August 3, 2007
Distractions
It's been very, very quiet on the Korg Blog front. I'm wondering if I should change this to a general music technology blog. But then again, my knowledge beyond Korg, Apple software and Macs is a bit limited, so maybe I should just leave it as it is.
So maybe I should just start linking to other music-related gadgets to keep my readers suitably distracted. Here's a cool record player that can digitise your retro music collection. I don't own any vinyl but maybe some of you do.
- Plays and downloads all size vinyl to digital
- Built-in speaker for stand-alone use
- Mains and battery operated
- Integrated dust-cover storage case, with handle
It's going for 99 quid but I seriously wonder if it's made in China and I can get it for cheaper. If I wanted to.
Posted by vantan at 11:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 15, 2006
Bringing back the Korg Blog
Yes it's been ages since my last post. That's because it's been ages since the last development.
I now have a new band, tentatively called the Moon Jumpers and we play fusion jazz.
I have not worked on a Logic production for the longest time. Will try to do something about that, soon.
Posted by vantan at 1:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 4, 2005
Moving studio
I'm busy moving back into the repainted, revarnished studio. I carried both Korg workstations, the stand, the G5 CPU, the 20" display, and the desk (that was the hardest of all).
The last thing that needs to be done (apart from wiping all the rest of the equipment and scratching the paint drops off my cables), is to build a longish box that will hide all the cables along the base of the wall.
It was a tough day at work and with friends, but tonight I feel kind of liberated.
Posted by vantan at 11:53 PM
February 21, 2005
Songwriting update
I learnt a lot in Logic today.
I finally figured out how to split up each track (e.g. keyboards, bass, strings) into different audio recordings and apply separate effects to them. Previously I'd do it in the Triton Extreme although there were limitations (2 effects per track) and it was a little difficult to configure on a relatively smaller screen.
It still is tedious where there are many tracks which need to be recorded separately. However I did manage to do a final mix (in Logic speak, it's called a 'Bounce') of one new smooth jazz track I started writing on 20/2/05, "Somebody's Baby". I actually have lyrics for the chorus. Wow. Now I just have to write a few verses and there is a hook. Yeah. The sax still sounds a little sucky and overtamed. I think I need to study the intricacies of woodwind instruments in more depth.
Also I am working on Ridin', the Bob James-inspired track which is still 2/3rds complete. No good ideas at the moment, so why spoil it with an obligatory, half-hearted finish? While it has its own distinctive melody, it can still be easily mistaken for one of James's own. Maybe I should bluff people and tell them it's from his latest album, and if they can't tell the difference then I've written and produced it well enough.
Now before my Korg Blog readers (all 0 of them) think I've gone back to doing only smooth jazz, circa Bristol 1997-8, I should let you know this is not the case.
I actually completed (COMPLETED! FINISHED!) one alternative track called 'Smile' - for want of a more appropriate title until I write the rest of the lyrics. It was written for someone a while ago and I never got round to getting it down on paper or keyboard. Actually it's been years. Anyway, I hope it suits the style of the person and I really mean what I say in the lyrics.
Smile, however, has to be reformulated in Logic as the electric guitar needs to be on 'Overdrive'. I would also like to figure out the new Guitar Amp Pro effect/plug-in in Logic Pro 7. It actually has different UK and US guitar sounds, and the UK style does sound more 'alternative' while the US style sounds more clean and 'pop'. This is because the song has a powerful chorus and any less than a cracking roar from the guitar would not do it justice (think of Radiohead's Creep).
Another work in progress is 'What Could It Take' which is one of those umpteen hopelessly-in-love songs I've written. Lyrics are half done. I had the tune in my mind for a year or two but never bothered getting it down. Deja vu? This song goes into my Stereotype album which probably has the most interesting lyrics - since it was meant to be my protest album (circa Bristol 1999-2000 and beyond) against the social establishment and prejudices. If you like Beck and other eccentricities, you might like this album.
This particular album is getting overcrowded so I might have to throw out a few songs. I think if I ever released this, 1) some zealots might want to excommunicate me for singing about the mind of a fallen angel, and 2) I would have a bunch of homophobes knocking at my door because of an irritatingly catchy gay-pride-rally song.
Before my fellow fans of Lush 99.5FM start to back slowly away, let me assure you that my foray into dance and electronica is still alive and well. The only problem is, I don't know when to stop looping my 8-bar tracks. They sound pretty funky. Maybe after a hundred loops they may wear off on you. But I managed to do drum and bass! And chillout! Woohoo. Now if I only had a Flash trailer to animate.
As a Jamiroquai fan, I couldn't resist remixing 'Space Cowboy' - my favourite all-time track by the band. No particular influence, although you can imagine this being in an Import album in That CD Shop.
And now to the type of listener who prefers slower, simpler tunes - which probably makes up the majority of you. I worked on a chirpy Lisa Ono-inspired piece. It's crying out for verse lyrics and the chorus lyrics need some fine-tuning. But I assure you it's pleasing and will make you feel like jumping around in the grass in bunny slippers.
OK I shall call it a night. 'Night'.
Posted by vantan at 11:59 PM
January 3, 2005
What Can I Do
I just finished recording the first 2/3rds of 'What Can I Do' for the alternative-style album, Stereotype. It's a song about insecurity in love. I wrote it when I was in Bristol. It was first produced on my KORG 01/W but I can assure you it sounds quite different on my Triton now.
This new production started out sounding a little limp, but after some tweaks and blending modern synths with traditional bongo drums it actually sounds quite cool, in the depressing way I meant it to be.
Influences for this song: Air and Beck. If you heard it you'd understand why. Of course I'd like to think there is also a unique Van Tan sound blended with it. Stereotype is probably the album that you can chill out the most to.
Posted by vantan at 12:40 AM
December 13, 2004
Two songs in one night
Well, inspiration suddenly hit me today and now I have written one ballad in one night! It's called Like Someone In Love, a simple, slow tinkle on the piano. Imagine a girl with rosy cheeks and a smile that shows she knows she's in love. No, it isn't me and it isn't anyone I know, but that's how the song goes. No lyrics yet but the main melody's going to carry the title. [Deleted the word 'Like' because it turns out there's already such a song by both Bill Evans and Bjork. Thank God my tune is different!]
I also wrote the chorus tune to a rousing alternative song that sounds very much like what a British band might play. Not as dark as Radiohead but perhaps Oasis. Can't get the electric guitar riff but I managed to pull off acoustic strumming along with the piano. Would love to make the drums a little more smashing, I guess I'll figure out how to do that when I mix each track individually.
Posted by vantan at 10:30 PM
September 21, 2004
Complicated problem
I'm in a slightly complicated situation because my equipment's been split into two. This is what I have, here in the apartment:
- Korg Triton Extreme (keyboard with MIDI and a gazillion power sounds)
- PowerMac G5 dual 2.0Ghz processor, 1MB RAM
- Apple 20" Cinema Display
- Bose computer speakers (enough to do the job at the moment)
- Music software: Reason, Logic and GarageBand (which is now blacklisted for not being able to export my songs back into MIDI format. Boo, Apple!)
What I have, tucked away in the house studio:
- Korg 01/W (MIDI keyboard with decent sounds; served me well for nearly ten years)
- Korg D1600 hard disk recorder with built-in Yamaha CD writer (the biggest white elephant in my setup thus far)
- Shure 58 microphone. All the above are linked, directly or indirectly to my...
- Mackie 12 track mixer (small but keeps our home entertainment system in check)
- Big Pioneer speakers (enough to keep Warren G happy)
Right now I have a new song, split into 9 tracks thus far, sequenced originally in Reason, exported into MIDI, imported into Logic, re-arranged in Logic. Logic transmits data to my Korg Triton Extreme, where I have saved program info for each track (e.g. Track 1 > Electric Piano).
But unlike in Reason where all the sequencing gets recorded instantly to an audio file, Logic relies on my Korg keyboard to output the music. So far, the only way I can record my song to an audio format, is to record each track from Logic, one by one, into my keyboard and then export it to WAV. It's do-able but a little troublesome if you have many tracks in each song to 'layer'. I don't see myself doing this for every song I produce in future.
As a short cut, I tried selecting 'Master track' in my Korg track settings to see if I could do everything all at once, but was told I cannot record that way. Any better ideas?
Posted by vantan at 10:21 PM
September 18, 2004
Those whatever thingies
Now I've managed to get Logic giving instructions to my Triton Extreme, my jazz teacher tells me I need to do a couple more things to get the whole shebang thingy set up.
Now I am no technical person when it comes to music production so I'm going to use layman's terms or whatever I feel like making up. I just want to control the way my music is produced, see?
So now I have tracks playing back on different channels from my Mac (Logic) to my keyboard, but sometimes they pick the wrong sounds. I don't want a bass drum's boom-boom-boom when I had originally programmed a cymbal's tik-tik-tik. Neither do I want a clarinet blasting away when I actually played chords meant for choir voices.
So my jazz teacher says, download some INI file from KORG that will tell my music software how to map the intended sound, back to the keyboard. (Update: Found the link!)
Sweet.
Next, I want to record all my tracks, both audio and MIDI, together. Seems I need two of those fat plugs, what do you call them, half inchers? They look like an inch long to me but apparently you measure them by width not length. And if they have a stripe across, it could mean it's mono or not mono (stereo) or whatever.
Those two fat plugs go into the back of my keyboard. The cables should connect to my M-Audio sound card, meaning they need another type of ending plug. Whatever. Those skinny pins with a ring around them. White and red ones.
Somebody should really write Music Production for Dummies. I need it.
Posted by vantan at 11:14 PM
July 9, 2004
Awaiting studio equipment
Just as I was fretting about how much money I had left to spend on good software like Logic Pro, Pro Tools and Reason 2.5, and nagging my Apple salesman to get me the new 20" display (which came out just after I had ordered the old model), I received news of a job offer. Thank the Lord!
I will now spend less time worrying about money - I will be working full days anway, so there won't be much time left!
Right, so I do intend to get the aforementioned software once my G5 arrives. It has already been customised. The screen is holding the delivery up. Don't you just hate technicalities?
In other news, I cut my first production (a Christian song called 'On Eagle's Wings') from my Korg Triton Extreme, which sampled it into a WAV file, which can then be written as to Audio CD or ripped into MP3 format. Absolutely wonderful.
Posted by vantan at 6:47 PM
June 1, 2004
Welcome to the Korg Blog!
Yes, I couldn't resist it so I went ahead and created a blog just about Korg. Well I'm not an expert in the company's products although almost everything in my studio is Korg. I like Korg because their sounds are punchy, real kickass.
Their user interfaces are not always the easiest to use, although with
touchscreen technology it has certainly made life easier for me!
My latest acquisition is the Triton Extreme, which also happens to be the newest in the Triton series. The most visual difference between it and its predecessors is that it's blue, not silver. It has plenty of sounds, though not as many as the Triton Studio. Neither does it come with an in-built floppy drive or CD writer, although the two USB ports do help with connectivity.
Posted by vantan at 12:48 AM | Comments (1)
