we still toured,” says McMahon. “Not having an album to support took the pressure off and I really had a bang-up time the year that I was working on the Jack’s record.” And as it happens, what started out as a side project turned into a full-time gig around 2005. “Jack’s Mannequin didn’t start as a band,” says McMahon. “It was a moniker to apply to the stuff that I was doing on the side. At that point, I felt a need to split off and get out of the communal thought process of making songs. I wanted to see what happened when I thought of a song in my head and just tried to drive it as hard as I could in that direction. That’s how it began, as a studio project.” Jack’s Mannequin emerged as the vehicle for a maturing songwriter and lyricist to further hone his craft. “It was a superintense and fun process that started as a very impassioned project,” says McMahon. “Myself and my producer Jim Wirt were really in a zone together when we did [2005’s Everything in Transit ]. Originally I didn’t intend to put it out. It could have been Something Corporate demos at first. But then it took on this life of its own. “Frankly, we were blown away that it did as well as it did. It’s approaching 300,000 copies, which is what the Something Corporate records did. I didn’t expect it to be as smooth of a transition as it was. It’s funny — the shows are as full as they were from the Something Corpo40
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rate days and I would say the core of the Jack’s base is original Something Corporate fans. But at the same time, there are a lot of Jack’s fans who aren’t aware of Something Corporate. I think we’ve done a good job of trying to keep Jack’s Mannequin it’s own thing. Bring over the
Webpage: jacksmannequin.com Early influences: As soon as I got into
the piano, my parents went out and got Elton John’s Greatest Hits. My older siblings turned me on to Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, the Grateful Dead, and Phish, especially early albums like Junta.
Most of the people I
“If U C Jordan,” Something Corporate’s first single: No question, it
know who got force-fed
seems juvenile in retrospect. I was 17 when I wrote that song. I was a senior in high school and there was a dude named Jordan who was going to hunt me down and kick my ass. It’s funny; we met down the line. He and I both incidentally did work for the same charity. I made clear in a lot of interviews that I never expected that song to hit. We put it on an EP because we thought it would just come out and go away. And then KROQ played it. It was an accident.
classical music don’t play anymore. people who want to come but don’t jam it down anybody’s throat.” INFLUENCING MANNEQUIN As a touring and recording musician, McM ahon draws his inspiration from a wide variety of artists, though mostly from the old school. “I love the new Kings of Leon record, but I’ve gone back to Wilco, tons of Tom Petty, the Beach Boys, and now the Beatles, especially Revolver ,” he says. “As to newer bands, I like Blonde Redhead and Autolux.” “We did a Something Corporate show in 2000 with Ben Folds and I loved him,” he continues. “Being a kid who grew up playing piano, to finally have a dude rock it and be so good [was amazing]. I always say I play piano out of necessity, because I need to write. But Ben Folds has that gift. There seems to be a lot more piano in rock these days, which I think is great. If you think about the foundation of rock ’n’ roll, there was always a piano or B-3 player in the mix.” So does fronting a band on piano mean you have to out-shred everyone on the scene? Not necessarily, but it doesn’t mean you can coast. “I try to be as much of a player as I possibly can and I try and push myself on every record.” We turned our discussion to music education, and the impact on budding musicians. “I think training is super important,” he says. “I studied for a good handful of years but when you’re young, I don’t think your appreciation for classical is what it is later in life. Most of the people I know w ho got force-fed classical music don’t play anymore. It’s about finding your art form,” he continues. “I love to play piano, and you’re seeing piano reemerge as a focal
point in a lot of popular music. But like anything, it’s another tool to communicate art. Serving the song is the big thing.” ROOTS OF WRITING Even though he knows he has a larger audience listening to his music, McMahon still feels he can connect with the more solitary reasons he began writing in the first place. “If I didn’t, I don’t think that I’d do it,” he says. “You know that eventually something that you like is going to end up being heard, and sometimes you’ll overthink it. I find more often than not, as soon as I start thinking about that, that’s what tanks a piece of music. Truthfully, I try to disassociate as much as possible. I tend to find that it’s the moments that I break out and think something isn’t going to work, but I’m going to follow it for my own purposes — those are the pieces that work.” McMahon has a deep connection to his fan base, a loyal bunch that sings along to every song and revels in McMahon’s exuberant stage performance. When inspired, McMahon sometimes jumps on top of the grand piano, singing his heart out for the crowd which returns the love with voices raised and arms outstretched — in case he decides to stage dive and let them carry him away. It is at moments like these when one feels that this Glass Passenger may very well be shatterproof.
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Michael Duff is a singer/songwriter/producer living in Los Angeles and is the former lead singer/songwriter of Chalk FarM Apple – Logic Studio, Mac Pro & MacBook Pro Euphonix – MC Mix controller Apogee – Duet audio interface Avalon – VT-737SP processor M-Audio – Axiom 61 USB keyboard Zoom – H2 recorder Digidesign – 002 Rack with Pro Tools LE Line 6 – Pod & Bass Pod Pro Marshall Electronics – MXL V77 tube mic Fender & Taylor – guitars Tannoy – speakers ©2009 E U P H O N I X I NC . A LL R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . MC M IX IS A T R A D E M A R K OF E U P H O N I X I NC . A P P L E , L O G I C S T U D I O , M AC P RO AN D M AC B OO K P RO AR E T R A D E M A R K S OF A P P L E I NC . A LL O T H E R T R A D E M A R K S AR E P R O P E R T Y OF T H E I R R E S P E C T I V E O W N E R S .
PLAY IT!
POP What’s your favorite Muse synth moment? Share on our forum at keyboardmag.com. You might just end up featured in print or online!
MUSE’S “UPRISING”
The Resistance
(Warner Brothers)
by Michael Gallant
simple but effective synth riff built around D minor and A major triads. Listen to the track and check out the examples below, which
In Muse’s throbbing, grungy keyboard
anthem “Uprising,” defiance never sounded so good. The band ushers in their rally with a
Ex. 1. Here’s how you hold your hand for the first seven notes of the signature intro synth line. Just start on the high A , play the notes in order from high to low, then come back up, ending on the same A you started on. All the notes here are part of the D minor triad.
walk you through a simplified version of that memorable introductory motif. Power on your synth, warm up your fingers, and rise up!
Ex. 2. For the next three notes in the phrase, hold your hand as shown here and play the notes in this order: D , B b, A . Pay attention to how the hand position and fingering are slightly different from those in Example 1.
= Middle C
1 A
2 D
3 F
5 A
1 D
Ex. 3. For the next eight notes, here’s where your hand should sit on the keys. Start high and go down and up, just like in Example 1, but drop down to the lower A at the very end. All of the notes here are part of the A major triad.
1 A
2 C#
3 E
4 5 A Bb
Ex. 4. Wrap the phrase up with the final two notes, shown here: Play the G first, before resolving down to the F . Again, note the slightly different fingering and hand position from Example 3.
5 A
4 F
5 G
Ex. 5. Here’s the simplified phrase, written in traditional notation. The timing is easy for this one — just count along as indicated.
4 4 5
1
3
2
2
3
1
4
2
1
3
2
5
5
4
5
1
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
3
2
2
3
1
4
5
2
1
3
2
3
1
5
4
1
4
2
3
4
“Uprising,” Words and Music by Matthew Bellamy. © 200 9 Loosechord Limited (P RS). All Rights Administered by WB Music Corp. Used by Permission of Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved. 42
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PLAY IT!
JAZZ What are your favorite recorded moments that involve upper structure triads? Share on our forums at keyboardmag.com.
TRIAD TEXTURES by Andy LaVerne
Want to add some bite and spice to
your voicings? Look to upper structure triads for the uplifting effects you desire. As the name implies, an upper structure triad (UST) is simply a triad placed over another chord
with a different root. Some of the hippest sounding voicings have USTs at their core. These triads are usually major or minor, and are normally used over dominant seventh chords. This is not exclusive, as USTs can go
over major and minor chords as well. Although the ear can extract the triad from the underlying chord, the UST blends into the harmony seamlessly, and creates colors and tensions which add depth to the voicing or line.
MAJOR TRIADS OVER DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORDS a) Dmaj triad over C7 creates C7 #11 , a dominant seventh alteration that doesn’t necessarily resolve to a tonic. b) E bmaj triad over C7 creates a C7 #9 , a dominant seventh alteration that often resolves to a tonic minor. c) G b major triad over C7 creates C7 b9 #11 . d) A bmaj triad over C7 creates a C7 #9 b13 (C7alt ), a dominant seventh alteration that often resolves to a tonic minor. e) Amaj triad over C7 creates C7 b9 , a dominant seventh alteration that often resolves to a tonic minor. f) Fmaj triad over C7 creates C7sus4 ; notice the sus4 in the left hand as well. g) B bmaj triad over C7 creates C7sus4 , too. h) D bmaj triad over C7 creates C7sus4 b9 .
44 4 4 a)
C7 11
b)
C7 9
c)
C7 9 11
d)
C7alt
e)
C7 9
f)
C7sus4
g)
C7sus4
h)
C7sus4 9
MINOR TRIADS OVER DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORDS a) C #m triad over C7 creates C7 b9 #5 . b) E bm triad over C7 creates C7 #9 #11 , a dominant seventh alteration that often resolves to a tonic minor. c) F #m triad over C7 creates C7 b9 #11 , a dominant seventh alteration that often resolves to a tonic minor; it has a slightly richer sound than the F #maj triad, due to the natural 13. d) Am triad over C7 creates C13 . e) Gm triad over C7 creates C7sus4 . f) Dm triad over C7 creates C7sus4 . g) B bm triad over C7 creates C7sus4 b9 .
44 4 4 a)
C7 9 5
C7 9 11
b)
c)
C7 9 11
d)
C13
e)
C7sus4
f)
C7sus4
g)
C7sus4 9
MAJOR AND MINOR TRIADS OVER MAJOR SEVENTH CHORDS a) Dmaj triad over Cmaj7 creates Cmaj7 #4 , which can substitute for a major seventh chord. b) Emaj triad over Cmaj7 creates Cmaj7 #5 , which can serve the same purpose. c) Gmaj triad over Cmaj7 creates Cmaj9 . d) Fmaj triad over Cmaj7 creates Cmaj7sus4 . This dissonant sound, which contains the “avoid” note of the fourth is not usually found in standard tunes; John Coltrane used this to good effect to create tension. e) Bmaj triad over Cmaj7 creates Cdim(maj7) . This diminished chord can be used to delay resolution to a major tonic. f) Em triad over Cmaj7 keeps the chord Cmaj7 . g) Am triad over Cmaj7 creates Cmaj7 (with a 6th).
44 4 4 a)
Cmaj7 4
Cmaj7 5
b)
c)
Cmaj9
d)
Cmaj7sus4
e)
Cdim(maj7)
f)
Cmaj7
g)
Cmaj7
MAJOR TRIADS OVER MINOR SEVENTH CHORDS a) E bmaj triad over Cm7 keeps the chord Cm7 . b) Fmaj triad over Cm7 creates Cm11 , one of the prettiest chord qualities in jazz. c) A bmaj triad over Cm7 creates Cm b6 ; the b6 replaces the third and seventh in the left-hand voicing. d) B bmaj triad over Cm7 also creates Cm11 . e) G bmaj triad over Cm7 creates Cm7 b5 b9 . This is an easy way to create the half diminished sound.
44 4 4 a)
46
Cm7
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Cm11
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c)
Cm 6
d)
Cm11
e)
Cm7 5 9
Visit Andy LaVerne online at andylaverne.com.
DO IT!
DANCE What was your most radical use of pitchshifting? Let us know at keyboardmag.com.
RE-PITCH THE VOCAL, KEEP THE FEEL by Francis Preve
Remixing can be much more
complicated than creating an original track, as counter-intuitive as that seems. With a remix, you have to stay true to the song while leaving your thumbprint. You have to please the label, the artist, the dance floor, and if all goes well, yourself. With an instrumental track, there’s latitude when it comes to key: You can slice, dice, and slap-chop the stems within an inch of their collective life. As long as the sound and vibe of the original is in there somewhere, it’s all good. Vocals present a much greater challenge. You have to preserve the original performance, which means changing the vocal pitches is out of the question. Or is it? Last fall, I got a shot at remixing Winter Kills, a new artist generating a massive buzz in the trance and progressive communities. The label, Different Pieces, wanted me to infuse it with my funky tech-house sound. I loved the original track — Meredith Fig. 1. Meredith Call’s vocal from Winter Kills’ “Deep Down” before editing in Celemony Melodyne.
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the vocal to go up one more half-step (see Figure 2). That locked it with my key changes during the crucial choruses. There were also a couple of tiny changes in the verses, but none as significant as this. I submitted the draft and waited for everyone to weigh in. The verdict? Run with it! One listener didn’t even notice the note that was changed. Melodyne is a magical app that lets me massage a performance with almost complete transparency, but it’s not the only tool I could have used. If you’re on a budget, try the pitch correction tools that come with your DAW, paying careful attention to the sensitivity and intensity parameters (unless you’re T-Pain, but I digress). Another nifty trick is to use “rubber-band” automation to transpose right inside your arrangement. I did this in Ableton Live, and Figure 3 shows the exact spot. Before you do any of this on your next remix, make sure it’s cool with the label. If you do it right, they just might say yes.
Fig. 3. The same goal achieved via automating Ableton Live’s onboard pitch warping.
Fig. 2. Squint at the second half of bar 79, and you’ll see the small but very effective repitching up a half-step.
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Call’s voice has a lush quality that most producers would die for. The track has a dark, foreboding character that didn’t quickly lend itself to a bouncy house treatment. I called the label, then the band, asking if I could change three notes in the vocal performance, and promising to keep the track’s soul intact. They said yes, provided they could hear it and say yea or nay ahead of time. First, I created the chord progression, which sounds like parallel fourths, but is actually microtonally perfect fourths created in Ableton’s FM soft synth Operator, using unusual ratios and transpositions to keep the carriers musically aligned. From there, I layered the original vocal (see Figure 1) after feeding it into Melodyne. In the audio examples at keyboard mag.com/gear, listen closely to the words “on my own.” In the original, Meredith’s vocal slides up during bar 79 when she sings “own.” For my version, I only needed
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ACCOMPLISHED ! H N D M A D E I N S W E D E B Y A D N E V O T E D M U S I A T C L A V I A C L D M I A B O V E RS
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Your inspiration, Our mission!
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DO IT!
NOTATION Any special Notion tricks up your sleeve? Share on our forums at keyboardmag.com.
REWIRE HOSTING IN NOTION 3 by Lubo Astinov
scratch, and write a new piece. In either case, you need to have some score opened in Notion 3 to use the slave application. Go to the Mixer and find the ReWire group. It looks like this: You’ll notice the plus sign right after ReWire. Clicking on it will reveal a pop-up menu of all available ReWire applications that can serve as a slave to Notion 3.
audio from the Notion 3 mixer, assign effects to it, route it to a bus, pan it — in other words, you can manipulate the audio just as if it was coming from a Notion 3 instrument. You are now ready to launch the slave application. In this example, I’m launching Ableton Live. From this point on, I can use both applications in the regular workflow that they offer, and I’ll get all audio into Notion 3.
Each entry will also have a fly-out menu with different numbers of channels. Choose which ReWire output pair you would like to create an aux channel for; just select the first one if you’re unsure. 6. You have now created the necessary aux track that will receive audio from the slave application and route it into Notion 3. You’ll be able to control this
Using Notion 3 as a ReWire host has many benefits. For example, if I start Performance mode in Notion 3 and begin performing the score with its live performance features, then the slave sequencer will follow my tempo and my performance. Any project that I have in the sequencer, regardless of whether it’s audio or MIDI, will follow my performance in real time. This is especially useful in film scoring sessions or a live performance setting. I can also use any sound or technique that the sequencer can offer in real time, together with the Notion 3 score.
One exciting new feature in Notion 3 is
support for both ReWire host and slave functionality. Originally designed to let you stream the audio output of Propellerhead Reason into the DAW of your choice (as Reason doesn’t record audio), ReWire now lets you transmit audio and sync between any two supported applications that reside on the same machine. Thus, you can sync a sequencer and Notion 3 together on a single DAW in your studio and use the power of both applications for your project. This quick lesson will help you get acquainted with setting up Notion 3 as a ReWire host for your sequencer. 1.
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Launch Notion 3. As with any other ReWire application, you need to launch the host application before you launch the application it will control. Make sure ReWire support is enabled in Notion 3. This is found in Preferences under Audio, where the “Enable ReWire” box needs to be checked. Create a new score, or start from
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DO IT!
SAMPLE LIBRARY Read about one guy’s real-life sampling adventure and hear the Harpordian at keyboardmag.com.
SO YOU WANT TO MAKE A SAMPLE LIBRARY. . . . by Richard Leiter
Just a few audio tracks from Jimmy Hammer’s Harpordian sampling sessions. Each note required three files (left, right, and center channels). Notice the tiny Hohner Marine Band harmonica next to the bigger ones — and the many pages of notes underneath. Sample libraries. We all rely on them
for sweeping strings, funky basses, and punchy drums. And every week, someone somewhere thinks, “My [ insert unique or vintage instrument here ] is so unique and musical, I bet that 1,000 people will each pay $100 for a library of it. How hard could it be?” In a nutshell, incredibly freaking hard — but not impossible. We’ve asked sample library guru Dan Dean (dandeanpro.com) and L.A. composer Jimmy Hammer, who recently created his first library (harpordian.com), to share their wisdom, then distilled it into a top ten — make that top 11 — list, to help save your time, your money, and your marriage. 1.
Buy, rent, beg, borrow, or steal the best mics and preamps you can. Look
for mics with a low noise floor, and keep in mind that different mics work best on different
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instruments. You may need a ribbon for some sounds, a large diaphragm condenser for others, even a good dynamic mic for that vintage bass amp. 2.
Get the best musicians available to play the sampling sessions. Mediocre
performance equals mediocre sample. Dan routinely books players who command at least $100 an hour. Jimmy did a great job playing all 1,000 bass harmonica samples for Harpordian — while engineering! — but this brings us to . . .
from your computer. And your children. And the world. 4.
Research copy protection. Dan’s
stuff is popular in India and China, but he’s never actually sold a disc in either country. You don’t want to invest time and money so some kid can buy your library for ten euros. Jimmy Hammer paid $15 per disc to bundle Harpordian with Native Instruments Kontakt Player — which provided a turnkey solution, as all NI instruments handle authorization via the NI Service Center app.
3.
Record somewhere soundproofed, or soundproof where you record.
5.
Sounds you never hear in the course of everyday events (Did you know there was a fan in your Tivo box?) are even more ruinous to sampling than to recording bands. If you’re not working in a commercial studio, separate yourself
advance, create a consistent file naming system to handle your thousands of samples. Names should capture all the important attributes to ease OS-level searching for samples, but err on the side of simplicity: A name like “Zfff41lp119d67Y” is useless when you’re
Become obsessive-compulsive. In
exhausted and overwhelmed. Better something like “Loud.C2.Take3.May12.” Write down everything. Make sure your computer can handle enormous files. Your library will be 6.
many times larger than any song you’ve ever recorded. You don’t want to spend ten minutes opening your session and 30 seconds every time you save, so make sure you have the horsepower to handle giant projects: a separate audio drive from a reliable maker such as Glyph, for starters. Also, break the project down into manageable sections. 7.
Defeat ear fatigue. Otherwise, it will
defeat you. Whether recording or editing, when everything begins to sound the same, knock off for a while. Shake out your wrists a lot, too, because repetitive motion injuries are real. 8. Vividly
imagine your final product.
How will you handle articulations: Key switches? Mod wheel? Velocity? Study existing sample libraries so you can record yours in a way that’ll make it easy to learn and play. 9.
Don’t “fix it in the mix.” If you know
a performance is a little long or short or pitchy and you want to handle it later with editing and EQ — don’t. Hit Record and get it right. Back up like crazy. Jimmy saved to external and internal hard drives every day. 10.
Towards completion of the project, he made DVDs every week. Dan used an Exabyte 8mm tape drive and multiple hard drives in a WeibeTech enclosure. Do market research before you record one note. People buy the fantasy 11.
of the library, so make sure your project is desirable. Mock up a cover, an ad, and a press release. Then, read them, have others read them, and solicit brutal honesty about whether the concept is compelling. Perhaps that last tip should have been first, but I didn’t want to rain on your parade. Besides, someday I might be calling you for tech support.
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DO IT!
STEAL THIS SOU ND Listen to audio samples at keyboardmag.com, and download an Apple Logic file set up with the “Electric Avenue” delay effect at celebutantemusic.com/keybmag.
WHAT D ELAY TO U SE?
I used an Electro-Harmonix Stereo Poly Chorus; their Memory Man models sound great too. Other cool stomps include the Roland RE-20 Space Echo, Moogerfooger Analog Delay, and MXR Carbon Copy. In the computer world, try Tape Delay in Apple Logic or Filter Delay in Ableton Live. If you have a Universal Audio UAD card, the Roland Space Echo plug-in is killer.
EDDY GRANT’S “ELECTRIC AVENUE” by Mitchell Sigman
biggest MTV hits of the ’80s, and still gets crowds bumping on the dance floor. Recently I had to recreate its synth parts for a cover band’s backing track. Listening, I realized the trademark “engine-rev” sound wasn’t a synth, but actually delay effect feedback. Delays “store” incoming sounds and replay them at a settable later time. To get repeats, some of the delayed signal is fed back into the input. If the feedback is high enough, the delay will self-oscillate, like how a mic feeds back when pointed at a speaker. This can turn into something that sounds nothing like the original input. By adjusting the delay time, you can “play” the pitch of this monster noise. This is what’s behind the “Electric Avenue” motorcycle rev. Be careful when cranking up feedback with hardware or software delays! Volume can get out of control and blow speakers, amps, and ears, so turn the master volume down for safety. 1.
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Any delay will work, but different types have different tones. “Electric Avenue” sounds like an ’80s analog “bucket-
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wanted to record many passes of revving sounds without playing a note and starting over every time, I left the delay in infinite feedback and improvised a gate so I could turn the sound on and off by playing keys on my modular synth. I fed the pedal output to the synth’s VCA and controlled it with a simple on/off envelope triggered by the keyboard. Now I could play the keyboard with my left hand and twist the delay time knob with my right.
brigade” delay. For this example, I used my Electro-Harmonix Stereo Poly Chorus re-issue. Though it’s called a chorus, under the hood it’s a short analog delay, and makes great roaring sounds — and lots of other watery weirdness! You can use newer digital delays, but old-school analog and tape delays typically have the tastiest feedback.
“Electric Avenue” was one of the
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Here’s the weird part. It doesn’t matter too much what your initial input sound is, because the delay’s own feedback tonality is so dominant. Try a quick, bright synth bass; anything brief with a wide range of harmonics should be fine. Set the delay time close to maximum and the repeats about halfway up. Play a note. Now try cranking the feedback almost all the way (again, watch the volume). Once it’s feeding back without you holding a note, play with the delay time knob. This should get you into “engine revving” territory. It takes a little time for the feedback loop to bloom harmonically. Because I
5.
You can do the same in a DAW by setting up a simple synth with a delay insert effect, followed by a noise gate with a sidechain input. The main channel would use a synth with a brief tone for the delay input. On a second track, insert a synth with any simple on/off sound (such as an organ) and select its output as the input for the noise gate’s sidechain. Play a note on the first synth and crank the feedback. At first, bypass the gate so you can hear the delay feed back. Now, un-bypass the gate, switch to the second synth, and use it to “play” the effected sound.
GEAR
YAMAHA S70XS Is 76 weighted keys the magic size for gigging? Leave a comment on this review, or join the Keyboard Corner forum, at keyboardmag.com.
YAMAHA S70XS
New Standard in Performance Keyboards by Eric Lawson
PROS Great sounds including stellar new S6 piano. Super-easy to create splits and layers on the fly. Expanded control surface functionality for DAWs. CONS Nearly as wide as some 88-note keyboards. Small display. Deep sound editing requires computer software. INFO
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S70XS (76 keys): $3,699 list/approx. $2,300 street; S90XS (88 keys): $3,799 list/approx. $2,400 street, yamahasynth.com
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I’ve had an S90 “classic” in my gig
rig since 2003, so I’m very familiar with the interface, sounds, and features of this original S90 (reviewed Jan. ’03), which was based on the original Motif but focused on live use. Then, the S90ES came on the heels of the Motif ES — both had double the polyphony and greatly improved sounds. Now, the XS generation of the S series offers not just the full Motif XS sound set, but a gorgeous main piano sound you won’t find in the Motif XS. Also, Yamaha is consciously addressing a couple of trends gleaned from user buzz: First, a perception that the S was just “a Motif without a sequencer.” In response, Yamaha revamped the user interface with a focus on the most common gig tasks, especially setting up splits and layers quickly. Second, musicians have wanted the action, sounds, and performance control of the S series in a 76-key size for years — with fully weighted keys, not the springier semi-weighted sort usually found on 76ers. USER INTERFACE
Even at first glance, you notice a lot of new things. Lots of backlit buttons and
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Performance Creator lets you roll your own splits, layers, and drum performance setups with minimum button pushing. Dedicated octave-shift and transpose buttons are placed so you could hit them with a free finger of a hand that’s playing a chord. These backlit buttons select parts of splits and layers, and turn them on or off. Just below, these buttons activate and latch the arpeggiator for each of the four independent parts. These toggle buttons select which four parameters the knobs control (filter/envelope, EQ, etc.), so you’re never more than one click away from the function you want. Faders have four pages of functions: volume and panning for parts, and sends for the master chorus and reverb. There’s enough real estate here to park a small laptop or a tabletop synth module. DAW Remote button turns the S70XS into a control surface for DP, Logic, or Sonar — or the included Cubase AI software, for which the integration goes especially deep.
four new knobs augment the four faders of the S-class ancestors. The knobs open up more possibilities for realtime control, with virtually all the preset sounds thoughtfully programmed to use these knobs in musical ways. The two toggle buttons that select knob functions were a piece of cake at gigs, and the knobs quickly became an extension of my brain. The only drawback is that the knobs are mounted close to the back edge of the panel, making them harder to access if a second keyboard is stacked above. At first glance, the LCD seems tiny compared to the large color screen on the Motif XS. However, once I got into the greater number of controls and more
intuitive menu structure (compared to the S90 classic and ES), I didn’t feel at all inhibited. There’s even a hidden feature that super-sizes the fonts, which is most welcome at gigs. Like the knobs, the display could be mounted a little closer to the keys to make it more visible in multikeyboard rigs. New backlit red buttons turn individual Voices (Yamaha’s term for single sound programs, not to be confused with voices of polyphony) in a Performance (a multitimbral split or layer) on or off. You get separate buttons for engaging the arpeggiator, and for keeping it playing when you release the keys, for each Performance part. I saw this kind of attention to hardware control throughout the instrument, and it inspired me to a new level of performance. FORM FACTOR
Yamaha opted to put the pitch and mod wheels to the left of the keys. This adds about five inches of width as compared with putting them on the top panel, which is where they were on the S80 and S90 classic. Many users might prefer the latter position and a smaller size — being able to buy a smaller case, especially if you drive something smaller than a minivan or SUV, is one of the main value propositions of a 76-key keyboard. Yamaha says they made a conscious decision based on playability. That’s true — most players are trained to reach here, and there’s no problem accessing the wheels if another full-length keyboard is above the S70XS on a stand. But this does make the S70XS only two inches narrower than my 88-key S90 classic. Nonetheless, it’s a managable 44.2 pounds, wellbalanced to carry, and surprisingly easy to hoist onto a keyboard stand. SOUNDS
The S70XS has the complete factory ROM (and synth engine and effects) of the Motif XS (reviewed July ’07), and this is one deep sound set. Just about anything you could possibly need is on hand. What you won’t find in any Motif, though, are certain new grand piano Voices in the S70XS and S90XS. They’re based on the prestigious Yamaha S6 concert grand, and have a nice brightness that cuts
NEED TO KNOW
What are the best sounds in the S70XS? The new S6 piano and the
entire Motif XS ROM, particularly keyboard sounds like EPs, Clavs, and analog synths. What does it have that previous S series synths didn’t? That S6 piano,
much easier creation of splits and layers, better realtime arpeggiator control, and more control surface ability. Why would I get this instead of a workstation or other ROMpler?
Because it’s focused on features that really make live gigging easier — and that piano sound we keep mentioning just kills. What’s the big deal with 76 keys? Don’t other k eyboards come in that size? Yes, but the S70XS is the only
deeply editable, do-it-all synth (as opposed to a vintage-keys clone, stage piano, or MIDI controller) we know that has 76 fully-weighted keys. How many effects can it do at once? Eight inserts, send-based
• The sounds of the Motif ES • Both a song and a loop-based pattern sequencer for everything from making beats to complete arrangements • All the hook-ups to use the MO with your computer including built-in stereo digital out, complete remote control of your computer software and even Studio Connections compatibility so you can treat the MO just like a VSTi software instrument • A great price! That’s all there is to say. All there is to do now is––make MO’ music.
reverb and chorus, last-in-the-chain master effect and EQ, plus EQ per multitimbral part. In other words, you won’t run out, even with complex setups. ©2009 Yamaha Corporation of America www.yamaha.com
through a mix while remaining realistic and warm. Among the presets, you get many variations of classical, jazz, and pop pianos. My favorite for live rock use is “Piano Rock S6,” which has lots of expressive ability, but also enough brightness to drive it through the mix. On all the new S6-based Voices, you can really hear that realism and attention to detail has been kicked up quite a few notches from the Motif. Keyboard ’s Stephen Fortner chimed in, “I loved the main piano sound in the CP-300, which was several cuts above the Motif XS main piano. But this new S6 sample is a whole other level still.” The rest of the sonic landscape covers a broad base: meaty, funky electric pianos and Clavs, B-3 organs that sound darned good for sampled sounds, dozens of analog leads and lush pads, gorgeous orchestral strings, breathtakingly realistic woodwinds, edgy modern synth tones, and still the most realistic acoustic guitars you’ll find in any hardware synth. Using
www.motifator.com
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YA M A H A
Music lives and your hearing survives!
Protect the hearing you have now, and for years to come.
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S70XS
COMPUTER CONNECTION [Keyboard Corner forum regular and S70XS/Cubase power user Dan Stecko (“DanS” on the forum) provided insights on the S70XS’ software editing and DAW capabilities. –Ed.] With Steinberg Cubase booted up and the S70XS connected to a Mac or PC via USB, pressing the DAW Remote button turns the arpeggio select/effect toggle buttons into transport controls. The S70XS’ scroll wheel scrubs through tracks, the arrow buttons change tracks, and of course, the faders do track volume. Via Mackie Control Universal protocol, you get similar functionality in Digital Performer, Logic, and Sonar. In Cubase, if I selected a soft synth’s track, the synth’s name appeared in the XS’ display, and some of its settings became editable with the knobs and faders. If your soft synth has a “MID I learn” function, you can make these controls edit whatever you want. In the editor software, you can create up to 50 control assignment templates for your soft synths. Very cool. Exclusive to Cubase, the editor software also lets you automate the S70XS as though it were a VSTi. Select “External S70XS VST” in a Device slot, click “Auto Sync” once the editor opens to get Cubase and the S70XS talking, and you’re in business. Once you create a setup you like, you can send it back to the XS as a Multi, or store it with your Cubase song for recall. Of course, the editor also works in st andalone mode. Dan Stecko the Favorites feature, I could simply tag Voices I liked (signified by a heart icon in the display) for quick call-up later. This also works with Performances. AT THE GIGS
The S70XS action is balanced, meaning the keys are the same weight across the whole range. I could tell very little difference between it and my careworn S90 Classic, aside from the older keyboard being broken in. This action is a joy to play, and given that it has aftertouch, about the best combination I’ve played for
digging into acoustic and electric pianos as well as ripping synth and organ leads. I played the S70XS for several gigs and rehearsals with my soul/dance band SoulerCoaster, as well as ’80s cover band Flat Elvis. Having used the S90 classic for years was a great primer, but the sound quality and realtime control of the S70XS were breaths of fresh air. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the S70XS and S90XS load files from the Motif XS. Since I’d previously owned a Motif XS7, I had a USB drive with all my gig sounds, which loaded right into the
S70XS with nary a complaint, aside from a few differences in the Voice pointers. In previous S-series keyboards, creating new splits and layers was time-consuming, because for each one, you had to edit together a Performance preset containing the sounds and key ranges. The S70XS has a one-touch approach: Simply press the Split or Layer button, and the current sound is automatically coupled with another, which you can set as the default “second sound” or quickly change by scrolling through sound categories. This act seamlessly creates a Performance, which you then save into an initialized memory spot. Having blank memory to store edited Voices and Performances felt a lot more logical than overwriting duplicates of factory sounds in the User bank, which is what you did on Motifs and previous S synths. The front panel and menus can edit common settings such as key range, filter cutoff, resonance, and effects, but deeper edits at the Element level require connection to a computer. (An Element is like an “oscillator” in a patch, but it’s really an entire synth chain with waveform, filter, modulation, etc.) While the included software editor is pretty slick (see facing page), some players will miss being able to dive into every parameter from the keyboard itself. PERFORMANCES VS. MULTIS
Worth noting on the S70XS is the “Multi/Seq Play” mode, selectable by a button under the Voice, Performance, and Master buttons. Not to be confused with Yamaha’s usual Performance mode, which splits and layers up to four Voices, Multi mode allows access to 16 Voices via MIDI. Helpful Multi templates contain popular combinations of drums, bass, piano, strings, and so on. You can address these from your DAW or sequencer — or use Multis as speedy-access sound banks at gigs. It’s similar to the Motif’s Pattern or Song mode in how it lines up Voices side by side, and what’s especially cool is that you can switch sounds while holding keys or a sustain pedal, and the S70XS will actually do “patch remain” — sustained notes on the old Voice won’t be
cut off by the patch change. I’d like to see this work in plain old single-patch mode as well (as it has on Kurzweil synths since K2000 days) but it’s good that Yamaha gives you a way to hold a chord and sound-hunt at the gig. You can also execute a “Job > Copy” command that imports a full Performance into your Multi, including four-part arpeggios — very cool!
The MM Series synthesizers combine sounds from the Motif, street smart grooves from around the world and a simple to use interface in a portable package. Whether you’re just
ARPEGGIATOR
jamming with friends, making songs on board
In the studio, I explored the S70XS’ immense selection (over 6,000) of up to four-part arpeggios, though as Motif and S users know, “arpeggios” is an understatement. Though there are classic up/down synth patterns aplenty, most of the content is musical phrases of the sort you’d expect from better loopware libraries. It runs the gamut from country to heavy metal to smooth jazz to urban to Latin to film score — almost any style you can imagine. Need to sound like Herbie Hancock during the Headhunters era? There’s an arp for that. “Rosanna”-era Toto? There’s an arp for that. Caliente piano montuno? There’s an arp for that. I could write an entire review on this hypnotic capability that, with some preparation, can turn you into a one-musician band.
or with the bundled Cubase software, the MM Series lets you hit the streets in style. The MM6 is the perfect choice for musicians on the go, while the Graded Hammer action on the 88-key MM8 delivers natural touch and expressive control over the complete piano range.
• Key sounds from the Motif line including piano, guitars, drums & more • Real Time Knobs for controlling filte and EG • Built-in grooves with drums, drums and bass or complete backing tracks • Performance Mode let’s you play layers or split sounds along with grooves • Cubase AI 48 track audio/ MIDI DAW software included
CONCLUSIONS
The S70XS is a true performer’s instrument with killer sounds sourced from the Motif XS, along with a new acoustic piano that, frankly, rocks harder than anything else I’ve played in a digital stage piano anywhere near this price. Only, the S70XS isn’t just a stage piano — it’s a full-on synth that does every sound well and many sounds exceptionally well. None of the competition combines these capabilities with fully-weighted keys. The Kurzweil PC3 [reviewed Dec. ’08] is the most similar, but with a semi-weighted action — fully-weighted keys are on the 88-note PC3X only. The Nord Stage EX has 76 weighted keys, but because it’s primarily a vintage clone, it lacks the huge variety of sounds and deep synthesizer engine of the Yamaha. I would have made the unit a bit smaller, but this is hardly a dealbreaker. The S70XS is an outstanding and game-changing entry in the “goto gig keyboard” field.
©2009 Yamaha Corporation of America www.yamaha.com
www.motifator.com
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GEAR
D AV E S M I T H I N S T R U M E N T S T E T R A
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Use a Tetra or Mopho? Cooked up some killer sounds? Share ’em on the forums at keyboardmag.com!
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DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS TETRA
Poly Analog Madness for the Masses by Francis Preve
PROS
Big, fat, juicy analog sound. Direct USB control from computer yields very tight timing. Multitimbral mode means the Tetra is four Mophos in one box. Twopart splits/layers are savable per patch. CONS
Four-part multitimbral mode is a global toggle, not per patch. Designing your own sounds from the front panel is a tad fiddly. No power switch. INFO
$879 list/approx. $800 street, davesmithinstruments.com
There’s also a nicely-amped headphone jack and the wonderful Poly Chain connector for adding more Tetras (or Prophet ’08s) to increase polyphony. Tetra is also the first real analog polysynth to include MIDI-over-USB, and the timing is slammin’ — the improvement over using a regular MIDI cable and interface was especially noticeable when lining up Tetra sequences with parts recorded on soft synths in my computer. The USB port doesn’t stream audio, so you’ll need an interface to record Tetra audio into your computer.
Since releasing the Prophet ’08
(reviewed Nov. ’07), Dave Smith has been on the roll of a lifetime. His follow-up, the Mopho (reviewed Jan. ’09), brought massive analog sound to earth at a price almost anyone could afford, and still sells like hotcakes. Now, Dave has taken the monophonic Mopho, expanded it to fourvoice polyphony, kept the book-like size, and made the thing multitimbral. HARDWARE
The Tetra is just a hair bigger than the Mopho, and side-vented for cooling. On the back are four discrete outputs for each of the voices. Outputs 1 and 2 are a stereo mix when nothing’s plugged into 3 and 4.
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SOUND ENGINE
As with the Prophet ’08 and Mopho, voices consist of two oscillators, a fully resonant lowpass filter, four LFOs, three envelopes, four step sequencers, and an arpeggiator. Oscillators. Each oscillator includes sawtooth, triangle, and variable-width pulse waveforms, along with a triangle-saw hybrid that sounds like a muted saw with a tad more beef. Like the Mopho (and unlike the Prophet ’08), each oscillator sports its own sub-oscillator, which gives it way more bass than the Prophet. There’s also a noise generator for whipping up whooshes and drum sounds. You can hard-sync the oscillators for
those metallic squawks the Cars made famous. Naturally, each oscillator includes coarse and fine tuning, but with an extra twist: oscillator “slop.” Turn this up, and the tuning drifts in real time for a more vintage analog sound. For more extreme pitch experiments, there are individual glide amounts for each oscillator as well. To ratchet up the heat even more, a feedback input in the oscillator section routes the audio from the left channel of each voice back into the filter section, and between the feedback gain and feedback volume settings, you can dial in everything from a touch of grit to a wall of filth. Filter. This really defines the modern Prophet sound. Tetra’s filter is lowpass only, but it has two- and four-pole modes. In four-pole mode, it’s thick, warm, and creamy. In two-pole mode, it’s a bit buzzier, with more subtle resonance. There’s also an audio mod parameter that delivers FM based on the output of oscillator 1. This is great for everything from grit to squelchy ring-mod type effects. Modulation. Three envelopes, four LFOs, four step sequencers, and a truckload of destinations make the Tetra extremely well suited for creating complex sounds with abundant rhythmic and tonal changes.
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Four dedicated knobs control cutoff, resonance, attack, and decay/release — usually the four mosttweaked settings in any patch. These four knobs are freely assignable, and the factory patches do a great job of exploiting them. What was a program/global switch on the Mopho now includes a third mode for the Tetra’s combo presets. The “Push It!” button triggers sounds or sequences, and is flanked by a semi-circle of LEDs that indicate which voices are in use. Tetra’s back panel ditches the Mopho’s audio input in favor of separate outs per voice, a Poly Chain connector for turning multiple units into one big polyphonic synth, and USB for connection to your PC or Mac. An included universal AC adapter comes with plugs for every country — nice. Like the Mopho, there’s no power switch, so you unplug it to turn it off.
Unlike some other analog synths, both vintage and new, the envelopes have a lovely snap to the decay segments, thanks to Dave’s care in designing their curves. The four LFOs include triangle, positive or negative sawtooth, square, and random options, as expected. They can sync to tempo for rhythmic effects, which sound especially tight via USB. When the LFOs aren’t synced, their rates cover an extremely wide range, extending well into the audio realm, which delivers even more FM and ring-mod nastiness. Step sequencers. These are a total knockout. Sure, they can embed TB-303style note riffs in your patches, but that’s barely scratching the surface. Each of the four sequencers can drive almost any Tetra parameter. All the usual pitch, cutoff, volume, and pan options are present, but things get really interesting when you sequence changes to, say, pulse width, filter FM amount, LFO rate, or envelope segments. As if that weren’t enough, each sequence can have a different number of steps, so polyrhythmic madness awaits more adventurous players. Unreal. IN USE
With my Prophet ’08 and Mopho at the ready, I took the Tetra out for a spin to see how it handled. Comparing sound quality was easy, as all three units share quite a
Tetra Editor
Tetra’s editor (Mac or PC) makes designing your own sounds (or sequences) much easier than flipping through parameters on the hardware’s LCD. The LE version is included; a Pro version adds librarian features and other amenities for $39.99. At press time, both were standalone apps only, but Dave Smith is working on a plug-in version that’ll let you automate the Tetra from within your DAW.
few presets. As mentioned before, the sound is identical to the Mopho, and when feedback or sub-oscillators aren’t involved, it’s the same as the Prophet. Speaking of presets, the Tetra is packed with sounds ranging from legendary vintage patches like the ELP “Lucky Man” square wave glide and Van Halen “I’ll Wait” brass to modern, club-oriented sounds. These are equally satisfying, with stylistic emphasis on progressive, tech, and a smattering of electro-friendly patches. Unlike the Prophet and Mopho, the Tetra also includes a bank of 128 combo patches, many of which are layered multitimbral sequences. Hit a key or the “Push It!” button and stand back — this is where the Tetra is in a league of its own. A sizable chunk of these multis are one-finger demonstrations of the versatility of this beastie, whereas others are massive unison leads. We’ve posted an MP3 of some of the highlights in the online version of this review at keyboardmag.com. Each of the four voices can be its own independent synth, responding to its own MIDI channel, but only if the global multimode parameter is set to on. While we’d rather see this handled as part of each combo preset, that you get multitimbral mode at all in an analog synth at this price is tremendous. Plus, the limitation only applies to four-part mode; two-part splitting or layering (just like on the Prophet ’08) is available per patch. CONCLUSIONS
It’s no secret that I love my Prophet ’08 and Mopho. Their sound has been a key component in almost every recent track I’ve done. The Tetra’s sound is every bit as deep, rich, and fat as the others. In fact, had the Tetra been available in 2007, I
NEED TO KNOW
Is it fully analog? Tetra’s audio sig-
nal path — the DCOs, filter, and amp — is fully analog. The LFOs, sequencers, and envelopes are digital, which allows for MIDI tempo sync. Are DCOs really analog? Absolutely. Both VCOs (voltage controlled oscillators), and DCOs (digitally controlled oscillators) have analog guts, but voltage control is a tad less consistent than digital, so the latter provides better tuning stability. What does the Prophet ’08 have that the Tetra doesn’t? Four more
voices, lots more knobs, and (except for the rack version), a keyboard. What does the Tetra have that the Prophet doesn’t? Sub-oscillators and
a feedback loop back into the filter, so its sound has a bit more meat on its bones. Also, the Prophet is only twopart multitimbral; the Tetra is four-part. How does it compare to the Mopho? Since the Tetra is basically
four Mophos in a box, the sound is identical but the flexibility is vastly increased. On the downside, the Tetra omits the Mopho’s external input, so you can’t process external audio through it. might have bought it instead of the Prophet. That’s not a knock against my baby, it’s just a testament to the Tetra’s unprecedented value. Any two-oscillator, polyphonic, true analog synth for around $800 would be a game-changer. One this good means that if you’ve been on the fence about buying an analog synth, there has never been a better time to jump. Dave Smith has hit another one out of the park — an obvious Key Buy winner.
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MODARTT PIANOTEQ PRO Modeling or sampling? Sound off on our forums at keyboardmag.com.
MODARTT PIANOTEQ PRO Piano Supermodel by Jim Aikin 1
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You get a handy MIDI file player/recorder in the standalone version. Select presets from this menu. For a honky-tonk effect, crank up the unison width. Want a 30-foot grand? Increase the string length. This button opens the mic placement window. Four pedals — damper, sostenuto, una corda , and no-damper staccato. These sliders control the loudness of each of the first eight harmonics. In Pro’s Note Edit window, you can control many more harmonics.
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PROS
No sample loops. No unwanted tonal differences between key ranges and velocities. Highly programmable. Noteby-note editing. Adjustable mic placement. Historical tunings. Can produce both realistic and exotic tones. CONS
Release velocity sensing could be improved. INFO Standard: $349 list/approx. $300 street; Pro: $559 list/approx. $480 street; Standard to Pro upgrade: $225,
pianoteq.com
(reviewed June ’07) aimed to change all that, using the magic of physical modeling and additive synthesis to give musicians a software piano so adjustable as to be a sort of piano physics construction kit. Now, the Pro version goes a giant step further: You can control the 22 voicing parameters separately for each key on the keyboard. The only other virtual piano that gives you this level of control is Roland’s $6,000 VPiano (reviewed Sept. ’09). Does all this tweakability translate into a realistic sound and playing experience? Let’s find out.
Pianists are obsessive about tone, and
PROGRAMMABILITY
with good reason: We can do so little to control it! Other than bringing in a different piano (if you’re playing a concert) or having your technician do some regulation and voicing (if it’s your piano), you’re pretty much stuck with whatever piece of furniture happens to be available. Pianoteq
Almost every aspect of the tone is under your control: string length, hammer hardness, unison detuning, the amount of time it takes the dampers to fall back onto the strings, and much more. In Pianoteq Pro, you can do it per key. In Standard, only volume and detuning are programmable per
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note, but even Standard has extensive options for placing virtual mics around the virtual piano (see Figure 1 on page 63). A pinpoint EQ gives you more control still. The velocity curve can be programmed, of course. Various historical tuning temperaments are tucked away in a menu. What’s more, this piano has four pedals, including one that permits staccato playing but with the lingering harp resonance you’d get with the sustain pedal down. The standalone version sports a MIDI file recorder/player, and audio recording, which are very handy. MAIN SOUNDS
Pianoteq comes with two modeled grand pianos, C3 and M3. I happen to own a Yamaha C3 grand, and though they sound similar, Modartt tells us their “C3” sound is in fact modeled on a Steinway. I’m not sure what the M3 is based on, but it has a
deeper, richer tone. Optional add-ons include “Rhody” (tine) and “Wurly” (reed) electric pianos, and vibraphone. The basic Pianoteq install includes demos so you can check these out. Also on offer is an attempt to model a Yamaha CP-80 electric grand. Unlike the others, this one didn’t sound as realistic to my ears, though we do know Modartt worked with an actual CP-80. TUNING
The Tuning panel has sliders for unison width, octave stretching, and direct sound duration. If you know how pianos are tuned, the first two will make sense: Some tuners deliberately set the unisons so that a given note’s multiple strings beat slowly against one another for a richer sound, and a slight amount of octave stretching can compensate for inharmonic overtones, making the outer octaves sound more in tune. Direct sound duration is not something you can adjust on a real piano: It’s the amount of time the modeled strings take to transition from the full-bodied tone at the beginning of the string’s vibration to the somewhat thinner tone that sustains afterward. VOICING
This is where it gets really deep. In the Voicing panel, you can adjust hammer hardness separately for piano, mezzo, and forte keystrokes. Even in Pianoteq Standard, sliders for the first eight overtones let you, say, boost the fundamental for more body, or boost the 5th harmonic to add clang. Hammer noise, hammer strike point, and the amount of effect the una corda
NEED TO KNOW
What is it? A software piano that cre-
ates sound exclusively by modeling — no samples! Runs on: Mac/Windows/Linux; AU, RTAS, VST, standalone. What’s the difference between Pro and Standard? Standard lets
you tweak 22 separate tone and behavior settings. Pro lets you tweak each one of those per key . Built-in effects: Room/hall reverb, chorus, and limiter. Weirdest parameter: You can adjust the speed of sound. Really.
Xpanded Articulation sounds inspire your creativity. Performance Recording with 4 intelligent arpeggiators instantly capture your ideas. An Integrated Sampling Sequencer with studio style mixing and VCM effects let you create complete MIDI/audio productions. Computer connectivity and Cubase AI software
Is there a downloadable demo?
expand your possibilities. With the NEW direct
Yes.
to USB stereo recording feature making great sounding music has never been easier.
pedal has can all be adjusted here. Seven sliders in the Design panel control soundboard impedance (how fast the soundboard absorbs string vibrations), cutoff and Q factor (which work vaguely like a lowpass synth filter), string length (shorter bass strings produce more inharmonicity in the overtones), the loudness of the sympathetic resonance and duplex scale, and something called the quadratic effect, which causes louder hammer strokes to produce slightly different overtones. I found that boosting both string length and low EQ gave me more of the rich tone of a nine-foot grand. ACTION SETTINGS
The Action panel, hidden in the Effects section, has sliders for damper position, damping duration, the key number of the last damper (above which the strings will
• New UI with large color LCD and 8 knobs and sliders • Xpanded Articulation Synth engine with 355 MB of wave ROM • Studio style mixing environment with Virtual Circuitry Modeling effects • 4 intelligent Arpeggiators with instant Performance Recording • Integrated Sampling Sequencer with 1 GB of optional memory • Total Computer Integration and Cubase AI software included
©2009 Yamaha Corporation of America www.yamaha.com
www.motifator.com
Fig. 1. Both Pianoteq Standard and Pro let you move virtual mics around the piano, adjust the lid, or choose a binaural (human head) listening configuration. Got surround? You can send the five different mics to different output channels.
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MODARTT PIANOTEQ PRO
On the floor, the desktop or in a rack, Moogerfooger effects processors are the secret weapons of top musicians and producers worldwide.
MF-101 Lowpass Filter Fig. 2. Pianoteq Pro lets you adjust each parameter, key by key, in the detachable Note Edit window.
be undamped — another thing you can’t change on a real piano), key release noise, and sustain pedal noise. Key release noise is one of the few areas where I feel Pianoteq could be improved. This noise doesn’t have the mechanical complexity of the key release on a real piano — it just kind of thumps. This noise responds to MIDI release velocity, and with an editable releasevelocity map. However, this map also controls the damper duration. When the release noise is responding realistically to release velocity by getting louder and softer, the dampers will fall back onto the strings much too slowly at all but the highest release velocities. For more musical results, automate these two parameters separately in your sequencer. Like Pianoteq’s other parameters, key release noise can be MIDI-controlled or automated in your host. In order to produce a glitch-free sound, half a second or more may pass before you hear a parameter change reflected in new notes. NOTE EDIT
Pianoteq Pro’s interface for editing specific keys is simple and elegant (see Figure 2 above). Note Edit windows are detachable, so you can have several open at once. You can edit one note at a time, or grab a handle to adjust a whole range at once. Randomization and smoothing tools are included. The spectrum (overtone) editing of individual keys is a bit different: The vertical bars in the display correspond not to the keys but to the overtone series, and you click on any key to adjust its overtones. This means that in Pro, you can adjust all overtones, not
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just the first eight as in Standard. If you only edit one key, your change will apply across the keyboard, but when you edit two or more keys, Pianoteq interpolates what the overtones in between should be, so you get smooth transitions across the keyboard.
MF-102 Ring Modulator
IN USE
I had no trouble installing and running Pianoteq Pro on my Windows XP machine. Automation of parameters in Steinberg Cubase 4.5 worked as expected, and the CPU hit of all the realtime number-crunching involved in physical modeling wasn’t too bad on the 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor. I was so inspired by Pianoteq’s tone that I couldn’t resist laying down the beginning of the piano part of a Brahms cello sonata, after which I overdubbed the cello. Check out the audio example at keyboardmag.com. CONCLUSIONS
Does it really sound like a piano? Yes, absolutely. Things like the envelope decay and the delicate interplay of overtones in the bass strings are extremely realistic. Could a conservatory-trained pianist tell the difference between Pianoteq and a Steinway in a double-blind listening test? Yes — but in any kind of ensemble recording, be it a jazz group, a pop ballad, or even classical chamber music, Pianoteq will fool most listeners most of the time. I’m still not 100% convinced that you could get away with recording a close-miked Chopin Ballade with it, but I’m about 95% convinced. It’s just stupidly good. Key Buy? You’d better believe it.
MF-103 12-Stage Phaser
MF-104Z Analog Delay
MF-107 FreqBox
d e k c o l e g r o o v
Eight Analog Filters
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MIDI Clock Sync & Tap Tempo MIDI CC Control - Pattern Editor ®
Mid & Bass Filter Bands
Multiple Resonance Filter Array
Can’t ’ decide between the MuRF and Bass MuRF? Get both in one package! The evolution of the MuRF continues with the MF-105M MIDI MuRF. The MF-105M combines Bob Moog’s classic MuRF and Bass MuRF to make one powerful Moogerfooger. Its warm, resonant, 100% analog Mid and Bass filter bands bring you everything from shimmering timbral morphing and rhythmic stuttering to deep bass grooves, and like all Moogerfoogers, it’s built like a tank to stand up to the toughest touring and studio use. We didn’t stop there. In addition to the full range of Control Voltage inputs, it also sports an extensive MIDI implementation. Create tempo-synced filter sequences with MIDI Clock Sync. Change patterns with MIDI Program Change messages. Control front panel knob settings with MIDI CC messages and play the filters in real-time with MIDI Note On commands. It’s equally at home on the floor, table-top or rack mount, and with all this sound and control in one package, the MF-105M MIDI MuRF connects you to a world of sonic expression, with tight integration into today’s performance, production, DJ and remix environments.
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GEAR
M-AUDIO AXIOM PRO
Does your keyboard double as your DAW controller? Tell us about your setup on the forums at keyboardmag.com!
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M-AUDIO AXIOM PRO Keys, Meet Control Surface by Stephen Fortner
PROS
HyperControl works very well with supported software. Keyboard strikes good balance between piano chunkiness and synth speed. Deeply programmable. Can send QWERTY shortcuts. CONS
HyperControl mapping can be inconsistent in third-party plug-ins. AC adaptor for use without USB power not included. INFO 25 keys: $499.95 list/$400 street; 49 keys: $599.95 list/$500 street; 61 keys: $699.95 list/$600 street,
m-audio.com [Street prices are approximate. ] You’re a keyboardist, so it’s a keyboard
that sits between your speakers, not a mixing control surface. As much as mixing and tweaking plug-ins with a mouse sucks, you keep doing it, because programming your keyboard’s MIDI controls to work reliably with your DAW and plug-ins sucks more. Yeah . . . me too. Enter the Axiom Pro. It has all you’d
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expect from a full-featured MIDI controller: four key zones, deep editing of each control’s behavior, and 50 memory slots to store setups, for starters. The big deal, though, is HyperControl. The idea is that it just works — for mixing, transport, and plugins — with no programming required. Does it deliver? HARDWARE HIGHLIGHTS
This is one solid slab. To test the rigidity, I grabbed my 61-key review unit at either end and twisted my hands in opposite directions. It didn’t flex a bit. Rubbery end blocks reduce the guilt of setting your keyboard end-up on the pavement while closing the car trunk. At first, I thought the 4 0mm sliders felt jerky. “No way can you write smooth automation with these,” I worried. Once I had them controlling stuff, my opinion changed. They’re speed-sensitive, and have a molasses-like resistance that can actually make your moves more precise.
With practice, I could change values by one increment per metronome beat! The original Axiom’s sliders are much looser. A slider has to hit the current value of whatever it’s controlling before changing it, which avoids unwanted parameter jumps. You create splits and layers by striking low and high keys for each zone, and the four graphical keyboards on the LCD make this as intuitive as anything I’ve tried. The keyboard itself retains the old Axiom’s piano-shaped keys, but aftertouch is more predictable, and keyscanning (the electronics looking at the keyboard to see if you do something) is faster. You can really hear the playability benefit with any instrument that uses a lot of velocity layers — say, Synthogy Ivory. The drum pads are larger and feel better than those on both the Novation SL Mk. II and Akai MPK series. CONTROL
Though 20 of the 50 memory slots have presets for major DAWs and soft synths,
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Included presets let these buttons (or the drum pads) send QWERTY shortcuts — switch arrange and mixer views, save, undo, etc. Faster keyscanning makes for smoother velocity response, especially with sounds like piano and E P. When HyperControl is active, this button switches the knobs between controlling stuff in the DAW mixer (like pans) and stuff in your plug-ins. LCD continuously updates to show the status of the last control you touched. Sliders have more resistance than the old Axiom, and a cool hydraulic feeling when you move them. Eight knobs are endless, and unlike the original Axiom, are smooth, not clicky. Dedicated transport controls include a loop mode button. Velocity-sensitive drum pads feel great, and are bigger than anything we’ve seen on a keyboard.
these are “regular” MIDI templates for when you’re not using HyperControl (HC from here on). HC doesn’t make you load presets; it’s simply active if your DAW is set to use it (see below). You may have heard that the Axiom Pro can send QW ERTY shortcuts from the numeric buttons or drum pads (find a tutorial on this in the April ’09 issue and at keyboardmag.com). That ability lives in these presets, not in HC, though it works at the same time as HC. A cool thing is that when you load a preset, you can toggle which control group it loads settings for : keypad, sliders-plusbuttons, knobs, and/or drum pads. This lets you mix and match existing presets, which could be useful if you’ve spent time creating templates for your favorite plugs, and want to grab crucial control areas for several in the heat of a project. Of course, the point of HyperControl is that you shouldn’t need to invest that time. HYPERCONTROL
M-Audio’s website has great PDFs that show how to set your DAW preferences to use HyperControl (see Figure 1 above). For some hosts (e.g., Reason and Pro Tools 7.4), you’ll need to download a “HyperControl personality” (insert joke about boss or in-law here). Installing one in a host that doesn’t need it ( e.g., Pro Tools 8) can
Fig. 1. With the Axiom Pro hooked up via USB, something like “HyperControl In” and “HyperControl Out” should show up in your DAW’s appropriate preferences dialogue. Here are correct settings for Pro Tools (top) and Logic (bottom).
stop HC from working, so check first! HyperControl takes over the sliders, the buttons just below them, the knobs, and the transport, letting the numeric keypad and drum pads send whatever MIDI messages are determined by the current “regular” preset. Sliders do track volume, and knobs default to track pan. In my tests (every supported DAW on Mac and PC), track select, banking, record-arm, solo, and mute worked instantly and consistently. Maybe it’s no surprise that everything was peachy in Pro Tools, but I was surprised that performance in Logic, Cubase, Reason, and Live was almost as gratifying. F1 (Mode) is the magic button that makes the knobs control the virtual instrument on the currently-selected track, with abbreviated names for the first eight parameters showing up on the Axiom Pro’s LCD. A soft button steps through further pages of that plug-in’s settings, updating the knobs as you go. You might see less than eight if, say, a soft synth’s oscillator has seven controls and it makes more sense to begin the filter stuff on the next page. The Axiom Pro was best at this sort of “group management” with the supported DAWs’ included plug-ins, almost always mapping things in such a logical way that there’d have been no gain in programming it myself. Third-party plugs were hit-or-miss. Every plug-in I tried got fully mapped, but if
a plug had tons of parameters, I sometimes had to step through pages of settings to find ones I wanted. Such plug-ins are better served by programming a quick template using good old “click this, wiggle that” MIDI learn, which is where HyperControl’s Transport Only mode comes in. Engage it, and HC releases control of everything but the NEED TO KNOW
What does the Pro have that the base Axiom doesn’t? HyperControl,
a weightier keyboard, a much more informative graphic LCD, and speedsensitive sliders. What is HyperControl? M-Audio’s way of turning the Axiom Pro into a control surface for DAWs and plug-ins, without you having to program stuff. Does the k eyboard feel better?
Side by side with an original Axiom, you can definitely tell a difference. What software does HyperControl work with right now? Live, Logic,
Reason, Cubase, and all flavors of Pro Tools. Does it run on USB power? Yes, and was very stable in our tests. Most surprising feature: HyperControl lets you tweak plug-ins whose windows are closed!
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GEAR transport buttons to whatever “regular” MIDI preset is loaded. I do wish there were a “Sliders and Transport Only” mode, as sometimes I wanted to retain HyperControl of my mix while letting the knobs do what I’d programmed. HyperControl uses the knobs for everything plug-in related, even when the thingy onscreen is a toggle or button. You can swap the knobs’ and faders’ roles, but to control an onscreen button with a physical one, you’ll need to program a numeric keypad button or drum pad manually. Unless you settle for Transport Only mode, the buttons under the sliders aren’t an option, as they’re busy with track select and other HC tasks. HC also controls effect plug-ins. Getting to them varies slightly from host to host. In Logic, for example, you get separate LCD soft buttons for editing inserts, sends, and each track’s Channel EQ. You can even instantiate plug-ins right from the Axiom Pro, though this is one of the rare tasks where I still reach for the mouse.
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M-AUDIO AXIOM PRO
CONCLUSIONS
The Axiom Pro manages to stuff most of a good DAW control surface into a keyboard, making surprisingly few compromises along the way. If you have a supported DAW and can spend a little time weaning yourself off mouse and QWE RTY, you’ll positively fly in a couple of weeks. This is the smartest MIDI controller M-Audio has ever made, and one of the two smartest out there, period. The other is the Novation SL Mk. II (reviewed July ’09), and street prices of the two lines are close. Hardware differences are a Mercedes-BMW comparison: Both have great actions with aftertouch; M-Audio’s keys are piano-shaped and Novation’s are synthshaped. The SL has touch-sensitive controls; the Axiom Pro’s LCD updates to reflect the slightest nudge, and its Peek function lets you see what controls do without nudging them. HyperControl delivers similar results to Novation Automap, so a lot of the difference here comes down to “vibe.” HC’s vibe is more direct. Because Automap is
designed to work across most of Novation’s hardware, it feels more like an extra layer of software. HC just feels like what the Axiom Pro does. Where Automap has a cool onscreen window to show control mappings, HC doesn’t need one. Automap does let you make custom assignments without popping back to regular MI DI mode like on the Axiom Pro. But HC’s “plumbing” is simpler — it doesn’t create wrapped duplicates of your plug-ins, which I think is a good thing. Where Automap (the Pro version in particular) is more powerful for creating monster multicontroller setups, HyperControl will likely get your hands off your mouse and onto your music faster. Whichever vibe is more you, there’s no question that the Axiom Pro’s features and performance make it a world-leading MIDI keyboard, and that the price makes it a Key Buy. Now if M-Audio really wants to devour some market share, they’ll do an Axiom Pro 88 with a great weighted action. Just sayin’. . . .
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SOUNDS
SAMPLE LOGIC MORPHESTRA Scoring From a Synthetic Pit by Jason Scott Alexander
NEED TO KNOW Who’s this for? Any film, TV, or video
game composer looking for modern, edgy, relevant sounds. Creators of electronic and experimental music will find a lot to love here, too. How was it created? Samples were recorded in studios, concert halls, warehouses, machine shops, and natural habitats all over the world. Can the included hard drive keep up with high track counts?
PROS
Diverse, powerful, evocative material. Capable of huge textures right out of the box. Simple interface with easy controls for morphing. Mood-based preset organization is intuitive. Included hard drive means near-zero install time and no impact on storage space. CONS
Not as many electro beats as in previous Sample Logic libraries. Some redundancy in Instrumentals bank. INFO
$699 list, samplelogic.com U.S. dist. by M.V. Pro Audio, mvproaudio.com Morphestra puts a fresh spin on how
we view and approach orchestral film scoring. Developed in association with Kirk Hunter Studios, it serves up an epic collection that’s anything but traditional. My copy came pre-installed on a Glyph 80GB PortaGig hard drive, but Morphestra will ship on a 160GB drive by the time you read this. Since it takes up just over 27GB, you’re getting a lot of bonus space for other libraries. Morphestra itself is powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player 3 (standalone, RTAS, AU, VST, DXi). Sounds come in three top-level categories: Atmospheres, Instrumentals, and Percussives. The Atmospheres bin is arguably the
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crown jewel, containing around 230 presets grouped in subcategories such as Dark ’n’ Scary, Disturbed, Euphoric, Mystery/Suspense, and so on. What sets these programs apart from the rest is their deep internal movement and complex, evolving nature, ideal for initially building the mood of a piece. In “Days of Old,” for instance, random phrases of mournful sax are seamlessly, almost incidentally, woven between droning organ and reversed string loops, conveying a sense of blurred emotion. The Instrumentals are less complex but just as animated. You get imaginatively tweaked renditions of solo and ensemble strings, metal and bamboo flutes, classical guitar, banjo, sitar, harp, vibe, chimes, music box, Clavinet, harpsichord, and more. Morphestra isn’t about usual suspects such as orchestral brass, woodwinds, or legato strings — all you get here is a trio of Kirk Hunter bonus programs. While the 225 main Instrumental patches loosely run the gamut of what you’d expect, there does seem to be a lot of repurposing from the same few dozen multisample sets, which results in some timbral redundancy. Still, all the patches are individually compelling. With five tabs of more than 40 onscreen performance and effects parameters to pick from on the clean and simple
Absolutely. Under the hood is 7,200rpm SATA-II drive with 8MB cache, bus power, and FW800 and USB2 connections. What about street cred? Multis were programmed by Mark Isham, Rupert Gregson-Williams, David Lawrence, and Bill Brown, so if the street is in Hollywood, you’re set. interface, Kontakt’s advanced scripting is leveraged to create exciting morphed material that you can further sculpt. Likewise, a built-in arpeggiator/gater is the secret weapon behind tempo-synced layers that give movement to many of the melodic instruments, in a stepping Wavestation-esque sort of way. In the Percussives category are hundreds of dynamic impact sequences, world and symphonic drum loops, bowed and struck orchestral percussion, scraped and reversed transitions, altered and prepared instruments, and more. Finally, over 13 0 jaw-dropping multis amount to ready-made soundtracks in construction kit form. You can literally hit any combination of keys in nearly any order and generate minutes of mind-blowing aural scenery. Morphestra truly impresses, offering some of the most inspiring and relevant modern cinematic material I’ve heard in any synth or sample library. If you can’t whip up a killer score to any edgy film, TV drama, or video game with this bad boy on hand, maybe gear isn’t the problem.
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SYNTH HEAVEN IN THE 805 Warfus “Moon” Powell plays keyboards in San Luis Obispo-based Urban 805, one of the most enduring smooth jazz combos on California’s central coast. He’s also built live speaker cabinets fo r Rick Wakeman of Yes. Warfus sent us a brief MySpace message that read, “I see you have a section where people show off their rigs. I’m 52 and own 75 synths, and would love to get in your mag before I’m 53 — or own 76.” Since we c an’t fit all 75 o n this page, we put the full list and more photos at keyboardmag.com. Visit Warfus at myspace.com/synthheaven, and his band at urban805.com. Stephen Fortner
Keyboards, clockwise from rear: Roland Fantom above Yamaha Motif 8, Yamaha S80 above Kurzweil K250, Ensoniq MR-61 above Fender Chroma Polaris. Atop left rack: Yamaha AW2816 hard disk recorder. Right rack includes (top to bottom): Akai S2000 sampler, Roland D-550 and JV-1080, Kurzweil 1000SX string expander, and Korg O1R/W.
Fisher SC-300 boom box with built-in SCK-30 “Stereo Music Composer” keyboard. “A sequencer with an eight-pattern memory stores just over 500 notes,” says Warfus.
Roland Super JX in grand piano shell, with PC and Yamaha NS-10M speakers on top. The small line mixer atop the JX’s panel is for the Yamaha TG-33 and E-mu Proteus 2000 modules hiding in the shell.
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Just one of Warfus’ many stacks of synths, top to bottom: Roland E-5, Yamaha CS1X and DX7, and Korg Wavestation.
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MAKE MUSIC Ableton Suite 8 and Ableton Live 8 For movies, more info and a free 14-day license, visit: ww w.ableton.com
