BLASTED MIDI

I find myself irritated as I write this.

I mentioned a few weeks ago I've been looking into starting a basic home studio, primarily to make audio/video lessons for my students or to upload on the Net. I'm still waiting for Pro Tools to arrive, but in the meantime I receoved a MIDI-USB cable, so I thought I would try it out on my Roland electric drumkit.

Man, it was a mission.

I'm not very clued on how MIDI works, so it took a while to get it connected so the kit would actually record on my PC. So that was finally operating properly. But, as I have learnt, all MIDI does is transport a digital signal - no sound. So when my triggers arrived at the PC, the program - a freeware recording solution called Anvil Studio - used it's onboard sound, which was dreadful.

So now, apparently, I have to record the MIDI drums, make any edits to the track after I have recorded it, then play it back VIA the Roland drum machine in order to make it sound the way it normally sounds. AND, while it's playing back via the Roland drum machine, I must record new as a new track.

Complicated. Bloody complicated. I will let you know how this goes. Can't wait for Pro Tools to arrive, it's gonna make things much easier.

Otherwise, this is an busy week for me. I am on my way in half an hour to a meeting for a proposed online music raining facility - internet lessons. Should be interesting. Thursday I am practicing with Angela Fergusson, a good friend and superb blues/pop singer, and we're playing a gig on Sunday. And Friday I have a photoshoot with K, Ray & the Bird for our upcoming album, 'Rhymes In The Attic'.

Lots of good things happening.

SEARCHING FOR NEW MUSIC

Am I the only one who cannot find the music I look for in music stores?

Admittedly, my tastes are rather narrow, and a little off the wall. But still, you’d think, in a giant Musica stocked with thousands of Lady Gaga’s newest release, and tons of albums by artists you’ve never even heard of, you would be able to find something you enjoy. Something that you would really like to own.

Maybe you can. I cannot.

And the problem is partly mine, I’m afraid. Being a musician, I cannot help but have different standards for choosing and enjoying music.

First – and this is probably the biggest hurdle I face when finding new music – I am fascinated by and drawn to technical wizardry. In other words, I love hearing musicians play absolutely amazing things on their instrument. Truth be told, I couldn’t care less what the singer is on about if there’s a super guitar lick, or a mighty drum beat. My attention is all but sucked into the instrument.

Second, I’m not a big fan of what I call ‘PC bands’ – entire backing tracks created by a producer and a computer, pretty much taking the musician right out the equation. Artists like the aforementioned Gaga and producer Timberland spring to mind. In my opinion, they’re very good at what they do – but it’s not music. Music is created by humans, not a PC. It’s alright when the musician is still controlling the sound, like on a synthesizer or drum machine. But not when the PC does the work for you.

Lastly, I am very critical of the final production and sound quality of the albums I listen to. Again, I wish I wasn’t, but my ears cannot help it. If everything isn’t properly in balance, or the album is very bass-dominated, or badly recorded, I can’t take it. Which means I struggle to listen to pretty much anything recorded before 1975.

<Sigh> I wish I wasn’t this way.

Anyway, due to my very specific requirements for the music that feeds my soul, you can imagine the music I end up listening to is rather specific, and relatively unknown. And you would be correct.

This is the problem. Try finding an obscure album by an obscure band that plays music for technical brilliance rather than radio hits. In fact, try to think of a band that does that. There are few, and even then they aren’t all worth listening to.

And even worse, their markets are tiny. So shops don’t bother stocking their stuff.

Which brings me back to the top of this post.

These days, the only way I get the music I want is via websites, the best being a super South African online store called Take2 (www.take2.co.za). It’s great, the prices are cheap, and they have everything in their cyber-store. The only bummer is, after paying for you album, you still have to wait a few weeks before you can actually listen to it.

So what am I listening to these days?

Well, at the moment I am deeply entrenched within Dream Theater, a progressive hard rock band from America that is absolutely brilliant. Each musician is a master in his field, and the singer has a great vocal range. Added to that, they write these really long songs, with different parts within them, and lyrics like stories, rather than simple love songs all the time, and strange time signatures, and amazing guitar solos, and boggle-your-mind drum beats…

It’s my kind of band. I highly recommend everybody try them at least once. Go to youtube and type in ‘In the Presence of Enemies’. There’s an audio track of the entire song. It’s worth all 27 minutes. Or even better, check out a video of them playing an instrumental. Those guys are scary-talented.

I tried Steve Vai for the first time just this weekend. I was given what I am told was his breakthrough album, ‘Passion & Warfare’. Very eighties, super guitar work…really weird intros to the songs. It might grow on me.

I’ve always been a fan of Pearl Jam. They’re not that out there with their music style (they did do some stuff between 200 and 2005 that was quite radical) but what I like most about them is they don’t seem to care if you like their music or not. They just do what they want, regardless of who else might like that.

I think – if I ever were part of a band that achieves some sort of global status – I would hope that we never make music based purely on what people want to hear. Sure, there is something to be said for hearing your fans and giving them something in return. But if that’s your driving motivation, then you’re simply a fashion identity rather than a musician.

Music is art, and art should always be an expression from within. Which is why so many people can write good songs after a bad breakup.

And I think that’s why I feel so drawn to some of these strange bands. They’re not taking the word umbrella and singing it in pieces ten times in a row because they have no other words. They are putting down a message, a piece of emotion, and conveying that message in the form of music. I like that.

EMIL’S TOP TEN ARTISTS

1.      Dave Matthews Band

2.      Dream Theater

3.      Alter Bridge

4.      Switchfoot / Jon Foreman

5.      Pearl Jam

6.      Metallica

7.      Dave Weckl Band

8.      NeedtoBreathe

9.      Guns ‘n Roses

10.  Jethro Tull