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T ES U TI NA DU R Y GE KE G G JU IN OP ARA P SHIN K LI
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s nd u So lory w e x G rn o N ebo o t eb ay oov R top W Gr e k r n i s u ch r De Yo PLE a t n u M i Yo Pa SAM ring n t 2 o S CA 0s S SP L RI I D O ’7 IN PE G V V O W A R T T N O KO OLI IZ AY LO L L S O A P AP RI O O U I T T D AR AU S L AY SA R E IV 5W N U 4.2015 | $5.99 A MUSIC PLAYER PUBLICATION
DAVE S M I T H Instrument Designer Co-Creator of MIDI Grammy® Winner
OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS Dave Smith has designed more groundbreaking synths than anyone — ever. And Dave’s award-winning, American-made line of analog and analog/digital hybrid instruments includes the right tool for every musical need and budget. Whether it’s the new all-analog Prophet-6, our flagship 12-voice Prophet 12, our ultrapowerful 4-voice paraphonic Pro 2, or the super-portable and affordable Mopho series, Dave Smith Instruments has you covered — in the studio and on stage.
Designed and built in California
www.davesmithinstruments.com
CONTENTS
APRIL 2015
TALK 8
NEW GEAR FROM NAMM 10
KNOW
Voices, tips, and breaking news from the Keyboard community.
The 2015 Winter NAMM Show was the most synthesizer- and keyboard-heavy show we can recall going to in many years. We proudly present our full, hands-on report.
32
SYNTH SOLOING Dig even deeper into the sounds of Jan Hammer.
34
BEYOND THE MANUAL Add a natural, “human” quality to your tracks.
36
DANCE The return of the Korg M1.
HEAR 18
24
ROAD WARRIORS Pop band Maroon 5, led by singer and style icon Adam Levine, has evolved to include three keyboardists who create different parts and sounds on the road. PJ Morton, Jesse Carmichael, and Sam Farrar take us inside sessions for their new album, V, and reveal how the studio sounds are realized in concert. LEGENDS Bill Payne looks back on his long career playing with Little Feat and accompanying James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, and other superstars; and ahead to his new gig with jam band Leftover Salmon.
PLAY 28
SESSION Five ways to play like E Street Band member and session ace David Sancious.
30
BEGINNER In the fourth installment of our Key of One series, learn ways to build a chord foundation.
REVIEW 38
SOFT SYNTH iZotope Iris 2
40
GROOVEBOX Korg Volca Sample
44
VIRTUAL VINTAGE Arturia Solina V
46
AUDIO INTERFACE Universal Audio Apollo Twin Duo
CODA 50
Keyboardist and composer Andy Ezrin shares five things he has learned about being a virtual orchestra.
Online Now! Tons of videos to go with this issue’s NAMM report!
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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Vol. 41, No. 4 #469
APRIl 2015
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Editor’s Note As I write this I’ve just returned from another NAMM Show—only this was anything but just another show. True, there is the Groundhog Day effect: Most of the exhibitors are exactly where they were in previous years, the post-travel bug “NAMMthrax” reliably strikes upon my return, and my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when it comes to my appointment schedule. However, any predictability was eclipsed by the fact that there were more new synths at this show than at any in the 13 years I’ve been attending. And by synths, I mean instruments that were (a) more often than not real analog and (b) covered in knobs that invite real-time sonic exploration. On top of this was a decidedly retro angle: Highlights included Dave Smith introducing the Prophet-6 under the Sequential name, Korg’s remaking of the ARP Odyssey, and
My First Full-Band
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THE Stephen Fortner Editor
Jam Session Paul Shaffer
Though he’s widely known as the New York City keyboardist and bandleader for The Late Show With David Letterman, Paul Shaffer’s journey to musical stardom began decades earlier—and hundreds of miles north. “I was brought up in Thunder Bay in Canada and, as a kid, I began to play rock ’n’ roll and pop tunes, just from listening to the radio,” Shaffer says. “I’d come home from school and bash out ‘He’s a Rebel’ or ‘One Fine Day’ on the piano for a couple of hours, instead of working on what I’d learned in my classical lessons.” At age 12, Shaffer brought his budding rock chops into play during an annual New Year’s Day gathering. “My parents would take me to this big, stuffy dinner at a formal hotel ballroom with lots of other families, and the kids would have to perform, year after year,” he says. “I’d have to get up and play a little piece from my music studies, maybe a little Mozart that I hadn’t really practiced. But this year, I did something different.” Instead of Mozart, Shaffer pulled out “Mecca” by Gene Pitney. “It was the most dramatic, rocking thing on the radio at the time and even had some Middle Eastern scales in it,” he says. “I was just playing on a piano, but feeling every word of the song’s story at the same time. There was a trio on stage of older players,” he continues, “a woman with pink hair and a pink poodle who played organ [the woman played, not the poodle], her guitarist who had a big electric hollow-body, and a drummer, and after I started playing a bit, they joined in.” Shaffer felt an electric charge upon locking in with his impromptu and unexpected bandmates, who jammed along despite not knowing the tune he was playing. “It was a great feeling, playing the rock tempo that was so important to me at the time,” he says. “It was a feeling I wanted to experience again.” For more, visit paulshaffersdayinrock.com. Michael Gallant
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Moog Music bringing large modular systems back to the marketplace. It wasn’t all retro, as forward-looking machines like Roland’s surprisingly powerful JD-Xi mini-synth showcased the potential of the analogdigital hybrid approach, the physically modeled (and amazing sounding) Physis Pianos made their U.S. runway debut, and a seeming army of small but mighty developers continued to push Eurorack and other modular formats in new directions. It was definitely a hard show to squeeze into just a few pages, but starting on page 10, I’ll do my best!
POLL
Q: WHAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING NEW SYNTHESIZER THAT DEBUTED AT WINTER NAMM 2015?
SEQUENTIAL PROPHET-6
52%
18%
MODAL ELECTRONICS 002
2%
KORG ARP ODYSSEY RE-ISSUE
MOOG’S NEW MODULAR SYSTEMS
14%
ROLAND JD-XI
STUDIOLOGIC SLEDGE 2
8%
6%
Polls rotate every two weeks, and can be found at the bottom of our homepage.
Key Secrets Get Your Game On When you’re scoring a movie, you know exactly when the music needs to change: On a specific frame, the hero stumbles into the dead-end alley filled with bloodthirsty zombies, and Zrangg!, you hit a huge minor chord. But in video games, the player may enter the alley at any time, so composers devised clever ways to make transitions interactive, such as audio triggers as denoted by the red zones in the maze shown here. In The Essential Guide to Game Audio (focalpress.com, $68.95), Steve Horowitz and Scott Looney describe numerous strategies, such as crossfading, playing stingers, and switching layers in and out. Their free companion iOS app lets you hear these in action—and will give you ideas for spicing up your “linear” compositions and jams. David Battino
+ 30 YEARS AGO TODAY
Daryl Hall was our smiling, well-coiffed cover artist in the April 1985 issue. He told Keyboard readers about Hall and Oates’ ascent from their native Philly to the top of the national charts, and shared insights about his rig, techniques, and ways to assert stage presence from behind the keys. Suzanne Ciani talked about her synth work for TV ads. Dick Hyman illustrated examples of Bix Beiderbecke’s piano music, and Jim Aikin detailed two different ways to perform “‘Round Midnight”: one method from Richie Beirach, and the other in the style of Thelonious Monk. Keyboard Report included a review of the Yamaha CX5M Music Computer. On the advertising side, Soundcraft consoles were endorsed by Herbie Hancock, and Oberheim’s coveted Matrix-12 synth was on the inside back cover. Barbara Schultz
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NEW GEAR AT NAMM 2015 BY STEPHEN FORTNER
WE WENT. WE SAW. AND IF YOU ASK OUR FEET, WE WERE CONQUERED. Here’s our take on the most exciting gear from NAMM, the nation’s biggest musical instrument and pro audio trade show. As always, our promise to you is that we’re not regurgitating press releases: If you read about it here, we played it long enough to form an initial opinion.
BACK TO THE FUTURE II
SPECTACULAR SYNTHS
BUZZ OF THE SHOW SEQUENTIAL PROPHET-6 Here’s the backstory. One fine day, Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi—who collaborated with iconic synth designer Dave Smith on developing MIDI—called up Yamaha president Takuya Nakata and said something like, “Hey, you guys own the Sequential brand name, right? Wouldn’t it be cool if you just, like, gave it back to Dave?” Nakata essentially responded, “Yeah, great idea!” The first new synth to re-hoist the Sequential flag boasts six dual-oscillator voices of discrete analog circuitry and an industrial design that’s more than a little reminiscent of the Prophet-5, which was the first polyphonic synth that had preset memory and a slab form factor that just begged to be put on top of your Rhodes. The only digital elements in the Prophet-6 are the effects (delay, reverb, chorus, and phaser) at the tail end of the signal chain. How does it sound? Like everything you want from a Prophet-5 and nothing you don’t. Some have criticized it for being unapologetically retro, but we don’t think that’s going to stop people who want funky Prince-style comping stabs, squawky Cars hard-sync, aggro EDM sounds, or anything in between from lining up to buy it. $2,799 street | davesmithinstruments.com
MOOG MUSIC SYSTEMS 15, 35, AND 55 With the Prophet-6 and Odyssey covering the poly and solo historical bases for synths, where is left for the wayback machine to go? Moog’s answer: Circuit-forcircuit reproductions of the large modular systems that were once the exclusive purview of rock stars, film composers, and music departments of hipper universities. All three systems were on display at the Moog booth, which was so crowded that you could barely get near it during all four days of the NAMM show. Synth legends like Malcolm Cecil and Suzanne Ciani showed up to play them, and we got some hands-on time as well. Our verdict: They’re awesome, but the price puts them squarely in “because you can” territory. That said, every system Moog builds is flying out the door as soon as the solder cools. Synthesists on more earthly budgets are instead turning to the growing world of small-company Eurorack modulars, whose visibility is increasing precisely because there are lots of people who want to feel like Keith Emerson or Wendy Carlos but can’t afford a Moog modular. So it’s a win-win for synth geeks all around. Model 15: $10,000 | System 35: $22,000 | System 55: $35,000 | moogmusic.com
BACK TO THE FUTURE ARP ODYSSEY Speaking of unapologetically retro, Korg teamed up with ARP co-founder David Friend (now CEO of cloud-backup firm Carbonite) on a redux of the ARP Odyssey solo synth. Like its forbear, it’s real analog and duophonic. The original was intended to compete with the Minimoog, and if you’re used to the fairly simple signal path for which the Mini became the de facto template for decades to come, the ARP is quite a different paradigm to get your head around. That’s what gives it a cutting and wormy sound all its own, though, and Korg has duplicated both the layout and the sonics with slavish devotion. Highlights include pressure-sensitive pads for pitch-bend and modulation; CV and gate I/O; selectable filters that mimic those in the Mk. I, II, and III Odysseys; and more sliders than a sports bar at happy hour. The 86-percent size keys have generated some mixed feelings, but we found them pretty easy to get used to. Look for our full review in the May 2015 issue! $1,400 list | $999 street | arpsynth.com 10
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BANG-FOR-BUCK STANDOUT STUDIOLOGIC SLEDGE 2 In the 1990s, the appeal of virtual analog synths was clear: They brought back the hands-on, knob-twiddling control over your sound that took a back seat in the DX7 and early workstation heyday. But with real analog having made such a huge comeback, what’s the value proposition of imitation analog today? In short, it’s polyphony for the money, followed by the fact that complex modulation routings are easier to do in the digital domain. We were lukewarm on the original Sledge when we first reviewed it in 2013 because it didn’t offer much of either for the roughly $1,600 street price. The Sledge 2 may still pack simplified Waldorf Q guts into what looks like an overgrown yellow Minimoog, but now it crams cram cr amss 24 voices voi v oice cess worth wort wo rth h of them— tthe hem— m including PPG-style wavetables and sample playback in addition n to the expected virtual analog waveforms—into that package for under a grand. Factorr in the three oscillators per voice, and overnight the Sledge 2 becomes a no-brainer if you want a “synthy” synth to put on the tier above your stage piano. You can then leave eave your new $2,800 Prophet-6 in the studio where no one will spill a vodka Red Bull on it. $999 street | studiologic-music.com
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE ROLAND JD-XI At first glance, our reaction to the JD-Xi was, “Oh, another mini-keys synth for the DJ crowd.” But this analog-digital hybrid is surprisingly powerful and genre-flexible, and reads like like proof of concept for a direction we’d like to see Roland develop further. You get four multitimbral parts: a monophonic real analog synth; two polyphonic, PCM-based, “SuperNatural” sections (128 voices total); and a dedicated drum track. You can record any or all of these using a four-track pattern sequencer, and though its 808-style step interface speaks to EDM and hip-hop, playing in parts in a more pianist-like linear fashion is supported as well. An included mic lets you use the onboard vocoder. Yes, the tiny keys are cheesy, but complaining about that seems churlish when you realize what you’re getting here: two layers worth of a baby Jupiter-80, plus an SH-101, plus a TR-8 kind of groovebox thing, plus an ideacapturing environment, for 500 bucks, in a size small enough to sit on your toilet tank. Because you never know when inspiration might strike. $599 list | $499 street | rolandus.com
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK MODAL ELECTRONICS 002 We first reported on this high-end poly in the October 2014 “New Gear” section, when it was the Modulus 002. (Presumably they renamed as Modal to avoid confusion with a well-known bass guitar maker called Modulus.) NAMM 2015 was our first opportunity to play it. Under the hood it’s a hybrid in that it routes digital oscillators into analog filters. From the driver’s seat, it sounds huge and stunning. Remember Vangelis’ opening theme to Blade Runner as Holden’s skimmer is flying to his ill-fated interview with Leon? That’s about a hundredth of its sonic breadth. Designer Paul Maddox also demonstrated some jagged and self-consciously digital sounds that reminded us of early attempts to push FM and wavetable synthesis to their limits, but the 002 serves up analog lushness just as generously. It has to be said that the 002 is close in design philosophy to Dave Smith’s Prophet 12 (reviewed Oct. ‘13) and also (but a bit less) to John Bowen’s Solaris. We want to get the three of them in a room together to determine which most deserves your money, but somebody will need to check in once a day and remind us to eat. Approx. $5,200 U.S. | modalelectronics.com
All prices are manufacturer’s suggested retail (list) unless otherwise y g /g and @keyboardmag on Twitter noted. Follow keyboardmag.com/gear for up-to-the-minute gear news. 04.2015 Keyboard
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KEYS AND CONTROLLERS SAMSON CONSPIRACY Years ago, affordable wireless mic technology was what put Samson on the map. Since then, they’ve developed a knack for distilling the features people want into solid and inexpensive pieces of equipment. And they put their own spin on it instead of merely Xeroxing other companies’ designs. Witness a grid controller with a 25-pad matrix, seven faders, 14 knobs, and a willingness to talk to whatever software you use to make booties shake in the club. This is one conspiracy theory we think is true. $199 street | samsontech.com
KORG KRONOS (2015) Korg gives their flagship workstation a mid-cycle refresh with wooden end blocks, a new 9GB “Berlin” piano sample with sympathetic string resonance, and improved Set List mode that references setups for common tunes you may be called upon to play in your cover band. The most popular, advanced, and muscular do-it-all stage and studio synth currently manufactured just did a few more bench presses. 61 keys: $2,999 street | 73 keys: $3,399 | 88 keys: $3,999 | korg.com
NOVATION LAUNCHPAD PRO In the grid controller realm, the players are Push if you want a sophisticated interface for Ableton Live; Livid if you’re a DIY-er who loves garage-boutique craftsmanship; the Akai APC series if you want lots of knobs, faders, and buttons; and a Launchpad if you want immediacy and simplicity. Novation adds some sophistication to the simplicity with the Launchpad Pro, whose virtues include color-changing pads that match the onscreen colors of your clips as well as no-computer control of MIDI devices if you so choose. $399 list | $299 street | novationmusic.com
CASIO TRACKFORMERS You’re a keyboard player carefully hiding your inner 50 shades of DJ. Casio’s XW-DJ1 and XW-PD1 will usher you into this world in a way that’s safe, sane, and consensual. The DJ1 is for controlling audio tracks from your iOS gadget or other personal music player, and it sports a vinyl-textured scratch platter that’s pleasantly precise. The PD1 is a drum machine with effects. You can sync the two, and apply great-sounding time and pitch manipulation. Plus, either can make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. XW-DJ1: $249 street | XW-PD1: $299 street | casiomusicgear.com
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CLAVIA NORD ELECTRO 5 The Swedish-made Electro has earned a well-deserved reputation for accurate reproductions of tonewheel organs, Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, Clavinets, and even acoustic pianos. But here’s the thing: An Electro couldn’t combine drawbar organ and something else at the same time. Hammond SK keyboards could, and therefore have been nibbling at Nord’s lunch. With split and layer capability, the Electro 5 remedies that and includes a crisp OLED display to let you know exactly what’s up. It’s available in 61-key, 73-key, and 73-key weighted configurations. $TBD | nordkeyboards.com
PHYSIS PIANOS These high-end stage pianos use physical modeling to create acoustic and electric piano sounds and Clavs—and flesh out the sound set with sample-based strings, marimbas, harpsichords, and all that kind of thing. With their knobs and sliders, the K4 and K5 models double as very capable MIDI master keyboards. The H-series have the same innards, but their backlit touch panels evoke two things from 1987: the Picard Enterprise and a Bang & Olufsen stereo receiver. But no foolin’, the piano sounds are gorgeous, and the Rhodes sounds just may be the best we’ve ever played in a hardware instrument. Make it so. physispiano.com
AKAI PROFESSIONAL ADVANCE So, Akai did something pretty smart. They asked themselves, “What if we made a MIDI controller that’s sort of like Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol, but works with the whole wide world of plug-ins in terms of giving players a degree of ‘don’t look at your computer’ control over them?” Then they did something really smart: They put Jennifer Hruska (of Sonivox and Sonic Implants) in charge of the whole project. The Advance is the result, and it just may be the MIDI mistress keyboard to beat in 2015. 25 keys: $399 street | 49 keys: $499 street | 61 keys: $599 street | akaipro.com
AKAI PROFESSIONAL TIMBRE WOLF Not to go off on a total Akai kick here, but this real cheap, real analog synth couldn’t escape our attention. With four oscillators that you can use in monophonic or four-voice polyphonic mode, it reminds us of the Korg Mono/ Poly just a little. As with the Rhythm Wolf drum machine, tuning stability was a bit sketchy, but the Akai reps we talked to said they were working on that. But a $500 analog poly with this kind of beef is no joke, even if the tuning makes it a bit too authentically retro. Next, Akai needs to make something in police-box blue (Cf. Novation UltraNova) and call it “Bad Wolf.” $599 list | $499 street | akaipro.com 04.2015 Keyboard
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SOFTWARE SYMPHONY PSP L’OTARY If you care about Leslie simulations, you probably have a good organ clone plus maybe a stompbox such as the Neo Ventilator or Hammond Digital Leslie Pedal. But if you need a stand-alone plug-in to use in your DAW, look no further. Virtually every physical aspect of the treble and bass rotors of a real Leslie is broken out into its own parameter, and overall speed is continuously variable in “gas pedal” fashion. Most importantly, the sound quality and authenticity are the best we’ve heard in any format, hardware or software. Seriously. $99 direct | pspaudioware.com
SPECTRASONICS OMNISPHERE 2 Sound design mad scientist Eric Persing has been working on this longawaited update for a few years now, and it was worth the wait. In addition to innumerable new patches and enough sample content to choke the NSA data center in Utah, there’s now audio import, wavetable synthesis, and myriad improvements to the sound browser and user interface. The gold standard in soft synths just went platinum. $499 list | $479 street | spectrasonics.net
WAVES CODEX Calling this a “wavetable soft synth” sounds dry and academic, and Codex is anything but. Instead, imagine if you could digitize yourself like in Tron, go inside a PPG Wave (that ate a Synclavier), manipulate and modulate the waveforms however you want, and ride your lightcycle to create patterns in the 16-step sequencer. Works in stand-alone mode or in the Master Control Program—um, DAW—of your choice. $200 street | waves.com
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APPLIED ACOUSTICS STRUM ACOUSTIC GS-2 Long at the forefront of using physical modeling to emulate analog, acoustic, and electromechanical musical instruments, Applied Acoustics really brings it with Strum GS-2. There are enough parameters to let you get as realistic or surrealistic as you please when designing your own sounds, but the important thing is that this is the best attempt we’ve ever heard at making your computer’s CPU sound like an acoustic guitar. $199 list | $185 street | ilio.com
ACOUSTICA MIXCRAFT PRO STUDIO 7 A Windows-only DAW priced for the entry level is hardly news, right? Wrong! The big talking point here is the number of included virtual instruments—and how great they sound. Emulations of the Memorymoog, Prophet-5, and Yamaha CS-80, plus the Pianissimo grand piano, are just a smidgeon of what’s on offer. We’re not saying you should buy an off-theshelf Windows laptop just so you can run this. But we’re not not saying that either. $164.95 direct | acoustica.com
UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO EXPANDED This software upgrade for UA’s line of DSP-powered, plug-in-running audio interfaces has three main benefits: First, you can mix and match up to four Apollo boxes of any type and your computer will see them as one big interface. Second, new “Powered Plug-Ins” include Auto-Tune and a “Wood Works” modeler that makes any crappy piezo pickup sound like you pointed expensive mics at your acoustic guitar. Third, the Console 2.0 software is optimized for Apple Retina displays, and shows plug-in chains as vertical stacks, ending the “What mixer channel does this window go with?” confusion that’s endemic to computer recording. uaudio.com
LITTLE LIFESAVERS
MELLOTRON M4000D RACK We’ve given favorable reviews to the Mellotron M4000D keyboard and its “Mini” counterpart, in part because company principal Markus Resch is so conscientious about preserving, curating, and digitizing sounds from classic Mellotron master tapes. If you don’t need keys, all that breathy vintage goodness is now available in a 19-inch rackmount module. If you’re in the U.S., look up Big City Music and ask for Stephi. $1,599 street | mellotron.com
RADIAL ENGINEERING JDI STEREO If you carry your own direct box, you don’t have to worry. So you might as well carry the best. Nightclub sound technicians—whose demeanor normally makes Grumpy Cat seem like Deepak Oprah—will make eye contact with you and maybe even smile. Got ground buzz? Hit the lift button and it’s gone. Radial’s new stereo JDI model features Jensen transformers and their famous tanklike build quality. $299 | radialeng.com 04.2015 Keyboard
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LITTLE LIFESAVERS ICONNECTIVITY ICONNECT AUDIO 4+ Why is this little audio interface such a big deal? Not only is it the one box we’ve ever seen that can work with multiple computers at the same time, but it also can route audio fluidly between connected Macs, iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, and five-pin MIDI synths. Add solid-sounding preamps and converters, and you have a recording Swiss Army knife that can fit in a messenger bag. $349 list | $299 street | iconnectivity.com
MOTU 112D If you visit MOTU, you can almost literally pahk ya cah in Hahvad Yahd. And the big-brain boys from Cambridge have been at the forefront of the Thunderbolt trend with such audio interfaces as the 1248 and 8M. If lots and lots of line-level and ADAT inputs for a Zimmer-like studio workgroup is what you need, the 112D packs those, MADI, and Ethernet-based Audio-Video Bridge into one rack space. $1,495 street | motu.com
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Keyboard 04.2015
HEAR
R OA D WAR R IOR S
BY ROBBIE GENNET
MAROON 5 18
Keyboard 04.2015
PJ morton
Jesse Carmichael
Jesse CarmiChael and PJ morton on the Keys Behind the hits When Jesse CarmiChael Was in high sChool, he Played in a little band called Kara’s Flowers. After a short run in the ’90s and subsequent hiatus, the band reformed in 2000 and became the pop juggernaut now known the world over as Maroon 5. Their 2002 album Songs About Jane catapulted them to the top of the charts, where they’ve pretty much resided ever since.
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PJ Morton came onboard as touring keyboardist in 2010 and took over the main chair when Carmichael took a hiatus from the band in 2012. Morton is a pastor’s son from New Orleans, and was raised playing music in church. His soulful style fit the modern R&B/pop flavors of Maroon 5’s music so well that when Carmichael returned to the group to record their new album V, he decided to stick to mostly guitar and let Morton man the main keyboard rig. Complementing them both on tour is Sam Farrar, who commands samplers, turntables, and special effects, plus the occasional synth. Keyboard caught up with Carmichael and Morton while the band members were wrapping up sessions for V in Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood.
track and stop it, and then we play along to that. There are two computers side by side and there’s a whole switching system.
What made you decide to hire an additional touring keyboard player? Jesse Carmichael: We’d been touring for a long time with a huge number of keyboards surrounding me, and I was trying to juggle all the parts that we put on the records. I just needed help, a little lift. PJ came along like an angel.
What’s your musical background? PJM: I grew up playing gospel music. I’m from New Orleans, so jazz was always around and I just went into soul. Then I started as a producer and a songwriter and a solo artist. These guys reached out to me as I was doing my solo thing.
Before PJ came on, were you running a lot of tracks or samples before you decided you needed another keyboardist? JC: At the very beginning on our first album and most of our second album touring, it was all live. Then as we started playing bigger places we started thinking our sound needed some more backing-track fullness, so we put some string pads in choruses so that I could be playing other parts. Who operates the tracks? JC: We have an Ableton rig behind our drummer, Matt Flynn. He has pads that start each
Tell us about when you came into the mix, PJ? PJ Morton: I came in at the completion of the Hands All Over album. When I initially came in, Jesse and I still had pretty big rigs. I came in for the tour of that album and then was involved in Overexposed and V. But I think sonically things changed because Hands All Over was a little more organic, so we were playing more organic things. As the record started to change, as they always do, and grow, I think the needs became different and we’ve adjusted to that onstage.
Was it a challenging transition, to move into the pop realm from jazz and gospel? PJM: Not at all. I think part of what I’ve always loved about this band, even before I was a part of it, was that it’s always been a good mesh of pop sensibility with some old-school soul. There’s always been that layer there, and live, it allows us to slip that stuff in. I’ve had a B-3 since I’ve been playing with the band, and a Rhodes and a Wurly, and Jesse has always had Clavinets onstage. Also, I think people don’t truly know Maroon 5 until they see us play live, because there’s that edge where we show that we can play, and it’s not the same language as on the records.
THE THIRD MAN “My current setup is a bit up in the air as of right now, simply because we haven’t fully settled on the set,” says Sam Farrar, Maroon 5’s turntablist and sample wrangler for live shows. “On the digital side of things, I’m using a MacBook Pro with Ableton Live 9 going out to an Apogee Duet 2. This may change for the upcoming tour, perhaps to a Quartet for more output options. For controllers and synths, I’m using a Native Instruments Maschine Mk. II, a Novation Launchkey, and a Novation Bass Station through a pedal or two. Software-wise, there’s Maschine 2, Kontakt, a couple of Arturia plug-ins, and [Lennar Digital] Sylenth. I’m also doing some small percussion like congas, tambourine, and shaker, plus acoustic guitar, and background vocals. I’ve cut up a bunch of samples from the records and I play them on the Maschine pads. These include unique synth parts, vocal samples, horn hits—anything that’s vital but that’s impractical to play using the instruments onstage."
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Which songs do you get to stretch out on a little more live? PJM: There are songs that these guys have been playing for 15 years, like “This Love” or something where I’m playing keyboard bass; then we add stuff that’s not there on the record. JC: You come alive a lot on “Sunday Morning.” You put new flavors to those chords. PJM: That was also where I found my space. For a lot of the back catalog, we were looking for something fresh. Even with a song like “Moves Like Jagger,” we rock stuff out a little more. Out of all the keyboards in your rig, which do you play the most? PJM: The core of it all is definitely the [Yamaha] Motif XF8, because that’s where I’m playing a lot of the piano parts. After that is probably the organ. The main synth board is the Nord that we always use. We’ve got specific Maroon 5 sounds, which are on almost every song on the album. Jesse’s dialed some things in there that will travel through whatever Nord we use. JC: I like you on that MicroKorg too. PJM: Oh yeah, the XL. I don’t play it as much as the others, but that’s fun for me live—adding in the key bass. Jesse, tell us about your transition to playing mainly guitar on tour. JC: I started playing guitar in the band when we started in high school. I didn’t really shift into keys until we graduated high school and changed our name to Maroon 5. Over the years, whenever we’ve made records, there have always been multiple guitar parts with Adam and James playing guitars. But Adam didn’t want to play guitar as much, so I became the missing piece of the puzzle. On the original Maroon 5 tours, you used a lot of vintage gear. Was there a standard rig, or did it morph a lot in those days? JC: It morphed a lot from the beginning before we had PJ to the point where it was at its largest. We had an Korg OASYS and a B-3 with a Clav on top, and a Nord Lead 3, and a MicroKorg, and the Open Labs Neko, which is a Windows PC built into a keyboard with soft synths inside. What soft synths were you using in that? JC: There were a lot of Kontakt libraries and some Omnisphere patches. Then we had a Rhodes with a Wurlitzer sitting on top of that, and then the Nord on top of that. What changed when PJ came in? PJM: The B-3 organ was a big part of it. Jesse was holding down a lot of the piano and the core stuff. So I did more little touches with synths,
Creating music fulfills me. It gives me purpose. It connects me with the world. I couldn’t imagine my life without it.
COLBIE CAILLAT AT GUITAR CENTER
but mainly it was the B-3 for me—and I had the MicroKorg XL. PJ, your rig on the road is going to be the Motif XF8? PJM: Yes—and the Nord Wave. And now we’ve gone to the Nord C2D, which I think is the closest anybody’s gotten to a B-3. And I’ve gone through every single keyboard out there. The Rhodes will be out with us, too—a ‘73 Suitcase. Do you use the Nord’s internal rotary effect or a real Leslie? PJM: We’re talking about bringing a Leslie out with us on this tour, but until now we’ve been doing it internally. But I think it would just take it to the next level if we used an external Leslie. What’s left for Sam Farrar to play? JC: Sam triggers a lot of sounds that are on the records with pads from one of his Akai-run things. And he plays some synth pads coming from a laptop. PJM: Sometimes, instead of having something in the track, he plays it naturally; that gives a natural groove to certain things. It’s more like somebody’s singing it. His rhythm is great. It’s tricky for keyboard players, because there’s a lot of stuff we can do that can be programmed, that can be sequenced, but nothing beats a human element. On the new record, V, there are a couple of songs where there is some prominent piano: “Leaving California,” “Feelings,” and “My Heart Is Open.” PJM: “Leaving California,” that’s the one written with Nate [Ruess] from Fun. JC: His contribution to that song was from a voice memo! PJM: He just sang the melody of the chorus and we built the whole thing around that. JC: The way a lot of these songs came together in the studio was from demos that the external songwriters had started. They were pretty established 22
Keyboard 04.2015
tracks because all these guys were working in great studios. They’d send in tracks that were pretty much ready for us just to add little touches on top of. When you were recording, did you use mostly digital instruments or was there any real piano? PJM: There’s real piano on everything—mainly a Steinway at Conway. What was the keyboard setup for recording the song “Feelings”? PJM: In the studio we had about nine vintage keyboards. JC: We had the Prophet-5 in there, and the Roland Juno-106. PJM: Also the digital Mellotron—the new M4000D. The Nord was in there, of course. JC: Most of the keys on “Feelings” were probably programmed by Shellback, one of the songwriters. Who is Shellback? JC: He’s this young Swedish death-metal kid who plays guitar and drums. Max Martin, who did the executive producing on the last two albums, and Shellback became friends. Shellback also wrote “Moves Like Jagger,” which I think was his first big hit. How did you go about choosing sounds in the studio? JC: Mainly just by tweaking. We have nine analog synths on the wall, each with a million tweaking possibilities. We have soft synths. Sometimes a song has been sent from the songwriter with a synth part that sounds complete already. [In those cases], there was a lot of matching or just filling in frequencies. PJM: Or trying to improve upon the existing sounds. Maybe something they did on a soft synth made us think, “hey, maybe the Juno would do that better . . .” Was there ever a point where you said, “We’ve put too much frosting on the cake. We’ve got to dial it back”?
JC: That usually happens. Generally, the studio practice is to throw around every idea you’ve got. And all the while our engineer, Noah Passovoy—we call him Mailbox—is constantly switching back and forth between the main speakers and small speakers, and thinking about the way that people listen to music these days, whether it’s on their phones or on their laptops or in their cars. Sometimes we add some low-end key bass or something onto it, and Mailbox would be like, “It’s actually not going to make it in the mix.” So he’d filter it out, take out some low end, until it was more of a cutting sound. Have you ever heard a remix of any of the songs that you liked better than the original? JC: I did a remix with some friends of mine with a modular synth side project I have called the Circuit Jerks. We did a remix of “Maps.” That’s coming out on a Samsung CD sampler for the record that has a bunch of remixes on it. We slowed it down by 40 beats per minute and just made it completely different—a new chord progression. What would you say a young keyboardist should concentrate on to develop as an artist? JC: I would say that finding your own voice is most important. Finding your own comfort zone without comparing yourself to other musicians. You never want to get hung up on that kind of anxiety. The music Maroon 5 is making now is reaching the biggest audience you’ve ever had. Is that daunting, or is that just cool as hell? JC: It’s super cool. Adam said something the other day that I really loved. We were talking about climate change and politics and what’s going on in the world today. He was like, “Everybody’s playing their part in this huge puzzle of this world that we live in and our job is to help bring people happiness, if they come see us live or if they connect with the record. When people are happy, they make good decisions and everything gets steered in the right direction.” I like that.
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LEGENDS
Bill Payne Take the Leap “I’M GOING TO BE 66 IN MARCH, AND I JUST JOINED ANOTHER BAND,” SAYS Bill Payne. Best known as a co-founder of the beloved Southern rock n’ blues-influenced group Little Feat, Payne recently became an official member of another jam band, bluegrass-leaning Leftover Salmon. So, at this stage of a long career that has included more than 40 years of “Dixie Chicken,” countless piano and B-3 solos, performances with Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, James Taylor, and more, Payne has a new album out— Leftover Salmon’s High Country—and he’s looking ahead to a long string of tour dates. Payne is also something of a renaissance man: He takes beautiful photographs, and he writes regularly about his experiences (check out his essays and photos at billpaynecreative.com). He’s working on a book-length memoir, as well, reflecting on a 50-plus-year career in which he’s carved out a place as one of the most masterful and fearless keyboard players of the rock ’n’ roll era. He kindly took some time between gigs to answer some questions about his musical life and philosophy. What was your early training like, and how did it prepare you for a professional career? I started taking lessons around age five. Ruth Neuman was my teacher in Ventura, California. Very early, I brought her the Davy Crockett TV theme song. She said, “Next time you come for a lesson, I’ll have written this out for you.” So now, at solo shows I’ve been doing for the past couple of years, I play that piece of music, and I then morph into the way I play now, and I explain: What Ruth provided me with was a dual path. She said to my mother, “I’ll make sure Bill knows how to read music, but let’s not take the magic out of it for him. Let’s let him play by ear. Let’s let him continue to bring in pieces that are of interest to him.” She also taught me pipe organ when I was ten. Can you describe how it works for you, understanding theory but keeping the magic? Ruth encouraged me in exploration. And within that exploration, she provided some defining guidelines. In the beginning, that just meant the 24
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freedom to play. As I got older, I would be practicing something at home—say, Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”—and then I would branch off into something that wasn’t on the written page, that was in my own voice. Or another example: I remember being called to play for an assembly at school when I was in the fifth grade. I played some little goofy song, this Chinese-type thing from my own head. Many years later I was working with the Doobie Brothers, and I played that goofy lick, and I stopped the tape and I said, “I was just goofing around. It’s just some little Chinese thing I made up when I was in grade school. I don’t want that lick on the record.” They said, “No, we love it, we’re keeping it.” Twenty-four years later, [Doobie Brothers’ singer/guitarist] Tommy Johnston calls me and says, “Remember that lick you didn’t like? As a result of that lick and the story you told, I named that song ‘China Grove.’” I said, “Really? Where’s my publishing?” [Laughs.] What other keyboardists have influenced your playing? Bill Evans was someone who knew the rules— how to follow them but also how to break from them. He was left-handed, apparently, so many of Bill’s voicings were rich in the left hand. He studied classical music, so he was aware of Debussy and Ravel, but he would experiment with those sounds. Early in my career, people would say, “You’re not from New Orleans. What do you play New Orleans music for?” Well, I’m not Austrian; is it okay if I play Mozart? The whole purpose of art, as far as I’m concerned, is that exploratory
BY BARBARA SCHULTZ
freedom. So as far as other influences, it starts with Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles of course, then The Beatles in terms of rock ’n’ roll, but also Henry Mancini and Nat King Cole. What kinds of music did you and Lowell George first bond over when you formed Little Feat? This was my first meeting with Lowell George: I walked in and there was a blond-haired girl sitting on the floor listening to Erik Satie. I said, “I’m here to see Lowell.” She said, “Oh he’s expecting you. He’ll be back in four or five hours.” I thought, what does he do when he’s not expecting me? So I hung around and looked at Lowell’s record collection: He had John Coltrane’s Om. He had some Lenny Bruce that Zappa had put out. He had Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. There were some of the Smithsonian Institute’s recordings of chain gang music. He had this very eclectic taste. And I had the same taste.
Did you really wait for him for five hours? I did. I had driven down from Santa Barbara. I wanted to join the band desperately [the Mothers of Invention, of which George was a member], and I wanted to meet Frank Zappa. So that story really starts with driving to L.A. and the smell of diesel fuel; it led to years of diesel fumes—being on a bus, traveling like a carnival act. You get to town, put up your tent, take it down, travel to the next town.
For this record with Leftover Salmon, I used a B-3 that was in the studio, and a grand piano; I don’t remember what kind. Mario Casilio was the engineer, and he was beautiful to work with. All my overdubs were done with him. We also cut two tracks live, including one of the songs I wrote with Robert Hunter: “Bluegrass Pines.” On the road, I use my Korg SV-1. It’s got a nice piano sound and a very low string sound that I love. It’s a very simple design. It has Wurlitzer sounds, and
and the tempo of this song was ludicrous, it was so fast. I looked at the band, and I looked at the audience. I could see it was a small shelf to jump off the stage. There were a bunch of girls I knew in the audience, and I just jumped off the stage and started dancing with these girls instead of taking my solo! Finally, I piled back up onstage, and at the second solo I was supposed to take, I went right into it—ripped it to shreds. And I thought, I love being in a band I can have some fun with.
You must not mind the road if you joined Leftover Salmon; they have a busy tour schedule. What made joining them a great fit for you? I like being in a band. It’s a completely different organism from playing behind, say, a James Taylor or a Stevie Nicks. Those are the head people in those bands. But a band is a club. It’s one of the most exclusive clubs you can join. Travel is what it is, but performing onstage is something else. The immediacy and real-time action—it’s why actors always want to be musicians. It’s like nothing else. And it’s the musicianship. The drummer in this band, Alwyn Robinson, is 25 years old. I’ve worked with Richie Hayward, one of the best of the drummers on the planet; also Steve Gadd, Russ Kunkel. I’ve played with the best there are, and this guy, Alwyn, is one of them.
Clavinet. The piano sounds are bright enough to cut through when you need it. But when I want to space out on a sound, that string piano thing is not an overbearing string sound. It adds a lot of depth, so if I want to have an orchestral sound behind what I’m doing, I’ll stretch out just myself or with Alwyn, or with Greg Garrison, who is a wonderful electric bass player and standup bass player. If we want to take off on an excursion, we have some place to go with the sound. I also use a Triton Extreme up top, primarily for weird, really bright horn sounds.
For younger musicians, who want to know how to build a career like yours—full of fun and staying power—do you have some advice? Make sure you learn the business side. Whether you like it or not, it’s something you have to be aware of. Learn how to talk to a manager. Make sure you don’t have wildly unrealistic expectations, but don’t expect too little. But the main thing that must be there is an absolute love and commitment for what you do. The rest of the questions will demand their own answers: I want to write; how do I begin to do that? I want to be a concert pianist; how do I go about doing that? If you’re like me, those questions demand an answer. That’s why questions are important. Where do you want to be in ten years? Whatever you do, you need to develop your own voice, because that’s where your path is carved from. That’s the uncharted territory—what’s inside of you. Where do you want to take it? Do you want to hold onto the side of the pool with white knuckles, or do you want to let go and try some things?
What keyboards do you use in the studio with Leftover Salmon and on the road?
What about your B-3 sounds on tour? They can be electronic, from the Korg, unless the venue has a B-3. How do you like playing bluegrass every night? On the really fast bluegrass stuff, I use a regular piano sound and just hold on as best I can, because these guys play so fast! There was one night when we were playing The Hamilton in Washington, DC,
04.2015 Keyboard
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PLAY
S ESS I ON
5 WayS to Play like
David Sancious BY MATT BECK DaviD SanciouS haS been one of the moSt in-DemanD live anD SeSSion keyboarD players in the business for nearly 50 years. Not only was he recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, but he has also played a significant role in the careers of Peter Gabriel, Sting, Stanley Clarke, and Narada Michael Walden. Let’s explore five ways to play like David Sancious.
listening list DaviD SanciouS
44 & & 44 &4 ? ? 444 ? 44
ex. 1
4 4 4
& & & ? ? ?
7 7 7
A7 A7
‰‰ .. ## œœœA..7## œœ œœœ ‰ . # œœ . # œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ ‰‰ RRœ ‰R
œœœ œ œœ
D/A D/A
j j # œj D/A # œj #œ #œ j j #œ #œ
A A
& A‰‰ b œjj & bœ & ‰ b œj ? ? ?
œœœœ œœ
œœœœ œœ œœ.. œœ œœ.. œœ ##D/A œœœœ # œœ œœ œœœœ œœ œœ.. œœ œœ.. œœ œœ œœœ œ. œœœ œ. œœœ # œœ ## œœœ œ œœ œœœ œ. œœœ œ. œœœ œœ œœ ‰ œœ œœ œœ œœ ‰ œœ œœ RœR ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œRR RRœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ RRœ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ R‰ R‰ ‰R ‰R
œœœ # œjj œœœ # œjj œœœ œ #œ œ #œ œ œœ # œj œœ # œj œœ
j œœj œœj œ
œœœ œœ œœ œ
˙˙˙ ˙ ˙˙
œœœ œ œœ
œœ œ œœ œ œœ
œœ RRœ ‰ ‰ R‰
## œœ n œ œ œœ D/A œ b œ œ œ œ b œ ## œœ œœ ## œœ œ œ # JJœ n œ œ œ œ bœ œ J nœ œ #œ œ #œ œ A A
D/A D/A
A
A D/A ‰‰ j œjj œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ‰ nn œœj ## œœj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œj # œ D/A D/A
j b œj bœ j bœ
D/A D/A
A A
j œœj œœj œ
A7 A7
œœœ # œœ ..#œœœ œ.. œœ œ # œ #œœ œ œ œœ # œœ .#œœœ œ. œœ œœ ‰ œœ œœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰‰ œRR ‰R
œœœœ œœ
A A
A7
A7
#œ A #œ #œ
œœœœ œœ œœ.. œœ œœœ œ. œœ œœ ‰ œœ RRœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ ‰ R‰ œœœ œœ œœ œ
A7 œœ œœ # œ Aœ7 œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œœ œœ
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Greetings from Asbury Park
STING Ten Summoner’s Tales
A7 A7
œœ œ œœ nn œœ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
A7
DAVID SANCIOUS Just as I Thought
1. Piano Solos Ex. 1 illustrates a typical Sancious piano solo. Here, the first half starts with some “down home” blues riffing, and then the solo moves into jazz-tinged, single-note line territory. This is a great example of how David fuses styles effortlessly. Keep in mind when playing this example that the first three bars are a hemiola: a sixteenthnote grouping of three between both hands that goes over the bar line and should be phrased as such to ensure proper flow and feel. 28
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NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN Garden of Love Light
2. Classical Chording
Ex. 2
4 & 4 # r œ . # œ œœ .. œ œ # œ œ n œ œ œœ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ # œœ œœ # œœ # œ . # œ ? 44 r œ . # œ œ . # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ #œ 3
& œ . # # œœ œ. ? œ.
œ. œ.
œ œœ # œœ œœ n œœ œœ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
#œ œ.
Ex. 3 D min7
~~~~ ~
7 w &4
Ex. 2 demonstrates Sancious’ command of chordal keyboard textures, which can be heard on some of his solo projects (David Sancious and Tone). Often described as “Symphonic Fusion,” these albums meld classical harmonic motion with expressive analog synth work. The keyboard sound of this passage is evocative of the massive Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer.
œ # œ œ œ œ œœ œ# œ œœœ œ #œ œ œ œ œ
œœ
Ó œœ œ œœ # œœ œœ # œ œ #œ
œ
œ
3. Organ Solos
# œ œ œ œ # # œœ n œœ Ó
E b7
~~~~
3 œ œ œ œ b œ œ3 œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœœœ˙ œ j œœ j œœ #œ œ #œ œ bœ nœ œ J J œ œ œ nœ #œ #œ
Ex. 4
A bmin9
B bmin7
r & 43 ‰ b b œœ b b œ. œ ? 43 3
bœ bœ A bmin9
r ‰ bb œœœ .
bœ œ B bmin7
r & 43 ‰ b b b œœ b œ. œ ? 43
bœ bœ
F min9
bœ œ
E bmin9
G min7
n œœœœ .
œ œ
‰ n œ 44 b œ . œ Œ œœ b b œœœ .. œœœ -. < . 44 Œ œ œ bœ. œ
F min9
r ‰ œ b b œœ.
œ œ
G min7
n œœœœ .
‰ œ œ
n œœ œ.
C min11
44 b b œœœœ ... -. 44 œ.
œœœœ < œ
Ó
43
Ó
43
Œ
Ó
Œ
Ó
Ex. 5 G7
œ œœ ‰ & 44
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ~~~ œ œ œ b œ œ œœœ œœ œœ œ œ b œ œœ
“Not only have I been a longtime fan of David Sancious, but his playing has been a great inspiration to my own music,” says Matt Beck, a multi-instrumentalist who plays keyboards and guitar with artists Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas, and Rod Stewart. He recently played in the band for “The Last Ship,” a new Broadway musical written by Sting. Beck’s most recent solo outing is Anything Which Gives You Pleasure. Follow him on Twitter @mattymay.
Ex. 3 is in the style of Sancious’ organ solo on Sting’s song “St. Augustine in Hell” from the album Ten Summoner’s Tales. Here we have a 7/4 groove and a chord progression highlighting the tritone motion of Amin7 to Eb7. Note that the solo starts with a tried-and-true organ key mash/glissando up to the first note. Also pay attention to the fluidity of execution of the sixteenth-note run, which is easiest to achieve on a real Hammond B-3, or at least, a non-weighted waterfall keyboard.
4. Clusters and Syncopations Sancious is a master of playing deep-pocketed parts over shifting time signatures. In Ex. 4, note the syncopated, cluster chords that float over the alternating 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures. The 3/4 bars also incorporate a hemiola (as in Ex. 1) and should be played even and short, with the 4/4 measures serving as an instant release. Paying attention to the break of momentum in those bars will help impart the desired feel of this phrase.
5. Synth Solos Ex. 5 illustrates a typical Sancious synth solo. Pay attention to how smooth and flowing this line is, employing an analog synth sound with a slight filter sweep and portamento. Using a synth with nonweighted keys is essential for pulling off the barrage of 32nd-notes with clarity. Also, the pitch-bend wheel is being used for the bends in measure 2. With some practice, you’ll figure out the coordination needed. You can hear Sancious play similar synth parts on Narada Michael Walden’s Garden of Love Light album.
Hear Matt play audio examples from this lesson. keyboardmag.com/april2015 04.2015 Keyboard
29
PLAY
THE K EY OF ONE
BUILDING A
Chord Foundation BY ROBBIE GENNET
LAST MONTH, WE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHORD THEORY. THIS TIME, LET’S EXPLORE some ways that you can learn to use the chord matrix to better your improvising, songwriting, and overall chord choices. Whether you’re writing songs, playing covers, improvising solos, or jamming with a group, having a more expansive palette of chord choices is a big help. In every case, you need to know your structural foundation.
Enter the Matrix All songs are built on chord progressions, which at their most basic, are triad movements. These triads are interrelated, and the entire pattern of those relations is set in a matrix that you need to learn to navigate freely. Picture geodesic monkey bars, but in a complete sphere. There are overlapping paths in every direction, including straight across the middle, and the matrix of these relationships is set in stone. Last month’s column looked at how we can tweak or add to triads by moving the middle, raising or lowering the fifth, and building on top with sixths, sevenths, and the repurposed 2/4/6 as 9/11/13. That’s all frosting on the cake, and your ear needs to be attuned to the more basic movements beneath: A progression like Cmaj7-F9(add2)-G7#9 is at it’s heart a C-F-G progression. When we stop thinking of these additions and tweaks as somehow separate entities, we stop being overwhelmed by “all those chords.” Remember that with a basic major and minor triad in each of the 12 keys, we have a total of 24 basic chords—period. How you dress them up (or not) is your choice. So how do we learn our 24 chords in a way that infuses our ability to play with a more innate sense of how songs work? Here are two simple ideas that can boost your ability to “speak” chords: 1. Use chords to position your hands for melodic parts. When you play all the notes of a chord together, it’s considered harmonic. When you arpeggiate those notes, they become melodic. Any song you play is based on certain chords, so playing any of the single notes of those chords will sound right. To start a lick or fill, you can roll down a chord into a scale. Most importantly, you can quickly get your hand situated on a handful of notes that work. 30
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Once you grab a chord shape, it’s also easy to figure out what “frosting” notes are in between the ones you’re playing. If you’re playing a 1-3-5-1 chord (the triad with the octave on top), then we know that the 2 is between 1 and 3, the 4 is between 3 and 5, and a pair of sixths and sevenths lie between 5 and 1. 2. Play through the same numeric changes in all 12 keys. This is a great exercise that will get you familiar with the chord matrix in the most comprehensive way. By taking a numerical chord progression like 1-4-5 and repeating it in each of the 12 keys, you’ll become increasingly familiar with the lettered chords in each key, while reinforcing the sound of the single numerical pattern.
Chords in Common Traditional music lessons tend to focus on the differences between chords and progressions—often because the same progressions in different keys look and feel different on the uneven landscape of the piano keyboard. But let’s look at how many songs use one of 15 common numerical progressions, which in turn use the four most common chords in rock and pop music: 1, 4, 5, and m6. 1-4-5-4: “La Bamba,” “Wild Thing,” “Twist and Shout” 1-5-4-5: “All Out of Love,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “All the Small Things” 1-4-1-5: “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Free Fallin’” 1-5-m6-4: “Let It Be,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “With or Without You” 1-m6-4-5: “Heart and Soul,” “Stand by Me,” “Earth Angel” 1-m6-5-4: “Surrender,” “Two Princes” 1-4-m6-5: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “She Drives Me Crazy,” “More Than a Feeling”
m6-4-5: “Rainbow in the Dark,” “No One Like You,” “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” m6-5-4-5: “All Along the Watchtower,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “Under My Thumb” m6-4-1-5: “Africa,” “Self-Esteem,” “One of Us” m6-4-5-1: “Heart of Gold,” “Take It on the Run” 4-1-5-m6: “Umbrella,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” 4-1-m6-5: “Learning To Fly,” “Payphone” 4-5-1-m6: “Walking in Memphis,” “Viva la Vida” 5-4-1-1: “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Magic Carpet Ride” As a bonus, if you want to practice just one song that will lead you through almost every change in pop music, learn to play “American Pie” by Don McLean. 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.
KNOW
SYNTH S OLOING
THE ART OF SYNTH SOLOING
Digging Deeper Into the
Jan Hammer Lead
BY JERRY KOVARSKY
LAST mONTH I DROppED THE BOmB ABOuT JAN HAmmER GETTING HIS cLASSIc aggressive lead tone from only an Oberheim SEM module, and later the Oberheim Expander, with (contrary to one popular onion) no Minimoog audio involved. Jan told me to check out the album Oh Yeah as an example of this purely Oberheim sound, on cuts like “Magical Dog” and “Twenty One,” and his favorite cut from Hammer, “Jet Stream.” Speaking to friends and associates who have interviewed Jan over the years, this came as a surprise to us all. Fusion master Adam Holzman certainly nailed this type of tone using a Moog Voyager when I saw him play with the Mahavishnu Project, and even with Jan himself sitting in with them (using a MOSS-board-equipped Korg Triton Extreme). But they had oscillator sync to work with. Jan moved from the Oberheims back to a Memorymoog (which offered sync), and told me he was able to go back to the Minimoog in later years when he got sync added to it. So I decided to go back and spend some more time dialing in his lead sound for this month.
Our Basic Template We need to build a dual-oscillator sync sound: set oscillator 1 to a saw wave and oscillator 2 to a square, or 50 percent pulse, wave. The tuning of oscillator 2 is something to experiment with, the higher the frequency the more “biting” the sound will be. I wrote last month about using a 24dB-peroctave lowpass filter with cutoff set within the first 30 percent of the range. But the Oberheim SEM had a 12dB filter, so it’s not critical to have the steeper cutoff characteristic. And I found that I could dial in a fair amount of resonance on the Oberheim 12dB filter, and had to avoid it when using the Moog-based 24dB one. The most important characteristic from the filter is modulating the cutoff using an envelope to get a fast, percussive attack for each note. Set it for instant attack, a small amount of decay, and medium sustain. The amp envelope should be instant attack, fast decay and high sustain level, with no noticeable release. See Figure 1 for this basic setup using Arturia’s Oberheim SEM V virtual instrument. 32
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Here’s another tip: When setting up an envelope like this for an amp or filter, turn the sustain all the way down so you can hear the decay segment clearly. When you get it right you can dial the sustain back up to your liking.
Variations on a Theme There are plenty of ways to vary this sound that all still have the Jan Hammer vibe. From a tonal aspect the oscillator 2 frequency, the amount of envelope depth to filter cutoff, the filter cutoff, and the resonance amount all interact and should be explored. Raising the oscillator 2 frequency will accentuate higher/ brighter harmonics, which can be tamed by either lowering the filter cutoff slight, or lowering the envelope depth modulating the cutoff. Increasing the sustain level of the envelope modulating the filter cutoff will produce a brighter sustained sound. Another area to experiment with is to swap the oscillator waveforms, or even use square/50 percent pulse on both oscillators. The percussive quality can be accentuated by the use of the same filter envelope shape to modulate the frequency of oscillator 2. To get
Fig. 1. The basic sync oscillator tone, using Arturia SEm V.
maximum percussive attitude dial down the amp decay and the filter decay; increase the envelope to filter cutoff, resonance, and oscillator 2 frequency modulation depth, compensating for the brightness by lowering the filter cutoff and/or envelope to filter’s sustain level. See Figure 2 for an example of this. I also like tracking the filter by key range negatively, so it gets a bit darker and you go lower. This increases the percussive quality, and gets the low notes ready for some cool sweeps and modulation. Want even more percussive attitude in your sound? Put a compressor on it. Set the compressor to a low enough threshold to “grab” your notes, a medium-slow attack (so the synth’s percussive quality comes through) and a fast release. What ratio? So many can work, it depends on how heavily you feel like squashing your sound: I like anywhere from 3:1 up to a whopping 8:1 (see Figures 3 and 4 for some basic settings—thanks to ace programmer John “Skippy” Lehmkuhl for the second example). Notice how this really stands out when playing short/clipped notes. I think this helps simulate the compression that would happen when running the synth through a real guitar amp and playing at loud volumes.
Fig. 2. A more percussive variation of the tone.
Fig. 3. The percussive resonance setting.
Fig. 4. Another approach (using a bus compressor) showing Cytomic’s Glue.
Breaking with History There’s no reason to be pedantic about Jan’s history—you can grow out your own approach from these beginnings. The synced oscillator provides a great attack and tonal quality, but I sometimes feel the sustaining tone gets a bit thin. So layering in another sawtooth or square wave can help beef up the sustained tone. It shouldn’t be detuned, as you only want to add thickness to the sustaining sound. If using a Minimoog clone you already have a third oscillator handy, so a combination of syncing oscillators 1 and 2 and blending in oscillator 3 can do the trick nicely (see Figure 5). You might think to use unison mode if your synth has it but be careful. Stacking the oscillators up as unison does will almost always add some detuning and smearing of the sound. Jan’s leads always cut through the mix razor sharp. So I prefer to use more oscillators since I can control their tuning. If your synth engine only has two oscillators per sound simply craft a second tone/instance and layer them. The second tone can be straighter sounding, or you can copy the filter envelope characteristics to help you increase the percussive attack as well. The goal
Fig. 5. Using an additional oscillator to reinforce the fundamental tone, in Arturia’s Mini V.
is to create something that sounds like a unified sound, not a layer.
The Rest of the Signal Chain As I wrote last month, you’ll need to add some effects processing to your sound. Go back and read about Jan’s use of a flanger and guitar amps for more review. The flanger is adding some motion to the sound that detuning couldn’t provide, due to the synced oscillators, and the amps/overdrive/distortion are adding attitude.
This doesn’t have to be done in software or within your synth itself; if you have access to the real hardware (pedals and amps), go for it because that’s what Jan did! Next month will be all about the notes. I promise.
Audio examples: How to program these leads. keyboardmag.com/april2015 04.2015 Keyboard
33
KNOW
B EYOND THE M A NUAL
humanize your tracks By Craig anderton
SoMetIMeS you want the MAchIne-lIke PRecISIon of A quAntIzed MIdI sequence or audio loop, but not always—especially when some parts are played by traditional instruments. So, here are ways to add a “human” quality to quantized parts. Make “random” changes that reflect human behavior. Most humanizing options in MIDI sequencers employ randomization—which isn’t necessarily how humans work. For example, a drummer won’t play a straight sixteenth-note hi-hat pattern with equal levels (Figure 1, red notes), but will tend to accent the first sixteenth-note the most and the third a little as well. Use an edit filter to make these changes (Figure 1, blue) to the entire part, and then add subtle randomization (Figure 1, brown). Randomization then becomes a subtle overlay on conscious changes—just how real humans play. Random timing can emulate musicians who’ve been drinking. But that’s about it—
really good musicians have very tight control over timing, and can push or lag the beat consistently by milliseconds to change the “feel.” Less accomplished musicians will not have equally refined technique, but will often subconsciously add feel by playing ahead or behind the beat. To preserve these changes but tighten them up, use a quantization strength of 80 to 95 percent. Reserve 100-percent quantization only for genres that require metronomic tempos (e.g., electro). Avoid drum hit sameness. An audio loop’s snare hit will not be velocity-switched, so you’ll hear the same sound every time it plays. The hits may be spaced far enough apart that listeners
fig. 1: A MIdI hi-hat changes from a boring sixteenth-note pattern to a more human-sounding one.
fig. 2: the left clip has been split (yellow lines) at the eighth-notes. the middle clip’s third eighth-note has its start point time-stretched to the right, so the note starts later and is at 95 percent of its original duration. the right clip’s second eighth-note’s end point is stretched by 105 percent to fill in the gap caused by shortening the third eighth-note. 34
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don’t consciously notice the sameness, but subconsciously, they do. To fix this, isolate the snare hit as a separate clip (don’t worry if other hits happen at the same time), and change the pitch by a couple dozen cents or so. Lowering pitch lays the sound back a bit more—try this just before a chorus or major change—while raising pitch adds more tension, which can increase intensity toward a solo’s end. It’s been said before, but… Human drummers have two hands and two feet (one of which is usually working the hi-hat). Remember this when piling drums on with a MIDI sequence. Push it hard. Some humanizing techniques rely more on style over substance—my favorite example is creative use of distortion, particularly on kick, bass, and keyboards. Low distortion drive settings won’t change the sound much, but increasing drive raises the level and adds some grit (keep it subtle). This gives a sense that the sound is really “pushing” and adds power you wouldn’t obtain solely by raising the level. (Note: sometimes increasing the signal level to the distortion might produce a better result than using a plug-in’s drive control.) Percussion reality. Few loops can sound more synthetic than percussion loops, because something like a tambourine moves around constantly—but again, not randomly. A slight, rhythmic detuning can help create a more animated sound. To provide these pitch variations, deploy a flanger, vibrato, or modulatable delay and set any of these for a short delay with no dry signal so they don’t flange. Synching a periodic waveform (e.g., ramp) will keep any pitch changes within the song’s rhythmic framework. Add timing tweaks to loops. If you can extract the MIDI data from a REX file, you can change timings easily but the result may be gaps between “slices.” Instead, render the REX file (or an Acidized file) into a standard audio file. Now you can split the clip at transients, and tweak a slice’s timing (Figure 2). If shortening a slice creates a gap, use time stretching to fill it in.
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KNOW
DA NCE
The ReTuRn Of
The Korg M1 BY FRANCIS PRÈVE
fOR ThOse whO fOllOw The eveR-changing fashiOns Of The dance scene, the four-year reign of “the EDM sound” is finally starting to fade somewhat, with a new set of styles swiftly coming to the forefront. In several of last year’s columns, I touched upon the resurgence of old-school house music, which was merely on the horizon in 2014. This year, that trend has picked up a lot of steam, and genres like deep house, classic house, and a new offshoot called “future garage” are quickly becoming the focus of a new generation of producers. As is often the case in dance music, everything old is new again with the latest incarnations of these classic sounds. Accordingly, one of the most popular synths for making modern house tracks is the Korg M1. While some producers take a purist approach, relying on vintage hardware (an M1 in good condition on eBay will set you back a paltry $700), in-the-box artists are opting for the much more affordable Legacy software from Korg, which is a mere 50 bucks as a direct download from the korg.com website. Whichever version of the M1 you select, the first thing to do is check out those immediately recognizable patches that are dominating the latest releases from powerhouse dance labels like Toolroom and Spinnin’ Records. Here are a few standouts that are all the rage this season. Ableton Live’s Drum Racks are so incredibly flexible for creating custom drum kits that it’s a shame that many users don’t dig deeper than using sampled drums with a few effects for flavor. One of the coolest things about Drum Racks is that you can put any synth on each of its pads, including third-party plug-ins.
Piano There are quite a few flavors of piano on the M1; two are multi-sampled acoustic versions, while the others include more pad-like textures, along with some recognizable electric pianos. That said, the piano du jour for the latest house tracks is the bright and tacky “Piano16”g— patch number 01 on a hardware model. This is 36
Keyboard 04.2015
the source of those stabby, comped chords in recent tracks like Mark Knight’s remix of the Basement Jaxx song “Never Say Never.”
Organ While there’s a plethora of organ sounds and variations in the M1—especially the extended collection of patches found only on the Legacy software version—purists will want to stick to the standard “Organ 1” and “Organ 2” options (presets 67 and 17 on an original unit). It’s worth noting here that “Organ 2” is the definitive bass organ sound from Robin S’s seminal house classic “Show Me Love.” Two additional organs, numbered 3 and 4, naturally, can be found on the later-issue M1EX hardware.
horns While there are quite a few familiar brass and reed sounds in the original M1 collection, the go-to horn patch of the house scene is preset 62, “Tenor Sax,” which appeared in quite a few ’90s house hits, but hasn’t been overdone in the modern era yet, so it’s still ripe for the picking—and I have no doubt that someone will have a major hit with it soon.
Percussion The M1 comeback isn’t just limited to keyboard sounds. If you listen closely to some of the latest tracks coming out of the European house scene, you’ll hear that the now standard TR-909-style kits are being augmented by a few classic M1 percussion sounds. Standouts here include its crisp and bright “FingerSnap” preset (69) and the metallic and slightly ethereal “Pole” preset (19).
Tweaks and edits Regardless of which M1 sounds you drop into your new house tracks, it is essential that you keep two things in mind when integrating them into your tracks. First off, the original M1 effects may not work in the context of modern production, especially if you’re using one of the organ presets for your bass sound. Savvy producers immediately attenuate or mute the effects and apply contemporary alternatives. Secondly, the M1 can be a tad flat right out of the box, so adding your favorite compressor or transient-shaping plug-in for added punch is a common trick to give these parts more presence and impact.
Audio examples.
keyboardmag.com/april2015
The latest organ machine springboards off the game changing B9 to mine another rich vein of classic gold and deliver 9 new, definitive sounds, featuring a collection of some of the coolest electric organ and vintage electronic keyboard
With its gain stage and signal path optimized for bassists and guitarists who want more low-end definition, this pedal’s clean boost and natural overdrive will really enhance your sound. Adjustable clean blend for maximum versatility plus boosted power rails for more headroom and definition. Active pickups? No problem with the switchable -10dB pad. Selectable true or buffered bypass, too!
Building on the legendary Octavia® vibe of the late 1960s, an incendiary octave up and fuzz that goes from understated to unrestrained transport you to a world of bell bottoms and purple haze. Volume, Boost and Octave controls let you dial in the right vintage tone. Switchable 24/9volt power rails bring on a tight or saggy sound. True bypass, too!
A truly super tremolo with powerful controls and signal routing. Sculpt the tremolo’s shape with adjustable sine, triangle and pulse waveforms while tap tempo and tap divide ensure synchronicity. Control your tempo with the Rate knob, Tap footswitch or through an external source. The envelope filter section gives you dynamic controlover both depth and rate which can increase or decrease with your input signal. Access factory rhythms or create your own rhythmic tremolos using the on-board sequencer while the LED array displays the pattern. Save and recall up to eight customized presets. Conjure moving tremolos on-the-fly with expression control over Rate, Depth, Shape, Phase and Volume. Stereo input/output lets you choose any combination of stereo/mono operation. Analog circuitry yields warm, lush tone that will envelop you in shape shifting waves.
sounds ever. Like the B9, it delivers precise control over percussive click, modulation, attack/sustain, drawbar setting and high frequency content. Transform your instrument or use together with the B9 for dual keyboard possibilities!
REVIEW
S O FT SY NTH
Snap Judgment PROS Innovative sample editing tools allow users to draw spectral data directly onto each sample. Broad array of new filter modes. New interface keeps all synthesis and modulation tools in a single window. Large 11GB library of useful sample data.
IZOTOPE
Iris 2 BY FRANCIS PRÈVE WHEN I FIRST REVIEWED IRIS IN 2012, IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. IRIS offered a fresh approach to synthesis that allowed users to “paint” directly into a sample’s spectral data, delivering wholly unique results unlike any hardware or software synth I knew of. Now, Iris 2 retains all of the original’s graphical editing functions, while expanding subtractive synthesis functions and vastly improving the modulation options. What’s more, Iris 2’s user interface is much more intuitive than its predecessor’s, with every function available from a single window. Let’s find out more.
Architecture Each sound in Iris 2 can consist of up to four samples (each with its own spectral editor) that can be layered, mixed, and/or split across the keyboard. The combined output of these sample engines feeds a resonant filter that offers 17 different modes. Four effects, consisting of distortion, chorus, delay and reverb, can be applied to the samples--either after the filter or via individual sends for each of the samples. Modulation includes five envelopes, five LFOs, eight macros, and a few MIDI performance control options. Combined with an 11GB library of samples ranging from Foley effects to samples of vintage gear, 38
Keyboard 04.2015
CONS Not 100 percent compatible with Iris 1 patches, which require a separate conversion app. Radius RT playback mode is CPU-hungry. Multisampling is limited to four key ranges.
the whole package is amazingly versatile, despite its unusual underpinnings.
Sample Engines Each of Iris 2’s sample layers is identical. While Iris 1 had three layers and an analog-style oscillator, Iris 2 now has four sample-based engines and no oscillator (which is offset by a huge collection of sampled analog oscillators, to be clear). Every sample includes its own visual frequency editor, which is based on iZotope’s RX spectrogram technology. When a sample is first imported, its waveform data is analyzed and displayed in FFT format. From there, graphic design tools like paintbrushes,
rectangular and lasso selection tools, and a “magic wand” that intelligently selects harmonics and related frequency groups, allow users to manipulate complex spectral data directly with immediately audible results. For example, painting in the upper area of the spectral display exposes the high frequencies, while applying those tools to the lower region exposes the bass content of a sample. The horizontal axis correlates with the sample’s timeline, so if you paint a bunch of evenly spaced dots from left to right, you’ll get rhythmic results.
Fig. 1. Iris 2’s mix window can be detached from the interface, allowing access to all four sample layers and the master filter simultaneously.
The coolest aspect of this approach is its immediacy and intuitiveness. If you take a sample of ocean waves, wind, or other natural ambiences, then paint freehand over it, the result will be an ethereal, evolving soundscape that would be nearly impossible to create using traditional synthesis tools. On the other hand, if you carve out a narrow block through the middle of the sample from start to finish, you’ll get a bandpass effect. Each of the samples also includes the usual looping functions (forward, back and forth, and the like) as well as being able to operate on one of three modes. Fixed mode plays back the sample with the same pitch, while resample mode functions much like a traditional sampler with the expected keyboard tracking. “Radius RT” mode takes things in a more modern direction, keeping the timing of the original sample while allowing keys to change the pitch. Granted, this mode is much more CPU-intensive, but for certain kinds of rhythmic patches, the results are truly impressive. The mixing tools for the four sample engines are what make Iris 2 so sonically compelling (see Figure 1). Each sample includes tuning, gain, and pan controls, as well the option of applying any of Iris’ four pre-filter send effects. You can also restrict the range of each of the samples to specific areas of the keyboard. Since there are only four samples to work with, Iris 2 can’t really perform traditional multisampling functions, so it’s better to think of this feature as a four-way split-andlayered keyboard. Even so, it allows for some really creative sound design effects, like enhancing the bass of a patch by adding a sine wave to the lowest octaves and gently mixing it in—or blending the highest frequencies of an air jet to the top octaves.
Synthesis Tools While the sample engines include only minor changes to the original Iris feature set, the subtractive synthesis tools have been completely revamped in major ways. For starters, there are
now 17 filter modes (compared to ten in version 1). These include two formant types and a selection of lowpass, highpass, and bandpass responses that are modeled after “New York” and “Tokyo” filters. These new modes really add a lot more flexibility and keep Iris competitive in this area. What’s more, the modulation tools have been completely redesigned. In the original version, each sample had its own dedicated amp envelope and LFO with pan, volume and pitch options (along with a filter envelope and additional global LFO). In Iris 2, the envelopes and LFOs are now freely assignable to almost every synthesis parameter, as well as every effect parameter. And since every parameter can accept up to three simultaneous inputs, this results in much deeper and complex sound design possibilities. In addition, the LFOs and envelopes have been updated. For example, the LFOs now include 26 waveform options. Some of these new waveforms are downright bizarre, like “pyramid” and “pinch.” Making the new waves even more useful is Iris 2’s ability to warp and twist the waveforms in real-time, with modulation inputs, to boot. For example, you can use LFO 2 to modulate the shape of LFO 1, then modulate its depth with velocity and send the result to a formant filter’s cutoff, or the both of the stereo delay times in different amounts, or all three destinations. Because, why not? Best of all, all of the modulation resources can be applied via drag-and-drop methods, much like NI Massive or Xfer Records Serum. And if you don’t like the results or want to modify the results further, you can switch to right-clicking for a slightly different approach. The only snag is that given all the new modulation features, iZotope had to sacrifice direct backward compatibility with version 1. This is unusual as soft synths go, and likely to be frustrating for power users with large collections of
original material. Not all is lost, though. If you have mission-critical needs for the Iris 1, both versions can peacefully co-exist on your drive. At the NAMM Show there was talk of iZotope releasing a converter app in the near future, but as of this writing, it hasn’t arrived.
Conclusions Every one of Iris 2’s new features is a meaningful improvement over the original. While I’ve heard some longtime users grumble that they wish there was more focus on iZotope’s spectral tools, you can’t have everything. Frankly, I’m most impressed by the fact that iZotope is committed to developing one of the most exotic yet enjoyable soft synths on the market. If you’re already a fan of Iris (and the compatibility issues aren’t a dealbreaker), then the upgrade is well worth it. And if you haven’t yet experienced the power of Iris, now is the time to give its demo version a much closer look. There’s really nothing else out there like it.
Bottom Line A one-of-a-kind soft synth that excels at exotic sound design. $299 list | $249 street | $99 upgrade from Iris 1 izotope.com
• Read our original review of Iris 1. • Download royalty-free loops created in Iris 2. keyboardmag.com/april2015 04.2015 Keyboard
39
REVIEW
GR OOV EB OX
Snap Judgment KORG
PROS Great collection of usable drums, stabs, and sound effects. Sample processing includes start/end, filtering, and attack-decay envelopes for pitch and amplitude. Built-in reverb and analog crossover/EQ section. Battery powered and portable. Built-in speaker.
Volca Sample BY FRANCIS PRÈVE
THE KORG VOLCA SERIES HAS DESERVEDLY EARNED MANY HARDCORE FANS since its arrival in 2013. These desktop synths’ analog innards and intuitive interfaces made them staples in the rigs of many synth geeks and EDM producers alike, and their portability has let me to take them to parks and coffee shops when my workflow needed a change of venue. I didn’t really expect another Volca to arrive on the scene this quickly, so when I first saw the Volca Sample I was curious as to how Korg would approach a digital addition to the otherwise analog lineup. After spending some good hands-on time, I came away impressed by how much fun a sample-based drum machine could once again be.
Engine and Sounds The Volca Sample packs an impressive sample engine into a remarkably small form factor. There are ten instrument slots (with a maximum of eight-voice polyphony), with each sample being 40
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processed by a useful array of tools, including sample start, sample length, reverse, non-resonant lowpass filter, speed (pitch), and two attackdecay envelopes for pitch and amp, as well as additional controls for volume and pan. While these
CONS No onboard user sample recording.
are pretty standard for samplers, the fact that every parameter has its own knob encourages experimentation in a big way. What’s even cooler about these features is that you can automate all of them via the Volca’s motion sequencing tools, which makes for some very complex one-bar grooves with a lot of unique character. The onboard collection of 100 samples covers a broad range of essential sounds for making dance music with a vintage vibe, thanks to the unit’s 31.25kHz sample rate. There are ten kicks including hard-compressed types and the ubiq-
AudioPocket With the free AudioPocket app, you can field-record audio directly from your iOS device, import audio into the Volca Sample from your computer in most popular formats, or restore any or all of the factory sounds in case you overwrite a sample slot inadvertently. The process is as retro as the Volca itself, since you have to plug in a 1/8" cable from your iPhone or iPad’s headphone out to the Volca’s sync input jack. If you’re old enough to remember storing synth presets to a cassette deck, the process feels eerily similar— but it works without a hitch. In addition to transferring samples, you can also update the unit’s firmware. The AudioPocket is quite clever as it also serves as a taster for potential Volca buyers. Since the app includes the entire factory sound bank with audio preview functions for each, you can download it from the iTunes store and hear exactly what sounds you’ll get if you buy a Volca Sample.
out drums in real time via the unit’s tiny touch panel (with automatic sixteenth-note quantization) or you can switch to classic X0X-style sequencing. I’ve always liked switching back and forth between the two as I work and the Volca method takes only a few minutes to master. Once you’ve created a pattern, you can switch to motion sequence mode and add automation to each of the drums individually. Getting the hang of motion sequences can be a bit tricky, since the Volca only records movements for one measure before returning to playback. The secret is to slow down the tempo as you record your moves—or do really detailed work in step mode. The live performance sequencing options are similar to the previous Volcas, as well. You can toggle steps on/off with Korg’s “active step” feature or switch to “step jump” mode and repeat specific steps in real time. In practice, both of these options are great for glitchy, stuttering effects. For part of my experimentation, I synced the Volca Sample with the Volca Beats analog drum machine and was immediately in groove heaven. While each device is impressive on its own, combining the two units created grooves that beautifully blended analog, digital, vintage and modern.
Conclusions uitous TR-808 sound, which, while quite long, can quickly be shortened with the amp envelope. The 12 snares include classic 808/909 along with some Linn/DMX style offerings. The eight claps also cover the classics, with an old digital drum machine sample that’s perfect for Prince-like claps, along with a lovely finger snap. Rounding out the drums are ten hats, crash, ride, six toms, and an array of now-standard electronic and acoustic percussion. From there, the Volca Sample moves into more musical territory with 40 additional samples of useful chords, stabs, and synth effects that seem tastefully curated for maximum versatility. I was a bit blown away by how such a relatively small sound set could cover everything from house music to old-school hiphop. Hats off to whoever oversaw the selection process for the factory samples, because they’re all top-notch and fantastic fodder for the Volca’s synth engine. While onboard audio recording is not present, you can import samples—up to the unit’s 4MB maximum—via a handy iOS app (see “AudioPocket” above). There’s also a third-party sample editor app, Caustic, for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, available for free at singlecellsoftware.com. The Volca Sample also includes two effects that are applied globally to the entire mix. There’s a basic integrated reverb with one-knob control over wet/dry mix and—unless my ears deceive 42
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me—what sounds like decay time. It’s a little cheesy, to be sure, but setting the knob between 9 and 12 o’clock delivers that classic lo-fi ambience. Better still, you can select which drums are affected, in an on/off manner that’s rather like having individual sends for each part. At the end of the Volca’s output chain is a pair of tone controls, collectively called the “Analogue Isolator.” I’ve seen other reviewers call these EQs, but from what I’m hearing, they sound more like crossover filters that are quite handy for limiting the master bandwidth in a decidedly warm and retro way. What’s more, if you manually twist the knobs rhythmically (sorry, no motion sequencing here) you can get pseudo-phaser effects.
Sequencing The Volca Sample’s sequencing tools build on the previous systems in intelligent and practical ways. For starters, Korg added the swing knob (huzzah!) that was noticeably absent from the earlier units. In addition, the Volca Sample now includes six “song” sequences and ten patterns. The only caveat is that the song memories allow a maximum of 16 one-bar sequences in their chain, and while the assembly process is a tad fiddly, it excels at creating simple grooves with a few fill or breakdowns for added spice. Creating the patterns themselves is pretty much identical to the earlier Volcas. You can tap
I wasn’t entirely sure that a non-analog Volca was going to be as engaging as the earlier models. Using the Volca Sample changed all that. Though it’s sample-based, it oozes character. The sounds are brilliant, even if you don’t have an iOS device to import your own sampled material. The synthesis and processing amenities cover all of the essentials and then some. The sequencer includes tons of automation tools, and the whole package is addictive and inspirational. If you loved the grungy MPC sound of the early ’90s, this box is a must-have.
Bottom Line An affordable, fun, and surprisingly powerful sample-based drum machine for the masses. $224 list | $159.99 street korg.com
Original royalty-free loops created on the Volca Sample. keyboardmag.com/april2015
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REVIEW
V I R TUA L V I NTAGE
Snap Judgment ARTURIA
Solina V BY FRANCIS PRÈVE
BACK IN THE ’70S AND EARLY ’80S, STRING MACHINES WERE AN ABSOLUTELY integral part of every keyboardist’s arsenal, and the ARP Solina String Ensemble was arguably the most popular of the lot. Based on the Eminent 310 electronic organ, its sound was so distinctive and ubiquitous that it transcended genres. Hits ranging from Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver” to The Buggles’ new-wave anthem “Video Killed the Radio Star” featured its ethereal, orchestral sound. Even progressive rock legends like Yes and Pink Floyd embraced the Solina’s unmistakable shimmer on seminal albums like Tormato and Wish You Were Here (respectively). With the introduction of programmable polyphonic synths such as the Sequential Prophet-5 and Roland Jupiter-8, the relatively limited string machine quickly fell out of favor, compounded by the fact that its sound had become associated with countless disco tracks. But now that vintage technology is all the rage, string synths are making a comeback in a big way. Even hardware manufacturers like Waldorf are getting into the game, with their recently released Streichfett desktop module (reviewed Nov. ’14). Arturia’s new Solina V is a lovingly crafted reproduction that includes several new features, giving it a much wider array of textures than the original without venturing too far off course.
Overview For purists, the original front panel of the Solina is identical, with just a few parameters governing the sound. As with its predecessor, the keyboard is pseu44
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do-splittable with contra bass and cello emulations in the lower half and viola, violin, trumpet, and horn in the upper half. Granted, the cello and bass sounds are essentially identical to the upper instruments, with different filtering being the real distinction. Like the lower half of the keyboard, the four upper instruments are all based on the same frequency-divided oscillators, so again, any significant sonic differences between the two boil down to filtering. The viola and violin are the source of the legendary string sound, with the viola being an octave lower than the violin. These can be combined by activating both switches, but as with the original ARP hardware, there’s no mix adjustment. You can add the trumpet or horn instruments to the strings for a slightly different character, imparting a bit more midrange. On their own, they’re not really horn-like—at all—but we’re talking about an instrument that arrived in 1974, so that’s not the point.
PROS Gorgeous re-creation of the Solina sound. Shimmering ensemble effect. Three-band resonator for sculpting your own variations. Convolution reverb includes a collection of vintage plate models. CONS New filter and envelope tools in bass section could be a bit more flexible.
Bottom Line The most authentic Solina string synth re-creation available. $129 list | $99 street arturia.com
As with the original, there are only two envelope parameters, “crescendo” and “sustain length,” which are simple attack and release controls. That’s it, but that’s fine, because the real star of the Solina show is its ensemble effect, which is arguably one of the most influential innovations in synthesizer history. The Solina ensemble was far more than a simple chorus and while there were many imitators during this era, the Solina’s implementation was the definitive version. For trivia buffs, the effect was created via three “bucket brigade” delays being simultaneously modulated by two LFOs at
different speeds, with each delay’s phase being offset by approximately 120 degrees. The end result was an incredibly deep, shimmering effect that gave the notoriously thin frequency-divided oscillators a lushness that made the Solina sound remarkably realistic for its time—especially if you then drenched it in plate reverb. Last but not least, Solina V includes the ensemble effects from the Mk. 1 (monaural) and Mk. 2 (stereo) units.
Arturia’s Additions Now that we’ve covered the original’s features— which Solina V captures perfectly—let’s delve into Arturia’s updates to the Solina engine. For starters, there are adjustable pitch-bend and modulation wheels. The modulation wheel works in conjunction with a new LFO that offers tremolo and vibrato for the upper instruments and cutoff modulation for the contra bass. There are five waveform options for the LFO: triangle, upward and downward saws, square, and random. Of course, the LFO rate can sync to your host tempo. Speaking of the contra bass, Arturia added some customization there as well. There’s a lowpass filter (modeled on a classic 24dB-per-octave ladder filter) with cutoff, resonance, and a simple envelope with attack, decay, and sustain
parameters. Despite these features, the filter retains the overall character of the Solina, so don’t expect any TB-303-like tricks here. It’s much more subtle than that and the result integrates nicely with the overall vibe of the software. Interestingly, there’s also a basic arpeggiator for the bass section that’s does all of the standard tricks, in case you’re using the stand-alone version of the software in a live stage rig. For the upper instruments, there’s a new resonator section that’s a little like a threeband EQ that’s based on filtering instead of equalization. This feature is based more on the Polymoog than the original Solina, but the end result gives allows for authentic-sounding customization of the basic tone generators. That is, the results of these filters are completely in line with overall tonality of a real Solina. The three filters can be switched (globally) between lowpass, highpass, and bandpass modes, creating a distinctive sound that’s also well-suited to vocal formant effects. Finally, the Solina V includes three additional effects: a chorus/phaser, two types of delay, and a convolution reverb with models of vintage plates and such. The reverbs here are really quite lovely and, combined with the phaser, really up the ante on the Solina’s vintage character.
Conclusions Priced at an affordable $99, Arturia Solina V is a lovingly crafted reproduction of the original. Frankly, they nailed it. The resonators and convolution reverb are intelligently implemented additions that add flexibility while remaining faithful to the sound of that era. If you’ve never heard a proper string machine, much less a Solina, you owe it to yourself to download the demo version from Arturia’s site. You’ll immediately recognize its ethereal, shimmering sound from countless hits, and more than likely find a little inspiration for your next track.
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REVIEW
AUD I O I NTER FAC E
Snap Judgment PROS Pristine converters with 118 dB dynamic range. Integrated UAD-2 DSP power for plug-ins. Included collection of UAD’s awardwinning plug-ins. Near-zero latency monitoring. Plug-ins can process both input and mixdown signals. CONS Mac-only at this time. Thunderbolt cable not included. Single Thunderbolt port means it must be last device in a daisy-chain.
Bottom Line State-of-the-art desktop recording interface and DSP accelerator at a price mortals can approach.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO
Apollo Twin Duo BY FRANCIS PRÈVE FEW MANUFACTURERS OF RECORDING GEAR HAVE THE STREET CRED OF Universal Audio. Between their studio processors and their range of DSP-powered plugins, they’ve got both the analog and digital markets in their pocket, and for good reason. Their devotion to quality has earned them celebrity accolades ranging from Deadmau5 to Phil Ramone. The original, rackmount Apollo audio interface (reviewed May ’13) has taken the high-end segment by storm, thanks to its combination of high-quality mic preamps and analog-to-digital converters with onboard DSP for UA’s extensive line of “Powered Plug-Ins.” The only caveat was the price: At $2,999 list for a quad-chip unit (and you could spend a lot more maxing out the plug-ins), it wasn’t strictly the province of rockstar producers, but still a bit high for many home-studio musicians on a budget. So the recent release of their Apollo Twin desktop interfaces—with street prices under a grand—was big news indeed. For this review, I tested the Apollo Twin Duo, which has two SHARC DSP processors compared to the Twin Solo’s single chip. Otherwise, the two are identical.
Overview The build and design of the Apollo Twin is both gorgeous and roadworthy, with a back panel that 46
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includes two combo XLR inputs (that also accept 1/4" TRS cables) for mic or line-level signals, two pair of TRS jacks for outputs and monitoring, an optical input that serves double-duty for S/PDIF and ADAT, DC power, and a single Thunderbolt port. The analog I/O is based on the same technology as the other Apollos, so it specs out at a magnificent 118dB dynamic range. In my studio, that quality was immediately apparent. One drawback is that the Twin’s single Thunder-
Apollo Twin Solo (one DSP): $879 list | $699 street Apollo Twin Duo (dual DSP): $1,129 list | $899 street uaudio.com
bolt port means that it has to come at the end of any chain of Thunderbolt devices you may have. This may pose a problem if you’re on an older Mac (or current MacBook Air) that also has just one port, and are using a Thunderbolt display that also has a single port. I wouldn’t say this is a deal-breaker, but it will be a consideration for some users. The Twin’s front panel controls include a large knob for adjusting gain and volume, along with an array of buttons that correspond with UA’s Console app for adjusting inputs, pad, phase, roll-off, and such. With all of these features in such a compact, portable and lightweight package, the Twins are shoo-ins for touring artists and mobile recording applications.
Unison It’s great to see Universal Audio actively cultivating the Apollo series with new features like Unison, which was introduced with the Solo and Duo Twin products (but also works with software-updated original Apollos). Integrating with the Console app and internal processing, Unison allows these Apollos to model vintage preamps at the recording inputs for tracking. This felt like a magical feat indeed, consid-
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Fig. 1. UA’s “Unison” modeling technology causes the interface’s actual preamps to model plug-ins such as this included 610-B, letting you track through emulations of vintage preamps, compressors, and EQs as though they were hardware. The important and surprising thing: It totally works.
percent identical to a real one, but goes one better with the inclusion of an output knob, allowing you to create some lovely overdrive effects that are impossible on a real 610. I’m an owner, so naturally I did a head-to-head with both and in my production rig I could discern no meaningful difference between the two. Truly impressive. UA currently offers additional preamp emulations for purchase, including Neve and API. While I didn’t test these, if the immaculate behavior of the 610 is any indication, they’ll deliver the goods in authoritative fashion.
Included Plug-Ins ering that the latency was imperceptible to my ears while recording a wide variety of sources including microphones, electric guitars, and hardware synths. The Apollo Twins come standard with a model of the UA 610-B tube preamp, which is sonically 99
In addition to the 610-B preamp, the Twins also include a variety of emulations of legendary products like the Softube Amp Room Essentials, 1176 Limiter, Pultec Pro Equalizer, and Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amp, along with the CS-1 Channel Strip and RealVerb Pro. I may sound like I’m gushing here, but the
sound of these virtualizations is breathtaking—so much so that I went back and grabbed a finished remix I was about to submit and did another mastering pass with the Pultec, immediately giving the final result a noticeably warmer sheen, despite the fact that I’d only added a miniscule amount of EQ. It’s worth mentioning that UA routinely incentivizes retailers to offer special bundles and coupons for more Powered Plug-Ins, and often has similar sales on their own web store. So depending on when you buy, your money may net you more than the above.
Conclusions Until I got my hands on the Apollo Twin a few months ago, I’d been a fan of competing high-end desktop interfaces, notably Apogee’s Duet and Quartet. In the span of a few weeks, the Apollo Twin has completely reversed those preferences. Between their hardware specs, Unison preamps, and included collection of classic processors, the UAD Apollo Twins are quite possibly the best two-channel interfaces in their class. Yes, you’ll pay more for the privilege of working with this level of quality, but you’ll also be in the company of some of the top producers on the planet. This is one of the few instances where I can really say that a product that’s not itself a musical instrument will actually make your music sound better right out of the box.
FAIR USE IS FAIR PLAY You may know Harvey Mason Jr. as the award-winning songwriter and producer for superstars like Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. But you may not know that Harvey buys all the software he uses to help create his magic. Harvey 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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Keyboardist and composer Andy Ezrin has performed and recorded with artists such as Joe Jackson, the New York Voices, and Steve Tyrell. His most recent album is What Speaks to Me, and he is currently readying a new solo piano album entitled Dusk. Find out more at facebook.com/andy.ezrin.
swell a bit for entrances, and taper off for ends of phrases. You can also use the expression pedal to make split-second dynamic adjustments while you are playing with both hands.
5 Being A SANDRINE LEE
THINGS T HINGS II’VE ’VE LEARNED L EARNED ABOUT A BOUT
Virtual Orchestra BY ANDY EZRIN
OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS AS A LIVE AND SESSION KEYBOARD PLAYER, I’VE been fortunate to have worn a multitude of musical hats, playing myriad different keyboards in a wide variety of settings. For the past seven years, I’ve been touring as a “virtual orchestra,” emulating the sound of a real orchestra with samples and a laptop for artists like Chris Botti and others. Coming to this new role as a pianist, I am able to rely on my previous experience as an accompanist for singers, using the knowledge of how to support them with just the right amount of musical information to express a lyric or song. I’ve also been inspired by listening to film composers and by writing music for film and television myself. Here are five ideas that can help you support a band orchestrally and teach you to add different sonic landscapes to an ensemble’s sound.
1.
Start with the Basics
There are endless software libraries of wild sounds to draw from these days, but make sure that you start with basic sounds that work for most occasions, like string, brass, and woodwind section sounds. I usually begin with a solid, sustained string orchestra section sound that is based on a good mix of string sounds that have different qualities to them. Then, by way of a real-time MIDI controller, I am able to mix in things like French 50
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horns and woodwinds on the fly. Depending on the situation, I also like to add in some ethereal sounds that evolve over time.
2.
Make Friends with Your Expression Pedal
Often times, samples can sound static. But by using your expression pedal, you can make musical phrases “breathe.” Think in terms of long, sustained phrases and use your expression pedal to
3.
Simplicity Always Works
4.
Think Like an Arranger
5.
Be Flexible
When playing live, always try to streamline complex ideas from a recording. Remember that while you may not be able to emulate an entire 90-piece orchestra, you can take the main line or idea of a musical passage and flesh it out to fit something that feels more natural to play on a keyboard. When coming up with my own parts, I like to play only what may be “missing” from a song. Sometimes fewer notes in a chord, or one sustained note in a high register, is just what’s needed. As time goes on, your arrangements can and will evolve. But starting simple is always a good idea.
Play in ranges that aren’t being used by other chordal instruments in your band, and try not to play string/horn sounds in a pianistic way. Listening to the background parts of recordings will help you to get a better understanding of how string and horn sections move as a whole. Remember that you can get a lot of musical mileage from just the right sound and a few sustained notes.
Be ready to change or alter your sounds at a moment’s notice. Often times, you will need to come up with an entirely new concept on the spot, so have alternate sounds that you are comfortable using available to load at the drop of a hat. The more flexible and in-the-moment you are able to be, the more indispensible your skills will become to your band and others.
Andy Ezrin and the New York Voices perform “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” keyboardmag.com/april2015
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