Hi Folks,

I've been busy songwriting and recording. I'm going to mail out some CDs tomorrow to some publishers.

Anyway, I just finished a song.
See: http//www.myspace.com/larrylevin or http://www.reverbnation.com/larrylevin

I started out with the AcousticRock style on the PSR-S900, and I tweaked bass and drums and added piano and some background strings.

Besides the PSR-S900, I used an electric guitar, my voice, Cakewalk for recording, and Melodyne for vocals. Also used a preset on Ozone 4 for a quick Mastering mixdown.

I'm still not working with EZDrummer because, due to my limitations, I'm not happy with results I'm getting. I think I would have to know how to use compression and reverb and how to mix and tune the kit. I'll wait until, hopefully, I get professional interest in my project.

Beakybird



[This message has been edited by Beakybird (edited 06-04-2009).]

This is my favorite so far, Larry. Great song. No overt Beatles 'flava' to distract, but still a great set of changes. Bravo!

The fills are still a BIT of an issue, but less than some others. I still feel that, if you picked two or three other S900 styles with a similar feel, and then just recorded the drums with all their fills and break fills, and got a little library of fills that WERE well programmed and consistent (as the S900's styles are), you could give yourself a bit more flexibility and variety than just using what comes with the main style you pick (or painting them in by hand). Another thing you might do is try to have maybe the guitar or bass get some of that fill 'action', so that when the drums fill, they are not quite so exposed...

You know, on this one the S900's drums work pretty well. Maybe the Ozone is helping them punch through a bit more (did you use the exciter on them a bit?). I still think that EZ Drummer CAN take things to another level (their demos show it CAN be pretty realistic), but as a demo or self produced CD, this one works very nicely.

If you are still having trouble getting a good sound with EZ Drummer, have a think about this... EZDrummer's samples are already compressed to a certain degree. I wouldn't mess too much with that, but concentrate on doing the bedding in by manipulating the MIDI notes it receives. It has an alternating sample function, so if things get too machine gun it can vary the timbre. It also has a library of MIDI grooves that are played on those particular samples. While they may not match what you need for the song, they may help point you in the right direction in regards to average velocity level for each drum, average range of velocity difference between hard and softer hits, that sort of thing...

The thing is, if you aren't that successful getting idiomatic drums out of an arranger by 'painting' notes in, doing the same on a better sample library isn't going to help. Have you looked into some of the drummer played MIDI libraries? Twiddley Bits, Drumcore, Drumtrax, that sort of thing? Starting out with grooves played by a drummer, and especially drummer fills, can give you a good jumping off point.

Another thing you can try is comparing the MIDI output of the S900 drum tracks with the EZ Drummer MIDI files, and see if there isn't a simple transformation (adding or subtracting velocity, scaling velocity by small amounts, that sort of thing on a drum by drum basis) that can make an S900 track play the EZ Drummer kit more naturally. Then, take a good look at where EZ Drummer paints in the 'ghost' snare notes, the ruffs and stick drops, the tom flam's and the like (there will be a greater selection of these compared to the S900's kit) and try to copy how they are used by the EZD MIDI files.

But, all that aside, I am very impressed with this song, Larry. You keep getting better every time...

Hi Beakybird

That was very, very nice. IMHO it's the best one you've done and sounds saleable and that it could be released as everything to me sounds pretty great through my computer speakers anyway.

It has the sound of the old rock that we grew up with that they now call country rock. I see you couldn't resist the Beatle's influence in a couple spot's and I liked it and feel there is a market for this.

This is my honest, non-sugar coated opinion

Scott

The progression you've made from the first tune of yours I listened to a few months ago to this one is is terrific..

Good luck with the publishers...

------------------
Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 06-05-2009).]

I think this is one of your best songs. I agree that the drums do work well with this one.

Thanks so much for listening.

I did use a different kit on the S900, the Power Kit 1. The high hats, especially, are more realistic.

I did use the harmonic exciter on Ozone 4.

I took special care to add variety to the fills. I did use a few fills from other styles, but I painted most of them myself.

I should have put in more pizazz on the bass during the fills. I only did this once or twice during the song. Otherwise, I just kept the bass fill that came with the style. I made changes to the bass part that came with the style, but not many during the fills.

I hear what you are saying about real drums taking my mixes to another level. I would have to agree. The problem that I am having with EZDrummer is that when I translate my PSR mix into EZDrummer, it sounds too raw for my song. I am hearing too much coloration. A few non-musicians told me that the keyboard mix sounded better when I A/B'd "It's Like a Rocket."

I can't wait to someday hear some of my songs with 5 star production and real drums and an amazing vocalist singing. But in the meantime, I'm having fun.

Thanks for listening!

Beakybird



[This message has been edited by Beakybird (edited 06-05-2009).]

Larry
A+
You are on your way.
Eddie

You made a great work.
My sincere congrats!
Chico

The thing is, Larry... what are you trying to achieve with these recordings? Are you looking for a songwriter deal, are you looking to have another signed artist record them, are you looking to have them picked up for inclusion in TV or film work, or commercials or industrials? Or do you want to get a recording deal for yourself as a performing artist?

Being VERY careful about what you are trying to achieve, and the likelihood of achieving them (to be honest, the record companies are not signing many people over forty ) will help you decide just how much care and money goes into producing these tracks... For a writer's deal, as different as these are to most of what is contemporary, you may not have to put much more into them. Spending a bunch of money to get them done in a pro studio with live players only benefits you if you NEED a demo that high quality, or you want to release the CD yourself or have it directly placed on TV as is. And you probably need to have someone in the business on your side before that is likely.

Your demos are getting better all the time, and for now I would stick to what you have done, and see if you can get any face time with someone in the industry. But beware of studio producers. It will be in THEIR best interest, not necessarily yours, to get it recorded expensively (on your dime) and the biz is rife with these scam artists. If they are willing to front the studio and musician time, OK (but get a lawyer to look over the deal), but I wouldn't spend much at this point of your own money when your demos are good enough to get the song over to an A&R guy.

Just keep writing more like this one, and keep it up with attempting to get your software drums bedded in (have you considered using Ozone on just the drums submix, to compress and EQ it so that it matches the tonality of the S900 tracks?). You are already there for many things you might want to do with your songs...

What I really want is some money - and to write beautiful songs. A songwriting deal comes very close to my utopian vision. Being a recording artist who doesn't perform, a la Steely Dan would be great too. But I would do anything to have someone with a superstar voice sing my songs.

I know that many of my songs have much more production than is necessary for a songwriter demo, but I had two reasons for doing this: 1) the personal fulfillment of hearing my songs close to how I dreamed them, and 2) to have a product that leaves little to the imagination for how good it sounds.

If I had played this song for you on the piano or acoustic, it would take an incredible ear to hear how good it could sound.

By the way, even though this is, admittedly, my best song, my other songs that I have posted on Synthzone now sound a lot better since I applied Melodyne and Ozone to them. Nevertheless, the software doesn't remove the '70ish sound.

I only harbor a very faint hope that I could be a recording artist.

But I hear you, Diki. I'm not going to spend a penny on studio time.

I will try to use the Ozone on EZDrummer and/or Session Drummer. I wonder if there's a way to apply effects individually to each drum without putting them in separate midi tracks.

Thanks so much for listening.

Beakybird