# Any budding musicians out there?



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

When I'm not complaining about my car's reliability, or blowing wads of dosh on TVs, I like to relax by writing my own music.
It's something I've done since I was about the age of 12, when I got my first Commodore Amiga, and used a program called Octamed.

Things have progressed since then, and now I use my laptop, Cool Edit Pro, Reason 3, and an Evolution MK449C (basically a musical keyboard that doesn't have any built in sounds, but is used as a MIDI controller to record what I play in Reason.

I've completed a handful of tracks since getting the new Evolution Midi Controller, and thought I'd share them with you, and also invite other budding musicians to share their compositions.
My main influence is dance music, but I do have a very eclectic taste in music, so I don't *just* write dance stuff.
Feedback (positive and negative) is always welcome.

First up is a track called "Discord".
This track is a funky house track, using 70's guitars.
I wanted this track to be quite a commercial sounding track, as well as being something you could dance to in a club.

Download here - 5.53MB

Next up is a track called "Burnin 4 U", which features a sample from the start of Linkin Park's "Somewhere I belong".
This was the first track I wrote with the new keyboard.
This one has more of a French Filtered House feel to it.

Download here - 4.60MB

The next track is called "Let me", and isn't a dance track.
It has a "Death In Vegas" sound to it (IMHO), with vocals that I think fit in pretty well. I like the heavily filtered guitar sound in this track.

Download here - 4.50MB

Back to another dance track now, this one sounding a bit old-skool.
I loved the harmonies in the vocal samples used in this track, so I wrote the track around the vocals.

Download here - 4.60MB

Another dance track, but this one with a Latin flavour to it.
In this track, I tried to play the main melody using the keyboard to sound like it was being played on an actual guitar. Not the easiest task in the world! I also tried a similar thing with the trumpet sound.

Download here - 5.10MB

And to finish it off, a simple, short piano piece.

Download here - 2.10MB

Rogue


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## saint (Dec 6, 2002)

12!! Yikes - I got my first Amiga when I was in my 20's - lol - but remember Octamed well and was only listening to Amiga samples last week.

But atleast I know now what you do at work!


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## ADB (May 7, 2002)

synthesised music, tsk................


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

ADB said:


> synthesised music, tsk................


Well, let's here yours then, smart @rse.

Rogue


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> When I'm not complaining about my car's reliability, or blowing wads of dosh on TVs, I like to relax by writing my own music.
> It's something I've done since I was about the age of 12, when I got my first Commodore Amiga, and used a program called Octamed.
> 
> Things have progressed since then, and now I use my laptop, Cool Edit Pro, Reason 3, and an Evolution MK449C (basically a musical keyboard that doesn't have any built in sounds, but is used as a MIDI controller to record what I play in Reason.
> ...


Hey Rogue,

Not all entirely my bag, but I appreciate your originality and creativity. And it is alaways nice to hear music made by someone one knows (if only virtually).

Its now nn the pod. Keep it up. 

I really wish I had been forced to play a musical instrument as a kid in the same way that I wish I had been made to learn a second language.

In a related vein, my grilfriends kids are really into Kraftwerk (I got them singing along to 'The Model' in the car). They really like th simple tunes and simple elctronic sounds (as do I). Question. Can I get a cheap package for my home PC that they can use it as a synthesiser and sequencer - poss with a small keyboard (or use screen) , to make their own digital music files? I am sure you can, just dont know where to look.

Ta


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Hi Gary.

Cheers for your comments, and taking the time out to download and listen.
The sequencing software I use (Reason 3 by Propellerhead) is a fantastic "home studio" solution, as it feature everything you need to create your own tracks.
It can be quite daunting to use at first, but perseverance and practice is the key.
It's so much better than the usual "loop" type music making programs, where all you're doing is joining samples of other folks work together, rather than playing your own melodies etc.
Keyboard-wise, I bought This one.
Excellent value for money, and you could also buy a smaller one, minus the faders and knobs.

Reason includes two built-in synthesisers which allow you to make your own instrument sounds, and you can also download hundreds of re-fills for it which give you thousands of synth sounds, including Korg and Juno synths (similar to Kraftwerk).

If you want a copy of Reason to get them started, PM me and I'll send one out for you to "trial".
Take note though, that you WILL need a MIDI keyboard, or MIDI controller like the Evolution to actually play notes into Reason.

Cheers,
Rogue


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## ADB (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> ADB said:
> 
> 
> > synthesised music, tsk................
> ...


Apologies but I simpy hate synthesised music - give me real musicians any day - even if they aren't 100%.......

I haven't recorded anything for about 8 years and when I did there were usually about 5 of us - all actually playing instruments :roll:

I know a LOT of people like this kind of stuff, it just ain't for me, sorry.

Andy


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## moley (May 14, 2002)

Rogue,

I'm pretty impressed with your creations. Well done. It's something I've always wanted to do.

I bought a Korg X5 several years ago and tinkered around using Cubase. But not long after, I started a part time MSc course so thought I better put it away so I could get down to some serious work. After 5 years  I finally finished my MSc but still haven't got the Korg out. Must do it soon, but I'll be nowhere near your standard.

I think there are a few other musical types on here.

Moley


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## moley (May 14, 2002)

Just had a look at what Cool Edit Pro (now called Adobe Audition) and Propellerheads Reason 3 and both seem to be high end amateur/semi pro applications, at least judging by the cost 

As garyc said, are there any cheaper (or even free) applications that would be suitable for a beginner like me? I've had a look at www.hitsquad.com and they seem to have lots a shareware and demo applications, but I wouldn't know which one to start with.

Also how and where do you get your samples from?

Cheers.

Moley


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Very impressed with your compositions Rogue.

Learning a musical instrument is something I wish I had done when I was at school. Toyed with the idea of learning the piano/keyboards a few years ago but I never did get round to it. How difficult is it to learn the basics of playing the piano/keyboards?


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

The Silver Surfer said:


> Very impressed with your compositions Rogue.
> 
> Learning a musical instrument is something I wish I had done when I was at school. Toyed with the idea of learning the piano/keyboards a few years ago but I never did get round to it. How difficult is it to learn the basics of playing the piano/keyboards?


I started off tinkering about with my Grandad's old Yamaha keyboard when I was younger, and what I did was try to replicate tunes that I heard (i.e. the Eastenders tune) purely by going on what "sounded" right.
I took Standard Grade music at school, and chose keyboard and drums as my two instruments.
In 5th year, I started to learn to play the piano, but I got offered a job and had to leave school.

Personally, I find reading music very difficult, and tended to learn music off by heart for playing at shows and for exams and stuff.
My wee sister is great at reading music but I always struggled.
I found learning to play piano very difficult, as you have to read two lines of music at once (bass cleff for your left hand and treble cleff for your right).

@ADB

I know what you mean about hearing "real" musicians, although I consider synth/keyboard players to be real musicians too.
I'd rather watch the intensity of a band like The Mars Volta doing Inertiactic ESP live on stage than watch one guy playing a keyboard, but the guy playing the keyboard would always make me dance.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say 

Rogue


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> Hi Gary.
> 
> Cheers for your comments, and taking the time out to download and listen.
> The sequencing software I use (Reason 3 by Propellerhead) is a fantastic "home studio" solution, as it feature everything you need to create your own tracks.
> ...


Thanks Rogue - I am going to give this some serious thought - do you think the midi keyboard and SW could be used by an 11 year old?

I may PM you, later in week, with some more questions, if that is not too much hassle.

I'd really like to get the kids going on fun music making, and of course have a go myself.... :wink:


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

garyc said:


> Rogue said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Gary.
> ...


If anyone can do it, an 11 year old kid can.
They could probably show ME a thing or two about the software in a few weeks  
You can buy books about Reason too, to get you started.
There are also loads of websites by Reason fans.

I don't mind answering any questions you have.

Rogue


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

Hey fella,

Some nice tunes here... I'm very impressed. They're all downloaded and in iTunes.... even have your avatar in as the artwork 
If I may be so bold as to offer some comments...

Discord - A great track, funky and seemed similar to some Hed Kandi stuff I've been listening to recently...  also had a chilled vibe to it which made for a nice balance - Gets my 'best tune' vote [smiley=thumbsup.gif] 
LetMe - I thought the underlying riff to LetMe was a bit slow, and kinda wanted to speed things up a little.... it is growing on me though!
Burnin 4U - A nice tune, reminded me a little of Roger Sanchez' Another Chance (bizzarely enough it came on after it  )
MoveYourBody - Another great track, could imagine listening to this at any Gatecrasher event...
Movin - I thought this was more old skool than MoveYourBody, and reminiscent of Deee-Lite, which is no bad thing!

I can see these being added to my 'topless summer evenings' playlist... keep 'em coming 8)


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

thejepster said:


> Hey fella,
> 
> Some nice tunes here... I'm very impressed. They're all downloaded and in iTunes.... even have your avatar in as the artwork
> If I may be so bold as to offer some comments...
> ...


Cheers for the comments mate.
Very much appeciated.
I've got about 7 other tracks that I've started and not got round to completing yet, but I'll host them for downloading when (and if!!) I get them finished too.

If I had to pick a favourite of my own, it would be Discord.
I was very pleased with how it turned out, and I got so "into the zone" when writing it that it was finished in under a week.

Rogue


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## purplett (Dec 9, 2002)

listening to them now... I use cubase sx etc
I'll get back to you
Andy


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## purplett (Dec 9, 2002)

Roguey old chap
Firstly my credentials. I've been a hobbyist recording superstar since I was 14 with my Teac A3340 4 track reel to reel using guitar, Korg Trident MkII and a drum machine that had only 4 sounds - BD, SD HHopen and HH closed. What was it called??? That was 1977 and I've dabbled on and off since producing around 50 finished songs and a million scrapped ideas. I haven't recorded one for a couple of years now (but planning on getting back into it this year!). I use Cubase SX, Celemony Melodyne (yes I sing!!!) and guitar DI'd into the sound card.

My critique is mainly positive. I can't fault the sonic quality (I used to mix from 4 track onto cassette - very muddy). The panning is just about right, and the balance across the mix i.e. low medium high is full and easy on the ear. Yes, the guitar in Let Me is superb, sounds stretched to me which works really well.

But, and this is just my honest opinion, and you did ask, they're just not songs. Bear with me, I'm not _that _old and I still listen to Stiff Little Fingers so I'm cool ok !!!

I'm afraid I know how tempting it is to get a good sample and build a song around it cutting and pasting to get the basic structure then adding more samples then dropping some out, bringing just the bassline back and ending up where you were when you started. I like songs to have a hook, a catchy line that is memorable, but not repeated copy / paste throughout the song. Also I'm a huge believer in choruses, oh and if it's not obvious by now, a bit of singing. Dance music has its place, but for me it's all a bit emperor's new clothes. To be honest, the creativity involved in a lot of dance music is as a result of hearing a sound, riff, drum loop, guitar sample, piano chord sequence or whatever and stopping the creativity after finding that. That _should _be where the creativity starts.

This actually isn't a direct swipe at your stuff mate, it's a middle aged rant about dance music. *Yours is as good as anything I've heard anywhere*, I just wish dance music went somewhere and didn't rely on the bass drum quite so much. Light and shade, build to a feelgood chorus or create space and use minor chords to set the mood - then break out of it with an uplifting major sequence. You're a musician, use your undoubted skill to give the music passion and purpose. Your music is technically spot on, would undoubtedly keep the dancefloor busy, but it does sound too clinical for me with little to maintain interest.

I really hope you take the above as heartfelt genuine opinion from someone who can't sing, is a barely adequate musician and is 42 years old!! Use your setup to write a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle 8, chorus, song - go on, give it a try!

Flame room anyone :lol: 
Andy


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

purplett said:


> Roguey old chap
> Firstly my credentials. I've been a hobbyist recording superstar since I was 14 with my Teac A3340 4 track reel to reel using guitar, Korg Trident MkII and a drum machine that had only 4 sounds - BD, SD HHopen and HH closed. What was it called??? That was 1977 and I've dabbled on and off since producing around 50 finished songs and a million scrapped ideas. I haven't recorded one for a couple of years now (but planning on getting back into it this year!). I use Cubase SX, Celemony Melodyne (yes I sing!!!) and guitar DI'd into the sound card.
> 
> My critique is mainly positive. I can't fault the sonic quality (I used to mix from 4 track onto cassette - very muddy). The panning is just about right, and the balance across the mix i.e. low medium high is full and easy on the ear. Yes, the guitar in Let Me is superb, sounds stretched to me which works really well.
> ...


Mate, there'll be no flaming from me, as I think your critique is spot on.
I totally agree about the comments regarding the structure of the tracks.
The main thing for me when I'm writing a dance track is "would I dance to it?" so I tend to write stuff that is mostly non-commercial or poppy, but that would (hopefully) appeal to clubbers.

I've written a non-dance track which has a chorus in it too, and I even started writing lyrics for the track, although I haven't come up with lyrics for the chorus yet.
I can't sing for toffee though, so I've used an instrument to play the notes that should be sung.
Give me a few minutes and I'll upload it and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks again for taking the time to listen and comment on the tracks.
Your feedback has been spot-on.

Rogue


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

OK, it's uploaded.
Bear in mind this is the first time I've ever written lyrics!

*Lose my way*

Never thought it would be easy
Thatâ€™s not how itâ€™s meant to be
Canâ€™t believe the love Iâ€™m feeling
And youâ€™re feeling it for me

Chorus
[unwritten yet]

Never thought it could be so bright
A ray of hope, in a world of pain
With you to lead me through my darkness
Iâ€™ll never lose my way again

Download it here - 3.49MB

Rogue


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## purplett (Dec 9, 2002)

Phew, glad you took that the right way 

OK, I can't listen now at work, so I'll have a listen tonite. I can send you some MP3s of my efforts. That'll cheer you up!!!

I haven't sorted a hosting location like you, but can e-mail them if you're interested. PM me.

Regards
Andy


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

My first project is going to be a lyrical re work of a Chris De Berk song.

working title "The Ladyboy in Red"

will sample some dumb whale noises and loop them, then use the House of Commons rustle of voting papers sampled as hi hats.

Oh and it will be at death thrash metal grindcore speed.

Bit of work to do.... :wink:


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## purplett (Dec 9, 2002)

Following Rogue's demonstration of musical prowess I've uploaded my stuff on www.purplett.com If you like laughing, you'll like these!!!

Any feedback welcome [smiley=drummer.gif]

Andy


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## moley (May 14, 2002)

purplett said:


> Following Rogue's demonstration of musical prowess I've uploaded my stuff on www.purplett.com If you like laughing, you'll like these!!!
> 
> Any feedback welcome [smiley=drummer.gif]
> 
> Andy


Andy,

Listened to most of them tonight - in summary, another talented musician. Well done.

I think you've improved with age - some of your later compositions show a lot more confidence. I like your use of some of the samples and re-work of some well know "tunes".

"5-19" is really catchy and I found myself humming it. It's got a bit of a sound track feel to it.

Your vocals and the use of the vocaliser works well - I think you're one of the few musically orientated on here that actually do vocals.

At this rate, you guys should be able to do a bit of a gig at the next national meet - for charity at least 8)

Moley


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## purplett (Dec 9, 2002)

Cheers Moley, thanks.
The improvement over the years is partly confidence and partly better technology.

5-19 isn't mine, it's a song by Rialto - a band I don't know much about but their soundtrack style is very prevalent and I love it and wanted to a copy to see if I could emulate it.

Yup, lots of treatment on the vocals to get a thicker sound to compensate for a weak voice.

******** gig... hmmm 8)

Andy


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Here's another track I've finally gotten round to finishing.
This is the second mix I've completed of this track, as the original and the first mix just didn't seem right.

This track is another dance track, and uses 2 guitar samples from "Run to you" by Bryan Adams.
I've tried out a few new processes and effects with this one too, and enjoyed working on this particular mix.

Download here - 4.80MB

Rogue


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Just thought I'd share my latest track with you all.

This one has a bit more of an electro vibe to it, and is called "Complex".

Download here - 4.07MB

Rogue


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