Allan in NE

Allen, I really like your music, but I would like to know about the background music. It adds a lot, how is it done.
Thanks, Dennis in IL

Hi Neighbor,

Good question! People are always asking me where I get my backing tracks. I don’t have any backing tracks. :>)

I use a somewhat dated technology called "midi". Stands for "musical instrument device interface".

I.E. A musical instrument can be made to communicate with any other "midi" instrument and this technology can be used to generate wanted tones on the fly.

Since music is nothing more than certain tones/instruments/volumes happening at exact times, these tones can be "programmed", manipulated and made to happen at the exact times wanted within any given song.

Downside is that it takes a lot of expensive equipment and even more labor/time/hair-pulling to make it happen exactly like I want it to. One song will usually take me anywhere from 3 weeks to sometimes months to program.

Here's a screen shot of the bass programming for just 6 measures of an intro. This "sequence of events" is then fed from the electronic clock of my laptop into a tone generator; the flat gizmo in the second picture. This little guy will then generate the bass and the drum sounds for me.

I know, I know. I've never been able to explain it very well. :<(

All I can tell ya is that it took me 10 years to figure it all out and make it work as it should with the end result being that I and I alone can play the whole darned she-bang and do it with absolutely nothing being pre-recorded.

It all happens instantaneous and live and at that point all I have to do is play that goofy guitar over the top of it all. :>)

Allan

Thanks Allen. I understand the theroy, but have no idea how to do it. I have some of your music on my MP3 player. If you ever put out a CD, I want one.

Dennis

Allan. I have a question. Why are you a farmer?
Yeh I know because you want to farm.
gitrib

Great try Alan , But I never got past the fifth fret

I have no idea "what you talkin bout"

All music you play sounds wonderful though!
I guess we made some pleasing noise some say we were good , some were too drunk to care in earlier times .-- LOL
Wish I could play as good as your bad times.

Can ya get some vocal in there ? Bet yer just bashful.

This one is up there Roy; totally off the cuff, but I had promised a feller I'd do it for him. :>)

Allan
Kind of a vocal

Well all I got to say is I know what you mean about the dry mic.
You dont have a problem some, like me need the extra effects to make em sound good. you can pass it through very nicely.

I really like your style of pickin too , My dad tried to get me to do that and that is why I started out on the wash board for rhythm.

Funny though when I went into service I made up my mind to play guitar. Learned 3 chords in "C" played some of the songs we used to sing at home. Boy was I proud when I got home . found out I had to start all over again because my brother played most of his songs in "D" and Dad in " A" . I am still at a big loss for Barred chords and age makes it now more difficult to play the , To you "elementary style" Music we did .

When on stage and we come to a chord I didn't know I'd scratch my nose, drop my pick, or something to get around it ---LOL left the others sound sweet without the sour one in there .

Oh And I forgot to say it is 10;43 PM here and I cant remember what time it was 5 min ago so I had to use a"cheat sheet" to sing, get flustered otherwise ,and forget words.

Great job Allen! Lets have some more vocals.
Dennis

Hmmm,

Thanks, but I kinda ran into a bit of a brick wall when I tried to record with the digital recorder. Gonna have to do some "studing up" on this part of it.

I've got another little box full of wires and gizmos that I hook into my mic signal. It will take the vocal signal, analyize it, calculate the frequencies, compare them to what I'm playing on the guitar and then dump a harmony voice(s) right back into the vocal mix; all at the speed of light.

In effect, I can sing harmony with myself.

Sounds pretty darned sweet when I'm playing live or if I record the vocal with an old-fashioned tape deck.

Don't know why, but fer some reason, when I use a digital recorder, the vocal, when fed thru this thing along with being fed thru the vocal filters, will come out sounding like a tubful of barn cats being shoved thru a feed grinder.

Gotta figure this one out. Guess I've got another project for next winter. :>)

Allan