Tag Archives: Music

Mpomy and Guitar Rig Session

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That’s not my guitar, but its very similar to the instrument that was used to create this 2 minute jam (Notice the Funk 49 reference at the beginning – not intentional). More important than the guitar, however, is the fact that this represents a good solution. After work, basically no time to work on composing, but I had a real need to rock out. So, I just hooked up to Guitar Rig and ran that, not as a plug-in, but rather as a stand-alone. It’s got a recorder that let me get down some ideas very quickly. I wouldn’t try to merge these into a Logic project, but at least the ideas have been taken down quickly and cleanly. I also have to compliment the folks at Native Instruments who made the guitar sound pretty realistic.

This what it sounds like.

PlayPlay

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Mpomy Music – ‘No See’ (first draft)

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I’m pleased to be getting a little more facile with Logic 8. This 50 second fragment was constructed over the weekend, and I think it has some promise for inclusion with other parts. I started with a template just to get some instruments on the page. I picked some loops for the drums, and it still feels like cheating. Ironically, the worst of it is the guitar part – which is replete with wrong notes and out-of-tune strings. I played this for The Lovely Emily, and she gave me some great tips, which are incorporated into this draft. Also, I was able to do some finishing when the computer wasn’t hooked up to all the hardware. The Axiom 25 and the Guitar Rig Session I/O are small enough, but I’m not usually carrying that stuff around with me. Now I see that I can edit anywhere I have my computer.

Anyway, here’s the song – ‘No See’

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THE HOLD STEADY – Brooklyn’s Finest!

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This band is so good, I don’t even know what to say. the Hold Steady is four records into a pretty nice rock career and Craig Finn’s lyrics and singing are a blast of fresh air for those of us who think, maybe, Bruce Springsteen has lost a bit of his edge over the past five or six records. They were recently featured on the NPR program ‘Sound Opinions‘ and I’ve uploaded the particular show to mpomy.com, since I don’t know how long the stuff will be archived. Here is the link. As an acoustic outfit, they’re compelling. As an electric band they are quick karate chop that splinters everything about modern rock and its holier-than-thou attitude. I urge you to make that trip to Ygor City, shake hands with Sal Paradise and all the other freaks and misfits that inhabit this world. you will not be disappointed.

AMTDGP

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I have to thank Andrew for this – he gets a co-writing credit for coming up with the idea of a collaborative Garageband blog that would allow us to upload projects that others could then access and augment. Unfortunately, even slight variations is garageband versions and plug-ins is proving to create a huge compatibility problem. The way to do this would be to have all the software, as well as the gui, the file storage and everything online. Just log in from a current browser and get to work. As far as I know, this model has not yet been implemented, but I really haven’t checked thoroughly.

Before my bubble was burst, however, Andrew got me so excited with the idea that I quickly jotted down the first tow things that came into my head and smooshed them together. When is a grooving bass-drum-organ loop where I got to use the Axiom 25 keys to control whatever instrument samples I landed on first. They were ‘Prog Rock Bass’ (of course) and ‘Soul Organ’. I fluctuated back and forth between to similar drum loops to get a more human feel.

The other bit is missing bass in exchange for a very low ‘Laser Beam’ midi instrument played on the Axiom. It’ basically a lot of noise and cacophony leading up to a big classic rock rhythm. The first part then repeats and fades. My thought was that these two spur-of-the-moment ideas would get reviewed and dismantled by a dozen other curious musicians, or at least Andrew. The title is a combination of our initials, and this version (hopefully far from the last) is a bit more gussied-up with sound effects and automation. I don’t know what’s coming next.

AMTDGP

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Could Blogerantz find new life… as a ‘music blog’??

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If you look at Dr Fusion and T.U.B.E., each makes reference to a multitude of other ‘music blogs’. Many of them are through Google/Blogger (as is Blogerantz) and the have a pretty uniform, no-nonsense design. As I look at the archive spreadsheet – disc inventory – I wonder if I could put a version of that list online, as an Excel doc, where you could tidily scroll through? I’m picturing a facebook-esq widget or something. I’m sure it could be easily done.

The more important question is, then what? Is everything going to get loaded onto Mpomy.com, as well as going to DVD archive, iPod and iTunes Library? I don’t imagine that there’s that much call for everything on that growing list – not because it’s not good music, but because there simply aren’t that many people passing through Mpomy land. I’d like to keep it that way.

So the plan would be to have some fancy widget or other method to synchronize data entry on Excel with publishing on mpomy.com. I simply refuse to believe that task will prove difficult. The next fun thing is to get into other Excel tools to hide certain selections. Even though the list will only be seen by those with knowledge of mpomy-world, I want to treat the appearance as if the thing were open to the public. The idea, then, is make a permanent link to blogerantz from mpomy, and then to use data entry on Excel to update the mpomy page. If someone makes a request for a certain item, then it would be become ‘available’ (as mp3 only) on blogerantz (via RapidSHare?).

Fun with Excel. I can hardly wait.

The Open Jam

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There’s something very nice about coming home from work and just going at the guitar and effects with no plan, no agenda, no assignment, no key or time signature. Just plug in and see what happens. Let the music play you, as Fripp says. Last night that worked to good effect. Seeing Liam Finn go to town on the loopers has helped get me excited about this process, but I need to get better at cutting the loop at the right place so that the time signature matches up. Despite his age, Liam is a master at that. You can see for yourself:

Musical DNA

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What Makes A Song?

In recent weeks, I’ve committed myself to utilizing the various composition tools at my disposal, especially this computer. So I’ve been mucking about a lot in an effort to basically duplicate the experience I had with iMovie. While that has worked out well, I’m not satisfied with the limitations of the software. Having to go to the previous version to create clips with video manipulation and different speeds has been a chore, even though it has added more visual options. However, when push comes to shove, I would gladly give up the visual spfx and just enjoy the simplicity and effectiveness of the new program’s interface. In a way, that’s the most important feature of all, and not all those bells and whistles.

So this brings me to the Native Instruments I/O box and the midi controller for software instruments, and now it’s all about GarageBand. Lots of tracks, beautiful interface, loops galore for all instruments and voice. It’s plenty of bells and whistles with a (now that I got the hardware interfaces) friendly and inviting interface. I’m getting pretty comfortable pretty quickly, but I still haven’t done a ‘mic’d up recording’. That will have to wait till I address the issue of getting started.

So the options put me in mind of a complex dance. I can let the machine lead me, more so than in a long time when I just recorded to four track live with a drum pattern generated by a Zoom multi-effects pedal. Now, I can sequence directly, but it’s clumsy. The software is really encouraging loop development and provides numerous grooves, tempos, kits, fills, and everything else you could hope for.

My most successful compositions have been developed so that they would sound full and complete, even if only played by a single, six-string guitar. No effects, no amp, perhaps no pick. That, to me, was the DNA of a composition. I could then layer, overdub and jam at will.

Another decision is whether to begin with something (simple) and new, or try to create, from the ground up, a performance of a song for which I’ve (basically) decoded that musical DNA. I have started that process already, just to have a canvas from which to work. I’m bothered by having to hunt and hunt for exactly the right rhythm part for songs that I’m already acquainted with. I’m guessing that hunting will go easier when I’m doing that while conjuring a new composition. There are a few contenders for this, but so far nothing I’ve played while plugged into the I/O box.

And then there’s the bass…

So I have a ways to go, but I have gotten started.