Were You There? Good Friday music

[mikehalloran]

https://soundcloud.com/mike-halloran/we ... -4-10-2020

I've had a lot of requests to share this after it was featured in a Good Friday service at one of the churches where I work.

This is the first time my wife ever recorded a MIDI track. The action of our Bösendorfer is in the shop being rebuilt after 40 years and the sound of our Knabe spinet is inadequate. She suggested this old Casio she uses for senior home gigs...ok...I've heard worse... I fired up my 828mkII and ran a MIDI cable to the keyboard while recording the audio out. We did one pass as I sang into an SM32.

She doesn't tend to listen when I tell her what can be done nowadays. Then I let her listen to the same track with the UVI Steinway D, Freddie Mercury's Fazzioli and the Alan Parsons/Mark Knopfler Bösendorfer Imperial. She preferred the Imperial; I liked the D better with my voice through that microphone so that's what I used.

I don't sing much since my stroke. I tend to hear a wobbly old man but, at 66, I get to own that now. The SM32 is not my favorite mic on my voice but I was asked for this this a few hours before I delivered and the Shure doesn't require me to do anything but pop it onto a desk stand and sing.

Using DP 10.11 but it could have been any version. The UVI Grand D has many names but is the same one now bundled with MOTU Instruments. A bit of Eventide Stereo Room 2016 and there it is. I resisted the urge to smooth out the wobble—maybe next time.

We'll be using this basic setup as I conduct virtual choir rehearsals with my own group. The goal is for choir karaoke where the singers record vocal tracks after participating in a rehearsal where I record the Zoom video and Sylvia's piano (through the 828 and using a decent VI!). I'm coordinating four churches in this effort — two of the directors learned to use DP years ago from me so I've been providing phone support as it were while we all try and figure this out. The other is at the church where I direct the praise band and he's using Acid so it will be interesting as I do my band in DP. Dropbox is my best friend right now.

Anyway, Happy Easter and Stay Safe!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

If religious posts are ok in this context I have a bunch of tunes I’d love to post. I used DO to create them.

[mikehalloran]

Funny, it didn’t occur to me that was a religious post. I guess it is in a fashion but, to me, it was about a gig.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

No big deal. It's Easter...

[MIDI Life Crisis]

To quote Leon Russell: Don't get all hung up on Easter, man.

[Phil O]

I think for what it is you did a decent job. Under the present circumstances we all have to make compromises and it's a feather in your cap that it came out as good as it did, considering what you had to work with. I'm working on a project almost identical to yours at the moment. A girl sent me three tracks - vocal recorded with a Sennheiser e835, an audio track from a Korg Triton and it's corresponding MIDI track. I'll be searching for a piano VI to use and struggling with the Sennheiser's sound. The piano sound from the Triton is awful.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I played a test dance class on Zoom this morning. Went great. Full class on Thursday morning but I do have to bring one of my mixers back into the studio to level everything out. For some reason I’m not seeing the Line In of the Track 16. It’s always something.

[rickorick]

Good. What key are you in and how low did you go?

[Phil O]

I played a test dance class on Zoom this morning. Went great. Full class on Thursday morning but I do have to bring one of my mixers back into the studio to level everything out. For some reason I’m not seeing the Line In of the Track 16. It’s always something.

Are you using some sort of routing software like SoundFlower or LoopBack?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I recently bought both SF and LB but don’t need either for Zoom. OBS absolutely needs LB.

[Phil O]

Good to know.

Sorry we hijacked your thread, MikeH.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Good to know.

Sorry we hijacked your thread, MikeH.

Given the title and content, we didn't actually hijack it; we "betrayed" it. I hang for another 3 days then I'm outta here. Wait, what?

[mikehalloran]

Good. What key are you in and how low did you go?

Bb modulated to Eb. Lowest note on the recording is F.

I have the Bb below — so do many my age but I never smoked cigarettes when younger and had it in college.

Before digital pitch manipulation, I had a trick for nailing the G below and did some sound track work for Disney where I had to have that note—first time I recorded at Skywalker. It involved near-overdose levels of aspirin (hey, I was young and immortal). Nowadays, anyone can do it electronically unless you want it live unamplified. I get good coin when a choir wants to sing Rachmanninov's Solemn Vespers.

[Phil O]

Just for the record, Mike. I was talking about the recording (not the performance) when I said "decent". The performance was excellent.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil

[James Steele]

If religious posts are ok in this context I have a bunch of tunes I’d love to post. I used DO to create them.

We went over this years ago when someone else posted religious music in the User Showcase forum. It's allowed. It's music... it was created in DP... and the intent as I perceive it was not to proselytize.