Keyboard February 2015.pdf

K e

b  o a r  d  M a a z i   n e

H A  N S  Z  I   M M E  R  O  N I    N T  E  R  S  T  E  L  L  A  R 

A  R  T  U R  I   A  K  E  Y  L  A  B  8  8 

What Traditional Piano Teaching

GETS WRONG 5 Ways to Play Like Jazz Genius

SCOTT HEALY 

BRAD MEHLDAU

GrammyNominated Jazzer and Conan

P  L  A  Y  L  I   K  E  M E  H L  D  A  U

HANS ZIMMER Launches Pipe Organ into Space for

INTERSTELLAR

M O  R  E  L  E  S  S  O  N S  !  

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CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2015

TALK 10

KNOW

Voices, tips, and breaking news from the Keyboard community.

40

BEYOND THE MANUAL Live dangerously, and tweak your presets!

44

SYNTH SOLOING  Apply last month’s Steve Winwood lesson to your own playing.

46 

DANCE Make a bass loop out of a vocal.

NEW GEAR 12

Our monthly wrap-up of the most interesting products from the keyboard, recording, and professional audio worlds.

HEAR 14

22 

24 

COVER STORY Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer’s beautiful scores have become part of the fabric of our �lmgoing lives, from Te Lion King to 12 Years a Slave. His latest project is the sci-� epic  Interstellar , and we take you into Zimmer’s studio and behind the movie music. GURUS Conan keyboardist Scott Healy offers musical memories and tips to hone your craft. DEPARTURES oo soon after our October cover feature, we say good-bye to Faces, session, and solo great Ian McLagan.

PLAY  28 

30 

34

36 

BEGINNER Tis month’s Key of One column takes a critical look at the potential pitfalls of traditional music education. JAZZ Five ways to add Brad Mehldau-isms to your own playing.

48

MIDI CONTROLLER  Arturia KeyLab 88

52

DIGITAL PIANO  Yamaha P-255

56

APP Korg Module

58

VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT  Applied Acoustics String Studio VS2

60

AUDIO INTERFACE Novation AudioHub 2x4

62

HEADPHONES Blue Mo-Fi

64

PLUG-OUT SYNTH Roland SH2

CODA 66

Five things that engineer, producer, and saxophonist Dana Nielsen has learned about mixing.

POP Jeff Babko shows you how to play killer keyboard bass.

Online Now!

TECHNIQUES Wicked warm-ups to start your session.

Download our monster Ableton master class, featuring Live and Push tutorials and artist profiles!

KEYBOARD (ISSN 0730-0158) is published monthly by NewBay Media, LLC 1111 Bayhill Drive, Suite 440, San Bruno, CA 94066. All material published in KEYBOARD is copyrighted © 2013 by NewBay Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in KEYBOARD is forbidden without permission. KEYBOARD is a registered trademark of NewBay Media. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Bruno, CA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KEYBOARD P.O. Box 9158, Lowell, MA 01853. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

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REVIEW

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02.2015

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: MARK A GARLICK

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VOL. 41, NO. 2 #467

FEBRUARY 2015

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Michael Molenda [email protected] EDITOR IN CHIEF: Stephen Fortner [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR: Barbara Schultz b [email protected] EDITORS AT LARGE: Francis Preve, Jon Regen SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS: Jim Aikin, Craig Anderton,

David Battino, Tom Brislin, Michael Gallant, Robbie Gennet, Peter Kirn, Jerry Kovarsky, John Krogh, Richard Leiter, Tony Orant, Mitchell Sigman, Rob Shrock ART DIRECTOR: Damien Castaneda [email protected] MUSIC COPYIST: Matt Beck PRODUCTION MANAGER: Amy Santana PUBLISHER: Joe Perry jperry@nbm edia.com, 212.378.0464 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, EASTERN REGION, MIDWEST & EUROPE: Jeff Donnenwerth [email protected],

770.643.1425 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, WESTERN REGION & ASIA:

Mari Deetz [email protected], 650.238.0344 ADVERTISING SALES, EASTERN ACCOUNTS:

 Anna Blumenthal [email protected], 646.723.5404 SPECIALTY SALES ADVERTISING, WEST: Michelle Eigan

[email protected], 650.238.0325 SPECIALTY SALES ADVERTISING, EAST: Jon Brudner

 [email protected], 917.281.4721

THE NEWBAY MUSIC GROUP VICE PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Bill Amstutz GROUP PUBLISHER: Bob Ziltz EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Brad Tolinski SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST: Bob Jenkins PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT MANAGER: Beatrice Kim DIRECTOR OF MARKETING: Chris Campana SYSTEMS ENGINEER: Bill Brooks CONSUMER MARKETING DIRECTOR: Meg Estevez CONSUMER MARKETING COORDINATOR: Dominique Rennell FULFILLMENT COORDINATOR: Ulises Cabrera OFFICES SERVICES COORDINATOR: Mara Hampson

NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE PRESIDENT & CEO: Steve Palm CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Paul Mastronardi CONTROLLER: Jack Liedke VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA: Robert Ames VICE PRESIDENT, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Denise Robbins VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT & MARKETING: Anthony Savona IT DIRECTOR:  Anthony Verbanic VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES: Ray Vollmer

LIST RENTAL 914.925.2449 [email protected]

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Find a back issue 800-289-9919 or 978-667-0364 keyboardmag@computerfulfillment.com Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork.

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TALK

VOICES FROM THE KEYBOARD  COMMUNITY

Comment directly at

Editor’s Note Like many musicians, my point of entry into keyboards other than piano was the Hammond organ. It was Booker .’s “Hip-Hug-Her” and Gregg Rolie’s solos with early Santana that made me go, “Wow, what was that?” and then start looking for any album I could �nd with a B-3 on the cover— which I’d then put on a turntable atop my grandparents’ L-100 spinet and try to play along. So I’m pleased to announce that today’s Hammond company has launched a video channel, Hammond V (youtube.com/hammondtvusa), headed up and hosted by singer-songwriterkeyboardist (and fellow Hammond-phile) Emiko. I wanted to share a bit of her enthusiasm—which re�ects my own:

Connect

“Te idea of the Hammond organ needs to be about more than legacy,” Emiko beams. “It needs to be about the future. One day, after shooting a music video in L.A., I called Gregg Gronowski of Hammond USA. Within �ve minutes of our conversation, he asked me to write up a formal pitch and I did. About a week later, he told me I had a green light. “I think the �rst time I heard a real Hammond, I was eight years old. When I became a Hammond-endorsing artist, they asked me for a quote and this sums it up: I’ve always been a Hammond player but never knew it. I was a concert pianist as a child, but the minute I laid hands on my SK1-73 I knew the organ was it. So, this isn’t just another Youube channel—it’s a network in its infancy. And it won’t just be about Hammond USA’s roster artists, but about players and fans of the sound all over the world. We’re also going to have contests where musicians can submit their own videos, and we have tons of new artists coming up.” I can’t help thinking that if I’d had a resource like HV when I �rst caught the B-3 bug, I’d have HTV host Emiko with renowned keyboardist and singer Ellis Hall.

keyboardmag.com

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Keyboard Corner forums.musicplayer.com

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learned to play a lot better, a lot faster. So yes, this is a bit of a plug, but check the videos they already have up—these are not infomercials for a keyboard; they’re interactions with great artists that any enthusiast will get a lot from, and we’ll be co-hosting many of them on our own site. (Leave that embed option turned on, Emiko!)

Stephen Fortner

Editor

Composing Rig  Bear McCreary My First ________________. Millions hear Bear McCreary’s music every week via The Walking Dead , Outlander , Constantine and more , but his journey to film and TV composition stardom began decades ago. “I started piano lessons when I was five and always tried writing music, but never felt I could develop my ideas fully in my head as a little kid,” says Bear, who idolized composers Jerry Goldsmith and Danny Elfman at the time. “I had a Casio keyboard with a very modest recorder back then, but I was always itching for something more.” Everything changed during his freshman year of high school, when he constructed his first true recording rig. “My mother got me a Yamaha PSR 510 keyboard and a simple digital effects unit with delay, reverb, and chorus,” he says. “Then, my father got me an SM57 [Shure mic] and a Windows 95 computer with MasterTracks Pro for sequencing and Encore for notation. But the real killer was a Tascam four-track recorder.” Thus armed, McCreary would spend hours sequencing sounds from his Yamaha in MasterTracks, recording the results to the Tascam, and later overdubbing vocals, guitar, trumpet, and beyond. “I kept bouncing tracks and trying to get as many on that damn cassette tape as possible,” he says, laughing. “The ability to record my ideas and go back, tweak them, and layer on top of them was incredibly liberating for me. It accelerated my understanding of orchestral music and narrative music, and really laid the groundwork for what I do today.” Learn more at bearmccreary.com. | Michael Gallant

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T  H  O M A  S M I   K  U  S Z

Key Secrets

USB Batteries

Seemingly everything is USB-powered these days, including electronic music gear such as the Akai MPX16, Novation MiniNova/UltraNova/Bass Station II, Roland B-3, and Waldorf Rocket. Sure, you can run them off a laptop or smart phone charger, but a hefty USB battery may work as well. Because I like to play mobile gigs, I recently bought a Monoprice 10392 dual-port USB battery pack (monoprice.com, $20). With its 8,000mA capacity, this 4.5-inch-long, metal-clad beast powered my Korg riton aktile, a motorized LED mood light, and a Ploytec PL2 synth (hanging off the aktile’s MIDI jack) for ages. Te aktile draws only 550mA, so theoretically the battery would last 14.5 hours. David Battino

+

Our February 1985 cover guy was Seth Justman, keyboardist for the J. Geils Band, who that year charted with the theme song to the movie Fright Night. Best known for hits including “Love Stinks” and “Centerfold,” the group were about to head out on tour, and Justman revealed his approach to synth orchestration and updating J. Geils’ classic blues-rock sound. Composer Jerry Goldsmith talked to Keyboard  about his use of electronic music to score �lms like Supergirl  and Gremlins. In Keyboard  news, Little Richard was in court suing multiple labels for his royalties, and Tomas Dolby was in the studio producing Brit-Pop band Prefab Sprout. We also reviewed the then-new Oxford OSCar and Roland’s MKB-1000 keyboard controller, and featured a super-’80s ad for Casio’s CZ-101. Barbara Schultz

30

YEARS AGO TODAY

Talent Scout

Gustav Steinhoff BY JON REGEN

Dr. Gustav Steinhoff is an accomplished keyboardist and composer; he’s also been the Director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Medicine in Rostock, Germany, since 2000 and has been credited with the first human cardiac stem-cell therapy in heart disease in 2001. Find out more at www.jazzatheart.com.

MUSICAL TRAINING: I started piano lessons at the age of seven in Germany. I then studied

church organ at age 13, jazz piano at age 18, and contrabass at age 23. My musical education included classical and modern improvisation techniques, with a focus on rock and jazz piano.

FIRST GIGS: 1978 to ’84 with the rock band FRAPÖÖN around Kleve, Germany. MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Johann Sebastian Bach, John Lennon. WHAT I’M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW:  Anyone With a Heart by Iiro Rantala String rio. INSTRUMENTS PLAYED: Piano, Hohner Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, various synthesizers and church organs. MY BIG BREAK: In 2004 I joined forces with the jazz singer Christina Jaschkowiak for the project Jazz at Heart. o date we have released four albums. LATEST ALBUM: Storyboard (2013). FAVORITE KEYBOARD GEAR: My 1913 Steinway Model O grand piano and a Fender Rhodes 73. WHAT’S NEXT: More concerts with Jazz at Heart in Rostock, Germany and a new album to be released next year. ADVICE: Music is the best medicine for the heart.

02.2015

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NEW GEAR BY GINO ROBAIR WILLIAMS LEGATO WHAT A lightweight (20lbs.) digital piano with 88 velocitysensitive, weighted keys that offers five sounds (piano, e-piano, organ, synth, bass), reverb and chorus, splitting and layering, and a USB port. Runs on batteries or AC. WHY Designed for beginning to intermediate players who want something portable. $199.99 | WILLIAMPSPIANOS.COM

CUBASE 8 PRO WHAT A major rev with studio-grade effects, VCA faders, and group routing for multiple channels, stems, and buses. Chord Assistant, Chord Pad, VST Bass Amp, and Acoustic Agent drum kits are other highlights. WHY The audio engine redesign provides better performance with multi-timbral and disk-streaming instruments. $599.99 | STEINBERG.NET/CUBASE

TEMPORUBATO HISTORIC HARPSICHORDS RUCKER 1628 WHAT Sample-based dual-manual harpsichord for iOS that offers historic tunings (Werckmeister, Kirnberger, Vallotti, meantone), all stops and combinations, key-release, manual coupling with adjustable onset delays, and supports Core MIDI, AudioBus, and InterApp-Audio. WHY Who can resist a historically accurate instrument priced under $10 that pulls out all the stops? $9.99 | TEMPORUBATO.COM

MOTU MONITOR 8 WHAT A WiFi-controllable 24x16x8 monitor mixer for studio or stage with a USB interface and 6-channel headphone mixer. AVB connectivity streams 32 channels from networked MOTU interfaces. Works as a standalone headphone amp and 48-channel mixer. WHY You want a state-of-the-art audio networking system for recording or live performance. $995 | MOTU.COM

ALESIS VI CONTROLLERS WHAT Semi-weighted, velocity-sensitive USB-MIDI keyboards with full-size keys, Aftertouch and assignable trigger pads, knobs, buttons and software editor. Available with 25, 49, and 61 keys. WHY An inexpensive bus-powered controller with playable keys and a host of controls to use with the bundled Ableton Live Lite. $169.99-$249.99| ALESIS.COM All prices are manufacturer’s suggested retail (list) unless otherwise noted. Follow keyboardmag.com/gear and @ keyboardmag on Twitter for up-to-the-minute gear news. 12

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HEAR

COVER STORY

Pipe Organs HANS ZIMMER ON SCORING

INTERSTELLAR 

“I LOVE HOW POLARIZING THIS WHOLE PROJECT HAS BEEN. PEOPLE EITHER HATE WHAT WE DID OR THEY LOVE IT. THERE’S NOTHING IN THE MIDDLE, WHICH IS GREAT.” So says renowned film composer Hans Zimmer about the score to Interstellar , Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster sci-fi epic about a farmer and former astronaut who journeys out of our galaxy to find habitable planets beyond the ecologically devastated earth. Zimmer’s music avoided both the traditional big-orchestra Hollywood sound and more contemporary electronic tropes in favor of a haunting, and largely acoustic keyboard-driven score—including a huge amount of pipe organ recorded in London’s Temple Church. The score also caused some controversy, as some filmgoers felt it was mixed too loudly relative to the dialogue. There can be no question of its beauty and individuality, though. We were privileged to talk at length with Zimmer about how he approached the film, and to Roger Sayer (see page 20), who played all of the organ you hear in what is certainly the decade’s first great space opera.

SF: I’d like to start by diving straight into  just wouldn’t be used to the difference in ambient the loudness issue some viewers experisound. Culturally, our sound world keeps changenced. Personally I didn’t hear it or have a ing. Tat’s quite an interesting phenomenon. problem understanding any dialogue, but I  Another part of it is, as a little kid, my mom know people who insist they did. How loud is used to take me to the opera—my first musical this score, in your opinion? experiences were largely opera. I never underHZ: Well, we knew we were pushing the enve- stood a word, but I was always ended up crying lope. We wanted to be extreme, but it’s not like or otherwise being swept along by the emotional experience. Musicians know this. Tere are so we didn’t check it back. I mean, every Friday for six weeks, we’d go to a different theater in the many great songs where we’re still not entirely morning, at some ungodly hour, and listen to our sure what the lyrics are, but they get under our playback. We blew up a few speakers on the way. skin. Another thing to remember is that Chris Laughs Nolan isn’t just the director, he’s the writer. He’s Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? [ .] We tried to be both the quietest movie and the very aware of words, and he does treat a film like a song—sometimes the words are more imporloudest movie. And we tried to do it in a way that it was interesting. But I think part of it is just that tant, sometimes the music is. people are not used to this. Imagine if a 17th-cenTe plot arc of  Interstellar has been comtury person tried to have a conversation with you pared to Kubrick’s  2001. Did its score influin the middle of New York City right now. Tey

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ence you, either positively or as something to distance yourself from?  You’re thinking exactly what I was thinking. I was completely daunted for a while by Kubrick and 2001 and his use of classical music. Ten one day Chris and I were having this conversation, which went something like, “When 2001 came out, the most familiar piece to people probably was Strauss’ Te Blue Danube. Everybody knew that one. Maybe a smaller percentage knew about  Also Spracht Zarathustra. But then, did anybody know the other music?” You know, all those eastern European composers? Penderecki? Probably not. It was just interesting music. So Chris and I just decided, number one, the  job is to invent. Number two, just try to write as well as you possibly can. Number three, don’t get scared. Don’t get daunted by the precedent of what Stanley Kubrick had done.

in Space!

Hans Zimmer’s studio doesn’t house a pipe organ, but certainly looks like it could.

BY STEPHEN FORNTER

How did the idea to make pipe o rgan so central to the score occur? So, we wanted to start on the opposite end of the spectrum from where we’ve been for the last ten years. Ever since we started doing the Batman movies, we defined a certain style for us. Tat was very much driven by action drums, kinetic ostinatos in the strings, et cetera. So we went, if we throw everything out from our vocabulary before, where does that lead us? Ten one day Chris, in the middle of a paragraph, goes, “Have you ever thought of a pipe organ?” As soon as he said it, I just saw the shape. Tose big organ pipes look like the afterburners on rocket ship. So visually, that seemed to fit right into the image that I was trying to create. For me, it’s vital that the score involves some sort of metaphor for the story. Te other part of that metaphor is that a pipe organ can’t make a sound without breath. In that regard, it’s incredibly human.  Another thing is that we wanted to celebrate scientists in the film as opposed to them being the nerdy sidekicks—a bit like having the keyboard player at the center of the stage as opposed to back behind the guitarist or singer! And by the 17th century, the pipe organ was the most complex machine people had created. It kept that distinction until the telephone exchange was

invented—and you can’t tell me Bob Moog didn’t see a telephone exchange at some point before thinking of the modular synth. What other sonic elements found their way into the score? Any synthesizers? Well, we’d been avoiding woodwinds in the scores for the last ten years, so we just went, “ime to unleash the woodwinds.” I wanted to keep the electronics to a minimum, but there were certain things I just had to get [U-he soft synth] Zebra out to do. Te only other synthesizer I really used was the Jonte Knifonium, which is from this fantastic Finnish designer. It’s a completely vacuum tube-based synth. Tey’re pretty rare, and incredible creations. Once you’d decided on pipe organ, did you begin writing with a sampled or software version?  Yes. Because of the way Chris and I work, I just write in a sequencer—Steinberg Cubase. So I was trying to hunt down a great pipe organ sample collection, and I came across this plug-in called Hauptwerk. Man, it’s really incredible. So I was writing with its Salisbury Cathedral organ [sample set], which isn’t a bad place to start. First, I had to spend quite a bit of time learning the instrument. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be like? It’s not supposed

to just come out of the box and there it is. One of the things I could do with the Hauptwerk organ is, I could use MIDI CC 11 for putting all sort of super-duper expressions into every line. Which then became a bit of a problem once we went off to record the real organ, because it can’t do that. Not via the expression pedals a pipe organ has for each manual? o some extent, but it’s not like you can go from pp to ff within a note and back again. You can’t go to silence or come from silence, which is what I wanted to do. What I did at the end of the day, after we’d recorded all the organ parts—the writing is pretty intricate, so on a big cue we might have 12 or more different ones—was to put the audio tracks back in the sequencer and superimpose expression maps onto them. Speaking of which, how did you record the organ at Temple Church?  Abbey Road Mobile set up a remote studio in one of the side rooms of the church. It wasn’t just the organ; we had the orchestra in there as well. So we had an enormous amount of microphones placed all throughout that church. But I think the main mics really were a few Neumanns, about 20 feet away. More were about 40 feet away from the main pipes.

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It was great being able to really use the space. Because an organ doesn’t exist outside its acoustic space, so you have to find the right space. Te great thing about emple Church is, it’s in the center of London but it’s completely isolated. Tere are just the law courts all around it, and it’s basically a pedestrian zone, so there’s no traffic noise. Why is Cubase your tool of choice for composing before taking things to the orchestra? I think the best software program is the one that you know, the one you feel comfortable with.  At the same time, I have to give Steinberg props for constantly trying to innovate. I’ve got to be careful here, but there aren’t that many companies who you can rely on to update all the time and democratically listen to their users. With some features, you go, “Well, I’d never use that,” but then you go, “oh, wait a minute . . .” It leads you to new creative possibilities. But you have to invest the time to learn it—or any program. Few people understand that a computer these days is a legitimate musical instrument that you have to study and get good at, just like practicing your scales on the piano. Troughout the film, I was struck by cues that started off sounding like some sort of synth,  but as they evolved were clearly the pipe organ. Tere’s a lot of morphing going on between different things. And sometimes I would use a choir as well. I’d just go and—I was trying to confuse a little bit. I was trying to not just be a purist about using the organ. Tere are also the woodwinds. Sometimes you get a clarinet playing something very soft, which is then taken over by the pipes on the organ. In cutting the movie, Chris Nolan was also very mindful that if a note finished, we wouldn’t cut off the reverb or fade it down. He’d let the shot hang there long enough for you to hear the end of the decay. I heard those. One exception is this scene where Cooper is on the spaceship watching a video from his family. When the video ends, the cue that had been swelling cuts abruptly to silence. It was jarring, but very effective to convey that moment of his loneliness.  Yes, that cutoff was actually quite important.  You think it’s a piece of score, but it’s actually a piece of source music. Chris was describing the scene to me, all the frames I had to hit . . . and in the end that hit every frame. We play with silence a lot in this film, obviously. Sometimes, these days a score is just wall-to-wall. So it’s weird that we got that controversy about the loudness on this score, which isn’t wall to wall. Tere are large chunks of this movie where people just talk without music in the background. 16

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Te organ is also offset by a lot of scrape and drone sounds, which seem meant to be as unsettling as being in outer space. What was your source? Tere’s a wonderful inventor and musician here in Los Angeles called Chas Smith. He creates these amazing musical sculptures out of titanium and other metal. He’s forever up at the Boeing factory getting scraps of weird, unpronounceable metals, and he builds these musical instruments out of them. Tey’re either scraped or scratched or bowed, or whatever other unspeakable things he does to them. [ Laughs .] I first met him when we were doing Man of Steel.

By the 17th century, the pipe organ was the most complex machine people had created. In the ’70s or ’80s, everybody was forever saying that synthesizers are trying to imitate and maybe replace real instruments. Well, what we were trying to do with Interstellar  is imitate synthesizers with acoustic instruments. We’d play things to the orchestra and say, “Here’s an overtly electronic sound. How would you go and do that? Tere must be something about your instrument that no one ever let you do or that only you know. Let’s hear it!” I remember Richard Harvey, who was conducting the woodwinds, saying, “Tey’ve spent their whole lives not sounding like this.” Tat felt like a triumph. What was the most challenging scene for you to write to? I need to tell you how the whole project started, because that informs everything that happened afterwards. A couple of years ago, Chris said, “If I were to write one page, and not tell you the context, would you write whatever [music] comes to you?” So a couple of weeks later I get this a beautiful typewritten letter—not done on a computer. It was just this very personal story between a father and child, and

Chris wrote about a son because I have a son who wants to be a scientist. He came down to the studio, and I played it to him. And it’s this tiny, very fragile, personal piece about myself and my son, really. And I get to the end of it and I sort of look at him and I say, “Hey, what do you think?” And he goes, “Well, I suppose I’d better make the movie now.” He then starts describing this huge canvas of science and space and quantum mechanics and relativity theory and all this stuff. I finally break in and say, “Chris, but I’ve just written this tiny, personal piece, and you’re describing the vastness of everything.” And he goes, “Yeah, but I now know where the heart of the story is.” Which is Cooper and his daughter. Was this the simple four-note melody based around  A,  B, and  E that we hear early in their scenes and that then forms the basis for grander cues later on? Tat’s the one. And then the first thing you hear, when it cuts to black and the end titles start, it’s literally that first-day demo. It’s just me playing in the privacy of my own neurosis, in my studio. How did Roger Sayer wind up playing all the organ for the film? Trough [composer and conductor] Richard Harvey, really. We knew emple Church because Ron Howard had shot [scenes in] Te Da Vinci Code there, and Richard knew that the Harrison pipe organ had been restored the year before, so it was in perfect condition. So, who were we going to get to play this thing? You have to have the person who knows it play it, because each organ is different. I’d never met Roger nor heard him play, but I was hoping that a man who I imagined just played hymns on Sundays could be persuaded to get into this adventure. We get there, meet Roger, and he says, “I had a look at the music.” You know that great British understatement that happens when you present somebody with unbelievable technical difficulties? Tey have a way of going, “Well, let’s just have a go.” He climbed up to the organ loft and  just started to unleash the thing. I’ve never asked him, but I have a feeling Roger might have a bit of the heart of a prog rocker in him! You knew he was the guy right then? So I said to him, “I wrote [the score] using Hauptwerk and the Salisbury Cathedral organ model,” and he goes, “Oh yeah, I have that at home. I’m very familiar with it.” It was actually then that I instantly knew we were going to be all right. Number one, I wasn’t talking to a Luddite. Number two, it was reassuring to just play him my demos in the headphones and hear him go, “I know exactly what stops you’re using. I don’t have the same pipes, but here it is.” Because of course each pipe organ is different.

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You can’t just pull up the same patch . . . Right. It’s not mass produced. In fact, I think that’s the sort of thing that goes through this whole movie. Everything was handmade. We hardly used any CG [computer graphics]. Tere are a lot of miniature shots, we didn’t use green screen or blue screen. We’d just project the image, and let the actors inhabit that world, which was great for them. Tey didn’t have to imagine what was behind them or what planet they were on. Tat was the sort of ethos of everything we were doing. Tat’s why using valve synthesizers seemed to be perfect. Using things which were custom-built by Chas Smith were perfect. Te emple Church organ was a one-off. Everything was a one-off.  Another thing I loved about the organ was that there was a time when people invested an enormous amount of effort and ingenuity in building these devices, which were strictly there to make beautiful music. What a concept, right? Somebody dedicating their life to serving artists, serving art, serving composers. Te money to do so would have had to come from the Church, or a Medici-like patron.  Absolutely. Welcome to the Church of Hollywood. Our times have changed dramatically, whereby you don’t get the Church or royal houses to go and commission art anymore. Everybody loves to go on about how Hollywood is repeating itself, how it’s just some factory. But I’m really happy that this factory is one of the few places—to me the last place on earth—that commissions orchestral music and live musicians on a daily basis. I mean, there are so many productions being done. And nobody bats

an eyelid when you say I want to go and write something for a symphony orchestra—or a pipe organ. Do you see any musical instruments today that might follow the ethos of the pipe organ? I think it’s happening more and more. I mean, if you look at the whole Eurorack and modular scene, all these little companies, all these people being ingenious and spending their time building incredible modules. I don’t know if it’s true, but I think there’s more innovation and more people building modular systems than ever before.  At the same time, I have all these beautiful modular systems I basically picked up for nothing in the ’80 and early ’90s. Because everybody was

The last place on earth that commissions orchestral music on a daily basis is Hollywood. Just one of the expansive racks of modular synths in Zimmer’s studio.

going, forget about all that stuff. It’s all going to be digital. But it’s like the difference between a violin and a trumpet. Tey’re autonomous instruments in their own right. So that sort of ’80s thinking that we were going to exclude everything in favor of the DX7 seemed crazy to me. On the other hand, I look at a lot of the gear forums, and it just drives me crazy, because there are all these amazing tools and instruments out there, and they’re so much more affordable than they were in the ’70s and ’80s. When I bought my first Minimoog, it was literally a choice between the Minimoog or a car. I picked the right thing. Now, these things are so advanced, and wonderful, and complicated, and almost nobody reads the manual. It drives me crazy. Even as the tools h ave gotten better and more affordable, it has become harder than ever to make a living as a musician. Any thoughts on this problem? Well, the whole idea that music is something you give away or download for free is just ridiculous to me. Somehow, people don’t understand that music has an intrinsic value, that the seconds of a musician’s life are ticking away just like everybody else’s. And he or she is creating something that he should be paid for and be able to sustain a decent life with. Te people who really should be supporting music—the record companies—can’t do it any more. So the only place left really that supports any sort of grand-scale experimentation is Hollywood. On that note, what would you say to some one who looks at your career and aspires to make a living as a musician the way you do?  All I do is, first thing I think about in the morning is music, last thing I think about at night is music. Te part in between? Making music. I actually did this experiment a few years ago. I said, “Okay, we’re going to close the studio down from the 20th of December until the second of January. Everybody go on holiday.” Christmas day, I was at home and hit speed dial, and instantly the phone was answered in the studio, and everybody there was going, “Yeah, but we  just had this idea, and we just wanted to try this thing out” and blah, blah, blah. It just made me laugh. Because their greatest Christmas gift was to just go and make music. We do this because we love this. And to me, it’s a life really well lived.

More of our conversations with Hans Zimmer and Roger Sayer.

keyboardmag.com/february2015

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PILOTING THE INTERSTELLAR  ORGAN Roger Sayer is musical director and organist at Temple Church in London, where Interstellar ’s score was recorded. That may sound like an improbable path to being the primary musician on the score of a major science fiction film, but as Hans Zimmer told us, he was absolutely the right man for the job. Read a longer interview with him at keyboardmag.com/february2014. Describe the process of interpreting Hans’ cues for the Temple Church pipe organ.

I didn’t really see any music until the week before it was all to be recorded. He was very specific on the score and the sounds that he wanted, which he had obviously selected from [pipe organ plug-in] Hauptwerk. When he arrived, he played some of his sampled music. He would play a section from the score and say, “Right, what can you do?” and I would come up with something similar. How much of your own sensibility as a classical organist were you able to bring to the score?

[Hans] was very good at allowing creativity. Obviously within a framework, because rhythmically, the music had to be put together with the other instruments, so I was playing to a click. So the freedom of expression was really with sound, but also within the beat—allowing a bit more ebb and flow than you can get from a computer. I mean, there seemed to be little point in playing it live if they weren’t going to put the human emotion into it, and that’s exactly what he wanted. Tell us about the organ itself.

We have 3,828 pipes. It was built for a Scottish estate in 1927. But once the Temple organ here got destroyed in the war, the organist at the time found this organ in the Scottish residence and brought it here. With 382 stops, we have a lot of choice. Some of the pipes are as short as that of a pencil, while some are 32 feet in length. The bass is one of the most exciting aspects of this organ. We have not just one 32-foot rank of pipes, but three, which obviously gives it a lot of welly. Other pipes are very quiet and just purr and shake the building gently. Of course, you get to hear a lot of that in the film—this sort of shuddering that doesn’t get very loud. How do you feel about the unusual role the pipe organ plays in Interstellar ?

I think it’s such a breath of fresh air. It gets away from this idea that the organ is something that just plays hymns and leads the congregation. Of course it does do that, but as you and I know, the organ, particularly when it’s in a building with fine acoustics, can capture almost every emotion possible. To put it bluntly, it’s an orchestra in a box. It has all colors you need from an orchestra. And it’s the sort of instrument that people have the wrong idea about. Here, we’re showing that it can live and breathe in the 21st century. It can tell a story; you don’t need words. Cameron Carpenter has a similar mission, but plays a digital touring organ for consistency and reliability. Virgil Fox once did as well. Can digital instruments help popularize the organ again? I’d be more inclined to say they can popularize the repertoire. If you’re in a place where you can’t perform good repertoire

simply because the organ just isn’t good enough—and organ repertoire is huge, second only to piano and song—then you’ve got no choice. So there’s a very good reason for doing what he’s doing. But I think there’s a danger [when] people start to accept that as what the organ is. It’s not. The organ is the pipes. You can play more musically, because it’s living and breathing with air. The point is taken up by Hans. Why did he come all the way from L.A. to London, when he could have made it all digital himself? Because he wanted a human being playing an instrument that actually breathed. Interstellar  is a wonderful thing to have been a part of, and I’m proud to have been associated with it.

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SCOTT HEALY

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THE GRAMMY-NOMINA GRAMMY-NOMINATED TED  KEYBOARDIST ON CONAN  KEYBOARDIST HIS WILD MUSICAL RIDE BY JON REGEN

SCOTT HEALY IS EQUALLY AT HOME BEHIND A HAMMOND ORGAN OR THE CONDUCTOR’S PODIUM IN A CONCERT HALL.

Best known for his quarter-century romp as the high-energy keyboardist in Conan O’Brien’s television television band, Healy is also a Grammy-nominated, classically trained composer of serious sonic merit. (And to top it off, he’s a frequent contributor to Keyboard , Where does he find the time?) Healy took a break from his near nonstop rehearsal and performance schedule to talk about a musical journey that has spanned Bach to rock, and everything in between.

You’ve amassed a pretty staggering résumé: in practicing and playing my instrument. And so I fusion gigs and music by Chick Corea and Herbie from your decades-long gig with Conan took privately for years with different teachers, until Hancock, and I had a Fender Rhodes and an ARP O’Brien to a Grammy nomination in 2014 I asked around and found James annenbaum at Odyssey. But I was still interested in all kinds of for your album  Hudson City Suite. How did the Cleveland Institute. He was an “up and coming” orchestration and arranging. your musical journey begin? concert pianist and really kicked my butt. He got me How did you pay your rent in those early going on Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, and Bach. I grew-up in Cleveland, Ohio, in a very musiyears as a musician? cal family. My grandmother was a piano teacher, So you were heavily into classical music back I graduated in 1982 and I moved to Bergen my uncle played trumpet in a Dixieland band, and then? both of my parents played piano by ear. So there County,, New Jersey—right outside of New York City. County  And I imm  And immedi ediate ately ly sta started rted pla playin yingg wedd wedding ings. s. In fac fact, t, was always music in my house. My grandmother I was mainly a classical pianist until the age of had both a Hammond M-3 organ and a Knabe 15, but I listened to everything. When I was 13, I I think I worked the �rst Saturday night I got there! In those days, you could go out with your Rhodes grand piano in her living room, and my other  started listening to a lot of jazz and fusion music. grandmother had an upright piano, just like my  And gro growin wingg up in Cleve Cleveland land,, there there was no short short-and play left-hand bass, and people would hire you. I ended up on weddings with members of the Jazz family did. So I started plunking around on the age of rock ’n’ roll. It was in my DNA, and I got piano as soon as I could reach it. an education in it listening to radio stations like Messengers and the Mel Lewis band. Back then, musicians played every gig they could. So I worked WGAR, WOR, and WMMS. By the time I was 14, Did you study music formally? I started buying all kinds of records. But as far as in all kinds of bands, playing jazz, jazz , standards, pop music, and everything in between. I was also leading  Yeah.  Ye ah. I starte started d taking taking pian piano o lesson lessonss in �rs �rstt playing was concerned, my focus was on classical at grade, but I was already playing by ear at that point. that time. Ten I took a left turn and [got into] clas- my own bands—from quartets and sextets to full big bands—and scoring television commercials and My Dad showed me a few chords, and my Mom sical composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. But I still had my hands in “pops”-type music for symphony orchestras. I was used to play and sing to me, so that got me into lots of different things. I studied jazz composition also arranging horn charts for vocalists and “ghostplaying Broadway and other kinds of tunes. One thing that really jump-started my musical developwith Ray Wright in graduate classes, I gigged with writing.”” So I was doing a little bit of everything. writing. ever ything. bandss and and I pra practi cticed ced clas classica sicall piano. piano. ment was that I began taking piano and  theory  theory les-  jazz band  At that time, who were some of the musisons—a half hour of each—at the Cleveland InstiWhat did you want to do when you graducians that had the biggest impact on your tute of Music. Tose private theory lessons taught playing and writing? ated from music school? me things like how to write notes on the staff and De�nitely jazz artists like [saxophonist] Mihow to understand intervals. Tey were incredibly Tat was the beginning of my musical identity valuable, and they made me even more interested crisis, because on one hand I was playing jazz/ chael Brecker, [trumpeter] Randy Brecker, the 22

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CONAN’S KEYS SCOTT HEALY’S HEALY’S LA LATE-NIGHT TE-NIGHT RIG Long time

Conan keyboardist

)

Scott Healy is using a streamlined rig for his television gig.

“For piano sounds, I ’m using a Yamaha CP1 which I love, love,”” Healy says, “along with a Yamaha MO8 on top of it controlling a Yamaha Motif Rack for extra sounds and a Voce V5 module for organ. The Voce goes through a Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere Rotosphere pedal for my Leslie effect. It’s punchy in a way a real Leslie is not, and it’s great for TV. On my left side, there’s a Hohner Clavinet D6, which is pretty much original, except Ken Rich in Los Angeles replaced the pic kups, and my wife replaced the strings and the felts! I also use a Korg Radias, which I sometimes use to trigger the Motif Rack as well.”

band Steps Ahead, and Herbie Hancock, as well as modern musicians from the New York jazz scene of the time, like [saxophonist] John Zorn, [bassist] Mark Helias, [pianists] Fred Hersch and Kenny Werner, and [bassist] Dave Holland. I was also into electronics and early smooth jazz. Te only thing I wasn’t playing at that time was rock ’n’ roll and blues, which is funny because they are now such integral parts of my musical identity.

What was your main keyboard rig in those days? My main rig was a Rhodes electric piano, until the Yamaha DX7 came out. Having the DX7 and also the X7 module allowed me to become liberated from the Rhodes. I actually had a lot of fun playing and programming the DX7, and it got me interested in other keyboards like Roland Junos, Oberheim Matrix 6R’s, the Casio CZ101, and the Kurzweil K2000. Later, I bought a Pro ools rig and started using it for scoring sessions. Te Rhodes, on the other hand, was a clunky veteran of my high school days. It was heavy and huge like a boat anchor, and it had a hard action to play. Back then I was more than happy to see it go. Ironically, I sold my Rhodes in 1986, only to track it down and buy it back in 1993. Now I use it all the time. How did your gig on Conan come about? It all came from playing weddings in New Jersey! I met [Conan guitarist and bandleader] Jimmy Vivino on a wedding gig, and we had a great time playing together. He liked that I had a good ear and knew a bunch of tunes and styles. I knew what to do in rock and roll—I just hadn’t had experience doing it. Tat kind of hard-edged, boogie piano style has always been in my genes since my early days in Cleveland. Cleveland. So in 1993, I got the call to join Conan’s house band, which was fronted by Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg. He and Jimmy put that band together and tapped me for the keyboard chair. When you got the call to join the Conan  band, how did you go about getting yourself  better versed in rock and blues piano? Max Weinberg showed up at the �rst rehearsal

with a couple of records for me to check out. His words to me were something along the lines of, “You’re not quite cutting it.” So he had me checkout things like a “roots” piano compilation that had tunes on it like the Amos Millburn “Chicken Shack Boogie” and a few New Orleans “second line” rumbas. Max and Jimmy also wanted to play a bunch of Chicago shuffles and jump blues. So I had my work cut out for me. I had to get my left hand together, and more Dr. John and Professor Longhair kinds of right-hand riffs too. It was basically about �nessing the New Orleans style and the blues. And I had about a week to �gure it all out! Te �rst thing I did was check out the Dr. John “play-along” series, which I believe was released by Homespun on cassette tape. I also checked out a lot of records by Professor Longhair, Johnnie Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard. I learned that a Chicago shuffle is different from a exas or a Kansas City or a New Orleans one. Learning these distinctly different piano styles is the key to understanding roots music. Jimmy was a great coach, too. He has a near encyclopaedic knowledge of the records and knows when things are right, and when they’re not!

plus have a solid piano sound, it works.

Your song “Koko on the Boulevard” from  Hudson City Suite was nominated for a Best Instrumental Composition Grammy in 2014. How did that project come about? I’ve been writing and arranging music for various kinds of instrumental ensembles since I came to New  York  Y ork Cit Cityy in in 1983 1983-84 -84.. So So whil whilee I was bus busyy with withConan, I was always doing things on the side. I wanted to stay artistically challenged. Tere was a day when you could actually get a gig with a ten-piece band in New  York  Y ork Cit City! y! I play played ed a club club in Gre Green enwic wich h Vill Village age cal called led  Vision  Vis iones, es, whe where re [ar [arran ranger ger]] Maria Maria Sch Schnei neider der got her start, as well. I also played concerts in the Citicorp Center and Sweet Basil and all kinds of venues. So I was always writing and arranging, and when Conan moved to Los Angeles in 2009, I followed and wanted to get my own band together right away. By fall 2010, I was rehearsing the band that ended-up on Hudson City Suite. I kept writing, meeting new musicians, and performing in Los Angeles venues like Vitello’s and the Blue Whale. Te Hudson City Suite project started years back when I lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was then that I had the idea to write a suite, but I never �nDo you remember what your keyboard rig ished it. When I moved to Los Angeles, only three of was back in that �rst installment of the the nine pieces were underway. I always had it in the back of my mind to �nish the suite; I liked the idea Conan show? It was probably an old Roland RD-series digiof a full record of thematically connected tunes. So I tal piano, as well as a Yamaha KX88 MIDI control- revised and �nished the nine songs for the album and ler, along with two Kurzweil K2000RS samplers, recorded the suite in Los Angeles in 2012. “Koko on the Boulevard,” the song that got the Grammy nomiwhich I used for all synth sounds and organ. nation, was one I started back in the mid 1990s. You played organ on a weighted key board? When you speak to young music students now, I’ve been playing it that way on television for what words of advice do you try to impart? 20 years, but I think as a pianist who plays a lot of organ, it actually really keeps my hands in shape. Stay open, stay interested and always say “Yes,” because you never know which New Jersey wedding I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I’ve always liked to have 88 keys and feel that extra weight.  just may give you a 25-year 25-year tele televisi vision on gig! gig! Even now, I’m controlling a Voce V5 organ module from a Yamaha MO8, which is an 88-key weighted keyboard. On the Conan show, it wouldn’t be my Scott Healy on �rst choice, but as I can only have two keyboards Hammond Organ TV facing the front of the stage, and I need to be able keyboardmag.com/february2015 to split sounds and control another rack of synths 02.2015

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DEPARTURES

Ian McLagan 1935 - 2014

IAN MCLAGAN WASN’T ONLY A GIANT BEHIND THE KEYBOARD, HE WAS A GEM of a human being who, within minutes of meeting you, made you feel like a member of his inner circle. He was the definition of optimism, and at the age of 69 was still thinking about the next gig, the next song he would write, the next Hammond organ he would find and restore. Scores of musicians have paid tribute Mc Lagan since he passed away December 3, but maybe Ian said it best in his c losing answers to our cover story from the October 2014 issue: “I am thankful to still be d oing this. And I ’m still learning!” Truly, words to live by from a man who was, in the words of his own terrific song, “Pure Gold.” Below are further trib utes from some of McLagan’s friends and colleagues. —JON REGEN, EDITOR AT LARGE

I don’t even know where to start. I bought “Itchycoo Park” the moment I heard it—I was 13 or 14— and I’ve chased his sound and feel ever since. Te undisputed King of the Wurlitzer, a master of the rock ’n’ roll piano, and oh what a lovely Hammond player. And he could write! We only met a handful of times, but he was an absolute sweetheart to me. We’ve really lost a treasure here. Rest in Peace.

I got the chance to ask him about one of my alltime favorite keyboard parts/sounds—how he got the sound on the opening Wurlitzer piano riff on “Stay With Me.” Of course, he had a proper rock ’n’ roll answer: something to the effect of, “Glyn [Johns] just shoved it through an [Ampeg] SV and set up a mic.” Essentially how most great records were made! — MITCHELL FROOM (MU-

— BENMONT TENCH (KEYBOARDIST, TOM

SICIAN AND MUSIC PRODUCER)

PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS)

Mac was the real deal. Deep soul, great chops, groove always in the pocket. Whether hammering on the 88s, �nessing a Wurly, or gliding on the B-3, he inspired us all and put smiles on our faces. He was also one of the nicest and funniest guys I’ve ever known—a true jewel of a man. RIP, my brother. Te band upstairs just got a little better. — CHUCK LEAVELL (CURRENT KEYBOARDIST, THE ROLLING STONES)

I �nally got to meet Ian here in Austin when he played a club downtown this year. He approached his playing with such vibrant energy and he was happy, friendly, and a pleasure to meet. I was shocked to hear of his passing. Life can be fragile. He will be missed by many. — GREGG ROLIE (ORIGINAL KEYBOARDIST, SANTANA)

Ian was a master of the Wurlitzer electric piano and especially of the Hammond Organ. He was a wonderful gentleman who will be missed, although his recorded performances will live forever! — PAUL SHAFFER I got to work with Ian on an album when he was a member of Pat McLaughlin’s band. He was a wonderful guy and, of course, a great musician. 24

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pint with him, spent the evening talking shop [B3s and Nords] and meeting his band and friends. I got to tell him I loved his autobiography  All the Rage, which I recommend any keyboard player read. I’m thankful for that evening. — ANDY BURTON (KEYBOARDIST FOR JOHN MAYER)

I’ll always remember growing up listening to Te Faces and the Stones in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and wondering who that was on the piano and organ. Ian McLagan is who we tried to to play like when we �rst joined our rock bands because of his distinct style and feel. Oo la la, brother, we’ll miss you — RICKY PETERSON

If you are a keyboard player and want to know what to play in a rock ’n’ roll band, do your best to copy Ian McLagan, and you will be on your way.

I was lucky enough to know Mac and had a lot of chuckles with him. He was a naturally funny bloke. — KIM BULLARD (KEYBOARDIST FOR ELTON My fondest memories are from about ten years ago JOHN) when he was in New Orleans working with me and John Porter on a Ryan Adams record. Te session If you play rock ’n’ roll piano or B-3 organ in a band, was pretty grueling. Markeys Bar had the best Guintake time to thank Ian McLagan. He was one of the ness in town, and we’d retire there every night after �rst “piano guys” to be an actual card-carrying, fullgetting through. Mac was the life of the party and �edged member of a top-notch rock band. Te Faces became so enamoured of the ebony nectar that he were the cool, boozy pub band that somehow marended up behind the bar pulling the pints and pretty much taking over the place. If we weren’t at Markeys ried loosey-goosey with sophistication. Te Stones, Beatles, Te Who—great stuff, but no official or the studio, we’d be in my funky little French Quarter apartment, digging on scratchy old Smiley Lewis [keyboard] guy that had the exalted power of actually properly sharing the stage and studio as a band 78s on my beat-up record player, with cups of tea and spliffs. I’m going to miss him. — JON CLEARY member. He was an equal—not just a rented cat to come in to supply some formulaic parts and sound �ller for another’s vision, but an active, valued He was the guy that made keyboards cool. He got member participating in dialogue with the other in- it right. He got his personality through. We all struments… He got us into the party, man. A whole wanted to be the “Mac” of the band. — MIKEY ROWE (KEYBOARDIST FOR SHERYL CROW, lotta cool just left the stage. — JEFF KAZEE NOEL GALLAGHER)

My �rst memory of Ian McLagan was hearing the opening Wurly riff on the Rolling Stones’ “Miss  You” and scrambling for the liner notes, thinking “Who played that?” I met Ian last year when I was playing in Austin with John Mayer. I saw him play with the Bump Band, then went out for a

Exclusive performance and more memories.

keyboardmag.com/february2015

PLAY 

THE KEY OF ONE

WHAT TRADITIONAL PIANO LESSONS

Get Wrong BY ROBBIE GENNET

IF YOU’RE A KEYBOARD/PIANO PLAYER, chances are you’ve taken piano lessons from a private instructor or maybe even gone to a music school to further yourself. As a private instructor who has also taught for years at an accredited music school, I’ve had a firsthand look at students of all levels and ages, and have noticed quite a few deficiencies across the board. In this column, I will discuss what things traditional music lessons get wrong, and how you can correct them, no matter what stage you’ve reached in your musicianship.

Tere are several issues that I see with a lot of students, many of whom are years into their studies: the inability to understand or articulate basic music/chord theory; the inability to improvise or free play; inability to transpose music easily; the inability to see patterns in notes and chords; and the inability to play melodically rather than just running scales. 28

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Tere are a couple of ways that traditional music lessons fall short, and cause these inadequacies. One is that music teachers often teach nota-

tion without teaching the music theory behind it. Tink of notation like Latin (an ancient language) and music like math (a concrete set of numbers

and formulas). Because traditional music teaching is all about making you �uent in notation, it’s akin to teaching you how to do math in Latin without teaching you how to actually understand math—or even that there is math to learn. Plus, by being locked into notation, you are tied to a rigid document from which few musicians will diverge. What if, in order to have a conversation, you had to pull a script out of your pocket and read it as is? Not only would you not be conversing, you’d be in�exibly tied to the text, speed, and dynamic. Reading notation has nothing to do with understanding music at its base. It merely turns you into a phonograph needle. Playing music as an intuitive language that can convey your own personal expression and catharsis? Priceless. raditional music instructors also tend to emphasize how everything is different based on different shapes, rather than examine the commonality of the numerical formula for music. When I was a beginning student, learning all the “different” scales and chords was overwhelming. It seemed like there was so much material, I didn’t know if I could remember it all. Tat illusion of difficulty discouraged me from continuing with lessons because I �gured I wasn’t cut out for being a pro. What I didn’t realize at the time is that, though each of the 12 keys is shaped differently, we are still playing one numerical formula based on seven notes starting on one, which is whatever key we are in. Te seven basic numbers have a sound, and the order of the numbers—and most importantly the sound of those numbers—stays the same, regardless of the different shapes, as you can see in the two uniquely shaped keys in Figures 1 and 2. I didn’t see that, as far as basic major and minor triads, there is one of each in each of the Fig. 1.

12 keys, making only 24 basic chords that exist, period; that all those sixths, sevenths, ninths, and elevenths, plus the sus chords, augmented and diminished �fths, and even your b2/ b9 are just additions or tweaks to those triads, like frosting on the cake. And if you really learn how to bake the cake instead of getting lost in the frosting, you can learn your way around the entire chord matrix and develop a complete grasp on the art of interpreting, writing, and speaking music—all while developing your ears’ ability to hear those numbers and use them to begin singing with your �ngers. In order to stabilize the foundation of your musical knowledge, let’s re-affirm these �ve truths: 1. Te beginning of the alphabet is ordered  ABCDEFG. Music uses these letters in the same order. Tese letters have not only a sound but also a multitude of relationships and patterns based on scales, modes, and melodies. 2. Te beginning of the number line is ordered 1234567 . Music uses these numbers in the same order. Tese numbers have a sound but only one relationship based on their order. 3. Tere are only 12 keys and 24 basic triads. Te more you play on/with them, the better you will be at using them. 4. Te piano is a percussion instrument. Terefore, you are a melodic percussionist who can practice anywhere, not just on the piano. 5. We get rusty at reading notation but do not get rusty at understanding. Once we understand something, we can only build upon it. When you were a child, you learned the alphabet and number line and you were able to understand they were unchanging, concrete formulas that formed a foundation for a lifetime of conversing, counting, and understanding. If you give the same

consideration when applying them to music, you’ll open up a world of expression, imagination, and fun! In the next “Key of One” column, we’ll learn how to build your knowledge of chord theory and maximize your use of inversions. See you next month!

Robbie Gennet is a touring keyboardist, guitarist, longtime Keyboard   contributor, and educator at Musicians’ Institute in Hollywood, California. His book, The Key of One (Alfred Music) outlines a thorough method for understanding music without learning traditional notation. You can get it at alfredmusic.com, and take private lessons from Robbie at thekeyofone.com.

Fig. 2.

In these two keys, the shape is different but the numbers are exactly the same.

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Ex. 2. G maj7

Ex. 3.

G min7

E9

C 13

F maj7

2. Fugue It  Another thing I love about Brad’s playing (especially from his early piano trio period), is how he improvises fugues over  jazz tunes, as seen in Ex. 2. o do this on your own, start by comping in your right hand, as you solo in the bass register with your left. Ten slowly trade lines with your right and left hands until you are playing two different solos with both hands. Practice doing this on one tune for a few months, and soon you will start to internalize the concept. Bach’s famed Well Tempered Clavier  is the quintessential source for counterpoint, so refer to it whenever possible for inspiration. In this example, notice how one voice will rest while the other one moves. ry to keep this conversational aspect between the hands in your own improvisations. Also note that our major and minor scales are augmented here with a few chromatic embellishing tones. Check out the Charlie Parker Omnibook for more great bebop lines to inspire your own improvisations.

D sus2

E9 4

3. Classical Chording

D sus2

E

7 

Repetitive, stabby chords like those in Ex. 3 appear frequently in Brad’s music. I often think this style of piano playing comes from Franz Schubert’s Lieder (German for “songs”), which were the precursor to pop tunes hundreds of years ago. In this example, the right hand keeps time with crunchy rock piano voicings, while the left hand plays an interesting melody in the bass clef with notes coming from the E Mixolydian mode (E, F# , G# , A, B, C #,  D, E). Brad will often pedal these chords to give them a ringing, bell-like quality.

4. Analog Accents

Ex. 4.

C min7

Mod Wh

5

Mod Wh

Mehldau usually has at least one analog modeling synth in his rig with Mehliana. In Ex. 4, I play a fat, sawtooth bass line, using the mod wheel for expression. Te bass line is constructed mostly from the C minor pentatonic scale ( C, Eb, F, G, Bb, C ). Tere is also an E natural in bar 4 for a “momentary major” sound. When a note is held, the mod wheel is added to give a crazy LFO effect. I am also throwing in in a few notes from another mystery key. When slide stepping (as this technique is called), try going a half step up or down, or a minor third up or down. Te interval doesn’t really matter; it’s the sound of moving to another key that matters most. 02.2015

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Ex. 5.

F min11

Prophet Pad

Listening List

Rhodes

BRAD MEHLDAU

D 7sus4 5

Introducing Brad Mehldau – 1995

5

The Art of the Trio, Vol. 1

– 1997

5. All’s Swell  Another alluring texture of Brad’s electronic work is his use of dreamy pads: warm swells on a patch like the Prophet 5 sound used in Ex. 5. (I cheat a little on this example to make it sound like there’s more than one keyboardist playing. Here, I’ve actually sampled both chords and assigned each to one key on my MIDI controller. Te lowest F key gets the Fmin11 voicing, and the D below it gets the D7sus chord. As I play the sampled chords with two �ngers of my left land, my right hand improvises on the Rhodes. Again, add a little swirly delay to both sounds. Most of the motivic material from this improvisation comes from simple modes; F Dorian on the Fmin11 chord (F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F) and D Mixolydian on the D7sus4 (D, E, F# , G, A, B, C, D ).

Practice Tip “Whether playing piano with his trio, or using spacey synths with his duo Mehliana, Brad Mehldau’s playing is always tasteful, lyrical, and uniquely his own,” says keyboardist and composer Brian Charette, who has performed and recorded with artists such as Joni Mitchell, Michael Buble, and Rufus Wainwright in addition to leading his own jazz groups. Charette recently won Downbeat Magazine’s “Rising Star Organ” award and just released the album Good Tipper . Find out more at www.briancharette.squarespace.com.

  R   E   H   T   N   I   W   S   L   I   N

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Largo – 2002

Mehliana: Taming the Dragon – 2014

Watch Brad Mehldau and Mehliana perform “Hungry Ghost.” Hear Brian play the audio examples from this lesson online.

keyboardmag.com/february2015

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PLAY 

PO P

Killer Keyboard Bass BY JEFF BABKO

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ASKED IF YOU COULD “KIC K BASS” ON A GIG WITHOUT A BASS PLAYER, ONLY TO HESITATE over concerns over holding down the keyboard parts? Or maybe throngs of bass players telling you to “stay out of the way” of their low notes has sent you into treble clef land for life? Well, I’m here to assure you that playing keyboard, organ, or synth bass can be one

of the most rewarding roles you’ll ever take on.

I’ve asked a few of my esteemed colleagues about their inspiration for creating killer keyboard bass parts. oto’s David Paich, who played incredible Moog bass on George Benson’s “urn Your Love Around” and Boz Scaggs’ “Miss Sun” says, “Te two biggest influences on bass for me are Larry Graham and Stevie Wonder. It’s all in there!” He adds, “A Minimoog and [drummer] Jeff Porcaro are all one needs to get that feel.” (Well isn’t he lucky to have had both!) Paich also cites Greg Phillinganes as being, in his words, “the best.” In turn, Phillinganes credits “the honor and privilege of attending ‘Wonder University’ for four years after literally absorbing Stevie’s music as a kid. My only thought when laying a synth bass track is ‘What would Stevie do?’” Tat is, except when recording Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” where my thought was ‘What would Jimmy Jam do?!’” Master Hammond B3 player Larry Goldings cut his teeth playing in Maceo Parker’s bass-less R&B band in the 1990s. On our Caffeinated Keyboardist podcast (http://caffeinatedkeyboardist.podomatic.com), he explained that left-hand bass duties always took precedence over right hand comping, and that Maceo actually introduced him as “the bass player!” And in a role reversal, New York City-based electric bassist Hagar Ben-Ari (from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings) says she has recently been getting exponentially more calls to play synth bass on gigs and recordings. She explains, “It’s instantly funky, there’s a wider low end range, and I can really explore and still cut through in the mix.” Let’s explore four ways to build better keyboard bass parts.

1. Paich Bass

Ex. 1. G

F min

G

F min

B7

B7

E min

E min

A

C/D

A

5

Listening List Kickin’ Keyboard Bass

Hits! – Boz Scaggs (David Paich on

“Miss Sun”)

Bad – Michael Jackson (Greg Phillinganes on

“Man in the Mirror”)

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Fulfillingness’ First Finale – Stevie Wonder

Life on Planet Groove  Maceo Parker

(Larry Goldings)

Ex. 1 was inspired by

David Paich’s brilliant playing on the Boz Scaggs song “Miss Sun.” Notice the pumping R&B eighthnote feel throughout. It’s always fun to milk the pitch-bend wheel, as in the top of bar 3 and in the “shake” of bar 4. It’s also fun to make use of the octave on synth bass, as it’s effortless to play on keyboard (as in bar 5). On the fade of “Miss Sun,” Paich also plays some brilliant “over the bar” bass lines such as those seen in bars 6 and 7. Let’s also not forget the ever-powerful gliss/ wipe in bar 8, or the sound of the synth—in this case, it’s got a bit of “wetness” (via the resonance) and a bit of decay.

2. Have Your Phil Ex. 2 is a ballad reminiscent of

Ex. 2. E min

D/F

G

D

E maj7

Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and the bass line played by Greg Phillinganes. Te sound here is much more legato with sustain a little more resonance wetness. Note the little turn in bar 4, another slick monophonic synth trick.  And in the last bar, the gliss only goes downward, a la the classic Jimmy Jam & erry Lewis productions of the 1980s. (Listen to the Human League’s song “Human.”)

F 3

E min

D/F

G

D

E maj7

F

5

3. Wonder Bass Ex. 3 harkens back to Stevie

Ex. 3. A maj7/C

A maj7/C

C maj7

C maj7

A maj7 /C

A maj7/C

C maj7

F min13

5

Wonder’s song “Creepin’.” On that track, he uses a more muted Moog bass sound—one that emulates a pick bass sound, or the �at-wound strings that James Jamerson used on Motown records. Remember that when playing bass lines on a keyboard; your tone is as important as the notes you play. In bars 2 and 6, the Moog bass doubles a keyboard hook: another sympathetic musical trick synth basses often utilize.

4. Pure Gold Ex. 4 shows what organist Larry

Ex. 4.

ghosted--------

Goldings might have played with Maceo Parker. Here we �nd a right-hand part that complements the left-hand bass “hook.” I’m also channeling some of ower of Power bassist Rocco Prestia’s signature muted ghost notes with my left hand. (Check out OP band mate Chester Tompson’s jaw-dropping left-hand bass playing as well!) Remember that, in funk music, the feel has to be right. Always focus on locking with the drummer and not being on top of the beat. It’s the bass player’s responsibility to make things feel good, and in these situations, the bass player is you!

Bass in Your Face “From the days of bass-less organ trios, through Bernie Worrell’s legendary synth bass on Parliament’s song ‘Flash Light’ and contemporary dance tracks, keyboard bass has found its own special place in the low tones of music,” says Jeff Babko, best known for his spot in the house band on  Jimmy Kimmel Live . He has recorded with Frank Ocean, Jason Mraz, Sheryl Crow, and Mark Guiliana. Babko’s latest release, Crux , is out now. Find out more at jeffbabko.com.

Watch Steve Porcaro programming Minimoog bass.

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PLAY 

TECHNIQUE

Wicked Warm-Ups FIRST PLAY IN PERFECT TIME, THEN PLAY AS OUT AS YOU WANT! ANDY BURTON

I STARTED OUT ON THE PIANO WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING, FIRST TAKING lessons from private teachers, and later studying at Manhattan School of Music’s

college-prep program. At the same time, I was always fooling around with blues and boogie-woogie music, and dreaming of electric pianos, organs, and synthesizers. But the piano is still home base for me. It’s where I started and got my chops together. Ex. 1a

Ex. 1b

When I warm up on piano, I begin with exercises like Hanon and Czerny (and some of my own variations on them), along with scales and Bach Inventions. I play everything with a metronome. Tis type of material demands perfect note accuracy, rhythmic precision, and even accents, so I always warm up with a metronome before attempting to play anything with jazzy syncopation, blues inflections, or flexible time. Without having warmed up, you can still play something that sounds pleasing to the ear (like a bluesy lick, for example), but because your finger control and independence are not at their best, you may or may not end up playing precisely what you intended. Don’t fool yourself into believing you are warmed up and can play anything that pops into your head, when actually, you can’t. If you then proceed to play something challenging, you’ll soon find out that your playing is sloppy. On the other hand, if you try to play a Hanon exercise or a Bach Invention with cold fingers, any sloppiness is immediately exposed. So that’s where I begin at the piano, and where we will start this warm-up lesson!

1. Hanon-Esque Ex. 1a is a pattern that you can take up and down the scale, a la the famed Hanon exercises. Tis kind of exercise is great for warming up, but I have found after playing it that my sixteenth notes can still sometimes be sloppy on the weak subdivisions between the eighth notes (on the “e” and “a” beats). o get my sixteenth notes even, I will sometimes use a metronome and play these weak beats on the clicks as opposed to between them. ry this technique with the Hanon-themed exercise in Ex. 1b.

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Ex. 2a

2. Back to Bach Ex. 2a is an imitation Bach example

for you to play through. In Ex. 2b, our pseudo Bach exercise is played with accents on the weak rhythmic subdivisions, where your metronome clicks should fall. (Tis can make a Bach invention sound like some kind of mad uptempo swing, but it exposes any mushiness in your fingers and helps iron it out.) ry this technique on pieces by Bach himself to continue your journey towards fierce finger independence. Ex. 2b

Player’s Tip “Warming up methodically will instill greater confidence and authority in your playing, which will help you develop strong fingers and a near subatomic sense of time!” says acclaimed New York-based keyboardist, producer, and composer Andy Burton. The current keyboardist for John Mayer, Burton graduated from Harvard University cum laude with a BA in music and has performed with artists including Rufus Wainwright, Robert Plant, Ian Hunter, and Darlene Love. He is now working on his first solo album. Find out more at twitter.com/andyburtonmusic.

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Ex. 3

3. Blues and Boogie  After you have spent some time on the previous examples and you are really feeling the blood �ow in your �ngers, try things with more jazzy syncopation like blues and boogiewoogie licks. You’ll notice immediately how much better and consistent your playing sounds. Ten play Ex. 3 either using the metronome in the standard fashion, or even with no metronome at all, and see how it feels after having warmed up in this way.

Reading List Must Have Warm-Up Books

HANON The Virtuoso Pianist 

  w   !   v  i e   e  u e  s  r   s  s   i   s   s   ’   !   i  m  e   i  n  ’  t  a z  i n   M  i n   2 0  1  5  o   D  a g  0  D   h  m  0  c  r d   M 4 0   M a r  a  o   y  b   t  h e   h e   K e  o  f   i n  t

  i n g  m  C o

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CZERNY The Art of Finger Dexterity for the Piano

J.S. BACH The WellTempered Clavier 

Watch Andy Burton with John Mayer—LIVE at Rock in Rio. Hear Andy play exclusive audio examples from this lesson online.

keyboardmag.com/february2015

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KNOW

BEYOND THE MANUAL

Fig. 1. To add punch, Cakewalk z3ta+2’s rate-level envelope adds a short “burst” (in this example, 30 ms) at a sound’s beginning.

Fig. 2. MOTU’s MachFive can edit sample start points, thus modifying an instrument’s attack.

Live Dangerously: Tweak Presets BY CRAIG ANDERTON

ADMIT IT: YOU JUST DIAL UP PRESETS. IF YOU LIKE THEM, GREAT. IF NOT, YOU keep dialing. There’s nothing wrong with that; you want to make music, not become a synth programmer. But you don’t have to create presets from scratch— you can instead modify presets that are close to what you want so they become exactly   what you want. So let’s check out some simple tweaks. We’ll assume a fairly standard synth architecture, but hopefully you’ll be able to translate these concepts to your particular instrument. Brighter or darker overall sound. Assum-

Cool patch...too bad it’s not a bass. But

ing a lowpass filter is in play, turn up the filter envelope amount. his leaves the attack and decay characteristics in place, but kicks the overall filter response higher. Similarly, you can darken the sound by turning down the envelope filter amount. An alternative is to vary the filter envelope sustain level: increase for brighter, decrease for darker. his will likely interact with the attack and decay characteristics, which may add a useful variation to the sound in addition to changing the tone.

it might make a good bass if you transpose one or more oscillators down an octave. Tis also builds on the previous tip, as you might want to reduce the highs somewhat so the bass sits better in the low frequencies.

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Why be normal? Some tweaks can create

entirely new presets if you apply a sound “incorrectly.” ake a bass patch, and transpose the oscillators up an octave or two (you might want to refer to the filtering tip to increase the bright-

ness a bit). I’ve s tumbled onto some killer electric piano sounds by transposing electric bass sounds up an octave or two. Add punch. Tis requires setting the attack

time to minimum, and an amplitude envelope with a hold control (or a rate/level type of envelope that lets you create a hold time). Set the hold time to about 25 to 30 ms for a tasty “spike” that adds punch (Figure 1). Interestingly, the original Minimoogs had a brief, inherent envelope hold time; I’ve often thought this was one reason that Minimoogs were considered punchy (and after I pointed this out in a previous article, Kurzweil added a punch parameter on some synths). Subtract punch. Many sample-based

instruments can edit the sample start time. Because an instrument’s attack usually

Fig. 3. Arturia’s ARP2600V has an Attack/Release envelope generator for the VCA and ADSR envelope for the filter. Increasing the release time on both adds an ethereal, sustaining effect.

Fig. 4. An LFO in Cakewalk’s Rapture is modulating pitch with a small amount of a variable, low-frequency waveform to add subtle pitch randomization.

Fig. 5. To make NI’s Massive even a little more massive, check out the effects section. I like to add distortion, then roll off some of the highs (and boost the upper mids) with the EQ.

determines the punch, moving the start time later will take out the pluck of a string, the zing of a bowed sound (Figure 2), and the like. But this can also add more punch with instruments having an attack time, such as wind instruments. Sound is too sharp and thin. urn down the filter resonance control, which will also help the sound sit more in the background. Conversely, adding a little resonance often brings a sound more to the forefront. A more focused sound. Quite a few presets detune oscillators somewhat to add a chorusinglike effect. Tis can make a cool, gossamer background sound, but to make the sound more focused, set the fine-tuning controls for each oscillator to the same pitch (or at least closer to the same pitch).

New-agey kinda reverb. urn up the amplitude envelope release control to add an evocative, reverb-like lengthening to notes when you release your fingers f rom the keys. his can work really well for pads. Note: you may also need to turn up the filter envelope release control (Figure 3); otherwise, the filter cutoff may go low enough to make the note inaudible before the volume envelope fades out completely. Calling all electro fans. Make any preset sound percussive by turning down the amplitude envelope sustain control, setting attack and release time to minimum, and using the decay control to create a percussive decay. If you keep your finger on the key, the decay will cycle all the way through, but if you just strike the key briefly, the decay will last only as long as your finger is on the key. For a consistent decay time regardless of how

you hit the key, adjust the release control for the same amount of decay as the decay control. Travel back in time. Tis requires a bit more effort, but you can re-create the somewhat random charm of older analog synthesizers. Route an LFO to one (or as many as you want) of the oscillators in a preset, set the LFO for a very slow rate, and add a very slight amount of modulation to change the pitch in an almost subliminal way (Figure 4). A smoothed random LFO waveform is best for this, but if there’s no random option, a triangle wave will work in a pinch if it’s slow enough—or use two LFOs set for different rates, and apply a very little bit of signal from each one. Don’t forget the processors, especially distortion. Onboard effects can twist a sound around with very little effort. I was once asked which synth I used to get “that amazing funky Wurlitzer sound”—it was a rue Pianos acoustic piano, followed by EQ to take off the highs, then topped off with distortion. Distortion on organs and NI’s Massive (Figure 5) can also be a beautiful thing. And don’t forget the modulation. Realtime modulation controls, like footpedals and aftertouch, are a great way not just to alter a preset but do so in real time. Many presets don’t include these assignments because it’s not assumed you have a s uitable controller, but once you crack the code on matrix modulation, it’s easy to add real-time modulation to personalize a preset. See the February 2014 issue of Keyboard  for suggested parameters that lend themselves well to modulation. 02.2015

Keyboard

41

KNOW

SYNTH SOLOING

THE ART OF SYNTH SOLOING

Winwood Redux: Uses in Your Playing BY JERRY KOVARSKY

WHEN YOU TRANSCRIBE AND STUDY A SOLO FROM A FAVORITE PLAYER, the way we did with Steve Winwood’s style of playing in the January 2015 issue, you want to absorb and apply what you learned from them to make it a part of your personal musical vocabulary. This way, you can wield the influence of your musical mentor whenever you play; in other words, the style of “While You See a Chance” can be employed to benefit non-Winwood songs. So let’s apply what we learned in last month’s column to more general playing.

5 and 6); and the blues scale (1, b3, 4, b5, 5 and b7). Each scale/grouping of notes has its own sound and flavor, and you want to limit yourself to specific groupings rather than try to merge them all into one super-scale (1, 2, b3, 3, 4, b5, 5, 6, b7). Tat doesn’t work as well. You want to create memorable melodic licks, not just “run the scale.”

The Notes/Scales

Some Licks

Steve Winwood used a pretty basic vocabulary of note choices and scales. In the key of C  these would

be: the major pentatonic (1, 2, 3, 5 and 6); the major blues scale (1, 2, b3, 3, 5 and 6); the major blues scale with the added fourth scale tone (1, 2, b3, 3, 4,

Here are a few choices licks for each scale: ma jor pe ntatonic: Ex. 2; major blues: Ex. 3; major

Ex. 1. The four main scales Winwood uses C Major Pentatonic scale

1

2

3

5 6

8

C Major Blues scale

1

Ex. 2. Some pentatonic licks

Ex. 3. Some major blues licks

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2 b3 3

5 6

C Major Blues scale w/added 4th

8

1

2 b3 3 4

5

6

8

C Blues scale

1 b3 4 #4

5 b7 8

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Ex. 4. Some major blues w/added fourth licks

Ex. 5. Some blues licks

Ex. 6. Chord progressions to practice soloing over

blues with added fourth: Ex. 4 ; and blues: Ex. 5  (note the extra-fancy last lick, which adds some jazzy chromaticism). There are so many ways to play licks like these: Try varying the rhythms from eighth notes to triplets, mix up the length of the notes for more rhythmic interest, and try starting the phrase on different beats within the measure so they cross over the bar line in different ways. As a synth player, you’ll want to incorporate bends and modulation into the phrases; be sure to try half-step, whole-step, and larger bends, and work on slides up into and fall-offs from notes as well. Most important: Learn then in all 12 keys!

Using the Licks in Songs To put this into practice, you’ll want to try various chord progressions or songs, and like Winwood (and others), just play licks in the key center, instead of trying to outline each 44

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02.2015

chord specifically. Ex. 6  gives you a few ideas ent points in a solo. Starting off a little bit to get started; note that this works well for darker and opening up the filter as you build both major and minor key centers. your solo works well; so does adding some One of the lessons we learned last month filter cutoff modulation from the Mod W heel was that Winwood never played the traditional to your usual vibrato, as I have written about blues scale on the I chord in the key (the C  before. Using a volume pedal/assignable pedal major chord in these examples). He always controlling MIDI CC# 11 (expression) is a great seemed to save those extra-bluesy licks for addition, so you can swell into long, sustained another chord in the song, which keeps the notes, and push more energy into a phrase, feeling more major and melodic, saving the  just as a horn play er wo uld. soulful color for just the right moment. So in the first progression, twry using the C   blues scale once in a while on the Dm  chord, or the opening F chord. In the second example try it on the F chord, and so on. Just don’t overdo it; a little goes a long way. Original audio examples, and chord progression More Expression Winwood also shared that he used a pedal to loop for soloing practice. control filter cutoff, and you can definitely keyboardmag.com/february2015 hear his lead tone change quality at differ-

KNOW

DANCE

Make a Bass Loop from a Vocal IN ABLETON LIVE BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

SYNTHS ARE OBVIOUSLY GREAT FOR BASS LINES, BUT CREATING ORGANIC-SOUNDING RIFFS WITH WARMTH AND motion can often be a challenge—even if you’re a master at automation techniques. Fortunately, there’s a technique for generating bass grooves that wiggle and wobble without spending hours adjusting pitch bends and LFOs. In fact, producers like Tong and Rogers have been using this trick for years to great effect on their originals and remixes. This secret weapon is so straightforward that even beginners can get up and running with a minimum of head-scratching. The trick is to start with a vocal. You can use a lead vocal from one of your own tracks or a loop from one of your sample libraries. Here’s how it’s done.

Step 1 Begin with a vocal excerpt that has some melodic motion. Staccato passages are okay, but if you really want to get that funky wiggle, �nd a smooth �owing passage and use that as a starting point.

Step 2 Next, create a one-bar loop in your vocal clip, then move it around to different sections, focusing on the rhythm of the  vocal so it complements your drum groove.

Step 3 ime to turn the vocal into a bass line! Switch your warping mode to tones and transpose it down two octaves (-24 semitones). If it’s a really high vocal, you may need to drop it by -36 semitones, but stick with octaves to ensure that the tuning remains relevant to your track. At this point, you should hear a growling vocal that sounds a bit like something out of a horror movie.

Step 4 Drop Ableton’s Auto Filter on the vocal bass track and set its cutoff to 350 Hz as your starting point, then adjust from there. If you want really deep bass tones, lower the cutoff until you’ve got a bouncy rumble.

Step 5 Te funkiest bass lines incorporate spaces and rests to give the wiggly bits more impact. o accomplish this, create a clip envelope that’s assigned to the clip volume (not mixer volume) and cut out sections of the vocal until you’ve got something a bit more syncopated.

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keyboardmag.com/february2015 46

Keyboard

02.2015

REVIEW

MIDI CONTROLLER

ARTURIA

KeyLab 88 BY MITCHELL SIGMAN

ARTURIA HAS RELEASED A STEADY STREAM OF CLASSY USB/MIDI CONTROLLER keyboard/virtual instrument packages over the past few years. Until now, all have been of the unweighted 25-, 37-, and 61-key variety, but now Arturia jumps into the big leagues with the “kitchen sink edition,” the 88-key, fully weighted KeyLab 88. The company also sweetens the pot with its 5,000-preset Analog Lab virtual instrument, and the first 3,000 units sold include high-end virtual piano instruments from UVI and Pianoteq. How good is it?

Overview

Snap Judgment PROS Superb keyboard feel, handsome appearance, good value, and huge sound library.

CONS Pitch/mod wheel pounwanted movement. My only issue with the laptop sition, a few finicky controls, “shelf” is its right side-only location; right-handed KeyLab 88’s front panel and control layout are and limited editability of almost identical to its more compact KeyLab 49 players might prefer a laptop or tablet on the left included Analog Lab virtual and KeyLab 61 counterparts. Beginning at the top so they won’t need to take their dominant hand off instrument. left are standard pitch and mod wheels, and an oc- the keyboard. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the pitch and mod controllers’ above-the-keyboard location, tave up/down selector followed by endless-rotary volume, parameter/category, value/preset knobs, but in Arturia’s defense, 88 full-size keys make for a large instrument, so this helps reduce its width. mode buttons, and a Spartan (but super bright) 16x2 blue �uorescent display. Moving along, we  And speaking of girth, it’s worth mentioning that at Included Virtual Instruments have ten multifunction assignable buttons, ten as-  just over 28 pounds, the KeyLab 88 is the lightest Tough most controllers these days throw some signable endless rotary knobs, and nine assignable fully weighted, 88-key controller on the market—a virtual instruments or soundware into the mix, sliders. Finally, we see standard transport controls virtual �yweight compared to 88-key controllers  Arturia really steps it up with the inclusion of and 16 full-size illuminated MPC-style pads. from other manufacturers that squash the scales 60 its Analog Lab vir tual instrument software. Te keyboard itself is a fully weighted 88-key Fa- pounds or more. Originally released in 2010, Analog Lab distills tar action with velocity and monophonic aftertouch. Te back panel features a standard power  Arturia’s well-respected virtual keyboard instruswitch; a DC adapter jack; a breath-controller Like Arturia’s other controllers, the KeyLab 88 ment collection into one easy-to-use instrument, exudes quality with its all-aluminum case and lovely mini jack; 1/4" inputs for expression, sustain, usable either as a standalone or plug-in. and aux footswitch; and standard �ve-pin MIDI solid wood end cheeks. Unique to the KeyLab 88 Eschewing the fully editable user interfaces of are two add-ons—an aluminum and plastic music in and out. In conjunction with the USB port, the  Arturia’s individual virtual instruments, Analog stand, as well as a laptop (or tablet) shelf that effec- MIDI I/O jacks allow the KeyL ab 88 to function Lab includes more than 5,000 presets; however, key tively extends the empty area at the top right of the as a conventional MIDI interface. My example parameters, such as �lter and envelope settings, are was perfectly content with USB bus-power, but control panel by four inches. Both can be solidly ateditable and are pre-assigned to KeyLab’s knobs and tached to the rear panel via simple slip-in keyholes, an optional AC adapter can be used if USB bus sliders. Te most recent Analog Lab edition includes and thoughtfully include rubber surfaces to prevent power isn’t available. presets from Arturia’s “legacy” instruments: ARP 48

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02.2015

2600 V, CS-80V, Jupiter-8 V, Mini V, Modular V, Oberheim SEM V, Prophet V, Vox Continental V, and Wurlitzer V, as well as the brand-new Solina V vintage string machine and Matrix-12 V vintage polysynth. Tough the editable parameters offer a fair amount of sound-shaping �exibility, hardcore synth-programming types will no doubt miss the ability to edit and create sounds with the full and unlimited user interfaces.  Analog Lab’s instrument selection centers around a novel, CG-rendered Studio View window (see Figure 1), showing a studio �lled with the above-mentioned keyboard collection. Clicking an instrument selects it and displays its sounds in list form, along with attributes including the virtual instrument name, sound type, user-programmable favorite status, the sound programmer’s name, and others. Attribute �lters, such as instrument, sound categories, and characteristics are easily applied; these are tremendously helpful given the epic quantity of sounds on hand. Te lower half of  Analog Lab’s user interface replicates KeyLab 88’s front panel knobs and sliders, and up to 20 instrument parameters are individually settable for each control via small pop-up menus. Te main UI also lets you drag and drop 10 Snapshot sounds from any instrument for quick recall via the front-panel Snapshot buttons. Tough they were easy to con�gure, changing the Snapshots while sustaining notes cut them off abruptly. For the �nger-impaired, the chord menu offers myriad auto chord assignment options for the 16 MPC pads.

In addition to standard single-sound Play mode, there’s a Multi mode, which lets users stack and/or split two patches across the keyboard, each with independent level, pan, and controller assignments, plus dual send knobs for applying bus effects. Tough not extensive by current standards, Analog Lab includes a well-rounded effects collection, including expected reverb, chorus, delay, �anger, phaser, and overdrive, as well as more exotic �avors such as Destroy, SubGenerator, and VocalFilter, all with a generous array of user-tweakable controls. With no true acoustic piano instruments available in Analog Lab, Arturia includes two third-party virtual piano instruments: Modartt Pianoteq 5 Stage and UVI Grand Piano Model D. Exclusive to KeyLab 88, both are “lite” versions (and upgradable to full versions for a price). Tese are not hosted within the Analog Lab environment; they can run as standalones (in the case of UVI Grand Piano Model D, it’s hosted inside the free-to-download UVI Workstation app), or as virtual instruments hosted by a DAW. For those unfamiliar with Pianoteq, unlike sample-heavy piano instruments, it utilizes physical modeling to create light-on-RAM but heavy-on-CPU pianos, whereas UVI’s Grand Piano Model D features just under 600 MB of samples for a more brute force, sample-heavy approach.

Sounds With so many presets on hand, Analog L ab offers an almost overwhelming number of preset

Fig. 1. Users can choose instruments within Analog Lab by clicking the picture of the desired instrument in Arturia’s virtual studio rendering.

choices, and suffice to say, covers almost any analog synth noise imaginable, including scads of massive Moog and Oberheim basses, subtle-topunchy brass, leads aplenty, tons of sound e ffects, and more pads than you’ll ever need. Te new Solina V patches authentically nail the wheezy “divide-down” string machine vibe and retain the full version’s tweakable three-band Polymoog resonator for unique vocal �lter �avors. Te virtual Wurly and Vox organ both ably cover their namesakes and the presets explore far more esoteric tones courtesy of their added parameters. Sometimes the added parameters and effects get in the way, because the abundance of “out there” patches can make it hard to locate signature Wurlitzer, Vox, and Minimoog patches. Arturia 02.2015

Keyboard

49

Fig. 2. The main Analog Lab view window: Sounds are selected from the list on the left; data filters can be set on the right to narrow choices. The bottom area displays KeyLab 88’s controllers and their current positions.

could easily remedy this by adding a “basic” category to the sound �lter section (the �lters that sort patches, not the �lters in the synths).

Pianos, Man wo Pianoteq models are included a Hamburg Steinway Model D, and Pianoteq’s own “K6,” a midsized grand of unspeci�ed origin. o my ears, the K6 had more “in-the-room” personality, and a slightly less clinical tonality than the Steinway model. Compared to heavy-hitter sampled pianos, there’s a very subtle synthetic feel that’s hard to put your �nger on, but both are �ne-sounding pianos with excellent dynamic range, and their wide variety presets make them adaptable to any situation.  As for the UVI Grand Piano Model D, UVI’s heavy-handed iLok authorization scheme refused to play nice with my MacBook Pro. After installing four separate items (iLok License Manager, the UVI Workstation host, the Grand Piano Model D Grand sample pack, and a RAR �le utility to expand the sample pack) and numerous back-andforth emails with UVI tech support, I was never able to authorize my computer to use it. I can’t say whether UVI or iLok was to blame, but when overzealous copy protection prevents legitimate customers from using software, copy protection has failed the software maker and the end-user alike.

In Use Te KeyLab 88 controller has a �rm and positive action with zero side-to-side key wobble, unwanted bounce, or other unwanted traits. It’s a little on the heavy side, but not excessively so. My only nitpick is with the keyboard velocity curve parameter; throughout its 11 settings, I detected a difference in keyboard response at the three highest settings (desirable), but not much change at the lower settings. Perhaps different curves are happening internally, but the user manual contains no details. Te monophonic after50

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02.2015

touch has a delightfully controllable sweet spot, with none of the “on/off” behavior exhibited by lesser controllers. Tis aftertouch response is also useradjustable, but I found it perfect as-is.  All the knobs and buttons behaved as expected, and more importantly, exude the same solid feel as the keyboard. Te sliders have a nice feel, and the illuminated MPC pads de�nitely give the impression that they’d tolerate a serious pounding (having them attached to a large, metal instrument doesn’t hurt). Te “A” and “B” bank buttons effectively double the number of available real-time controllers for a whopping 20 knobs and 18 sliders of quickly accessible controls. Te knobs, buttons, and sliders can be recon�gured to transmit just about any desired combination of MIDI controller data, storable in KeyLab 88’s ten onboard program memory locations. Switching between the stored programs was a somewhat �nicky affair, requiring two button presses, a knob twirl, and pressing the knob. Front panel controller functions can be edited either from the front panel, or via Arturia’s free MIDI Control Center utility, but as with many MIDI controller devices, you may �nd it easier to leave the transmit settings as-is and, instead, “redirect” controller data within the destination device or software. When used in conjunction with Analog Lab, the knobs and sliders are automatically assigned to editable sound parameters, making sound tweaking a cinch. When r unning the full version of the Mini V virtual instrument inside Apple MainStage, KeyLab’s controllers automatically assigned to the Mini’s parameter knobs—very nice! Generally speaking, it can be a little off-putting to have incredibly �exible and powerful synths such as the Moog Modular V and Oberheim Matrix 12 V shackled into a preset-only con�guration. But the �ipside is that the adjustable real-time performance parameters for most of the instruments include �lter cutoff, resonance, and full envelope

controls; this can get you very close to the level of tweakery available in the full versions. And if you own the full versions of any of Analog Lab’s included instruments, sounds can be fully edited inside without leaving Analog Lab; simply switch to Filter  View mode and click the picture of the individual instrument. Tis is a fantastic feature, and it’s certainly motivation to upgrade to the full versions.  Analog Lab also features a Live mode for arranging sounds and multis into a master list for live performance. Setting up lists is a simple dragand-drop affair, but its functionality is limited, and there’s no easy way to move sounds around once they’re in the list. I was a little disappointed that Analog Lab was unable to host the included third-party piano instruments. In a studio DAW-based environment, this isn’t a signi�cant issue, but in a live setting, it necessitates hosting Analog Lab and/or the piano instruments using a separate host such as MainStage or Ableton Live.

Conclusions Besides my quibbles with the velocity curve settings and the slightly �nicky program changing (KeyLab 88’s internal programs, not its ability to transmit MIDI program changes), the KeyLab 88 is a �rst-class controller with great features, a beautiful exterior, and a competitive price tag. At $799 street, it undercuts Roland’s A-88 and Kawai’s VPC1 in both price and weight. Tough KeyLab 88 doesn’t sport fancy key surfaces or escapement simulation, many might agree that these are unnecessary, marketing-driven “solutions in search of a problem.” Even without Analog Lab and the extra third-party pianos, the KeyLab 88 stands on its own as a fantastic controller at a competitive price point. It wins our Key Buy award on grounds of sheer bang for the buck.

Bottom Line A premium controller at a great price, with a ton of virtual instruments thrown in.

$999 list | $799 street arturia.com

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FAIR USE IS FAIR PLAY

Whether he is recording Mark Knopfler or learning a new plug-in, award-winning recording engineer Chuck Ainlay always acquires the music software he uses from legitimate sources. Chuck believes in fair play and works exclusively with legal software. Respect yourself, your craft, and the work of others. Buy the software you use, and buy the music you love.

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New York • Toronto • Hamburg • Tokyo Tel: 416 789-6849 • Fax: 416 789-1667 The International Music Software Trade Association is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of music software and soundware publishers. One of our most important functions is to advocate for the legal use of software in the music production and creation landscape. We do this primarily through public education campaigns. We are supported by our members who are software and soundware developers, distributors, retailers & publications. We are challenging piracy on moral grounds appealing to the good in all of us. We are trying to change behavior.

REVIEW

DIGITAL PIANO

YAMAHA

P-255 BY RICHARD LEITER

IN 2004 A DUMB RACQUETBALL MOVE MADE MY SHOULDER UNRELIABLE, and my 75-pound stage pianos became just too heavy to haul to gigs. What half my buddies seemed to be playing then was a brown slab from Yamaha called the P-120. It was everywhere, and as it was priced at only about a grand and weighed

only 40 pounds, I understood why. Plus it had a serviceable piano sound that—while it wasn’t the 40-gig Synthogy Ivory sampled piano in my studio Mac—was more than sufficient for gigs. I lusted after the P-120’s big brother, the P-250, but that was a thousand bucks more and 30 pounds heavier. So flash forward a decade and imagine my delight sitting down to a new Yamaha board that’s even lighter than the P-120 (by two pounds) and sounds better than the P-250. The new P-255 exceeds my expectations in ways I couldn’t have imagined a decade ago.

The Piano Experience Te Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand is one of the world’s greatest pianos. And the �rst sound up in the P-255, “G1,” uses a multisample of the CFIIIS. No piano sample coming through a 15W-per-channel onboard speaker sys tem has a chance of making you think you’re playing a real concert grand, but “G1” captures the essence of that fabulous instrument in a fundamental way.  You can listen critically to all 88 notes (which I did, natch) and you will hear the compromises any manufacturer must make to �t a fantastically complex sample-collection into a mass-market 52

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instrument. Tis is a convincing and emotional emulation that will invite you to play and explore. Of course, half that experience resides in Yamaha’s Graded Hammer action—graded because the keys offer progressively more resistance as you step down the keyboard, just as an acoustic piano does. Yamaha’s version engages you in a pleasing way. For how I play, I’d have made it a notch less resistant toward the bottom, but many pro players prefer an action with weight and substance. Te P-255 doesn’t quite feel like a Yamaha grand, but it feels fantastic, and you quickly ad just to it and exploit this action’s pluses: a bounce

Snap Judgment PROS First-rate emulation of the flagship Yamaha CFIIIS concert grand. Downright wonderful editing app with zero learning curve. Balanced onboard speaker system ca-

pable of smooth sound at soft and loud levels. Three-band EQ at your fingertips. Very giggable sound array. Fun to play and built like a tank. CONS Three-character display makes some features

slow to get to. Graded hammer action, while convincing, seems a bit sluggish at the bottom octaves. Beveled-corner white-keys can get scrapey when you’re grabbing big intervals like tenths.

that encourages you to rock out on rhythmic passages, and a key dip that gives you more dynamic control on subtle ones. Te other design feature I would tweak is the bevel-cornered white keys; they scrape your �ngers a bit when you’re grabbing big intervals—�nger-wimps like me prefer more rounded corners. But one nice thing about those keys is the synthetic ivory playing top, which absorbs moisture; even if you’re not sweating through some athletic Rachmaninoff, it feels darned natural.  As you’d expect from the top of Yamaha’s P-line, the �rst-up piano sounds offer sample enhancements that are now de rigueur : string resonance that duplicates the sound of all the non-struck strings that vibrate when a note is hit; key-off samples that trigger when a note is released—slowly or quickly; and sustain sampling, which reveals the complex mélange of sound produced by the soundboard and strings when you depress the damper pedal. It even displays the shadings of sound as you play with the pedal at different levels. And all the grand piano sounds have 256-note polyphony, which is as good as you can get these days and is probably at the limit of what’s needed to convince your ears and hands. I did quite a bit of recording and playback with this instrument, so I could hear what it really sounds like, and it’s superb—it held its head surprisingly high next to Synthogy Ivory, even. Te only playing technique that challenges

the P-255’s authenticity is extremely short stacVoices and Bells and Whistles catos that sound like striking a key with a �nger In addition to the four grands—the CFIIIS, which on the strings. is the overall winner; a sparkly Live Grand; an Te P-255 is very much a performance piano, overly Bright Grand; and a slightly muted Ballad without the synthesizer sound-shaping tools Piano—the P-255 lays out 20 other must-have of, say, a Motif or the Casio PX-5S, but the cusgigging instruments. None pushes the limits the tomizing options it offers are all right at your way the stellar grand does, but all are respectable: �ngertips. Tere’s a three-band master EQ that’s Tere’s a convincingly EQ’ed Rhodes, a sassy litt le always online, a bank of excellent effects (chorus, Wurly, a tiney DX-7, and a swooshy Synth Piano. phaser, tremolo, and rotary speaker) and—cruTere are also a couple of Jazz Organs—with cially—some basic but delicious room and hall and without Rotary—Pipe Organs, a scrappy reverbs. Yamaha has a 35-year legacy of digital Clav, mellow Vibes, and two of the most authenreverbs dating back to the legendary Rev-5, and tic Harpsichords I’ve heard on a performance you can hear this provenance in the four simple keyboard, both of which will speak to your inner reverbs onboard the P-255. In fact, they dramati- George Martin. Tere are no surprises in the cally contribute to the emotionality of this inStrings and Choirs: slow and fast. But the standstrument without suffering any of the cheesiness up Jazz Bass and Fender are well-de�ned samples that lesser reverbs can impart. and a joy to play in Split mode, where I’ve spent My verdict is still out on one feature of this more of my fooling-around time than on any instrument. Te Sound Boost button provides other digital piano; I sing, and this is a very supthree volume and EQ presets for a variety of portive companion to the human voice. playing situations: accompanying a voice, cutting  You can really hear this instrument step out through a band, playing a solo. Te gradations when you give it outboard ampli�cation. So far are subtle, and I never felt the need to use them I’ve put it through the Adam and annoy monion the gigs. Let’s say it’s my second least favorite tors in the studio, my Barbetta 41c amps, and my feature—my least favorite being the ten pre Yamaha DXR P.A., and the instrument voices— programmed rhythm accompaniments that are particularly the basses and pianos—sound exacoustically exquisite but vexingly short at one pansive and complex. Having said that, the builtbar each. Even with the provided intros and outin speakers are the possibly the best I’ve heard on ros, one could do a lot better with these wondera slab piano. Tere are tweeters �ring at the perful drum sounds. And speaking of sounds . . . former and larger midrange speakers aimed out 02.2015

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the back at a listener. Yamaha explains that the rearfacing speakers are circular rather than oval, and this makes all the difference. I would never use it on a gig un-amped, but the internal speakers are smooth and musical at all volumes. And on both of the gigs when I test-drove the P-255, the instrument’s sound was unusually similar to what comes out of the amp and P.A. Even in a 500-seat theater going through the Meyer FOH system, the bass/keyboard splits in particular were reassuringly accurate.  As you’d imagine on an instrument of this quality, there are the by-now-expected USB and MIDI connectivity options: You’ll �nd a no-frills two-track sequencer for jotting down ideas; it actually lets you get in and alter a couple dozen MIDI parameters (voices, effects, levels, tempos) after you record, so it’s more than just a notepad. And there’s a digital recorder that tracks up to 80 minutes of CD-quality stereo audio and ports it out to a front-mounted USB �ash drive. Tere’s also a USB port on the back that hooks you up to an iPad or iPhone for what has become, for me, the most surprisingly indispensable feature on the keyboard.

The App  Yamaha’s controller app for the P-255 was clearly designed by sensitive human beings worthy of our love and gratitude. It lets you do every editing fea-

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THE P-255 CONTROLLER APP

Fig. 1. The home page lets you choose your instrument with a finger wipe . . . Fig. 2 . . . or a touch on a grid.

ture I’ve mentioned here—and loads more—in a user world of highly realistic graphics and effortless controls. Please direct your attention to Figure 1, which shows the home page: a carousel that works like the Genie bar in a Mac Finder window. As you move left or right, the big instrument is instantaneously the one you’re playing. Allergic to scrolling? Tere’s also a grid option, as in Figure 2. Spend just

a moment layering with Figures 3 and 4, and you’ll see why I love this app. Te app handles every single function on the keyboard: asks like transposing, recording sequences and WAV �les, and editing splits are suddenly a breeze. Even the more sophisticated settings like Key-Off Sample Volume and Damper Pedal Resonance Depth are a slide away. Bored with Equal

Fig. 3. To layer (in Dual mode), pick one sound from the top and one from the bottom. Every instrument features a savvy description and a quality demo.

emperament tuning? ry the Werckmeister, and don’t forget to pick a new base note or your mazurka will sound goofy. I spent hours dealing with the buried functions on my old P-120. Sometimes I wouldn’t even bother balancing splits because it was just too much trouble. Tis new app is so crucial to my enjoyment of the P-255 that I’d buy a used iPhone 5 and Velcro it to the top of the piano. Te

ni�cent piano sample, admirable electric pianos, organs, Clavs and basses; and all the most important functions are right at the working pianist’s �ngertips: transpose, split, and global EQ. Yes, it’s weightier and pricier than the current crop of entry-level slabs, but it feels more roadworthy, and the Controller app is the easiest and most fun user interface I’ve seen on any keyboard. Te next price-leap up takes you into the world of real wooden keys and triple-digit sound banks. But do you need all that for your rock or jazz or worship gig? And think of the great songs you’re going to write at home or in your hotel room using those built-in speakers.

Fig. 4. Set the volume balance, shift octaves, and dial in effect levels, then save. Note: All changes are saved within the app, not the P-255.

Bottom Line

one thing I’d change on this app would be to let me store all my edits in the keyboard as well as on the iOS device.

Don’t be fooled by the built-in speakers. This is a pro instrument to be reckoned with—that’s also just as apt at being your living-room digital piano.

Conclusions For the same reasons that the P-120 was ubiquitous 10 years ago, the P-255 is going to be an irresistible choice for a lot of players. It’s got a mag-

$1,999 list | $1,299 street yamaha.com

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REVIEW

AP P

Snap Judgment PROS: Very high-quality versions of acoustic and electro-

mechanical keyboards like piano, organ, electric piano, and Clavinet. “Multi” instrument includes essential gig instruments (strings, brass, pads, other classic workstation sounds). User-adjustable velocity scaling. Module instruments work in Korg’s Gadget sequencing app. Integrated effects.

KORG

Module

CONS: Requires iOS 8-com-

BY FRANCIS PREVE

AS MORE AND MORE PERFORMERS HAVE INTEGRATED IPADS INTO THEIR LIVE rigs, it was inevitable that a company would attempt a Holy Grail-type app that could play the role of an all-around keyboard for casual gigs—you know, the kind Korg makes lots of. That attempt is called Module, and its sound quality is nothing short of stunning.

For a mere 40 bucks, Korg’s new Module iPad app marks a sea change in what’s possible for live keyboardists, whether they’re performing in traditional rock bands, jazz ensembles, or cocktail lounges. Its collection of instruments is straightforward, specializing in piano and vintage electro-mechanical keys like electric piano, Clavinet, and Hammond-style organs. Tere are also a few essential synth elements too, notably strings and brass (both ROMpler and analog versions), along with a few classic pads and standard ’80s sawtooth comping patches. When I �rst �red up the app, I was expecting strong material—after all, this is Korg we’re talking about—but after a few minutes, I was absolutely thunderstruck by the overall quality of these instru56

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ments. Each acoustic piano preset is derived from the same set of grand piano samples, with slightly different processing and EQ, but the source recordings are absolutely stellar, and in the context of a live set they really cut through without that “�at” sound that I’ve heard in lesser iPad apps. Same goes for the electric pianos and Clavinets, which are absolutely gorgeous. While the electric pianos are predominantly Rhodes-centric, the included presets cover all of the essentials, including a stellar phased version that’s straight out of the Steely Dan catalog. Te Clavinets are equally impressive, with a touch wah Clav that absolutely nails the Stevie Wonder “Higher Ground” sound.

patible iPad. Tiny touchscreen keyboard. No drawbar control over Hammond-based instruments. No splits or layers.

Te organs are also impressive; however, they lack any sort of drawbar control, which means you’re stuck with a mere 19 presets. Granted, they’re terri�c and cover essential jazz, rock and gospel basics, but user customization is limited to Leslie, vibrato, and overdrive parameters, which may not be enough for some players. Te strings, brass, and synth patches cover the bread-and-butter basics, with �lter and envelope parameters, but that’s about it. Even so, for this type of context (which is essentially cover bands and lounge artists) there’s more than enough for playing the standards. For adding �nal polish to Module’s array of keyboards, there are two processors—modulation

Fig. 1. Among the myriad instruments Module offers are this B-3 style organ . . .

Fig. 2. . . . and this general-purpose poly-synth, called Multi.

effects and delay/reverb. Because they’re all based on Korg’s collection of workstation effects, these effects all quite capable. I was especially pleased to see the Korg Polysix ensemble and chorus in the list of options, as the Polysix ensemble is among my alltime favorites thanks to its rich liquid character.

In addition to basic audio recording tools, Module also includes two features that really set it apart. Te �rst is a Set List function, which allows you to reorganize your presets into various collections for live performance. Tis alone would be a nice touch, but the function also allows you

to import sheet music into the list, so players who depend on notation will have everything they need within a single app. You can even import songs from your iunes library here, so if you have backing tracks to coordinate as well, the Set List solves that problem too. Tere are also two expansion libraries for Module. If you want to go beyond the stock acoustic pianos, Synthogy Ivory Mobile Grand adapts their desktop German Steinway sample set for the iPad and goes for $19.99. Yup, Ivory on an iPad. o augment the Rhodes sounds with more Wurlies, go for Korg’s “Wurley” at $9.99. Te second standout feature targets electronic music producers who rely on Korg’s impressive Gadget sequencer. With just a few clicks, all of Module’s instruments are imported into Gadget’s library of synth options. Granted, doing this will eat up an additional gigabyte of RAM on your iPad, so that’s a consideration. On the other hand, I did a little experiment once the Module instruments were imported into Gadget. Sure enough, you can delete Module from your iPad afterward and Gadget will retain those instruments in its library, so if you just want to add a bunch of top-notch vintage gear to your Gadget productions and skip the live performance angle, you’re covered here too.  At this time, Module doesn't seem to offer any way to play two or more of its instrument engines at once via a split or layer on your MIDI controller, which may inhibit it from being your sole sound source for cover gigs. Te Gadget importing implies multitimbral capability, so we're hoping Korg can add this in a future update. Korg’s list of achievements in the iPad market is nothing short of groundbreaking. With Module, those achievements expand from the electronic music production and vintage analog synth realms into that of keyboard replacement. Splits and layers you could quickly set up using the iPad's touchscreen would drive that all the way home. As its name implies, however, Module does indeed replace the idea of the hardware sound module from which you might draw the main sound in your setup at any g iven time. And the sounds that it offers for this purpose are so excellent and diverse that it merits a Key Buy.

Bottom Line Better than a hardware sound module, lives in your iPad, 40 bucks. ’Nuff said.

Price: $39.99 street korg.com

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REVIEW

VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT

Most of the real-time tweaking you need sits in String Studio’s Play Window.

APPLIED ACOUSTICS

String Studio VS-2 BY MARTY CUTLER

APPLIED ACOUSTICS STRING STUDIO VS-2 REPRESENTS A MAJOR REWORKING of the original version, bringing a redesigned interface, new effects, a new library of sounds, and other features. Rather than deploying an armada of samples to provide realistic sounds, String Studio models the way strings vibrate when they are initiated by some technique, be it plucks, picks, bows, or hammers. String Studio includes a standalone version along with AU plug-ins for the Mac, and Windows and Mac support for VST, RTAS, and AAX versions.

Interestingly enough, String Studio’s long suit is not the precise replication of stringed instruments in performance. o be sure, there are plenty of decentsounding string ensembles, solo instruments, and ethnic impressions, along with acoustic and electric bass and guitar. What’s most impressive, though, is the way String Studio combines its modeling prowess with a subtractive synth engine, extending the instrument’s sonic landscape considerably.

User Interface String Studio’s user interface has been redesigned, comprising three windows that are organized by 58

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function. It also represents consistent design across most of their software instruments, so if you understand the work�ow of one instrument, the others shouldn’t be too hard to understand. Te Instruments header gives you access to bank- and patch-selection pull-down menus, with �le-saving buttons and a Compare button (visible when you’ve performed an edit) handily �anked by the two menus. As this sits in the header, it’s accessible no mater what tweaks you’ve made in any window. Directly to the right, a History menu scrolls back and forth between sounds you have played during the current session. If you compul-

Snap Judgment PROS Intuitive and neat User Interface reflects stringed instrument signal flow. Wonderful-sounding hybrid instruments with acoustic instrument characteristics. CONS Single envelope and LFO, a number of unexciting acoustic instrument emulations. No swing parameter for the arpeggiator.

sively audition patches as I do, you’d appreciate a more random-access, pull-down list to save time shuttling between sounds, as with the software’s bank-and-patch selection areas.

Te buttons that provide access to the three main windows sit dead-center of the header, with global controls, such as volume, tuning, and the number of voices you want to use at the right. Te Play window neatly arrays most of the controls for real-time alterations you might want to make, with basic tweaks for the instrument’s �ve simultaneous effects sitting just below the header, and arrayed as a horizontal rack with buttons to engage or defeat individual effects. Controls are minimal (for instance, a lone ratio knob for the compressor), but details are what the Effects section is for. Te row of controls sitting below the effects are modules governing performance parameters, such as tap tempo for the ar peggiators, Poly or Mono modes, and an Error knob to create random variances in pitch, such as strings produce. Te last induces noticeable, but constrained variations. Te Unison module lets you stack and detune up to four voices, but what makes this module cool is a Delay control that shifts the onset of unison voices, producing anything from a 12-string guitar-type effect to bouncing bow or mallet simulations.  You also get a Glide control with a Legato button, which is especially effective with the bowed instruments, and Vibrato controls let you balance free-running vibrato against adding more with the mod wheel. Finally, String Studio is graced with a modest but programmable arpeggiator, with a Latch switch and controls for range, direction, span, and note value. Naturally, you can sync to MIDI clock. Buttons just below let you alter the pattern rhythms, but the absence of swing parameters limits the feel.

Editing Click on the Edit button to reveal four main modules, each holding between two and three subpages; the order of pages �ows from left to right, following the logical signal �ow of a stringed acoustic instrument. Exciter shapes the initial impulse that gets a string vibrating, and you start by choosing from a bow, a pick, or one of two types of hammer. Ensuing parameters vary contextually, so selecting a bow for an exciter, for example, will let you adjust force and friction, whereas the pick will let you adjust its protrusion (where you grasp the pick) and stiffness. Each of these parameters has key follow, as those parameters are relative to pitch and string length. Te second sub-page, Geometry, deals with where the string is excited; playing closer to the neck or the bridge of a guitar to elicit mellower or brighter tone is one good example. Modulating the exciter position imparted a healthy amount of realism to some of the guitars. You have duplicate parameters for the damper module.  You may �nd that different editing modules

String Studio’s Edit Window neatly tucks away a wealth of sound-shaping tools in the tabs at the bottom of the panel. Note the icons accessing different string exciters on the left, and instrument body types on the right.

have similarly labeled parameters; for example, Exciter, Geometry, and the String module have damper parameters—which is as it should be, because damping a string is variable, interacts with the body, and affects the overall performance. Te string module also lets you set string tension and inharmonicity, which, in conjunction with the Error knob on the Performance page can yield some interesting havoc, ranging from funky to hilarious. Next in line is the synthesis module, consisting of sub-modules for LFO, Filter, and Envelope. It’s a fairly simple synthesizer with a decent complement of �lter types: low- and highpass, bandpass, and notch, along with a couple of formant �lters that are switchable between two- and four-pole types, you can tie these to the LFO, the envelope generator, and the LFO, which is syncable and has a few interesting waveform shapes. Te single envelope generator handles only the �lter, and lets you dial in a response for attack rate and sustain level respective to velocity. A second EG would have been nice, but MIDI Learn for practically every parameter takes up the slack pretty nicely. Te last module in the Edit chain holds the Body sub-module and a distortion stage on output. Distortion is fairly simple, with drive, tone, and level, plus a drop-down menu for distortion types. Body, to my mind, is the big payoff, and here, you can meld violins with guitar bodies, pianos with cellos and bow pianos, and more.  You select a body from a row of icons—eit her piano, guitar, viol, or what looks like a banjo or drum head—and below that, choose a size ranging from tiny to huge with several points in between; adjust decay parameters for the resonating chamber; mix in a ratio of string to chamber; and tweak an additional low- and high-cut �lter. Te �nal window tops off the patch with up to �ve effects. Equalization and a compressor are �xed at the beginning of the effects chain, with reverb at the end. In between, you can choose from delays and distortion, or modulation effects such as chorus or �ange, phase shifters, wah-

wah, and notch �lter.

Sounds Tese effects go a long way toward selling many of the patches, some of which are not particularly inspiring. Te biggest shortfall is in the acoustic guitar category. Some of these are quite convincing, but don’t hold up nearly as well as the company’s superb Strum acoustic and electric plug-ins. Te electric guitars fare somewhat better, and many solo violin, viola, and cello programs are quite good. Many of the synth patches and hybrid instruments are spectacular, if not realistic, and that is where String Studio shines, with translucent, coruscating pads and smoky keys imbued with inner motion.

Conclusions If you are looking for spot-on, modeled replicants of acoustic and electric guitars, violin-family instruments, and related stringed-instruments all under one roof, it’s doubtful that String Studio VS-2 (or any other synthesizer, for that matter) will meet your expectations. Tere are a few attempts that come close—especially in the viol and nylon-string guitar families, but where String Studio lives is in the irresistible con�uence of mix-and-match modeled elements, the chaos of instruments based on vibrating strings, and subtractive synthesizer capabilities. If your tastes veer toward guitars with piano bodies played with a bouncing mallet through a resonant, lowpass �lter, you’re in the right place.

Bottom Line If you’re into imaginative synthesis, String Studio VS-2 will let you build unusual sounds that will stand out from the crowd. applied-acoustics.com

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REVIEW

AUDIO INTERFACE

Snap Judgment PROS Four channels of audio outputs with both RCA and balanced connections. Integrated powered USB hub. Headphone jack is switchable between outputs 1-2 and 3-4. Power supply and USB cable included.

CONS Inputs are strictly RCA. Not USB3.0compatible.

Bottom Line NOVATION

Audiohub 2x4 BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

The ideal interface for performers who mainly need to get sounds out of the computer and have lots of USB-powered controllers.

$249 list | $199 street novationmusic.com

 As for knobs, there are only three: one each for the stereo output pairs and a volume knob for the SOMETIMES A PRODUCT CROSSES MY DESK THAT’S SO OBVIOUS AND ELEGANT headphones. While I’d love to see a fourth knob for �ne-tuning input gain, the Audiohub’s price is so that I can almost hear the competition do a facepalm when it hits the market. Case competitive that this is a bit of a quibble. in point, Novation’s new Audiohub 2x4. Rounding out the package are two amenities using it in a DJ rig, you can quickly connect it to a that I’ve noticed are starting to disappear from other Straddling the line between DJ rigs and bedroom manufacturers’ offerings: an AC power supply and studios, the Audiohub’s specs include two inputs, standard mixer using off-the-shelf RCA cables. Having additional balanced quarter-inch outputs in the a Novation-green USB cable. While the Audiohub four outputs, a headphone jack and—here’s that will happily serve as a USB-powered audio interface, facepalm—an integrated three-port USB hub. As package is a huge plus for bands, soft synth-based keyboard rigs, and home studios. What’s more, the you’ll need to plug it in to the wall if you’re going to laptops get thinner and USB-powered controllers load it up with voltage-hungry USB-powered gear. and synths more numerous, there’s a clear need for converters are based on Focusrite technology, so they sound quite a bit better than many other boxes  And while the bright green USB cable may not seem an audio interface that can integrate all of the gear like much of an addition, if you’ve ever set up on a that goes into a modern small studio or DJ setup, in this price range. Novation’s attention to detail is also evident on dark stage and searched for a black USB cable in your ensuring that each has enough power to function bag, you’ll immediately appreciate it. Tere’s also the properly. On more than one occasion, I’ve plugged a the front of the unit, which includes three powered USB2.0 ports, stereo RCA inputs (with switchable now-ubiquitous copy of Ableton Live Lite as well as nifty new USB-powered control surface or keyboard Loopmasters software in the package, for those just into my MacBook Pro and found that the laptop gain), and a headphone jack that includes a handy switch that shifts between monitoring outputs 1/2 getting started in music production. simply can’t supply enough juice. Te Audiohub 2x4  All in all, the Novation Audiohub 2x4 is brilsolves that problem beautifully. and 3/4. Tis headphone toggle allows you to use the  Audiohub for cueing tracks in the event that you’re liantly executed and frankly overdue. With a street From a live performance standpoint, the Auprice of around 200 clams, Novation is bound to diohub’s audio implementation is tailor-made for not using a mixer for that purpose. Tere’s also a direct monitor switch for the stereo inputs, reducing sell a bunch of these to laptop DJs and keyboardclub gigs. On the back are dual stereo RCA pairs for ists who need to get sounds out of a software rig outputs 1-2 and 3-4, with an additional pair of ballatency and making it quite �exible for basic studio recording. and into the crowd. anced RS outputs for channels 1 and 2. So if you’re 60

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REVIEW

HEADPHONES

Snap Judgment PROS Great sound on all types of sources. Active amplification really helps even the sonic playing field. Ingenious articulating design makes for great comfort and ergonomics. Cool looking.

CONS Built-in amps also make them heavier than most full-sized headphones. Active mode imparts slight noise floor.

Bottom Line A genuine breakthrough in headphone design, and definitely worthy of a serious noggin-time audition if you’re shopping for a new pair.

BLUE MICROPHONES

$399.99 list | $349.99 street bluemic.com

Mo-Fi BY STEPHEN FORTNER

EVERY MUSICIAN NEEDS A GOOD PAIR OF HEADPHONES. (NOTICE I DIDN’T say ear buds.) On the go, you’re plugging them into different sources—keyboard here, laptop there—all of which have headphone outputs of varying quality. With Blue Mics’ first headphones, the manufacturer tries to solve that problem by building the amps into the cans. Blue is also out to reinvent headphone ergonomics. I’ve been toting a pair for about six months, and here’s how Mo-Fi did on both counts.

In the iffany’s-blue box comes the Mo-Fi unit, a charging brick, mini-USB cable (for charging only), two custom 1/8" stereo cables (one of which has iPod controls) , an 1/8"-to-1/4" adaptor, sueded micro�ber pouch, and even an adaptor for those wonky dual jacks in airline seats. Te long, skinny barrel end of either audio cable plugs in to the deeply recessed input on the left earpiece. Surrounding that input is a collar with three positions: off (in which Mo-Fi functions like passive headphones), on, and on with bass boost. Tat last setting may be there for the Beats crowd, but there’s no doubt that the active mode sounds fabulous. Overall, Mo-Fi is so accurate and detailed that I initially thought they had multiple drivers, not the 50mm full-range drivers in the specs. Going between my MacBook Pro, iPod classic, and several key62

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boards, I did notice a small increase in the noise �oor in active mode. It’s not enough to be obtrusive, but you may notice it behind quieter program material.  Verdict on the sound: I’d mix on these without trepidation, and they’ve become the �rst thing I use for picking up tunes or woodshedding sans speakers. When the ear cups are touching, the amps shut off, conserving battery life. Tis works so well that I haven’t charged them in a month and they still have juice. Blue has always been known for bold industrial design, but Mo-Fi really reminded me of this fancy office chair called the Humanscale Freedom: As opposed to having adjustment controls for the seatback angle, armrest height, and so on, it conforms to your body via a series of articulating and jointed parts. Mo-Fi does the same thing on your head. A tension wheel on top sets the squeeze factor to your

liking, and the earpieces can �ip down out of the way for when the headphones are around your neck between takes. Te ear cups are shaped like, um, ears (you actually don’t see that a lot), and made for a nice seal around mine. I could move my head around vigorously, as one might when rocking out, and Mo-Fi’s engineering kept the cans solidly planted where they belonged; other parts of the mechanism seemed to absorb the motion.  After extended wear I found myself wanting the ear cups’ foam to be a little �rmer, though that may be a matter of taste. Also, at a pound, Mo-Fi is and feels heavier than many conventional full-sized headphones, but I can’t imagine how you could build in ampli�ers and have things be otherwise. I didn’t �nd the weight a problem, especially given the other comfort features.  Verdict on the ergonomics: pretty genius. My one big wish is for Blue to have added digitalto-analog converters and USB audio input. On laptops, the subpar D/A is usually the bigger sonic degrader than the output amp, so this would really push Mo-Fi over the top. Maybe if they come out with “Mo-Fi Pro”. . . But let’s not ignore a big advantage to them being simply active: You could use them on line-level devices that don’t have a headphone output at all, given the right adaptors on the source end of the custom cable. How many headphones can you say that about?

REVIEW

PLUG-OUT SYNTH

ROLAND

SH-2 BY FRANCIS PREVE

WHEN ROLAND’S NEW AIRA SYSTEM-1 SYNTH WAS FIRST INTRODUCED LAST fall, there was a lot of talk about Roland’s commitment to delivering a series of software emulations of some of its most coveted vintage synths. In my original review, I analyzed Roland’s first “plug-out”—a spot-on re-creation of the classic SH-101—and was really impressed with the potential of this approach. For live players, the System-1 provides an impressive alternative to gigging with vintage gear.

Just a few months after the release of the SH-101 plug-out, Roland has delivered a virtual version of the decidedly more obscure SH-2. Although I’ve

Snap Judgment PROS Breathtaking re-creation of original Roland SH-2 sound. Faithfully recaptures analog character. Improvements include a new filter envelope and advanced PWM. Can be used as either soft synth or loaded into System-1 as an alternate tone generator.

CONS Software plug-in is a little CPU-heavy. Slight differences in oscillator features may turn off purists.

Bottom Line Stunning emulation of a vintage rarity.

$145 ($95 for System-1 owners) street rolandus.com

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never owned an SH-2, I’ve used them in the studio. While the SH-101’s slightly plastic sound has made it a workhorse in the dance music era, the SH-2 has a distinctly aggressive synth-pop vibe, more akin to Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. It also excels at greasy funk basses, especially with the resonance up a touch. Te SH-2’s architecture is a bit deeper than the 101’s, which gives it more sonic �exibility. Whereas the 101 is a single-oscillator affair, with suboscillator for added low-end chutzpah, the SH-2 sports two oscillators. Tese are detunable over a fairly wide range, but like the original, there’s no option for hard sync. In a departure from the original, Roland has taken several liberties with the new SH-2 plug-out design. Tese new amenities make the SH-2 a lot more �exible as a synth, while remaining faithful to the overall sound of the original. Like the software version, the original SH-2 oscillators offered saw, square, and variable pulse waves on each oscillator, with oscillator 1 also including a sine wave generator (a bit of a rarity in itself) and oscillator 2 offering a noise mode. On the plug-out, the noise generator is present but the sine wave is gone. For most users this will be trivial, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it.  As for enhancements, the SH-2 plug-out is brimming with features that the original lacked. For starters, there’s now a dedicated ADSR for the �lter cutoff. What’s more, each oscillator’s pulse width can be modulated independently from a

much wider range of sources, including either envelope, the LFO, the sub-oscillator, or the classic SH-2 auto-bend feature (which is a simple pitch envelope that slides up or down into each note). Tis adds a lot of range to the oscillators’ character, especially when the sub-oscillator’s audio rate modulation is in effect. Other upgrades include a few more waveforms on the LFO, a few subtle changes to the envelope modes, and the inclusion of the System-1’s effects and arpeggiator. Te effects may not be a big deal in a DAW environment, but in a live setting they’re extremely handy. I tested both the plug-in and System-1 plug-out versions of the SH-2 and, naturally, they sounded identical. Again, there’s something about this synth that has more girth and swagger than many other synths from that era. Like Moogs of the same vintage, the �lter is a four-pole affair, but the resonance is decidedly more in-your-face than a Moog’s, as cranking it will dramatically minimize the lower harmonics. It also self-oscillates beautifully, which is lovely for noise patches when the keyboard tracking and cutoff are tuned correctly.  All in all, I was blown away by the SH-2’s assertive character and impressive depth as an analog emulation, and I stand �rm on my original assessment that these digital re-creations can go toe-totoe with proper analog gear. If this is how Roland plans to move forward with its System-1 products, I can’t wait to hear the next one.

Original audio examples.

keyboardmag.com/february2015

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5

THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT

Mixing

BY DANA NIELSEN

WHEN IT COMES TO STUDIO WORK, I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE WISE teachers that have shown me the way. It would be disingenuous to claim any of the ideas in this article as my own; they are all things that I’ve learned from peers and mentors that I later applied toward my own method. (A method, incidentally, that is constantly under construction, growing, expanding, or otherwise being fiddled with.) In any

Grammy-nominated mixer, engineer, producer and saxophonist Dana Nielsen has amassed credits that run the stylistic gamut from Neil Diamond to Slayer and just about every style in between. His work can be heard on albums by artists such as Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Rihanna, and countless others. Most recently, Nielsen mixed Damien Rice’s highly anticipated Rick Rubinproduced album My Favourite Faded Fantasy . He also produced, recorded, and mixed the forthcoming album All Rise for the emerging hip hop artist Crown and his ten-piece live band The M.O.B. Findout more at dananielsen.com.

event, I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some of what I’ve learned along the way.

1.

Find the Drama When I’m mixing, I like to �nd the most

dramatic moment of a song and focus on that �rst,

then work outwards from there. Sometimes it’s the split-second crack of a lone snare drum, or it could be a whole section of a song, such as the last chorus. Tis climactic section of a song and how you mix it will determine your bandwidth, your headroom, and how hard you can push the edge (if it’s a musical style that requires edginess). Everything before and after the climax can be shaped to support that moment.

2. Listen to the Lyrics

It seems obvious, but it’s not. (At least not for me, as a sax player/instrumentalist who is more accustomed to thinking about melody, phrasing and harmony.) I recently told a well-known client what I thought about one of his songs, a truly beautiful track that we had spent hours recording. “I could listen to this song all day long,” I said. “It  just really makes me smile.” He laughed and replied, “You mean the song about dying?” It’s easy to get wrapped up in the technical aspects—like the sound of the music or the voice—and that’s a �ne place to start getting tones in the ballpark and shaping a rough balance. But to mix effectively, you need to be aware of the bigger picture, which is the song 66

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as a whole and the emotion that the artist is trying to convey with each word. Te words tell me what needs to happen, where and when the music needs to swell, and when it needs to simmer. Lyrics will often dictate what a mix needs and doesn’t need, telling me when to feature (turn up) a musical moment that supports the mood, or tame (turn down) elements which get in the way of that mood.

3.

Ditch the Drums

Just for a while. I �nd it a great exercise to see if I can create an engaging, �nished-sounding mix with the drums muted, as if it were recorded that way. So much pop music revolves around a killer beat —and I love recording and mixing drums! But if the mix is getting most of its power from a big rock drum set or a huge banging club beat that you’re listening to all day long, it’s easy to miss important mix opportunities within the rest of the instrumentation. So I mute the drums for a while and see if I can still make the song rock from beginning to end. When I think I’m there, I’ll un-mute the drums. It’s always surprising and immediately revealing.

4. A Balance Is Not a Mix

Every good mix starts with a good balance. You’ve got your tones together; maybe

you’ve �ltered out some of that �abby low end on the acoustic guitar and shined up that lead vocal so it sits just right, and every thing is �tting together nicely. Creating a good balance sometimes requires a lot of time, but it is just the beginning. Te fun really begins when you start shaping your balance with automation (either with an automation system on your console or within your DAW, or simply by riding the faders by hand while printing a “live” mix to disk or tape). Tat’s when a balance becomes a mix. Maybe you feature the guitar riffs between vocal phrases, or push the bass during the guitar solo. A balance is static. A mix moves . Te best mixes, in my opinion, surprise you and keep your interest through each section of a song. And if it’s done right, a mix moves in support of the song’s meaning and its featured performer (i.e. the singer or soloist).

5.

Don’t Be Snobby

I feel just as con�dent mixing “in the box” as I do mixing on a console. And I don’t care about fancy gear. Don’t get me wrong—I’ll pick a Neve 8068 over a Mackie 1402 any day. But if you had a great band and a Mackie, there’s no question I could work with that and have a great time and make a �ne recording.

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Flexible Filters - including Transistor and Diode Ladder-emulations from two legendary analog synthesizers.

Stunning Effects - with two brand new vintage Ensemble and Chorus effects.

Nord Lead A1R  - rackmountable table-top version

Master Clock  - for easy syncronizing of the Arpeggiator, LFO and Delay-effects to each other or to a backingtrack.

Four Slots - for thick layered sounds, keyboard splits or controlled as 4 separate synths by a sequencer.

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