I Write Songs At Home

Here is what I consider the basic keyboards for my taste: acoustic piano, electric piano, organ and synthesizer. There can be many variations (and of course millions of variations for that last one), but my standard setup will contain just one version of each. After all, this is only for getting started on a song.

Acoustic piano is the easy one. I am using the Akoustik Piano application from the Komplete suite. It has many sampled piano sounds, but since I am not a pianist I am not picky. I’ll just take the first one. I can always choose another sound later if it is better for the song.

Native Instruments was kind enough to create the Elektrik Piano application to cover that end. Again, there are many sounds but before knowing which one is needed for a song I will just choose one at random for my standard band.

In my mind the best software emulation of a real instrument is B4 II, which emulates the Hammond B3 organ. I will settle on a rich organ sound as part of my setup.

Although I have access to Reaktor, the world’s greatest software synth, I will not make that part of the setup. I will only go to it as needed because it is so vast. Of all the components of the Komplete application the one I am most familiar with is Reaktor. I owned it before I decided to spring for the whole Komplete package as part of the Receptor. If you only buy one software synth this is the one to get. If you are not sure, check out the Reaktor User Library which is a free benefit of being a Reaktor owner. There you can see the extra freebies which are above and beyond all the synths and effects which come standard with the application.

Instead I will go with FM8, an FM synth emulation, to be my standard. Because I used to own a Yamaha TX802 and was able to convert my huge sound library from that to the FM8 I can select even an analog sounding patch from what I have to start myself off.

In this clip called "Watch My Smoke" I built a really keyboard oriented song. The background vocals were done by my now grown kids. 

Below the song clip is a video demo of a single instrument created in Reaktor. Remember, this is only one the unlimited number of instruments that can be created with the application.