The first instrument I really tried to write songs with was a home electronic keyboard--it was a Yamaha CP-30. It had only rudimentary piano and harpsichord sounds. Along with a stereo reel-to-reel sound-on-sound tape recorder that allowed me to create tunes that were in my head.
I was able to do it the same way Les Paul did before he invented the multitrack recorder--by recording tracks one at a time and bouncing (merging) the completed tracks to a single track leaving the other track available to record a new track. Of course, my finished products did not sound nearly as accomplished as Les Paul’s.
The problem with this system was that the older tracks accumulated some degradation in sound with each bounce, limiting the number of times this could be done. I found it better to record my “bass” part (that is, the lower notes of my piano sound) first because those notes survived the degradation a little better. Three or four tracks was my limit.
In that pre-Ebay world I began a pattern which is well known to keyboard lovers. In the quest for better sound I sold my keyboard through the classifieds and bought another to take me to the next level. I was looking for accurate reproduction of professional instrument sounds.
I was new, and so was the field. I also did not have a lot of money to spare. I bought a Casiotone 201, which promised 29 preset sounds, including electric piano, organ, violin & guitar. Surely that would solve my instrument quest.
It was not to be. Although that was a step up, the sounds were far from realistic.
Soon I became aware of synthesizers as a realistic option. I “traded up” to the cheapest one I could, at that time a Korg Poly-800. I was under the mistaken impression that once I learned to program it I could make it sound like any instrument.
The first thing the Korg taught me was that programming synthesizers is an art. Although I was okay at it, there was a limit to how good I was. I also found out that yes, synthesizers had a fairly unlimited palette of sounds, but pretty much all of them are still synthesizer sounds.
Fortunately for me, technology was following my quest step by step. By subscribing to Electronic Musician and Keyboard magazines I was able to follow its progress and ride the next phase in music creation: samplers.
Using my now tried and true method of selling through classifieds, I was able to trade up again to an Emulator II sampling keyboard. If I remember correctly, it had a serial number approximately around 406.
This was the realization of a dream. Samplers were capable of really sounding like the instruments they simulated and the concurrent development of MIDI allowed me to use sequencers which compensated for my lack of musical training.
I could now tap out my songs a few notes at a time and quantize them (i.e., line the notes up in relation to the beat) to compensate for my poor musicianship. My first computer sequencer was Mark of the Unicorn’s Performer version one point something, the precursor to Digital Performer. I also bought the first model of the Tascam Portastudio, creating my first real multitrack system.
I was now working with tools equivalent in part to those of top professionals, even though I was far from that. I certainly had the gear lust that many professionals develop.
My system progressed through other pieces of equipment including the Roland TR-606 and Alesis D4 drum machines, Oberheim Xpander, Yamaha TX802 and MiniMoog synths, Kurzweil K2000 sampler, an Akai MG1212 12 track recorder and three Mackie CR-1604 mixers, none of which I own now as I have evolved to a completely computer based setup.
That last synth reminds me of a story I’d like to share with you. I once saw that the legendary synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog was going to be in my area and I made plans to see him speak. At the event I saw that he was clearly very tired, probably in the middle of an exhaustive speaking tour, but he pushed through and gave us a very worthwhile presentation.
Afterwards, it was announced that he would speak individually with anyone who wished to talk to him. As I lined up I watched him politely going through his obligatory meet and greet with each of the adoring musicians who paid appropriate tribute.
When it was my turn I shook his hand and described my setup to him.
“I want to thank you,” I said, “because I have no musical background but be
cause of your work I have my own home studio and I am able to fully realize my own music.”
His face lit up. In an instant all semblance of exhaustion disappeared.
“Ohhhh!” he said. “You know, this is what it is all about! The whole point was that we really wanted to bring music to the people. In this way music becomes democratized and can belong to everybody!”
He went on for another minute, my time ran out and he went on to the next person. But his enthusiasm stayed with me.
When he started his groundbreaking work there were only two kinds of people: trained musicians and the rest of us. Technology has advanced so much even since I spoke to him that it is much easier now than when I started for anyone to create professional sounding music.
Bob Moog’s dream is the direction I would like to help you move toward. Like me, you can do your part to make music belong to everybody.
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