FORUM CD: Rate "Whoa..."

[Dave Bryce]

As many of you know, we are currently in the process of doing another CD compilation of original material submitted by members of this forum.

 

As with the last original compilation, the entries will be posted for review by all of the members of the forum whether or not they have contributed a piece. With that in mind, please check out "Whoa..." (submitted by Steve LeBlanc), and tell us what you think!

 

If the artist of the piece would care to post any notes about the piece in this thread, they should feel free to do so.

 

Thanks for listening!

 

dB

[JimmieWannaB]

Steve - great piece, seems to have a nice Larry Coryel (or at least what my failing memory remembers of Coryel) feel to it. Is the guitar work also yours?

[Steve LeBlanc]

Thanks Jimmie. Yeah I'm playing everything on this one.

 

I've gotta go play with my son...I'll tell more about how we recorded later tonight or in the morning.

 

Thanks for everything Dave...it was really nice of you to offer your studio, your skills and your wonderful SOUNDS.

[Pim]

Hi Steve,

 

Not my music at all, but this is so much fun to listen to. Why? Because I have an Andromeda, a Minimoog, a Prophet VS as well.

 

Your music proves again how "individual" a synthesizer is.

 

Your skills as a musician are great! Wish I would have 10 % of yours...

[Intheether]

...ARGHHH!...I suppose 'big brother' has decided to terminate our streaming media and download privledges at work. I'll have to listen to the tunes at home tonight...I noticed a couple of songs I haven't heard yet (I've been really busy) - looking forward to hearing 'em!

[Magpel]

Yeah, I'd just like to add that, via my recent lay off, I have lost my broadband access, and my home connection is so tempermental that streaming is a herky jerky nightmare even at lofi settings. As a result, I have been painfully absent from this round of reviews, which is a shame, 'cause it is one of the most fun things we do as a community.

 

So Steve, and all, when a few more tunes are posted, I plan on seeking out a friend with a cable modem, collecting all the demos, and getting me reactions posted.

 

My own contribution this round hasn't happened yet and may not, though when I get a minute to breathe, I may see If I can bang out some inspiration.

 

John

[Rick K.]

Nice Steve! Sounds great. Crank this one so that you can feel the punch!

 

Rick

[Steve LeBlanc]

Thanks Rick...yeah I kick the bass eq up a notch on my stereo when listening to this one also.

 

OK...I've got to tell the story of this session because it's cool.

 

Part 1 (composition)

I wrote the tune on staff paper in my high school library during english class about 14 years ago. A few days later I sequenced the main parts on my Ensoniq EPS.

 

Fast-forward to the present

 

Part 2

I took my EPS to Dave's studio where we transferred the original midi sequence (from 1989) to DP3 in real time, we could have synched things up but with all the time signature changes it would have taken too much time.

 

I couldn't figure out how to separate the midi out tracks on the EPS, it's always been buggy that way...so we just kept the Bass and main Chord Pad parts. I tried to record some drums using Dave's electronic kit but I just wasn't feeling it that night...it was getting late anyway.

 

Part 3

I decided to try recording my Son's Junior Drumset . I first recorded the EPS sequence into my Laptop then I recorded the drums with two Audio Technica condensor mics. One on the kick (in front of the back head) and one overhead.

I burned the three wave files (main sequence, Kick Drum, Overhead) to a CDR data disc.

 

I record into my laptop via USB using M-Audio's Duo audio interface...Logic (the barebones version that ships with MAudio) is the program I used.

 

Part 4

Back to Dave's studio a week later. I told Dave about the toy drums I recorded and my plan for importing the wave files and using one bar of clicks I recorded at the beginning to sync everything up. Dave: "I can do that"

 

Funny thing is the sequence I used for recording drums had 4 extra bars added accidently...so not only did we have to visually sync the drum tracks but we also had to remove 4 bars from one...if I'd planned everything better in the beginning it would have been easy to do this but since we were dealing with real time it was a little more hairy. Regardless...Dave knows his stuff and in relatively no time we had are main tracks finished in DP3 (Drums (junior kit), Bass (Nanobass and Prophet VS), Main Chord Pads (Andromeda)).

 

Everything else was played into DP3...

 

Strat guitar through a Pod and Moogerfooger phaser

Digital Piano (Alesis DG8)

Minimoog (signed no less )

 

If I had planned better this could have been a much smoother session but also from the get-go I didn't want to take up much of Dave's time and both of us have been very busy of late.

 

We really rushed through this session but considering that I'm really happy with it...most of all it was a lot of fun to do.

 

You have to love the times we live in...being able to digitally manipulate tracks as quick and painlessly as Dave and I did with no artifacts left over is just amazing.

 

see ya'll

[Gulliver]

Hey Steve,

Thanks for the track and for the story. Enjoyed both of them!

[Intheether]

Damn, Steve...you played all the instruments

That strat sounds like it's been chain smokin' - kick ass playing throughout. I don't really hear the andro. on the lo-fi dial up version (too many network buffers for a nice stream). Can't wait to hear the cd, though.

[Dan O]

Great Job Steve !

 

I thought the tune kind of sounded sort of like YES or GENESYS .

dano

[Curve Dominant]

Add me to the short list of folks who failed to get MP3.com to let me listen to Steve's track.

 

BTW: DB, if it's not too late, I have a track for the KC CD - but I need a land address to send it to. (Yes, it seems I permanantly lost all my email addresses when I did the re-format/clean install of the system drive).

 

The good news is: Pro Tools is rockin' like a mofo on the re-config'd system.

[b_3guy]

Another wicked track from the Rhodes' God. Nicely done. I just took a quick listen so I'll have to get back to you on more comments.

[Intheether]

I thought if your cookies were enabled since the last session, you didn't have to re-registered your info at mp3.com.

Add me to the short list of folks who failed to get MP3.com to let me listen to Steve's track

But, like you, I had to sign in to hear Steve's track, then again for Ian's (all in the same login). Is this a new method for mp3? They're going to lose some customers if this persists...email is one thing...address, zip, country...me thinks they are asking too much now. At least I always use my standard fake info...

[Steve LeBlanc]

If you guys would rather not deal with MP3.con (I almost never click on that URL)...this song is also available for streaming/download from my ArtistLaunch.com site.

 

Completely painless download...no questions asked.

 

http://www.artistlaunch.com/sleblanc

[Jazzman]

Steve.........Excellent job my man, great talent!!! It's nice to hear it all come together with one person doing it all..........my way of thinking.

 

Your bud from MI............

 

Jazzman

[Dak Lander]

"Whoa"! Great job Steve. Sounds to me like it belongs on the CD.

Not being my bag, as to genre, I still couldn't find any thing wrong with that mix, or the playing.

[Slowly]

Originally posted by Magpel:

Yeah, I'd just like to add that, via my recent lay off, I have lost my broadband access, and my home connection is so tempermental that streaming is a herky jerky nightmare even at lofi settings. As a result, I have been painfully absent from this round of reviews, which is a shame, 'cause it is one of the most fun things we do as a community.

 

So Steve, and all, when a few more tunes are posted, I plan on seeking out a friend with a cable modem, collecting all the demos, and getting me reactions posted.

 

My own contribution this round hasn't happened yet and may not, though when I get a minute to breathe, I may see If I can bang out some inspiration.

 

John

Do what I do, I download it to my hard drive while I take care of a few honey-dos. Go to ZDNET.COM and get the download accelerator, (DAP). It allows resumes so if the link gets broken you can continue where it left off. Kcbass.

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by astor ('nelz'):

I don't really hear the andro. on the lo-fi dial up version (too many network buffers for a nice stream).

The Andromeda is the fat buzzy pad sound that runs throughout the tune. To elaborate on Steve's earlier comments, the DX-ish bass sound is the Prophet, doubled by the NanoBass doing that juicy analog bass sound.

 

The Mini, of course, is real obvious... I ran its hi output up the middle in mono, and took the lo output into a Pod split in hard stereo on either side of the dry mono signal.

 

dB

[MusicaL]

Very nice work all around... Hope to play and compose some day as seamlessly as you do...

 

Albert

[PAULIII]

Hey Steve! Nice piece. To kind of quote you...."Very intricate"

 

PAULIII

[Steve LeBlanc]

I should have mentioned before that this was mixed using ADAM monitors...it was an amazing experience for me hearing this piece take shape through such excellent speakers.

 

[Steve LeBlanc]

OK if anyone has a few minutes...I need some fresh ears...I keep being bothered by the current mix...is THIS a better mix ??

 

Main differences are the Piano is quieter and the lead instruments are a bit louder. I'm leaning toward this new one but just can't be sure anymore.

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Steve LeBlanc:

OK if anyone has a few minutes...I need some fresh ears...I keep being bothered by the current mix...is THIS a better mix ??

I actually think the first of the three that we did is the best mix...you should put that one up, too...

 

dB

[Steve LeBlanc]

You think so? I thought the piano was too loud on that one...I'll listen again.

 

OK...all three mixes are up now...the first one on MP3.com and the other two here:

 

http://www.jamfree.com/woah2.html

[Addix Metzatricity]

I'm not sure which mix is better, but I am sure that I really like the song. I was groovin' along while reading the original posts. Then I got to your story where I realized it was all you! Man... I don't know that I could maintain those changes without a "rest-of-the-band" to work with.

 

I say this (whichever mix that may be) is a keeper.

 

Electro-Jazz?

[Steve LeBlanc]

Electro-Jazz?

Exactly!

 

And showcasing the sound of real analog synths was high on the agenda.

 

Thanks for listening and your kind comments.

[Steve LeBlanc]

Argh...now I'm really confused Dave...I have no idea which mix is the best now. I'm still leaning toward "Woah Mix 2"...but I just don't know...I need to get me some ADAM monitors...I'll play the lottery this week.

 

HELP! hehe

http://www.jamfree.com/woah2.html

[ISPdeRuiter]

That's the kind of musical mayhem I get a

kick out of....inspiring work! Thanks!

 

ISPdeRuiter,

Amsterdam

[Infusion]

I really like that song!!!!

I grew up listening exactly to that kind of music. Lenny White and twennynine, Caldera and recently The Code out of Canada come to mind.

Steve is this the style of music you usually play and listen to?

If you currently listen to this style of music, I would be interested to know who are some of your favorite artists and what albums you would recommend.