Keyboard Magazine - February 2014 [PDF]

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CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2014

KNOW TALK 10

ROAD WARRIORS Here Come the Mummies appear as a 5,000-year-old funk band, keeping their true identities under wraps and delighting audiences with R-rated humor. Their musical chops, however, are (un)deadly serious. Keyboardist Spaz Mummy talks gear and technique. TALENT SCOUT Invoking Billy Preston as much as Billy Joel, synth-slinging Emiko proudly doesn’t fit into the “singer-songwriter” box.

PLAY 28

32

36

CHRIS PEARCE

26

BREAKOUTS Pianist Simone Dinnerstein is much more than the new millennium’s standard-bearer for Bach. She’s a one-woman force for music enriching lives, regardless of how “serious” the listeners are. She opens up about interpreting the great composer and much more in this extended interview.

LISA MARIE MAZZUCCO

22

THE ART OF SYNTH SOLOING Soft synth design wizard Rob Papen details his favorite programming techniques

44

DANCE Funky synth leads in electronic dance music

REVIEW 46

DAW Cakewalk Sonar X3 Producer

50

CLONEWHEEL Hammond XK-1C

52

ANALOG SYNTH Waldorf Pulse 2

56

CONTROLLER Novation Launchkey 49 and Launchkey Mini

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PAD CONTROL Novation Launchpad S

60

SOFT SYNTH LinPlug Spectral

64

APP VirSyn Cube

COLD FUSION Jeff Lorber on five ways to play like Billy Preston ORGAN John Ginty on Hammond B-3 comping BLUES The Rolling Stones’ Chuck Leavell on interpreting the great blues pianist Leroy Carr

KEYBOARD (ISSN 0730-0158) is published monthly by NewBay Media, LLC 1111 Bayhill Drive, Suite 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. All material published in KEYBOARD is copyrighted © 2013 by NewBay Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in KEYBOARD is forbidden without permission. KEYBOARD is a registered trademark of NewBay Media. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Bruno, CA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KEYBOARD P.O. Box 9158, Lowell, MA 01853. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

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Our monthly update of the most interesting musical instruments, software, and pro audio gear to come out of the industry.

HEAR 14

BEYOND THE MANUAL A new column from music production wizard Craig Anderton on getting the most from your home studio gear. This month: Inside the (modulation) matrix!

Voices from the Keyboard community.

NEW GEAR 12

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Keyboard 02.2014

CODA 66

Five things electronic instrument guru Jim Aikin has learned about Buying a Modular Synth

Online Now! Onstage with John Mayer keyboardist Andy Burton. keyboardmag.com/february2014

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VOL. 40, NO. 02 #455

FEBRUARY 2014

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Michael Molenda [email protected] EDITOR IN CHIEF: Stephen Fortner [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR: Debbie Greenberg [email protected] EDITOR AT LARGE: Jon Regen SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS: Jim Aikin, Craig Anderton, David Battino, Tom Brislin, Michael Gallant, Robbie Gennet, Scott Healy, Ken Hughes, Peter Kirn, John Krogh, Richard Leiter, Mike McKnight, Tony Orant, Francis Preve, Mitchell Sigman EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Grace Larkin ART DIRECTOR: Damien Castaneda [email protected] MUSIC COPYIST: Matt Beck PRODUCTION MANAGER: Amy Santana PUBLISHER: Joe Perry [email protected], 212.378.0464 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, EASTERN REGION, MIDWEST & EUROPE: Jeff Donnenwerth [email protected], 770.643.1425 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, WESTERN REGION & ASIA: Mari Deetz [email protected], 650.238.0344 ADVERTISING SALES, EASTERN ACCOUNTS: Anna Blumenthal [email protected], 646.723.5404 SPECIALTY SALES ADVERTISING, WEST: Michelle Eigan [email protected], 650.238.0325 SPECIALTY SALES ADVERTISING, EAST: Jon Brudner [email protected], 917.281.4721

THE NEWBAY MUSIC GROUP VICE PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Bill Amstutz GROUP PUBLISHER: Bob Ziltz EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Brad Tolinski SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST: Bob Jenkins PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT MANAGER: Beatrice Kim DIRECTOR OF MARKETING: Chris Campana MOTION GRAPHICS DESIGNER: Tim Tsuruda SYSTEMS ENGINEER: Bill Brooks CONSUMER MARKETING DIRECTOR: Meg Estevez CONSUMER MARKETING COORDINATOR: Dominique Rennell FULFILLMENT COORDINATOR: Ulises Cabrera OFFICES SERVICES COORDINATOR: Mara Hampson

NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE PRESIDENT & CEO: Steve Palm CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Paul Mastronardi CONTROLLER: Jack Liedke VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA: Robert Ames VICE PRESIDENT, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Denise Robbins VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT & MARKETING: Anthony Savona IT DIRECTOR: Anthony Verbanic VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES: Ray Vollmer LIST RENTAL 914.925.2449 [email protected] REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS For article reprints please contact our reprint coordinator at Wright’s Reprints: 877.652.5295 SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS? 800-289-9919 (in the U.S. only) 978-667-0364 keyboardmag@computerfulfi llment.com Keyboard Magazine, Box 9158, Lowell, MA 01853 Find a back issue 800-289-9919 or 978-667-0364 [email protected] Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork.

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Follow us on

MOBY

C A P T U R I N G THE MAGIC IN THE AIR

“What initially amazed me, and still continues to, even though we oftentimes take it for granted, is that the movement of air—the compression and rarefaction of air—can somehow elicit the most profound emotional responses any human is capable of having. having,” Moby says. “Music doesn’t exist. It’s just air hitting your eardrum a little bit differently than it otherwise would be hitting your eardrum. The air hits someone’s eardrum a little bit differently, in a slightly more structured way, and it makes people dance, it makes people have sex, it

makes people move across the country and cut their hair. It makes armies march into battle. It makes people weep. And all it is, is air. So that’s magic. I just couldn’t believe that something could have that much power over me. I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t touch it and I couldn’t taste it, but somehow it was affecting me so profoundly. That’s pretty much why I’ve dedicated my life to music.”

To read the entire interview and see the gear Moby uses to make magic, visit guitarcenter.com.

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VO IC ES FRO M T HE KEYBOARD COMMUN ITY

Comment directly at keyboardmag.com

Editor’s Note A question you’ll see popping up in more than a few Keyboard interviews is: When did you first experience a keyboard recording or performance that made you say to yourself, “I want to do that”? It’s key—no pun intended. Not to take anything away from our six-stringed brethren, but when you’re young and pre-musical, aspiring to the ideal of the guitar god doesn’t necessarily require you to connect with music on a visceral and spiritual level. At minimum, it requires a desire to be popular. I don’t mean that anyone who gravitates towards guitar early is shallow or insincere. I’m commenting only on the psychological prerequisites for the curriculum, not the merits of any particular student. Gravitating towards keyboards—by which I mean things with buttons and blinking lights more than the piano regimen one might follow

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at the behest of conscientious parents—requires a different and special sort of obsession. At first, one might not be any deeper than those who want to be Yngwie Van Hendrix, but to see standing behind a multi-tiered rack of synthesizers as cool, you have to at least want to be the musical equivalent of Spock or Doctor Who. Once in a great while, someone like Keith Emerson comes along and blends the geeky with the macho in just the right way, not unlike the Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston. My own “I want to do that” moment came when my mother took me to Disney World. In between rides, we happened upon synthesizer vaudevillian Michael Iceberg performing in one of the restaurants. His act and rig blew my seven-year-old mind, and I wanted to see him play again and again, Space Mountain be damned.

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Stephen Fortner Editor

|BREAKING NEWS Prophet-12 Module A Keyboard corollary of Murphy’s Law is: Once our “New Gear” section (see pages 12-13) is designed and on the way to the printer, something new new and and awesome comes out. Such is the case with Dave Smith’s tabletop/rack ve version vers rsio ion n of th the e wn quite q it qu ite e a bi bitt on Prophet-12 synth (reviewed Oct. ’13). To save space and cost, it cuts down oun und d engine. engi en gine gi ne.. ne the knob factor, but all the controllability is still there, as is the full P12 sound Expected street price is $2,199.

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WINDOWS LAPTOP MAC LAPTOP

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Key Secrets

Be Like Mic

Vocoders can add unique warmth and expression to your music, going well beyond clichéd robot voices—check out Rupert Greenall’s licks on The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” for a good example. Synths like the Akai Miniak, Korg MicroKorg, and Novation MiniNova (reviewed in Jan. ’13) make it easy to add your own vocoder stylings, but their rigid gooseneck mics can pick up the physical sound of your fingers hitting the keys. So I bought a headset mic from SoundProfessionals.com—a good source for unusual mics—and soldered up a 1/8"-to-XLR adapter as shown in the graphic. The flexible cable eliminates the thumps. Note that this mod requires a dynamic mic with a TS plug. David Battino

RETRO TECH >> THE

DAVINCI CODE

Did Leonardo DaVinci conceive of the first “string machine” keyboard? More than one of his notebooks contains sketches for what he called a viola organista: an instrument in which rotating wheels covered in horsehair act like violin bows, and pressing keys brings strings into contact with the wheels. We first saw this idea at NAMM 2013 in the form of Antiquity Music’s Wheelharp (left). Now, Polish concert pianist Slawomir Zubrzycki has reconstructed a one-of-akind viola organista from DaVinci’s notes (right). It employs four bow-wheels (evoking the four players in a string quartet) to cover a 61-note range, and sounds absolutely gorgeous. See videos of him performing on it at keyboardmag.com/february2014.

Taste of the Blues . Myra Melford My First ____________________ BRYANMURRAY

“I’ve always had an appreciation for mainstream music, but I grew up studying classical piano,” says award-winning jazz pianist and composer Myra Melford. “I was introduced to the possibilities that lay beyond that when I began taking piano lessons with Erwin Helfer in kindergarten.” Melford describes her childhood mentor as a great blues and boogie-woogie player in the Chicago tradition. “Even though I was studying classical music with him, we would end the lessons with some four-hand blues,” she describes. “He would play the bass part and then a riff or figure in his right hand that I would imitate, in a kind of call-andresponse, which I found exhilarating. He made it okay for me to feel that any music I wanted to play was worthwhile.” Melford’s latest album is the solo piano recording Life Carries Me This Way on the Firehouse 12 label. For more, visit myramelford.com. | Michael Gallant 02.2014 Keyboard

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NEW GEAR BY G GIN GINO INO O ROBAIR ROB RO BAI AIR R

XILS LAB RAMSES (RHYTHM AND MOTION STEREO ENGINE SYSTEM) WHAT Multi-effect plug-in (panning, delay, multimode filter, crusher, dynamics) that can be controlled in real time via MIDI or the step-sequencerlike grid masks. VST, AU, RTAS, and AAX support. WHO Adventurous sound designers who want plenty of editing depth in a single plug-in. €79 | approx. $108 | xils-lab.com

KURZWEIL MPG-200 WHAT Digital piano with a weighted, graded hammer action. Hosts a library of pianos, organs, strings, orchestral instruments, and rhythm styles, and has a built-in 140W sound system. WHO Anyone who needs to squeeze the presence of a baby grand into just three feet of waist-to-wall depth. $4,999 | kurzweil.com

ELEKTRON ANALOG KEYS WHAT Four-voice polyphonic analog synth that sports a joystick, step sequencer, CV/gate outputs, and effects. The two-pole multimode and four-pole lowpass filters add serious eyebrows to the sound. WHO Electronic musicians who want a polysynth that can also drive modular rigs and drum machines. $1,849 | elektron.se

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Keyboard 02.2014

PLOYTEC PI L SQUARED WHAT Tiny MIDI-powered duophonic synth with two square-wave oscillators, digital and analog filters, and an analog saturation stage at the output. Mac/ Windows editing software is included. WHO Players who need a literally pocket-sized synth that can be Velcro’ed to the top of a keyboard controller. $129 | ploytec.com

ANALOG OUTFITTERS ORGANIC WHAT Single- and dual-manual MIDI controllers made with real Hammond keybeds and drawbars. Features USB connectivity and keyboard splits. WHO Purists who use a software organ but want the real deal for playing it. $TBA | analogoutfitters.com KORG TINY PIANO WHAT Digital “toy” piano with 25 velocity-sensitive mini-keys, transposition, 25 sounds, and 50 demo songs. Includes a built-in speaker, runs on batteries or AC, and comes in four colors. WHO Ostensibly for children, but adults will enjoy its portability and prolevel sounds. $TBA | korg.com

UVI COMPLETE TOY MUSEUM WHAT A 21.5GB sample library (24-bit/96kHz) created with 317 acoustic and electronic toys including pianos, xylophones, strings, horns, drums, organs, and talking games. Includes full musical phrases. WHO Composers wanting to transform the sounds of childhood into something new. $224.55 | uvi.net

FARFISA DP-100 WHAT 88-note digital piano with Fatar graded-hammer keyboard, ten patches plug GM sound set, two-track sequencer, and basic effects. Includes built-in speakers and a damper pedal. WHO Students and educators who need a full-size keyboard suitable for any playing situation. $749 | farfisamusic.it All prices are manufacturer’s suggested retail (list) unless otherwise y g / and @keyboardmag on Twitter noted. Follow keyboardmag.com/news for up-to-the-minute gear news. 02.2014 Keyboard

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HEAR

B R EA KOUTS » R OA D WA RR IOR S » TA LEN T S COUT

S imon mo mone 14

Keyboard 02.2014

Dinnerstei

BY JENNIFER CARPENTER

S

|

e

Simplicity

BACH’S ARDENT ADVOCATE ON THE POWER OF

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA MARIE MAZZUCCO

ince the critical and commercial acclaim of her self-funded 2007 recording of Bach’s The Goldberg Variations, pianist Simone Dinnerstein has become nothing less than a rock star of Baroque and classical music. More importantly, she has made it her mission to evangelize and popularize not only Bach, but classical music in general, making it approachable and fun in a way that recalls the efforts of such giants as André Previn. Having just released her latest CD, which interprets Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias, she took time out to speak with us about the appeal of these supposedly entry-level pieces, the importance of music education, and how open ears are every bit as crucial as dexterous fingers. What made you decide to record an album of Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias? Well, I have in mind a multi-year project where I’ll record all of Bach’s keyboard works, so I thought it would be interesting to start with my first introduction to Bach. And for most pianists, the first Bach pieces that they ever played were the Inventions. So, as a kind of beginning of my own narrative of this journey, I start with the ones that he himself wrote as a guide to keyboard players. I understand that the Inventions have a great deal of meaning for you personally. Well, my earliest memories of Bach have to do with the Inventions and my own experience of playing them and wanting to play certain ones that were beyond my reach at that point. I remember being nine or ten years old, and friends of mine were able to play the D minor Invention, and it was too hard for me. I was really jealous! I think I learned so much, not only about how to play Bach but how to play any kind of music on the piano by studying the Inventions, because you’re learning how to balance and manipulate two voices that are equally important. A lot of piano music isn’t written that way. A lot of it places much more emphasis on the right hand having melodic dominance and the left hand being more of a harmonic support. Learning something where it’s so clearly outlined that the two hands are equally important carries over to how you see all music. You start to see music as being made up of multiple lines and how to think about music as many voices, as opposed to one thick texture. The Sinfonias were pieces that I listened

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to a lot as a teenager. I was really obsessed with Glenn Gould’s recording of them, and I remember listening to them a lot with my husband (who at that time was my boyfriend), and I guess I have romantic associations with those pieces because I listened to them a lot when I first met him. In your opinion, what is inventive about a Bach Invention? Well, there are so many things that are inventive. I mean, in his preface to the works, he wrote about how this was a guide to keyboard players or, as he said—keyboard “lovers”—as to how to think about two- or three-voice counterpoint, and how to play cantabile in a “singing” way. The Inventions go through different keys so it’s also exploring the color of each harmonic area. And Bach, being Bach, wrote these stunning pieces of music as practical teaching exercises. It’s almost like all of his musical output has been concentrated into two or three voices. Each one is quite short but they have very different characters from one to another. Sometimes you’ll have something that’s almost a double aria from a cantata or you’ll have something that sounds like a movement of a Brandenburg Concerto that has a kind of orchestral sound. I think there was a tremendous amount of imagination that went into writing these pieces. Since Bach doesn’t specify tempo in the pieces, how did you decide on the proper tempo for each one? I think tempo is one of the exciting challenges about playing Bach because you can really go many different ways. Sometimes you have a particular type of dance in mind that would give you a sense of a tempo—a fast dance, a slow dance, a walking dance, that kind of thing—that gives you an indication as to what would feel natural in terms of playing. Also, I think his choice of the pulse of what kind of notes he’s using—sixteenth-notes, eighthnotes, 6/8 time signature, and so on—those kinds of decisions also can give you a clue. That said, I do think you can make the Inventions work at many different tempos, and that points out a really fun aspect of learning Bach: You can make an argument for many different ways of playing the same piece of music. Also, some of the decisions I made were based on the context of a particular piece being in the context of all of the Sinfonias and Inventions. I think if I just played one by itself it might make sense to play it in a certain way, but I wanted to make sure there was enough variety between them. Also, I was working with quite a temperamental piano. It’s really one of my favorite pianos and I’ve used it for many recordings, but it’s old. It’s a 1903 Steinway and it seems to want to do things a certain way. 16

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How does your interpretation of Bach differ from what Glenn Gould has done? His recording of these pieces is actually one of my favorites of all of his work, but to be honest, I stopped listening to it once I started working on my own. I feel like the way he plays these pieces is extremely personal. The piano that he used was really a bit of a “honky-tonk” piano which had all of these problems, and that actually made that recording very authentic. Most people learn these pieces on their family’s instrument, which is usually not concert-grade. So there’s something very homey about Gould’s recording, and I like the fact that the piano has imperfections. I wouldn’t even want to compare myself to him because he’s such a deity, but I don’t think I think about the music in the same way when I’m playing it myself. I think about it as being much more legato. When I’m playing, I’m thinking a lot about breath and shape and contour. My articulation is just completely different than the choices that Gould made. How have the recordings of the Inventions changed over time? How did you put your unique stamp on them in comparison to those trends? It might be better to talk about general trends in Bach performance, not specific to the Inventions. Before Gould, there was a much more romantic approach. If you listen to Edwin Fischer or Myra Hess, when they played Bach on the piano, they were using all of the piano’s abilities. In other words, they were using the pedal, they were using a range of dynamics, and it was much more about seeing Bach through the lens of their own period, pre-war and during the war, during which people were really into individuality. Then, Glenn Gould had a unique vision of the music that was in sync with who he was. After him, I think there arose a generation, even two generations, who thought he represented how Bach should sound. But, of course, he wasn’t the norm. So, now I think that playing Bach has become a little bit more uniform. People are much more leery of using any pedal when they play, for example. I just saw András Schiff perform the Goldberg Variations when I was in Seattle, and he didn’t use any pedal at all. He is now not using any pedal when he plays Bach. I think we’ve been very much dominated by the movement of historically authentic performance and thinking about how to make the piano sound like the harpsichord or the clavichord, and that’s affected everything: tempo, articulation, tempo, and dynamics. I guess I don’t really think of it that way when I’m playing. I feel that I’m playing it on a piano and that I should use the full range of the instrument because, to me, it only brings more out of Bach’s

music. It doesn’t take away from the music—it just shows more layers of complexity. What’s your favorite Invention and why? At the least of my favorites is the Invention in B flat major. There is such a beautiful feeling of openness and there’s something about it that’s almost yielding. I think that about other pieces he’s written in the key of B flat; there’s something about that key that he just felt was open, warm, and almost like a hug. My favorite Sinfonia is the one in E flat major, which is actually very unusual. In all of the other Sinfonias the three voices are very equal and they all trade off similar material, whereas in that one it’s written differently, as the bass line is really like a continuo part. It’s basically a two-part Invention plus continuo, so it’s much more like a wind duet or a vocal duet. It’s so beautiful. Which edition of the Bach Inventions do you think is best for the aspiring pianist to start playing? The one that I use now is the Bärenreiter edition, which I guess is one of the most recent and historically informed editions, and it’s very nicely printed. But there is an edition for students that I had used in the past that serves as a guide to ornamentation, and provides other useful information. Now, when I’m learning a piece of music, I don’t want to see all of that stuff. I want to be able to think more freely about it myself, but when you’re a student, you really need help in knowing how to look at a piece of music. You’re learning how to be a detective. What do you think is the most important thing that a pianist can learn by mastering these Inventions? Well, the most obvious thing is that your left hand is going to get an awful lot of attention. You’re learning how to play complicated patterns and to play expressively with a left hand, and that’s not usual. This is probably the first experience of having to do that as a pianist. And the other thing you’re learning by doing this is to multi-task your hearing so that you can hear two voices simultaneously. That’s actually the hardest thing. What’s even harder than playing them at the same time is being able to listen and follow the two lines as they’re going along. We’re not used to that. There’s really nothing in contemporary popular music that’s like this; it’s all dominated by one voice. I was thinking about the music that my son has been listening to. He listens to hip-hop, and Jay-Z has done all of these different collaborations with artists, so you’ll have something like Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, but they don’t ever sing at the same time. If they do, one is very

NAMM—Hall A, 6724

much subservient to the other, like a call-andresponse. Most pop music is like that, so we’re not used to thinking that there could be two voices that are equally important and that we actually have to pay attention to both at the same time. The biggest thing any student will gain from studying Bach’s Inventions is that it will guide them into that type of listening.

to. It just won’t work on that instrument, so I have to alter how I’m playing it to make it work. Or I’m playing in an acoustical space that’s very wet or very dry, which changes how you play. So there are a lot of external circumstances that interfere in a concert. But at the same time, there’s something very special about it being live and being in the moment. There’s really nothing else like it.

that will then be “broadcast” all over the country via these instruments.

How can classical musicians attract a larger audience these days? I think that we have a serious problem in the United States in that there’s definitely a waning of interest in classical music. I think it’s quite tied to the fact that people are not studying instruments. Part of what creates interest in music Given this “multitimbral” nature of Bach, Why do you think Bach’s Inventions are still is actually playing music! When kids do study what are some good practice techniques for music in public schools, they’re studying band performed? What makes them live on? mastering it? and they’re not playing classical—they’re playing In terms of them being played and studied, I I’ve noticed for many students that they should contemporary popular music. I find this challenge think that they’re almost like a type of gospel practice hands separately. You need to know so overwhelming that I try to deal with it by just for keyboard players. They show us how to play exactly what you’re doing with each hand. I also Bach, and they show us how to think about music thinking about where I live and how I can reach think that with Bach, it can be really useful to out to that community. sing one of the voices while playing the other one. in the way that fairy tales or myths show us how I live in Park Slope in Brooklyn. My husband to think about narrative. We all grow up being It’s hard to do and it might not be practical in teaches at our local public elementary school, some of the Inventions that are hopping around, told fairy tales, and those story lines tend to be repeated in novels. We see parallels in history and which also happens to be the school that I went but in some of the ones that are slower it could to as a child, so I feel very connected to this comeven in studying great literature, we always go be possible. If one of my students had a certain part where they had an imitation [i.e., a repeating back to those folk tales. I think there’s a quality in munity. I think that schools are more natural musical phrase] taking place at different times, I’d the Inventions that is almost like that, in that it’s gathering places for communities than, say, religious institutions or community centers. A lot have them play it as a unison just to hear and see showing us the bones of telling a musical story. of things happen in the schools; you go there to This is what counterpoint is. Then we hear counthat they’re doing the same thing, just at differterpoint in all other music afterwards because we vote, so it’s a sort of hub. So, I created a concert ent times. Obviously, the other thing is breaking series at our local school called Neighborhood heard it in Bach first. it down so you’re not taking on the whole piece Classics. What I do is I invite other musicians to all the time, but instead practicing and mastering Keyboard covers a lot of synthesizer music and give evening recitals, donating any profits from one section of it before you move on to another. ticket sales to the school and the PTA. This series gear, so we have to ask: Was Wendy Carlos’ has become incredibly successful. Our neighborSwitched on Bach ever an influence on you? What is the difference for you between perhood is one where most of the parents are my age forming the music live and a studio recording? I wouldn’t call it an influence, though I did think and mostly professionals, but they wouldn’t norit was pretty fantastic. I think they’re completely different experiences. mally go to a classical music concert. It’s noteworI love the process of recording because it’s very thy that this is the demographic that used to go to private and for me, it’s not at all about playing to Have you ever used an electronic keyboard? classical music concerts, but now they don’t, for I’m just starting to explore digital keyboards. I’m an audience. I’m just playing to an ideal that’s in many different reasons. They need to pay for child not exploring the different sounds or effects, but my head. My inner ear hears it and my outer ear care, there’s no time to go from Brooklyn to ManI’m actually planning a project where I’m going to tries to recreate that, and in a recording session hattan, and so on. But they can come to these play the Inventions in public schools in New York I can keep on working on it until it comes out concerts, and I’ve found that they’re as much fun and DC, and Yamaha is lending me one of their how I like it. My dad is an artist, and it’s much for the parents as they are for the kids. more like what he does, where he’ll spend a whole digital keyboards so that I can go from classroom I also organize concerts where musicians who to classroom with it. They’re much more portable morning working on an image of an eye, shadwould normally play at night will come and do a [than acoustic pianos]. I think that there have ing it, and then he thinks he shaded it too much presentation for the kids during the day. And the been so many advances in technology and they’re so he erases some of it, and he takes a walk and children know me now; they know that my favorcomes back and looks at it again with a fresh per- really quite nice, actually. Yamaha also makes the Disklavier piano in many different sizes. You could ite composer is Bach. This is all a very long-winded spective. It’s a process. way of saying that I wish this could happen all over A live concert is completely different because even get a real concert grand that’s a Disklavier. It’s a regular piano; it’s an acoustic instrument. But the country, because I think that if I ever can do it’s happening in real time and there’s an audithis—and I hope that I can—I’d like to start a nathere’s this technology wherein it records exactly ence, which may or may not be affecting how I how you play the keys and the pedals and it retains tionwide program where a musician would adopt a feel. Also, you’re dealing with whatever piano is that information. So you could have a performance local series and create a relationship with the comthere in the concert hall. In recording sessions, that you gave repeated, and you could see the keys munity where the community then trusts that the I have a piano technician there for the entire musicians who come to perform are going to be moving, and they’ll move exactly how you moved time, so if there’s a trill that isn’t working well, great because they know that their resident musithem. That’s already amazing enough, but if you and I realize it’s because one of the hammers cian is great. The goal is that kids get to know the link to another Disklavier in the world, you could isn’t moving rapidly enough, then I call him in musician and start going to concerts in first grade, and he fixes it. In a concert, there’s nothing you play in New York and the Disklavier in Australia so that by the time they’re in fifth grade they’ve can do—you just keep on going! Sometimes I’ve will play exactly as you’re playing. It’s pretty ingone to quite a lot of concerts and have a feeling of credible. It’s amazing. So I’m going to be doing faced pianos that have such stiff actions that some concerts and master classes on the Disklavier identification with music and the people who play there’s no way I can play at the tempo I want 18

Keyboard 02.2014

Photography by Fortuna Sung

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it. I think that could be quite an interesting movement to start—kind of a revolution! What was it like to perform at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women? That was one of the most memorable concerts I’ve ever given. It was extremely moving. I went in with a certain set of expectations and it turned out it was quite different than I thought it would be. I had performed in a men’s prison several years before, and had kind of assumed that the men would be happy because, of course, some young woman is coming in to play for them. But with the women, I was worried that they would see me as being some kind of a threat or from a different world. You know, I think “woman to woman” can sometimes be so complicated, but they were so warm and welcoming. They were crying and telling me stories about their families and about their children who studied music. They also told me how they studied music, and I told them about my son and my family. They really listened to the music, and I could tell it really affected them. From that experience, I learned not to prejudge. It completely surprised me. How did you market your crowd-funded Goldberg Variations CD so successfully, given such a tough market for classical music? I think it was probably a combination of things. I think part of it is the actual sound of the music. I was true to how I felt the music to be and I think that people can hear that, so I think that might have stood out a bit. But also for my first CD, The Goldberg Variations, there were two press pieces that were extremely helpful: a feature in the New York Times and a feature on Slate.com, and they both came out the day the CD was released. I think they both had an enormous effect. The other thing that I think has built my career in the United States is radio. National Public Radio has been so good to me. I’ve done many interviews with them, and I’ve had a lot of people write me or come up to me after concerts telling me that they heard me first on the radio. They’ll say that they either heard an interview, or that the station played something from my CD and that’s how they got to know me. With radio, it’s important to be aware that your ability to talk about the music, how you play, and the ideas that you have are all aspects of being a musician that musicians aren’t taught. When you’re at conservatory or wherever you study music, you often think of it as solely honing your craft and becoming a better instrumentalist. But in fact, in order to function in the world, you have to be able to articulate with words why you play a certain way and to reach out to people. I think that the fact that I’ve been 20

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able to do that has really helped my career a lot, and that would be something that I would encourage young people to develop. What was your inspiration for your album Night in collaboration with Tift Merritt? It stretched the boundaries of your classical field. Tift and I had become friends. We met through an interview for Gramophone magazine, which had decided to do a feature about me when I came out with my second album on Telarc. They thought it would be interesting to have a musician from another genre interview me and they chose Tift. We had this really interesting conversation. I had listened to her recordings and she had listened to mine, she’d come to a concert, and we really hit it off and realized we had a lot in common as musicians and as people. So, we started going to each other’s concerts and hanging out socially, and thought it would be really special if we could collaborate, but we didn’t know what kind of shape that would take. It took a while for us to work it out, but a lot of it had to do with choosing the right songs and exploring how we could interpret them in a way that felt true to ourselves while exploring a different medium. I understand that you actually opened up the piano and hammered on the strings on this album? In one or two of the pieces I pluck the strings à la George Crumb. It created a sound similar to a dulcimer, which is much more from the tradition that Tift comes from. She’s a singer-songwriter in the alternative-country genre, and [that sound] comes from the folk tradition—Appalachian folk music. What are some newer works from living composers that you’re going to be performing this season? I just premiered this piano concerto that Philip Lasser wrote for me, called “The Circle and the Child.” I first performed it in Atlanta and I’ll be doing it a few more times, as well as recording it. I’m very excited about this work. It’s a beautifully orchestrated piece. Philip wrote it for me and it really feels that way—he understood my sound and my sensibility. I’m also going to be playing a piece this year that Nico Muhly wrote for me. It was commissioned by the Terezin Foundation. I premiered it last year in Boston at Symphony Hall, but I’m taking it on the road with me this season in my recital program, so I’m excited to be doing that. Looking ahead next season, I’m going to be premiering a piano quintet written for the Chiara String Quartet and myself by Jefferson Friedman, which was commissioned by the Library of Congress, so we’re going to be premiering it down there. I’m looking forward to that.

You said that instrumental training is as much about how to listen as how to play. Can you tell us about a time when you heard something in a piece that you hadn’t heard before, that then changed the way you played it? I had a particular experience when I was studying with Maria Curcio in London. I was playing Schumann’s Carnaval and I had thought about it as being kind of traditionally romantic piano writing, and I was really focused on the melody and on bringing that out. I created a sort of hierarchy of lines that was guided by the melody. Maria played it for me and pointed out that there were quite a lot of different voices going on at the same time, and that the articulation was very different between them. I hadn’t looked at it carefully enough. I hadn’t looked and seen that actually there were four voices playing, not two. Carnaval is a piece that’s about almost like a festival of many different characters. Sometimes there are a few in the same piece and they’re all running around at the same time. I hadn’t heard that until she played it for me and as she played it, which made me realize that I had to look a lot more closely at the score to try to hear every sound that was there on the page. I couldn’t just gloss over some of it. Every note was important. It was a real turning point for me to hear her play that, because it made me look at all music differently afterwards. What do you like to listen to that might surprise your fans? One of the people I love very much is the songwriter Leonard Cohen. Not everyone knows who he is—maybe that’s surprising. If there’s one thing you hope your listeners walk away with, what would it be? When I think about children studying the Inventions, oftentimes children that I’ve spoken to— not the ones that I’ve taught—have thought that Bach was boring or mathematical or dry and were not at all inspired by his music. I think that these pieces are so beautiful and imaginative and personal and inspired. So first of all, I hope that children will listen and be excited by the music, and that that will make them want to play it. I think that’s the best result of a recording: if somebody wants to then play the piece. Plus, these are pieces that people do play and can play, as opposed to recording a piece of music that’s extremely complicated—like when I recorded Beethoven’s Opus 111—not every single amateur pianist or student can sit down and play that. I think that the Inventions, on the other hand, successfully reach a much larger group of people because of their playability. I hope people will experience for themselves what incredible music Bach is.

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BRE AKO U TS » R OA D WAR R IORS » TA LEN T S COUT

HERE COME THE

MUMMIES! BY STEPHEN FORTNER

OHMIGAWD, WHERE HAS THIS BAND BEEN ALL MY LIFE? That was my reaction when I first heard Here Come the Mummies’ new studio album, Cryptic. Their searing funk serves up hilariously suggestive lyrics backed by horn and rhythm sections that envy nothing to the likes of Tower of Power. Their official story is that an archeologist unearthed a 5,000-year-old disco in which the undead funksters were found laying down nasty grooves. Members appear in public only in costume and give interviews only in character, a rumored reason being that the group contains many A-list (and even Grammy-winning) Nashville musicians who need to guard their true identities for business purposes.

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t’d be tempting to dismiss this as shtick, but here, listening to the music makes that a non-issue. From the disco mayhem of “You Know the Drill” to the ’80s power pop of “Chaperone” to the ska upbeats of “Everything But” to the Al Greenesque ballad “Never Grow Old,” there’s a mastery of songwriting and instrumental craft at work that’s as timeless as the Mummies’ claimed age implies. In playing what he describes as mainly “piano with a side of B-3, Clav with a side of B-3, and B-3 with a side of B-3,” keyboardist Spaz Mummy has a gig many of us would, um . . . die for. Recently, he rose from his sarcophagus to tell us how he does it. Who does what when it comes to original songwriting? It rotates at a dizzying rate. Each of us is, by turns: Pun Potentate (a.k.a. the Great Punkin), Vicar of Vibe, Stevedore of Stank, Monarch of Middle-Eights, Lyric Longshoreman, Chord Chieftain, Sound Shaman, Harmony Head, Magnate of Mischief, and Maven of Mirth. Similarly, does the band have a musical director, or is it more of a collaborative effort? It’s more like tag-team wrestling, complete with party hats and folding chairs. Do songs tend to begin with any specific part of the arrangement: drum groove, lyrical hook, et cetera? Many songs begin with a lyrical hook, but not all. Some begin as a great “doorknob” that needs a house built around it. There are no hard and fast rules, though we do tend to work hard and fast, for that’s how our fans like it. Was there a conscious decision to branch out stylistically on “Cryptic,” compared to the more straight-up funk of your earlier records? Each and every one of us has diverse musical interests, some of which will likely never surface on an HCTM record—folk and speed metal spring to mind. We enjoy the surprising territories we get to explore, and hope to continue being adventurous. We haven’t had too many misfires, either—at least we think we haven’t. Who are your keyboard inf luences in particular? Bernie Worrell, Thomas Dolby, Stevie Wonder, Richard Tee, Billy Preston, Steve Nieve, and Garth Hudson, to name a few. What was the first time—at least within the life span of us mortals—that you heard or saw a keyboard-heavy recording or performance that made you think “I want to do that”? In the modern era, there are many examples of such performances that continue to astonish

and delight. I certainly can’t recollect the first time, and it’s been ages since my forays into the ancient water organ known as the hydraulis, but that’s another story. Here’s just a handful: the Rhodes on “Still Crazy After All These Years,” Billy Preston’s facile keyboard work on “Nothing from Nothing,” Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish,” the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the bass on “Flashlight” by Parliament, the organ on Elvis Costello’s “Radio Radio,” and Emil Gilels’ recording of Beethoven’s A Major Piano Sonata (opus 101). What was used for the synth solo on “Chaperone” in the studio? Onstage? It was Roland Fantom-G6 in both cases. The filter boost the second half receives was Eddie Mummy’s suggestion. How about the synth noodles throughout the ska tune “Everything But”? That’s the Fantom again, giving a shout out to Ennio Morricone in spots. “Cruel Old Sun” features what keyboardists often call the “Steely Dan phaser Rhodes.” What’s your source for this sound? That’s the Yamaha S90ES doing the phaser Rhodes—it has a particular patch [“Sweetness”] that just has a thing. [The S90ES] also does the rather boingy synth sound as well as that zappy bit of percussion. Incidentally, this is one of only two songs where I sing the lead vocal, so I’m pleased you brought it up.

On several YouTube videos from the Bob & Tom radio show, you perform live in a very tight studio space. How did you get such a produced, polished sound without it getting over-compressed—as is often the case with broadcast? Thanks for saying so! This has to be attributed to the presence of Jonee Quest, our brilliant live sound engineer of long standing. Additionally, in all but our first appearance, we played through our own Avid Venue SC48 console, as well as Shure PSM-900 wireless personal monitor systems, which further raised the comfort level. Bob & Tom’s princely broadcast 02.2014 Keyboard

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engineer, Eddie Hazel, and everyone at the show, couldn’t have made us feel more at home.

maintaining air quality on the tour bus, and coping with the recidivist nature of cookie hoarding.

What are the challenges of gigging and touring such a large band these days? Keeping enough French roast coffee on hand (we use a French press mated to a cardiac needle),

What’s the most important thing for a keyboard player to remember in a funk band this size? Any advice about groove? In a band of this size, you don’t have to carry

the day yourself. It’s luxurious up there, baby. Though, again, you have to cope with the very real problem of cookie shortages. As to playing advice, don’t forget about the downbeats. They’re often the most surprising place—and sometimes the only place available— to go wonk, wonk, wonk!

INSIDE T HE MUMMY ’S TOMB

SPAZ DESCRIBES HIS STAGE RIG

My bandmates often ask me, “How are you doing that?” “Rgh, rgh, ugh,” I explain. Here are some favorite pieces of live gear and their key features. JH Audio in-ear monitors. I’ve been playing in tightly wound bandages for centuries, so you’d think that by now I’d have adjusted to not being able to see anything. Fortunately, these keep me in the know about what’s happening sonically. They’ve been flawless for years.

Gibraltar custom keyboard stand. Given that I play standing up, I have a gleaming, curvaceous, customized Gibraltar stand to direct (or misdirect) the attention of concert-goers appropriately. This required a lot of measuring, pipe-cutting, and general strategizing on the part of my robot-intern Jeena™, but it was certainly worth it.

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Nord Stage 2 HA76. Using a Korg Kontrol 49 in conjunction with the Stage via MIDI, I have three main piano, Clav, and B-3 combinations that I use as home base for 80 percent of our set. The Stage does a lot, does it well, and does it simultaneously. My single Roland EV-5 expression pedal doubles as wahwah and volume control, depending on what sound I have selected. The Nord Stage’s Morph feature is fantastic for organ drawbars, as it lets you make complex moves (pushing some in while pulling others out) simply by rotating the mod wheel. I can also use the wheel to fade in an arpeggiated synth while retaining independent control of the organ volume via the expression pedal. It’s lightning-fast to program complex control setups, too. For a busy touring band with limited trailer space (despite free-range libidos), the HA76 version is exceedingly powerful, space-efficient, and cost-effective. Roland Fantom-G6. The Favorites section helps me navigate a fastmoving set that doesn’t always stay the same. Big, mashable sample pads are ideal for making elephant and wombat noises while Mummy Cass and the boys

are singing about wieners. The Fantom also has a dizzying array of control possibilities. One favorite is pushing the modulation bar forward for an octave swoop down, plus filter sweep, plus delay boost, while keeping the other axis free to do whole-step bends elsewhere in the song. There’s also a great Theremin-esque patch that, if you adapt your playing a bit, you can get to sound rather natural. Finally, the “skip-back sampling” can’t be beat for capturing an unusual idea or phrase during rehearsal instead of losing it, as my brain possesses the retentive characteristics of a shriveled walnut. Roland AX-Synth. I love melting faces with my AX-Synth, which Jeena™ has customized with brilliant, programmable LED tape (which is probably responsible for most of the face-melting, come to think of it). I have it controlling the Fantom, which has some cutting lead sounds. MIDIjet Pro wireless MIDI rig. I don’t know where I’d be without my MIDIjet! The thing has a ridiculous range—it’s been highly reliable while we make our signature marching entrance through the audience. —SPAZ MUMMY

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BRE AKO U TS » ROAD WA R R IORS » TAL E NT SCO UT

CHRIS PEARCE

EMIKO

FROM CL A SSIC AL PIANO TO KEYBOARD-FUELED ROCK BY STEPHEN FORTNER A NATURAL PERFORMER AND CLASSICALLY TRAINED PIANIST SINCE EARLY childhood, New York-based Emiko is someone we expect to hear a lot more from in the coming months. She jokingly recalls her original “elevator pitch” as “Billy Joel and Alanis Morissette have a Japanese baby,” but is just as quick to point out that she’s a keyboard player first and any other musical archetype second: “Sure, I sing and write songs, but I play organ, Wurly, Clav, and synth. I like to play aggressively, and I like it funky. So when people come to a gig expecting to see a ‘singer-songwriter,’ they’re in for a surprise.” After checking out her latest studio album, Moving the Universe Part I, we can see what she means. Find more surprises at emikomusic.com. Does your early classical training inform what you do now?  I had two really extraordinary teachers—Lois Narvey and Jeffrey Chappell—who taught me everything about piano technique, practicing, and how to look at music holistically. Lois was my first teacher, and heavily influenced my need for perfection. At the time, I found the education quite tedious, but without her, the way I practice music now would not be held to as high a standard. Jeffrey was my teacher once I realized that classical wasn’t going to be my life path. He nurtured me as a songwriter and arranger. I didn’t 26

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believe this as a kid, but it’s because of my classical training that I write, arrange, and perform the way I do now. It’s why I’m able to listen for everything between the notes as well as the notes themselves. Also, producers I’ve worked with have told me that I’m a human click track. So I guess all those years of Hanon and Czerny with the metronome really paid off! What motivated your transition from classical to rock?  I remember the very moment it happened. I was sitting in the back of my dad’s car with my friend

on our way to school. Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came on the radio. There was something about that track that really did it for me. Now I understand why my piano teacher at the time refused to teach it to me. But there was a balance between the simplicity of the music and the cleverness of the lyrics, which referenced nearly every world affair from the 1950s on. I knew that instant that I was headed into pop after a whole childhood of serious classical music. I’ve heard Billy Joel say in various interviews that once he saw the Beatles on TV, he knew he wanted to “do that.” So as the Beatles were to Billy, Billy was to me.   You mention being a keyboard player more than a songwriter. What was the first time you were inspired by an “other-than-piano” keyboardist? When I saw Bette Sussman. My dad once took me to this “women of popular music” concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. At the time I had no idea who she was—I kept referring to the concert program—but she was an absolute

beast on the Hammond organ. She was totally in charge and so cool! She had absolute command of the room as well as the instrument, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I remember thinking, “Okay, I could totally do this.” That leads me to ask, what was one of your own early gigs that affirmed you made the right choice? I once played at this bizarre bookstore/nightclub/coffeehouse in Rockville, Maryland, and packed the place. I was in my early teens and technically not supposed to be in the venue, as it was 21 and over. I remember being onstage and seeing my classmates trying to get in. Those who didn’t stood outside with their faces pressed against the glass. What was really interesting was that I’d always been bullied at school, but the very kids who came out to see me play were those who had been the bullies. I felt really powerful—well, as powerful as a teenager could feel in the suburbs of DC—and I realized for the first time in my life that I might possess anything like a cool factor. I never wrote music to be accepted, but performing that night made me realize that I was doing something special that not everyone gets to do. Would you say you have any signature chordal or melodic approach to accompanying yourself? Hah! My drummer and musical director Vito Pandolfo would tell you that I have a formula. I think I get into ruts sometimes where I gravitate toward specific chordal structures and arrangements. I don’t think I have a “signature” approach, although I do love me some high-end organ screams! If anything, I’d say it’s something we call “the neck test.” If it doesn’t make your neck groove from side to side, you won’t hear it in the show. In terms of accompaniment, I take great care in my arrangements, so each song is different. I like to do a lot with single lines and seventh chords with extensions such as sharp ninths. I like punctuated bass lines in my left hand. I’m a very percussive player. I hear many cool synth textures on your latest album. Could you describe the production behind a song or two? The producer, Howie Beno, is an amazing programmer and keyboard player himself, and we had a real meeting of the minds. One track I’ll pick is “Excuse Me for Breathing” because it’s so difficult to reproduce live. In the studio, it was just turning into this concrete wall of sonic opposition and difficulty. At the time, we’d kept the production to the usual suspects: guitars, bass, drums, piano, and vocal. We wracked

our brains for a good week before it finally hit us that perhaps “organic” was not the way to go and that this song needed to be much more electronic. Howie is into completely different kinds of music—underground stuff, EDM, German dark classical, you name it. We ended up making a sound stew of our respective influences and created custom sounds for the track. We went in and recorded a bunch of MIDI tracks and used them to drive and audition different synths. We were determined to create sounds that were new and unique, yet sounded like you’d hear them every day—things you don’t so much hear as feel—and the only way you’d know they were there is if you heard them removed. We have a number of great

I’d always been bullIed at school, but the very kIds who came out to see me play were those who had been the bullIes.

M

sounds going on in this track including a harpsichord, Rhodes, lead synths run through effects, and all sorts of pads that we ran through pedals and plug-ins. This track was cooking by taste, not by recipe. I also had a lot of fun with “Just a Man.” I play piano, Clav, Wurly, and three different organs on it, all from my Kurzweils. The organ arrangements on this track were particularly fun because Howie and I sat for a few days prior, programming custom organ patches for it.  We ended up with a hyped-up C-3, a sort of Farfisa on crack, and this blues organ that sounds like a Leslie is being slowly crushed through a garlic press. That’s probably one of my favorite songs to play live because it’s incredibly difficult to do unless I have a second keyboard player or a two-tiered rig—but I manage.

Emiko’s first kurzwEil kurzw Eil “my manager when I was in my teens recommended that I get a pro keyboard,” emiko explains about the purchase that would eventually lead to her endorsement of kurzweil instruments. “after a lot of research, my father and I found the one we wanted—which wasn’t a kurzweil. we went to chuck levin’s washington music center to get it, and I saw this billy Joel poster on the wall. he was in a slick black suit, leaning against a kurzweil pc88mX. I think they could smell the sale, and a salesperson, david bach (a wonderful keyboard player with many great albums) gave us a demo, and the rest is history. up until then I was a classically trained pianist with no knowledge of electronic keyboards whatsoever. that pc88mX is still with me and in perfect condition. presently, I’m using a pc3 and pc3k8 with the kore64 sound expansion. I said once in a video for kurzweil that ‘the sound gave me the song,’ and that’s true. sometimes when I have writer’s block, I turn on my keyboard and pick sounds at random, or I start layering and programming. the sounds I come up with inspire me to write. It’s great that my relationship with my instrument is reciprocal in that way.”

02.2014 Keyboard

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PLAY

COLD FUS ION » OR GA N » B LUES

5 WAYS TO PLAY LIKE

Billy Preston BY JEFF LORBER I WAS APPROXIMATELY 14 YEARS OLD WHEN I STARTED TO DISCOVER GOSPEL AND BLUES LICKS, LISTENING TO MARK Naftalin from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and early John Mayall records. At that time (the mid 1960s), there were plenty of great blues and gospel devices to be found on records recorded in Philadelphia by the likes of Cameo-Parkway, Gamble and Huff, and others, not to mention in the Motown songs that were saturating the airwaves at the time. Nobody could rock those kind of licks better than Billy Preston; a keyboard prodigy who played with Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and André Crouch at the age of ten. Preston later achieved worldwide acclaim playing with the Beatles, but he really hit his stride with his own solo records. Let’s look at five ways to add his signature sound to your own musical efforts.

1. Syncopation, Grace-

Ex. 1.

& 44

Notes, and Inversions

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œœœ œœœ œj œœœ ...

? 44 & ? 28

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œ œ œœ œ

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œ

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Keyboard 02.2014

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Ex. 1 is a rhythm pattern in the style of Preston’s tune “Nothing From Nothing.” Many of the phrases here seem simple, but their real effectiveness comes with proper time feel and execution. Pay special attention to how the grace-notes are used and in this case, the syncopation between the right and left hands. Patterns that go back and forth between the I and IV chords using different inversions in a descending direction are a staple of both rock and blues music and are a great tool for almost any kind of popular music.

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2. Descending I-IV

Patterns

Billy Preston enjoyed playing a myriad of different keyboards including Rhodes, Wurlizter, acoustic piano, Hammond B-3 organ, and even Hohner Melodica. Ex. 2 is a bluesy piano figure in the style of Preston’s tune “Will It Go ’Round in Circles” that at the end employs his signature descending I-IV pattern with different chord inversions. (It always works!) Check out the use of left and right hand together on the rhythms with a Bill Evans-style jazzy 13th voicing in the left hand, and mostly triads and octaves in the right.

3. Basic Beatles When Billy Preston played with the Beatles, he had to adapt to their particularly rocking style of music. Ex. 3 is reminiscent of Preston’s accompaniment on the Beatles’ track “Get Back,” and shows a basic but effective open triadic voicing approach to rock accompaniment. The fifths are heard in the left hand and the right hand plays sixth intervals above containing the third and the root on top. Note the preponderance of bluesy gracenote approaches in the right hand. There’s room here to add some tasty variations without interfering with the main melodies of the song.

continued on page 30

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02.2014 Keyboard

29

Ex. 3. continued

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4. Gospel Support

Ex. 4 is a gospel-inspired passage with simple, open-voiced, triadic chord movement. Never forget that what seems simple can often be very effective. In this situation, the art of accompaniment is in providing solid support and simple ornaments that keep the track interesting without detracting from the vocalist or melodic instrument. I like triadic approach chords (like those seen at the end of the second bar), and I often try to add them when they make sense in a particular musical situation.

Ex. 5.

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About the Author Acclaimed keyboardist Jeff Lorber is best known as one of the pioneers of jazz fusion and multikeyboarding beginning in the 1970s. At press time, his latest album Hacienda had been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Find out more at lorber.com.

30

Keyboard 02.2014

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5. Melodic Soloing

Ex. 5 is an eight-bar solo in the style of the one Preston played on the Beatles’ “Get Back.” Note how it references the verse’s melody. It’s always a good idea to recycle melodic material from a song in your solo, in order to keep everything on track thematically. Notice the use of melodic fourth intervals in bar 3, as well as contrasting syncopated and straight phrases and the use of blues licks.

Billy Preston plays “Nothing from Nothing” live. Jeff Lorber plays through this lesson. keyboardmag.com/february2014

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PLAY

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5 WAYS TO Comp on a Hammond B-3 BY jOhN gINtY SHOrT fOr ACCOmpAnYing, “COmping” iS An OfTen-OverlOOked COmpOnenT Of plAYing THe HAmmOnd B-3 OrgAn. Often, one ends up holding pads and throwing a Leslie switch back and forth while the guitar player takes yet another solo. There’s much more you can do to comp effectively, though. Job one is to find the groove and not rush the beat. Here are five of my favorite ways to comp on the Hammond organ.

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ex. 1.

32

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Keyboard 02.2014

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1. Comping with the Sus Chord

In Ex. 1, I use the suspended (sus) chord or the IV chord on the end of each bar. This gives things a Gospel feel, with the classic “amen” cadence on the blues phrase.

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2. Quarter-Note Comping Do you like Beach Boys records? So do I! Ex. 2 recreates their signature quarternote comping sound. Pull out all the white drawbars only, set your Leslie to fast and vibrato to C3, and crank up the reverb if you have it. This works on a lot of styles, including blues.

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j œœœ ‰ Œ œ

j œœœ ‰ œ

j j œœ ‰ Œ œœ ‰ Œ œ œ

j œœ ‰ Œ œ

j œœ ‰ œ

œ œ Œ œœœœœ

j œœ ‰ Œ œ

‰œ‰œ‰œ‰œ

j j œœœ ‰ Œ œœœ ‰ Œ œ œ

Œ œ œ œœœœœ

‰œ‰œ‰œ‰œ

3. The Reggae Bubble The clicks, pops, and burbles a Hammond organ produces can and should be utilized in your playing. Ex. 3 demonstrates how to incorporate them. In funk and reggae, use the palm of your left hand on the upper manual an octave below the chord stabs of your right hand to achieve the classic “bubble” comping sound. Don’t rush the beat— this needs to be back behind the beat to be effective.

‰œ‰œ‰œ‰œ

Ginty’s Favorite Organ Compers Gregg Allman (AllmAn Brothers) Brothers and Sisters

Chester thompson (tower of Power) Back to Oakland

Benmont tench (tom Petty And the heArtBreAkers) Damn the Torpedoes

steve winwood (trAffiC) Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

danny louis (Gov’t mule) By a Thread

02.2014 Keyboard

33

Ex. 4.

& b 44 œ œ œ

j #œ

j œ œ œ œ.

? 4 Œ. b 4 &b ?

b

j #œ

œ œ b œj n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ.

œ œ b œj n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ.

Ex. 5.

# œ & # 44 ‰ Jœœ

œ œ œ J

œ ‰ œœ J

j #œ

j œ œ œ

œ œ b œj n œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ. J

œ œ œ œ. J

‰ # œr œœ œœ b œr n œœ œ Œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ #œ J

œ œ œ J

œ.

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ . J

‰

‰ œœ œ

j œ œ

œ.

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ . J

œ ‰ œœ J

œ

œ

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ ‰ œœœ . J J

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ ‰ œœœ . J J

The percussion tabs on a Hammond or clone give each note a short harmonic ping at the beginning of their attack. Harmonic percussion while comping behind a soloist can be distracting, both rhythmically and harmonically. But Ex. 4 demonstrates how you can use the B-3’s percussion effectively while comping. Remember to use a pattern and keep it simple and consistent.

Œ Ó

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ ‰ œœ œœ .. # œœ œœ .. . J J J

˙˙˙ ˙

? # # 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ # œ & # ‰ Jœœ

4. Comping with Harmonic Percussion

œœœ .. œœœ ... œœœ ‰ œœœ œœœ ‰ # œœœ œœ .. . œ œœ .. J J J

5. Syncopated Comping

Some of the best ideas I’ve put on records have been heavily syncopated B-3 comping rhythms. As long as the pattern grooves with the rhythm section and supports the song, it can cross bar lines, as shown here in Ex. 5.

˙˙˙ ˙

? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ

Drawbar Advice “Your drawbar choices should reflect the section you’re in and what instrument or vocalist you’re trying to supp port,” says organist John Ginty. “I prefer darker organ drawbar settings with slow Leslie speed for song verses, and brighter drawbar settings with fast Leslie for choruses and solos.” Ginty has toured and recorded with Jewel, Santana, and the Dixie Chicks, and was an original member of Robert Randolph’s Family Band, with whom he received two Grammy nominations and a Gospel Music Award for Urban Album of the Year in 2003. His latest release Bad News Travels is out now. Find out more at johngintymusic.com.

34

Keyboard 02.2014

John Ginty shreds on the B-3 live. Hear John play audio examples from this lesson. keyboardmag.com/february2014

PLAY

CO LD FU S IO N » O RGAN » BLUE S

Interpreting Leroy Carr A CASE STUDY

BY CHUCK LEAVELL

“The most important thing to remember about interpreting a song is to play it over and over again until it becomes your own,” says Chuck Leavell. Best known for his threedecade-plus run as keyboardist with the Rolling Stones, Leavell has also worked with Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, and John Mayer. Leavell is also the founder of irocku.com, a program of online piano lessons for “anyone who wants to play like a rock star.” His latest album is entitled Back to the Woods and his latest book is Growing a Better America. Find out more at chuckleavell.com.

HEIDI HEILBRUNN

MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

Practice Tip

THE GREAT BLUES PIANO PLAYER LEROY CARR PLAYED A HUGE ROLE IN INFLUENCING GUYS like me. On my most recent album Back to the Woods: A Tribute to the Pioneers of Blues Piano, I recorded five of his songs. He and Scrapper Blackwell, (his guitar playing partner with whom he often recorded duets), gave us a plethora of wonderful recordings in the late 1920s and early ’30s. Carr only lived to be 30, drinking himself into an early grave, but the music he left behind is nothing short of legendary, and it lives on in his many recordings. One of my favorite songs of his that I covered is “Low Down Dirty Dog Blues.” It’s a great song to play and sing, and I’ve had fun with it in a live setting as well. Let’s look at the introduction to Carr’s version of the song, and how I changed it in my own interpretation of it. My thanks to guitarist Danny Barnes and also to Louis Romanos on drums and Chris Enghauser on acoustic bass for helping me celebrate the great Leroy Carr and his undeniable contribution to blues piano. 36

Keyboard 02.2014

Ex. 1.

E b7

& 44 j bœ ˙ b œ n œ b œœ ˙˙ ?4 ‰ 4

A b7

E b7

œœœ œ b œ b œœ ˙˙

B b7

E b7

‰ j bœ ˙ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œbœ œ œbœ nœ œ ˙

‰j œ

bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ b œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œœ œœ b œ œ b œ œ œœ œ œ œœ b œ œ œœ

A b7

‰ j bœ ˙ œ bœ œ ˙

E b7

B b7

E b7

‰ j b œ œ bœ ˙ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ nœ œ ˙

Œ

&

bœ ˙ bœ œ ˙

?

bœ œ œ œ bœ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b b œœ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œœ œœ b œ œ b œ œ œœ œ œ œœ bœ œ œ œœ

Ex. 2.

D7

& 44 j œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ nœ #œ nœ #œ œ #œ ? 44 ‰ j œœ œœ œœœ œœœ .. œœ ww œ . œ œ œœ . G7

&

œ

‰ j œ œ œ ˙. #œ œ nœ #˙. > œ . œj ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ. œ ˙ œ œ œ

> œœ ‰ j œ ˙ œ œ # œ œœ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ #œ nœ #œ j j Œ œ œ œœ œœ . œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ . . . D7

œ œ

? œ. œ. A7

œ œœ œ œ œ #œ ˙ œ j œ œœ œœ œ œ .. œj ‰ œ œ œ G7

D7

œ œ œ œj j œ œ œ ˙. œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ nœ œ œ œ #œ œ ˙. j . ˙˙ ? n œ # œœ . œœ ‰ œœ b n œœ j j œœ œ Ó J J œœ . œœ œœ . œœ ˙˙ . . &

w

Chuck’s Tips for Better Song Interpretations 1. Find a key that suits you. 2. Experiment with the arrangement. 3. Try using or adding different keyboard instruments (vintage keys, organ, piano, synth). 4. Experiment with different tempos. 5. Experiment with different instrumentation such as horns, strings, African drums, harmonica, or mandolin.

1. Carr’s Intro

Ex. 1 shows the intro to Leroy Carr’s version of “Low Down Dirty Dog Blues.” In it, the dominant phrase that occurs in the intro and throughout the song is played with a somewhat bouncy, almost shuffle feel. Carr recorded his version in the key of Eb, and it has a certain lilt to it, giving an almost happy vibe as he sings the lyrics, “I ain’t gonna be your low down dog no more.” Behind the repetitive figure he plays on the piano, Blackwell dances around on guitar with single-note improvisations over Carr’s piano and vocals, once again emphasizing the upbeat attitude of the track.

2. Leavell’s Interpretation

Ex. 2 shows the intro to my interpretation of Carr’s song. I wanted my version to be a bit darker and more sinister, with a more defiant attitude. I decided to drop the song down to the key of D and while I play the phrase on the piano similarly, I did take out some of the “bounce” of Carr’s version and give the vibe a touch of vengeance. I smoothed out his more syncopated figure that is the foundation of the tune so as to make it lope along with an air of ominousness. I also asked Danny Barnes, who played guitar on the track, to simplify what Blackwell was doing on the original version and play more with the piano figure rather than around it. Later during my solo, I wanted to push it out of the box into a more free form direction, taking it towards a slight jazz idiom. I start with some blues licks, then morph it in the end with a twist of “avant-garde anger.”

Chuck Leavell jams with the Irocku team. Play-along audio examples. keyboardmag.com/february2014

02.2014 Keyboard

37

KNOW

BEY o nd Th E M A n uA L » SYN TH SOLOIN G » DA N CE

Fig. 1. The original matrix modulation— the mechanical routing matrix of the EMS VCS3 synthesizer—has been expanded in XILS Lab’s XILS 3, a soft synth based on the VCS3’s architecture.

Inside the Matrix BY CRAIG ANDERTON ALThough pIAnoS And orgAnS CAn produCE CoMpLEX And InTErESTIng sounds, synthesizers offer control over multiple parameters that let you get “inside” the sound, producing greater expressiveness in real time. Digital synths took the modulation process to a whole other level via the modulation matrix. Here are several ways to exploit modulation to increase sonic expressiveness. What is the matrix? Visually, the matrix usually consists of rows of outputs from modulation sources and columns of inputs (filter cutoff, VCA level, envelope attack time, LFO rate, etc.), very much like the EMS VCS3’s “Battleship” pin board (see Figure 1). The crosspoint where a row meets a column lets you adjust the modulation source’s output level, polarity (positive- or negativegoing), and sometimes, additional options like range, smoothing, or logarithmic/linear response. However, matrix modulation doesn’t always have to be arranged like a grid of rows and columns; for example, drop-down menus can choose sources and destinations (see Figure 2 on page 41). Modulation wheel with synth bass. I rarely use vibrato with synth bass, which frees up the mod wheel to control filter cutoff so the bass can lay back in the track or grab attention. This is 40

Keyboard 02.2014

even more effective if turning up the mod wheel increases the amount of modulation from a filter envelope. Mod wheels also excel for bringing in a sub-octave sound behind a bass line. Mod wheel for sound morphing. Some soft synths are sophisticated enough that you can build two entirely different patches, and morph between them with the mod wheel by tying it to multiple parameters (see Figure 3 on page 41). In many cases this is far more expressive compared to switching patches because you can build a sonic change over time. If the two patches sync to host tempo, you can even do DJ-style crossfading to produce some wild, tempo-synced effects. Aftertouch for guitar-like “feedback.” One of the coolest guitar sounds is when a feedback sine wave kicks in an octave or fifth above the

fundamental. So, program a sine wave oscillator for this sound, with amplitude controlled by aftertouch so the “feedback” sound lies dormant until you mix it in with aftertouch. If the aftertouch response is too touchy, a pedal or mod wheel will do the job. For a variation on this theme, have aftertouch introduce vibrato at maximum pressure. Sample start modulation for dynamics. This was mentioned two issues ago for drums, but is worth repeating because modulating sample start time can add extremely dynamic effects (particularly with plucked, bowed, or percussive instruments). Program a sample start time several milliseconds into the sample, then use negativegoing velocity so that higher velocities trigger the sample closer to its beginning. If increased velocity also opens up the filter a bit for a brighter sound, the dynamics will be even more compelling. Strength through fundamentals. Layering a sine wave tuned to a sample’s fundamental (or an octave lower) can add considerable strength and power. This is really obvious with piano samples; layer a sine wave at the same pitch but mixed

Fig. 2. Arturia’s Mini V adds matrix modulation, as revealed by an Open button. Sources and destinations are chosen by drop-down menus (this one shows destinations).

pitch envelope, then you’re there. With a layered choir, the effect will be even more realistic if one layer bends slightly up to pitch while another bends slightly down or stays constant (see Figure 4). Pitch envelope with plucked and struck sounds. Plucking a string hard or hitting a drum head raises pitch slightly at first. Run a pitch envelope to the oscillators set for no attack and short decay, with velocity-controlled envelope level. With acoustic instrument emulations, the pitch-bend should occur only when you hit the keys really hard. However, you can also make percussive sounds very “electro” by using a highamplitude envelope with an extremely short attack time.

Fig. 3. The Mod wheel in this Cakewalk Rapture patch controls seven different parameters. Several of these relate to volume levels so that as the patch LFO and Step Sequencer depths change, the overall volume level remains constant.

Fig. 4. This shows a choir preset from NI’s Kontakt’s Factory Library. The bottom section, outlined in green, adds a pitch modulation envelope. Note the decay time; the envelope is inverted so the choir bends up to pitch over 230ms.

behind the main waveform, and the piano will acquire a more commanding low end. Expressive hard sync. Using an envelope for hard sync is the norm, but changing the pitch of the oscillator reset by the hard sync with a foot pedal, aftertouch, or mod wheel can be far more expressive. Pitch envelope with choirs and winds. Human voices and wind instruments

rarely begin right on pitch, but instead “settle in” to the pitch over a short period of time. So, set a pitch envelope for no attack and a short decay, then use negative modulation so the pitch sweeps upward from below pitch to normal pitch. Optionally, add velocity control over the pitch envelope amount so that hitting the keys harder creates more of a pitch shift. The overall effect needs to be almost subliminal—if the sound is less “human” when you remove the

Foot-controlled envelope times. A pedal is a great way to vary an amplitude envelope’s attack or decay time. With string patches, varying attack allows fading in a pad over a variable amount of time, whereas varying decay is perfect for making a bass line more or less staccato to match what the music requires. Also, changing an open hi-hat’s decay time via a continuous pedal can give a smoother response. LFO waveform crossfades. Use the same LFO, set to a relatively slow rate, to control the amplitude of two different waveforms. Set the LFO amount to full positive modulation for one waveform, and full negative modulation for the other to crossfade between the waveforms. This provides an animated, non-static sound if you choose related and sustained waveforms (e.g., two different organ samples, or two pulse waves with different duty cycles). Fun with panning. Modulating panning by MIDI note number (low notes on the left, high notes on the right to simulate “performer position”) is a common technique, but with percussion instruments that have very short decays, try modulating pan position with velocity. This makes the instrument bounce around to different places in the stereo field. Step-by-step audio examples. keyboardmag.com/february2014 02.2014 Keyboard

41

KNOW

BE YO ND TH E M ANU AL » SY NTH SOLOING » DA N CE

Rob Papen with Roland Jupiter-8 in the studio. Synths to his left include a Prophet-600, Alesis Andromeda, and Access Virus atop the rack. Behind him sits a vintage Emulator IV.

Learn More From Rob Papen

THE ART OF SYNTH SOLOING

Missive from a Dutch Master BY JERRY KOVARSKY

ROB PAPEN HAS BEcOME kNOwN FOR HIS LINE OF VIRTuAL SYNTHS AND effects, including Predator, Blue, and Blade. But he has a long history of programming synths and samplers, starting with the Waldorf MicroWave, the Ensoniq ASR-10, the E-mu Orbit 3 module, and the Access Virus. I’ve long admired his work and wanted to get some insights on his approach to crafting lead synth sounds. Hard at work on a new version of Blue, Rob took time to share some concepts.

Detuned Saws Rule The detuned lead is the most popular electronic dance music sound of the last 15 years. If you’d called up this type of sound on a disco or funk session 20 or 30 years ago, the producer would surely have yelled, “Tune that thing!” Overall the saw waveform rules for most such lead sounds. The cool thing is that you can produce this typical lead sound on any synth that has two oscillators. Set both oscillators to a saw waveform and detune one –15 cents and the other +15 cents. You can even go as far as 20 cents in each direction. 42

Keyboard 02.2014

Use a 24dB lowpass filter, with the cutoff wide open. The attack time of the amp envelope should be between 1ms and 5ms, and always keep the envelope’s sustain level at maximum. Keep the amp envelope release rather short (5-90ms), but pay close attention to this setting, as it will really influence the rhythmic feel of your playing. It needs to be determined in context with the track, based on the song’s tempo. Rob sometimes likes to put a slight pitch glide on one of the oscillators. If your synth doesn’t have a dedicated pitch envelope or a freely assignable

If you’ve enjoyed this lesson, you may be interested to know that Rob has created a wonderful book and four-DVD set on synth programming, called The Secrets of Subtractive Synthesis: The 4 Element Synth. It’s available from Amazon and his website at robpapen.com.

envelope to spare, you can use your filter envelope, since the filter cutoff is fully open. Assign it to the pitch of oscillator 2, with a modulation depth of 12 semitones (one octave). The pitch glide will start to act. Here, it’s essential to keep the envelope’s sustain level at zero, so you don’t transpose or detune the sound further. Keep the attack also at zero and use decay and release settings of 30 to 90ms. See Figure 1 for how this patch looks in Predator. Experiment with more modulation, increasing it to 24 semitones (two octaves). Also experiment with the decay and release settings, but keep both values equal.

Hip-Hop Brass Lead Based on this sound, let’s make a brassy lead—the type often used in hip-hop. There’s already a nice pitch “attack” on the second oscillator, as was often used when simulating brass sounds on analog syn-

Fig. 1. The detuned lead, as programmed in Predator.

Fig. 2. The brassy lead.

Fig. 3. The solo trumpet lead.

thesizers. To get brassier still, reduce oscillator 1’s fine detuning to –5 cents, and oscillator 2 to around +5 cents. We want to have a bit of filter movement inside this brass lead, so close the filter cutoff frequency to around 25 percent and open the filter envelope to 100 percent. This way we can use the envelope to shape some filter movement over time. Set the attack between 10 and 40ms, the decay between 300ms and 1.5 seconds, the sustain to 40 or 50 percent, and the release to 300ms (see Figure 2). If your synth doesn’t show values like this, think of it as a relatively fast attack, a medium decay, a mid-level sustain, and a slight release with not too much “ring-out.” You now have a nice synth brass sound, but expression is important so let’s add more control. You could add vibrato via the modulation wheel,

but another option is to use it to open the cutoff frequency of the filter. In Predator, the mod wheel is already available as a mod source inside the filter section. Other synthesizers may require it to be assigned within a modulation matrix. Velocity is another factor that you can use for expression. Within dance music, Rob shies away from sounds that have too much dynamic range, as they can get lost in the mix. So, set the velocity’s modulation depth (or the volume’s sensitivity to velocity) to about 30 percent, instead of 100 percent as might be programmed on a piano sound. Velocity control of filter cutoff is another great way to bring this type of sound to life.

Morph Into a Trumpet

With a few more tweaks, we can lead to another lead: a fusion-style trumpet sound for soloing

(see Figure 3). For building a single trumpet-like fusion lead sound, we only need one oscillator. We have two options: We can turn off oscillator 1 (leaving oscillator 2 with its little bit of pitch glide) or do the opposite. Better, we can toggle between these two and even make two versions. First, reduce any detuning of the oscillators to zero, as detuning only makes sense if more than one oscillator is playing. Now shut down oscillator 2, leaving the nonpitch-enveloped oscillator. To make the sound a bit more special, close the filter envelope amount to 65 percent and close the filter cutoff to between 10 and 20 percent. The sound is now far mellower. We’ve already assigned velocity and the mod wheel to the filter for expressiveness, but vibrato comes to mind with this lead sound. So we’ll assign aftertouch from the keyboard to the depth of the LFO that’s modulating pitch. If your synth has multiple LFOs, the first one is most often already assigned to produce vibrato. Don’t have aftertouch? Then assign control of the filter to a knob, slider, or ribbon, and use the mod wheel for vibrato. It sounds best if your synth has a delay parameter for the LFO, so that the vibrato comes in a few milliseconds after the attack. Remember that for expressiveness, velocity, pitch-bend, the modulation wheel, and aftertouch all play essential roles to make the lead melody you play alive and dynamic. There’s also another thing you can use for expressive playing: your synth’s portamento or glide feature. Many synths have a mode where the glide only occurs between notes you play legato. So you can play clean detached notes, and then glide into a note by playing legato. [We cover this in more detail in our December 2012 and January 2013 columns, which are now available online. —Ed.] Try this feature if your synth has the option. To complete this sound, use a bit of reverb. Chorus is still possible, but it takes away the solo feel of this oscillator/trumpet sound. Don’t forget that we shut down oscillator 2. We can make a variation using oscillator 1 instead. Oscillator 2 has the slight pitch glide in its attack phase, which we created with a free envelope. Try tweaking the decay setting of the envelope as well as the envelope amount. Toggle between both the oscillators to hear the difference in sound. Interesting, isn’t it, how small changes can have a big effect on a sound? Download free patches for Rob Papen’s Predator synth. keyboardmag.com/february2014 02.2014 Keyboard

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B EYON D THE M A N UA L » SYN TH SOLOI N G » DAN CE

Fakin’ the Funk

RECREATING ’70S R&B LEADS BY FRANCIS PRÈVE LAST MONTH, WE COVERED THE TECHNIQUE FOR CREATING FILTER SWELLS for classic ’80s and ’90s R&B grooves. This time out, we’ll take a closer look at soulful leads and supporting riffs that rely on the time-honored technique of using the modulation wheel to inject vibrato into accented notes. The secret to performing with this patch relies on playing sparse staccato riffs, then, when you want to get greasy with the sound, extending a note ever so slightly and flicking the mod wheel. While it’s possible to get similar results by using delayed vibrato that fades in on each note, with this technique you have a lot more control and can tinker with the subtleties via DAW automation. So whether you’re emulating a tech-house groover from Maceo Plex or a hipster soul track by Chromeo, this patch can be used in both funky and percussive ways, depending how you play it. We’ll demonstrate it using Reason’s Subtractor device, but these steps translate pretty directly to any analog synth, real or virtual.

Step 1

Reset Subtractor to its default settings then zero the velocity modulation to the filter envelope. Since Subtractor’s default patch uses a sawtooth waveform, we’ll stick with that—though you can experiment with other waves like square or pulse for a slightly different flavor.

Step 2

Start by setting up a gate envelope for the amplifier, with instant attack, full sustain, and quick release. Handily enough, the default patch filter envelope settings are well suited for this particular sound, though you may want to tinker with the decay time slightly to suit your playing. From there, set the filter cutoff to between 40 and 50 percent and increase the filter envelope amount to between 60 and 70 percent.

Step 3

The key to this sound is using the modulation wheel to apply vibrato to the oscillators, emphasizing specific notes in your riff. Start by selecting a triangle wave LFO. Apply it to the oscillators, and then adjust the LFO amount in Subtractor’s mod wheel section. Setting this knob to about one or two o’clock usually does the trick. Once that’s done, experiment by playing a simple funk-inflected percussive riff and quickly flick the mod wheel to add that wiggle to accented notes. 44

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Original audio example. keyboardmag.com/ february2014

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daw » CLON EWHEEL » A N A LOG SYN TH » CON TR OLLER » PA D CON TROL » SOF T SY N T H » A PP

fig. 1. Clockwise from top: customizable control bar, browser for drag-and-drop into track view (middle), Melodyne Essential in the multi-dock, and the Inspector showing the ProChannel strip.

CAKEWALK

Sonar X3 Producer BY BRIAN HARDGROOVE

I nEvEr uSEd SonAr bEforE vErSIon X3. I InhErItEd Pro tooLS durIng my residence at Manhattan Center Studios, but recently became frustrated with some of PT’s limitations. A few months ago I decided to go for a Windows-based recording system, and chose a custom-built Rain audio computer and, initially, Steinberg Cubase 7. However, I’ve worked with Craig Anderton on multiple projects, and he recommended trying Cakewalk Sonar. He also cautioned that switching DAWs is never easy, and to expect some degree of learning and frustration. Having recently tackled Cubase’s learning curve, I was in enough of a fighting mood to do it all over again. So with some apprehension tempered with hope, I gave Sonar X3 Producer a shot. Here’s what I found. 46

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Skylight Interface Current Sonar users are familiar with the Skylight interface, but it was my point of entry and frankly, the learning “curve” was more of a straight line. Everything is in one integrated window, where I can show and hide various elements (see Figure 1). Sonar also has a “multi-dock,” with tabs where you can dock multiple windows for virtual instruments, the MIDI piano roll, and so on. That’s where they stay until you click the tab that opens one up.

Fig. 2. MIDI and audio tracks relating to an instance of NI Kontakt are similarly color-coded. The Inspector (left) is showing the MIDI track and arpeggiator. At upper right is the Navigator, which displays a compact version of the project’s tracks.

Sonar tries to squeeze a lot of information into that single window, and it would be difficult to use on something like a laptop if it wasn’t for screen sets. This concept has been around awhile, but Sonar’s implementation is clever. When you call up a screen set with a particular arrangement of windows and make changes, if you go to another screen set and return to the initial one, it remains as you left it (although you can lock it if you don’t want it to change). With a single keystroke you can go from tracking, to MIDI editing, to mixing, to browsing media and plug-ins that you drag-anddrop into the main track view. This is a major time saver that also reduces clutter onscreen. There are quite a few details to the interface such as shortcuts, colorization options (see Figure 2), and zooming features. For example, auto-zoom lets you define a height for the selected track while minimizing all other tracks. So if you want to work on a track in detail, click on it and it expands to the chosen size; click on a different track and it expands while the other track collapses. The Inspector is also a great feature, which I leave docked permanently to the left. It has tabs for four different views, and represents an easy way to edit most details (other than MIDI notes or audio itself) for any given MIDI or audio track.

ProChannel

I had mixed feelings about this at first, because I initially saw it as a channel strip designed for proprietary Cakewalk modules. Then, I realized that I

could also use it with standard VST and DirectX plug-ins by putting these into “FX Chains” and loading the chains into the ProChannel. Most importantly, it let me create my own mixer architecture. This is huge. The ProChannel QuadCurve EQ has four different types of EQ (which emulate the response of various classic consoles), console and tape emulation modules, and separate dynamics processors for bus and track applications (although you can use either one for either). I do want to check out some of the “optional at extra cost” ProChannel modules, but the eight included with Sonar cover my needs for now. What’s significant is I can do something like create five “SSL” channels for drums (some with E-series and some with G-series EQ), a “Neve” channel for bass, and an “A-Range Trident” channel for vocals. Very powerful! The QuadCurve EQ expands to a larger interface with a spectrum analyzer display in the background (see Figure 3 on page 48). As for FX chains, these load into the ProChannel but can also appear as standard VST effects. They let you combine your favorite chain of effects with a panel that includes user-definable macros for adjusting parameters. They’re handy if you have certain effects combinations you use a lot. I did find that a little console emulation goes a long way. Cakewalk recommends including the emulation on every audio track (like a physical mixer), so even a subtle difference adds up over multiple tracks. If you can “hear” the console emulation on a soloed track, it’s probably too much. The audio quality of the ProChannel plug-ins is excellent. I’m using fewer of my “old standby” plug-ins in favor of the ProChannel. There’s also a workflow advantage, as the ProChannel consolidates all these plug-ins into a single, scrollable strip so you don’t need to open up a bunch of plug-in windows. It also makes it easier to exchange projects with other Sonar users.

Comping

I’ve always been more punch-oriented compared to comping—if the track is right, then I just punch in whatever do-overs I need. That said, Sonar’s comping is really hip. You separate takes into sections

effortlessly, then use the keyboard’s arrow keys to audition takes by navigating around the multiple takes and sections. When you hear something you like, you “promote” it to an overall view of the combination of takes. What makes this special is how fast and smooth the whole process is.

Extras

Sonar X3 Producer comes with 23 instruments and 57 effects. Highlights are full versions of XLN Audio Addictive Drums and Cakewalk’s Rapture and Dimension Pro as well as Lounge Lizard Session electric piano, the Z3ta+ waveshaping synth, a couple of REX players, and more. Effects include the Sonitus suite, Overloud’s Breverb 2 and TH2 Producer amp sim, Cakewalk’s own suites of effects which include dedicated vocal and percussion strips and two linear phase mastering processors (dynamics and six-band EQ), and Nomad Factory’s Blue Tubes effects (see Figure 4 on page 48). These have all your usual suspects—EQ, dynamics, brick wall limiter, reverb, stereo imager, delays, and so on—but have a warm, inviting sort of sound quality that doesn’t have a “digital vibe.” I like them a lot.

Snap Judgment PROS Exceptionally easy to learn and use. Unusually cost-effective. Comprehensive collection of instruments (particularly Addictive Drums) and plugins. ProChannel reinvents the virtual mixer. Strong MIDI editing. Melodyne Essential offers monophonic pitch correction and audio-toMIDI conversion. Supports VST2/3, DirectX, and ARA. Perhaps most importantly, makes recording fun. CONS Weak music notation view. No virtual sampler. No Mac version. TH2 amp sim is great for guitars, but only has one bass amp/cabinet. 02.2014 Keyboard

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Fig. 3. You can expand the ProChannel EQ to a much larger display that includes a spectrum analyzer and relates frequencies to musical notes.

SONAR X3 VERSIONS Although this review is of the topend Producer version, there’s also a base X3 version and the mid-level X3 Studio. The main difference is in the add-ons, as the core technology is identical: They all have a 64-bit mix engine; up to 384kHz sample rate and 64-bit resolution; unlimited track counts, insert effects, and busses; Windows 8 multi-touch support; ReWire 64; REX/Acidized file support; VST 2/3 and DirectX support; MIDI arpeggiation; ASIO/ WDM/WASAPI audio support; 32and 64-bit versions to match your Windows OS; Gobbler support for cloud-based backup and sharing; and publication via SoundCloud, Twitter, and Facebook. The main drawback with the base X3 version is that you don’t get the ProChannel. In X3 Studio, you get only two ProChannel modules.

Bottom Line Fulfills the promise made to Sonar users when the X-series was introduced, and offers enough to entice users of other DAWs to switch. Sonar X3 base: $99 | X3 Studio: $199 | X3 Producer: $499 cakewalk.com

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Fig. 4. A collage of Nomad Factory plug-ins. Clockwise from top: Stereo Imager, Dual Analog Chorus, Baxandall Equalizer with Limiter, and Analog Trackbox.

The big deal, though, is Melodyne Essential. Melodyne is the industry standard in pitch correction so it’s welcome, but this version is only monophonic—you have to pay to upgrade to the full version to get polyphonic operation. Still, vocals and many instrumental parts are monophonic, so you’re covered for most uses. There’s not a lot of love for bass players in Sonar. Bass is my primary instrument, and the TH2 amp simulator has seven amps and cabinets for guitar but only one set for bass. On the plus side, TH2 lets you do parallel effects, which is essential for bass. Even better, Sonar blew my mind when I found I could drag an audio bass part into Melodyne and convert it to MIDI, creating instant doubling of bass guitar lines with synth bass. This also works with voice, so you could conceivably sing a horn part in and then double or replace it with a virtual instrument. The biggest limitation is that Melodyne won’t bring over slides and pitch-bends, but the tracking is surprisingly good if you play fairly cleanly.

Wish List

Sonar is a very complete program that tries to deliver all the tools anyone would need to create any kind of music. But as with any software, there’s room for improvement. The notation isn’t as good as Cubase or Sibelius, although fortunately you can export MusicXML. Another issue is that although Sonar has clip gain and pan, you don’t see how it affects the waveform like you do in Pro Tools. However, it’s very cool that you can add effects to individual clips, which is particularly useful with VST3 effects because they don’t draw CPU power if they’re not actively processing audio. While I appreciate all the software instruments, there’s no dedicated soft sampler, so you’ll need something like NI Kontakt, MOTU MachFive, or Propellerhead Reason (so you can ReWire the NN-XT sampler into Sonar). Finally, the video

implementation is average. Cakewalk says video will be enhanced in the next update.

Conclusions

After working with Sonar X3 Producer since its release, I’ve become a convert. DAWs are always a subjective and personal choice, but Sonar made complete sense to me—sort of like trying on shoes that don’t need breaking in. At one point I needed to revise an older project done in a previous DAW, and it struck me just how much more complex it was to do common operations compared to Sonar. Beyond the ease of use, Sonar X3 put the fun back into recording for me. Part of that is the stability and freedom from freezes—I didn’t have to fight the program or my computer, which helps. The workflow is painless, so the experience became all about making music. As to support, within about a month after its release, Cakewalk had released three updates that fixed ever-more-esoteric bugs. I like that kind of commitment. The Sonar user forum is also (for whatever reason) one of the most helpful such forums I’ve found on the Internet. Sonar X3 is a mature, vibrant program that’s a pleasure to use. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no looking back. After several false starts, I’ve found my DAW. Brian Hardgroove produces and plays bass for legendary rap group Public Enemy.

See It Now! Video tour of the new features in Sonar X3.

keyboardmag.com/february2014

NEW!

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MODULATE! 2 LFOs and a Modulation Envelope can control

Nord Lead 4 - 49-key synth version

anything from filters to effects and even offer very flexible triggering options.

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Each slot also features a tweakable delay with analog-mode plus reverb.

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REVIEW

DAW » CLONEW HEEL » ANALOG SYNTH » CONTROLLER » PAD CONTROL » SOFT SYNTH » APP

Snap Judgment

HAMMOND

XK-1C BY TONY ORANT

THE HAMMOND ORGAN IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS that never go out of style. Though some think it only makes “one sound,” that sound has countless different hues due to drawbar manipulation, organ/amplification pairings, Leslie type, microphone placement, age and integrity of parts, and a host of other factors. When you think about it, that so-called one-trick pony is pretty hard to tame. Well, Hammond has distilled all the things that go into making all those “one sounds” into a 16-pound keyboard that not only feels great, but also can sound like the Hammond part from any and every recording you’ve ever loved. The XK-1C is an evolution of Hammond’s recent SK line, using the same engine, but eschewing the non-organ sounds. You’ll find no pianos, Clavs, or accordions—just tonewheel, transistor, and pipe organs. However, the XK-1C does those organs right. The SK1 was reviewed in November 2011, the SK2 in August 2012, and the SK1-73 in October 2013, so refer to those reviews (online at keyboardmag.com/february2014) for what’s familiar. Here, we’ll concentrate on new additions that are indigenous to the XK-1C. The control panel layout is very similar to the SK1, but has been condensed a bit now that the instrument is devoted solely to organ sounds. Besides eliminating the controls for the extra voices, Hammond has merged the patch selection buttons with the cursor buttons, resulting in a “telephone keypad” configuration—minus the bottom row 50

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where zero would be. This means that you now have only eight favorites buttons instead of ten, though you still can save many more programs into user memory. I tend to program a handful of main drawbar settings, and then use the rest of the favorites for storing different organ sounds that are based on the same registration, but with different Leslie simulation and tonewheel settings. You still get one set of drawbars, and their assignment to upper, lower, or pedal duty is done with dedicated buttons, which works great. As on other current Hammonds, long-pressing any button brings up the menu for the most relevant parameters (Leslie settings if you hold the slow/fast button, harmonic percussion if you hold any percussion button, and so on), which is nice and fast. I must say that the buttons feel firmer and more solidly anchored on the XK-1C than I remember

PROS Killer organ sounds in a lightweight, ultra-compact, attractive package. Fantastic Leslie simulation. Deeply editable—no additional processing needed for realism or inspiration. Action feels great. CONS Line lump power supply. Unlike SK series, has no dedicated effects button or reverb amount knob.

on the original SK1. Reverb control has been reduced to an on/off button (there’s no amount knob) and the SK1’s non-reverb Effect knob and switch have been removed entirely, which I think is a mistake, although full control of the effect is still in the menus, and the entry state of reverb and other effects is saved with your preset. In trade, Hammond has instituted a couple of new features not present in the SK models. For instance, while the vibrato/chorus is basically the same, the XK-1C has a new parameter called Mix, which lets you continuously set the balance between direct and chorused signals—even to the point of having one or the other only. Combined with the Emphasis control, which increases the bandwidth of frequencies to be chorused, you can go a long way towards capturing the subtle differences you’d encounter if you were to go to a vintage Hammond

dealer and play five or six different B-3s and A-100s with the same drawbar settings. Awesome! Another new parameter, Color, is in the Leslie section. Through headphones, adjusting the “Color” amount sounds like you put the vent covers back on your Leslie, slightly dampening the sound. Through speakers, however, the effect is more dramatic and very useful. It tames the top end a little bit, adds a nice girth to the sound, and really feels like you’re hearing the resonance of the wooden Leslie cabinet itself. It took me years to wean myself off of using a real Leslie live, and it wasn’t until hosting Native Instruments B4 running on my Muse Receptor, which I then routed through a Ventilator rotary effect pedal, that I felt good enough about the sound

Bottom Line

If you want no-compromise drawbar organ and Leslie sound— and nothing but—in a package small enough to take on public transit, your search is over. $1,795 list | $1,495 street hammondorganco.com

to leave my Leslie at home. With the XK-1C, I can now leave the Ventilator at home. Between the Color knob, the internal 122 model (which sounds brighter than the 147—veteran Leslie users might expect the opposite) and my new favorite, the “right there in the room with you” model 31H with the lower rotor coasting at about 60 rpm, I now have more Leslie options than ever before. Add a little built-in tube overdrive simulation, and you have unlimited potential to grab that “one sound” from any recording or recollection you may have. The action is a joy to play. It’s lighter than my SK1-73, but not as hair-trigger as the XK-3C. It’s fast and begs you to skate up and down the keyboard, but doesn’t make you feel or sound sloppy. Last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on what an aesthetic upgrade Hammond has given the XK-1C. An organ should at least have some wood on it, and the wooden end caps are an elegant touch that helps the XK-1C not look small, which is a real feat on a keyboard this . . . small. In all aspects, Hammond has really stepped up their already impressive game with the XK-1C. I love it!

The wooden end blocks are more evocative of a vintage B-3 than those on Hammond’s SK series.

See It Now! Video first look at the XK-1C.

keyboardmag.com/february2014

02.2014 Keyboard

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REVIEW

DAW » CLONEWHEEL » ANALOG SY NTH » CONTROLLER » PAD CONTROL » SOFT SYNTH » APP

WALDORF

Pulse 2

Snap Judgment

BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

SINCE THEIR INTRODUCTION BACK IN 1996, WALDORF’S ORIGINAL PULSE AND Pulse+ synths have become collector’s items. With three oscillators, a beefy lowpass filter, and some exotic cross-modulation options, the original Pulse synths had an aggressive, punchy sound that cut through a mix and were therefore loved by the early-’90s rave scene. Now that Waldorf is back, it was only a matter of time before they released a more modern edition of this beefy monophonic synth.

Interface

The Pulse 2 keeps the original’s grid-plus-knobs approach to navigating parameters. Over the past few years, I’ve been spoiled by my one-knob-per-function collection of analog synths, but as the Moog Phatties and several Dave Smith synths show, this approach is easy to adopt. In fact, since Waldorf has sensibly arranged the parameters according to synthesis function, the only thing I really missed was being able to adjust the decay, release, and cutoff simultaneously.

Oscillators

The Pulse 2’s oscillators are analog but digitally controlled, which allows them to do some interesting tricks that purely analog oscillators simply can’t. Digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) are extremely stable in terms of tuning, which means that they’re fantastic for bass, with none of the phase issues that often happen when using multiple analog oscillators for a bass patch. Of course, you trade away some of the organic chaos that true VCOs deliver. That’s not 52

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to say that these oscillators sound subpar at all. But it does make the Pulse 2’s overall character more authoritative in some ways, if a wee bit static in others. Now, as to those nifty tricks that straight-up analog VCOs can’t do. There’s an “XOR” oscillator mode that, according to the manual, produces “inharmonic spectra unlike anything associated with any analogue synthesizer other than the original Pulse.” In practice, this is a sophisticated cross-modulation feature. It really does give the Pulse 2 a wider range of nasty sounds, especially in conjunction with its ring modulation and new filter FM options. The Pulse 2 can be switched to a “Unison 8” mode that layers eight detuned pulse oscillators for super-fat lead sounds. Also, a paraphonic mode allows for up to eight-note polyphony, but with the trade-off that you get a single oscillator, filter, and envelope. This and the unison mode sound amazing and are incredibly useful, but if no one told me the Pulse 2 was analog, I’d expect to find capabilities like these only in synths with

PROS Beefy, aggressive sound. Great sounding multimode filters that can push near to self-oscillation. External input for processing audio. Paraphonic mode for simple eight-voice polyphony. CONS Parameter grid doesn’t allow custom assignment of knobs.

at least one digital oscillator, e.g., Waldorf’s own Rocket tabletop synth.

Filter and Modulation

The Pulse 2’s filters are distinctly analog, with options for 24dB-per-octave lowpass as well as 12dB-per-octave modes for lowpass, highpass, and bandpass. All filter modes are fully resonant. Speaking of resonance, you can push these filters right to the edge of self-oscillation for massive sweeps and whistling tones that sound downright raucous when the oscillator FM is applied. All the essential modulation sources are present and accounted for, including amp and filter ADSR envelopes, as well as a pair of LFOs with sine, triangle, square, sawtooth, and sampleand-hold waveforms. LFO 1 can be clocked to tempo via standard MIDI or USB, making




   

The Pulse 2 includes stereo outs, MIDI I/O, USB, and a headphone jack. In addition, a 1/4" audio input lets you route external signals into the filter and amp sections for warming up tracks in your DAW or more dramatic effects. A pair of CV and gate outputs can function in either volt-per-octave or Hertz-per-octave mode, making the Pulse 2 compatible with wide variety of analog gear. Waldorf’s attention to detail here is wonderful.

rhythmic integration with your DAW a simple task. All of these modulation sources, along with a collection of MIDI controller options and velocity, can be assigned via an eight-way modulation matrix, which allows for a ton of performance and animation possibilities. The destination routings are similarly complex, with every essential synth parameter covered.

Bottom Line

An aggressive analog hybrid synth with a ton of useful amenities. $849 list | $799 street waldorfmusic.de

Other Amenities

At the end of the Pulse 2’s signal chain is a VCA that includes a clever distortion effect that’s switchable between “tube” and “fuzz.” Both of these emulations sound fantastically nasty in context and really give the unit a distinctive sound compared to most of the current generation of analog synths. There’s also a complex arpeggiator, with step-sequencer functions such as accents, ties, and glide that make it great for TB-303 emulations. While it’s a tad fiddly to program these from the front panel, the results are well worth it.

Conclusions

I was extremely impressed with the Pulse 2 and its beefy sound. Analog purists may huff at the DCOs, but the fact that the Pulse 2 is capable of paraphonic polyphony makes it one of the few analog-based polysynths on the market today, which is quite a

distinction in itself. The Waldorf filters sound great and can process external audio—another big plus. Plus, its CV/gate outs let it convert both MIDI and modulation sources to analog voltages, making it a possible bridge between your computer and modular worlds. For $800 street, the Pulse 2 is packed with more than enough synthesis resources to earn a place in your analog arsenal.

See It Now! • Pulse 2 video tour. • Downloadable Pulse 2 clips and loops. keyboardmag.com/february2014

7KH1HZRECEPTOR R )ULHQGO\3RZHUIXODQG:HOO&RQQHFWHG -XVWOLNH\RX

7

he New Muse Research Receptor QU4TTRO is the ultimate device for performing with software synths and effects. The QU4TTRO features our breakthrough “SoundFinder” interface that helps you find the perfect sound fast. Once you findd tthat sound, super-powerful quad-core hat so ha soun oun uund ndd, d, tthe he ssup he uper up perr-p -power ow werfu full qu quad ad-c ad -cor oree engine will make your music soar. And with 18-inputs and outputs thanks to the bundled audio interface, you can connect to anything quickly and easily. The new QU4TTRO. Friendly, Powerful and Well-Connected, and ready to propel you and your music to the next level. Visit your local dealer, see iitt on YouTube (Receptorland), like us on Facebook, or call (650) 326-5400 for more info.

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REVIEW

DAW » C LO NEWH E EL » A NA LOG SYN TH » CO NT RO LL E R » PA D CON TR OL » SOF T SYN TH » A PP

NOVATION

Launchkey 49 & Launchkey Mini BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

STANDING OUT IN A CROWDED MARKET IS A DAUNTING TASK FOR ANY manufacturer, but Novation isn’t just any manufacturer. With over two decades of experience ranging from both analog and digital synthesizers to flexible software and some of the world’s most popular controllers, Novation clearly knows what works in the electronic music market—and how to price it. Their new line of Launchkey controllers is an excellent example of this understanding. With three keyboard models to choose from, all of which are bundled with extremely useful software, the Launchkey lineup covers a lot of ground at a range of price points. Over the past month, I tinkered with the Launchkey 49 and Launchkey Mini and was rather impressed with their value and functionality. Here’s why. The Launchkey 49 (also available with 61 or 25 keys for 50 dollars more or less, respectively) includes all the features we’ve come to expect from a controller keyboard: a bank of nine sliders (as opposed to eight, in case you want to control virtual Hammond drawbars), eight knobs, transport controls, and nine assignable buttons. What takes the Launchkey up a notch are the 16 velocity-sensitive pads that do double-duty as Ableton Live clip launchers, with integrated multi-colored LEDs that indicate the status of the assigned clips. This gives the Launchkeys a level of integration with (and with Image-Line FL Studio as well) that other keyboard controllers can’t touch. From these pads, you can control two simultaneous rows of eight clips and 56

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easily shift between rows via an additional pair of buttons next to the pads. In practice, it’s actually quite easy to get up to speed. Deepening the Launchkey integration is the inclusion of Novation’s “InControl” features—essentially a baked-in version of their Automap software, for customized control of various soft synths, effects, and DAW features directly from the unit. Significant added value comes thanks to Novation’s inclusion of two soft synths (Bass Station and V-Station) and a pair of iPad apps: Launchkey and Launchpad. The former is a nifty little iPad synth; the latter is a performance-oriented loop player. Both apps are great fun and quite useful, considering they’re both free, regardless of whether you’re a Launchkey user. Good stuff. The only major caveat with the Launchkeys is the lack of five-pin MIDI connections; these keyboards are for computer use (via USB) only. That said, even the large 61-key version can be powered from your iPad. Kudos to Novation for packing a ton of features—and some really great software— into an affordable line of controllers.

The Launchkey Mini includes the same software, but is more of a tabletop controller for casual use and DJ gigs. It loses the sliders and transport controls while retaining the knobs and pads.

Snap Judgment PROS Tight integration with Ableton Live and Image-Line FL Studio. Sixteen velocitysensitive pads double as clip launchers. InControl features make parameter assignment extremely straightforward. Fantastic bundled software. USB powered—even from iPad. CONS USB only—no five-pin MIDI ports.

Bottom Line

Exceptional value for Abletonbased studios. Launchkey 49: $249.95 list | $199 street Launchkey Mini: $124.99 | $99 street novationmusic.com

REVIEW

DAW » C LO NEWH E EL » A NA LOG SYN TH » CON TR OLLER » PAD CONTROL » SOFT SYN TH » A PP

Snap Judgment PROS Excellent integration with Ableton Live. Multicolored LEDs provide ample visual feedback. Automap software simplifies configuration. Small size fits laptop bags and cramped DJ booths. Comes with Novation’s soft synth of the original Bass Station.

NOVATION

Launchpad S BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN 2009, NOVATION’S ORIGINAL LAUNCHPAD HAS developed a cult following among performance-oriented Ableton fans, thanks to its combination of affordability, gig-friendly size, and realtime control of Live’s clips and scenes via its 64 buttons. The fact that it looks fantastic on stage—thanks to integrated multi-color LEDs for each button—doesn’t hurt either. So the recent release of an updated Launchpad S is big news for fans of the original and for newcomers who are still on the fence about which controller fits their Ableton workflow best. The S includes all the features that made the original Launchpad such a big hit. Compared to the original, the backlighting of the pads is about five times brighter and their response time feels quicker. The S is also now USB class compliant, which means there’s no driver to install. Follow the quick start guide to the letter, and the Launchpad springs to life, enabling on-the-fly triggering of Ableton clips as well as recording functions such as arming tracks, soloing, and muting. Using a streamlined selection of buttons for moving the active range of controlled clips, activating scenes, and accessing mixer functions, the Launchpad S is exceedingly intuitive and, yes, fun, to use with Live. Since the focus is squarely on interactive clip control, the Launchpad’s mixing control is pretty limited. Out of the box, you can manipulate track volume, pan, and levels for the first two sends via treating a vertical strip of buttons as a 58

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“fader,” but with eight buttons per column, you’re limited to volume changes of 16 increments each, so there’s not a lot of subtlety available. Novation’s Automap software enables the Launchpad S to be a true team player when it comes to manipulating soft synth and effects plug-ins, as well. This free download works as a “wrapper” for the plug-in, making parameter assignment an incredibly straightforward process. Just put Automap into learn mode, click on the parameter to be automated, and then select the Launchpad column you want to control that parameter. There are two user modes that can be programmed in this manner, so the Launchpad’s integration isn’t limited to Live’s scenes and clips. Novation is also expanding the Launchpad S’s horizons by including integration with Image-Line FL Studio’s newest performance modes, which are so similar to Live’s that the functional approach

CONS Mixing via columns of buttons is inherently limited to value jumps of 16. Pad buttons are not velocitysensitive.

Bottom Line An affordable and compact session controller for Ableton Live. $249.95 | $169 street novationmusic.com

here is essentially the same, but with a few added amenities for playing keyboard parts and drums. With its combination of integration, simplicity, and affordability, it’s no surprise that Novation’s Launchpad S is the top-selling clip controller for Ableton Live. While it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as Ableton’s own Push or the Akai APC series, it’s also a fraction of the price and a lot more portable—and that’s why it’s poised to remain the best seller for the foreseeable future.

See It Now! Video first look at the Launchkeys and Launchpad S.

keyboardmag.com/february2014

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REVIEW

DAW » CLO NEWH E EL » ANALOG SYNTH » CONTROLLER » PAD CONTROL » SOFT SYNTH » APP

LINPLUG

Spectral BY JIM AIKIN

THE DAY OF ADDITIVE SYNTHESIS HAS ARRIVED. ADDITIVE IS A POWERFUL technology, capable (in theory) of producing absolutely any sound. But while additive synths have been popping up for years, they have long been hampered by two factors. First, until recently computer chips weren’t fast enough to handle the massive computational demands in real time—not without compromises. Second, with potentially hundreds of sine-wave partials to control, the user interface for additive synthesis can be a bit of a mind-twister. Both problems are now history. LinPlug Spectral does additive, and both the sound and the editing controls are excellent. Spectral demands a fast computer, but if your machine is up to the task, its power will knock you out.

Overview

A Spectral sound uses up to four oscillators, each with its own filter. Cross-modulating one oscillator or filter with another is also allowed, and a clever band-limiting algorithm prevents the AM and FM from producing aliasing artifacts. Each oscillator can be spread into a six-voice unison with detuning, and each oscillator/filter sub-voice runs in stereo, so various components of a complex sound can be panned to different locations. 60

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Eight of the 12 envelopes are assigned to amplitude and filter cutoff for these four sub-voices, but there are 15 envelopes total, all of them available as modulation sources in a matrix mod section with 15 slots. There are also five LFOs. With so many sources to choose from, having 15 slots in the mod matrix doesn’t seem like enough. Fortunately, you don’t need to use the mod matrix for routing the filter and amp envelopes to their respective sub-voices, nor for

Snap Judgment PROS Deep, rich resources for sound design. Beautifully animated presets. Solid arpeggiator. Band-limited tone generator is free of aliasing. Elegant user interface. CONS Needs a fast CPU. A few more matrix modulation routings would be nice.

audio-rate modulation of an oscillator or filter. The envelopes are AHDSFR—the H stands for a hold stage and the F stands for a fall rate in the sustain stage. Attack, decay, fall, and release curves can be adjusted smoothly from logarithmic through linear to exponential. The LFOs can be cranked well up into the audio range. Rounding out the picture are a very capable 32-step arpeggiator and six slots for effects. The output of each sub-voice can be routed to the inputs of up to two different effects, with a balance control, and the effects topology can be con-

figured in various parallel or series shapes, so you can easily do complex signal routings. The effects selections include most of the usual suspects, including a bit-crusher. The list doesn’t include overdrive/distortion, but the filter effect (separate from the sub-voice filters) has a girth-inducing overdrive knob. Spectral is a bit of a resource hog. The CPU usage meter in my DAW told me a four-note chord was using more than 50 percent of my Intel 2.67GHz Core i5 CPU. Windows Task Manager revealed a less disturbing picture, however: A

Sound LibrAry Spectral’s factory preset library boasts more than 20 categories. The “Bass” and “Pads & Chords” sections each have more than 100 patches; others have only four or five. Most are programmed to respond to the mod wheel in expressive ways. You won’t find much in the way of realistic keyboard emulations, however. Spectral is about fresh sounds, not classics.

single instance of Spectral seems to use only one of the cores in my quad-core CPU. When I loaded a second instance of Spectral and laid down a second track, it was assigned (presumably by the DAW) to a different core. As a result, two tracks didn’t bump the DAW’s CPU meter any higher than one track.

The Additive Engine The core of the Spectral concept is a graphic editor for each oscillator and filter (see Figure 1 on page 62). You can specify the loudness of each overtone by dragging with the mouse. To save CPU cycles, Spectral isn’t actually mixing the partials with one another in real time. Each time you edit a waveform in the spectrum editor, the synth recalculates it. The calculation takes a fraction of a second, after which the new wave is displayed in the upper window as a typical squiggly contour. In fact, each oscillator has two waveforms, each with additive editing. The two can be blended with a mix knob. There’s also a symmetry knob, which biases the waveform to the left or right, adding overtones. Both mix and symmetry can be modulated from an LFO or envelope, so you can get some very animated tones from one oscillator with no filter. A filter’s response curve can be edited in

exactly the same way, one partial at a time. Extremely complex comb filtering is easy to set up, as is a lowpass or highpass filter with any rolloff slope. The resonance knob exaggerates the distance between the peaks and dips in a filter’s response curve. The edit window for partials has several macros for setting up useful contours. You can add even or odd harmonics, for example, select a range of harmonics and drag them up or down together, or transpose the entire spectrum up or down in octaves. A set of templates is included, so if you want something like a square wave or a dark sawtooth, you can load it from disk.

Arpeggiator Spectral’s arpeggiator is packed with options. Each of the 32 steps can have its own gate time, velocity, transpose, and glide on/off setting. When some steps are transposed, a single finger on the keyboard can play a pattern such as a bass line, complete with ties and rests. When you’re holding a chord on the keyboard, you can assign each step to play a given note from within the chord. The global controls include several up/down choices, swing amount, rhythm step size, gate time, the number of steps in the pattern, a knob for blending the played velocity of individual keys with

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61

Fig. 1. Each green bar shows the amplitude of an additive overtone. Octave divisions of the spectrum are shown in slightly contrasting dark and light bands. Preset spectra can be loaded and then blended with the user-edited spectrum.

Bottom Line the programmed velocity for steps, and so on. You can set the arpeggiator to “mod only” mode, which will route its velocity settings to the modulation matrix without using its note data, thus turning it into a flexible trance gate generator. (There’s also a stereo trance gate in the effects section.)

Other Features

Overall, the user interface earns high marks. Each section of the panel has its own tools button, which opens a simple menu containing copy/paste and initialize commands. Arpeggiator presets can be loaded or saved from this menu, and the spectrum editor has several extra commands, such as generating a random set of overtones. Single modules (oscillators, filters, effects) can be turned on or off with a single right-click, which aids in sound design.

A few important parameters are tucked away on a separate Options window. Here you can switch pitch-bend response on or off for individual oscillators or filters, load microtonal scales (yay!), adjust the velocity response curve, remap incoming modulation wheel and aftertouch messages to a different MIDI message type, and a few other things.

Conclusions

Within a couple of hours after I started using it, Spectral leaped up into my short list of stellar VST synths. (That list is getting a bit crowded by now, but never mind that.) LinPlug didn’t cut any corners with this instrument—it’s a brilliant achievement. It sounds terrific and offers rich rewards to sound designers.

MFA IN

NVTJD DPNQPTJUJPO Contemporary Composition, Electronic Music, Jazz, Songwriting, & Scoring for Media

VCFA.EDU/MUSIC-COMP

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Keyboard 02.2014

A dream come true for sound designers, and a potent resource for any well-equipped studio. $149 street linplug.com

Hear It Now! Original audio examples.

keyboardmag.com/february2014

REVIEW

DAW » C LO NEWH E EL » A NA LOG SYN TH » CON TR OLLER » PA D CON TR OL » SOFT SYN TH » APP

Snap Judgment PROS Deep additive synthesis engine allows four-way morphing between harmonic spectra. Direct editing of up to 512 partials for all four sources. 64-stage envelopes. Extensive arpeggiation options. Great performance, even on firstgeneration iPad. CONS Extensive synthesis tools may be daunting for new users.

VIRSYN

Bottom Line

Cube

Mercedes S-class additive synthesis for your iPad.

BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

$9.99 introductory | $19.99 full virsyn.net

GERMAN DEVELOPER VIRSYN FIRST INTRODUCED CUBE AS A VST PLUG-IN WAY back in 2003, so its revival as an iPad app is a pleasant surprise. While their earlier iPad app, Addictive Synth, relied on a combination of dual additive oscillators and a pair of extremely complex and flexible filters, Cube takes that concept and doubles down on its complexity by adding two more oscillator-filter pairs and an innovative approach to sonic morphing. Cube offers vector control over four discrete additive oscillators, each with its own userdefinable filter. The essential concept is fairly straightforward: Users can specify the harmonic spectra, with up to 512 partials each, for four tone generators. From there, they can apply a custom filter to each generator, as well as specify attack and decay states for the harmonic spectra, along with panning for each harmonic—and that’s just the starting point for a sound. What’s more, VirSyn’s approach to these filters goes far beyond the usual four multi-mode options, allowing users to draw highly complex curves that have more in common with parametric EQ than the usual lowpass and highpass fare. In conjunction with the ability to precisely control 64

Keyboard 02.2014

the additive spectra, these filters are capable of truly otherworldly effects. These tools alone would make for a stellar iOS synth, but VirSyn didn’t stop there. Instead, they added a slew of modulation features for animating the four tone generators via an X/Y axis. In addition to three envelopes, each with up to 64 stages (!), Cube’s spectral morphing axis can be further manipulated via a variety of CoreMIDI options including velocity, aftertouch, modulation wheel, breath controllers, and expression pedals. This adds up to some serious playability for an iPad synth. In addition to these synthesis tools, Cube is fully stocked in the effects department. Each patch can be further processed via up to seven

effects, including EQ, phaser, delay, overdrive, ensemble, chorus, and reverb. These processors go a long way toward adding richness and depth to the digital character of additive synthesis, and even on an original iPad, the CPU hit was negligible. Rounding out the package is an extremely flexible arpeggiator that blurs the line between step sequencing and arpeggiation in clever and useful ways. As for talking to the rest of the iOS world, Cube is Audiobus-compatible and includes a recorder for exporting audio to the desktop, clipboard, or SoundCloud. Cube’s approach to additive synthesis is extremely deep, especially for an iPad app, but that’s anything but a complaint. That said, making the most of a synth this complex requires significantly more dedication than does tackling another me-too virtual analog app. If you want your collection of iPad synths to have some serious sonic range, Cube delivers exactly that, in abundance.

S P E C I A LT Y A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N

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Product Spotlight

Octavian Pro By Bitnotic

Available on the iTunes App Store

Definitive music theory resource for students, teachers, songwriters, and musicians. Features 500+ scales, 50+ chords, progression sequencer, dictionary, and more. Keyboard Magazine said of Octavian 1.1.0 (Jan 2010): “It’s a cheat sheet no keyboardist should leave home without.” Compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. SRP: $2.99

www.bitnotic.com [email protected]

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Learn jazz piano on the internet at www.JazzPianoOnline.com

Buying or selling instruments through our Classified Ads offers you convenience, a big marketplace, and a wide range of instruments and prices. However, buying mail-order does have its drawbacks, too. Keyboard Magazine suggests the following guidelines to help

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description of the instrument, which should include the serial

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number. 2) Get front and back photos of the instrument. 3) Get a written purchase agreement, with a 24-hour approval clause allowing the buyer to return the instrument for a full refund if it does not meet reasonable expectations.

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02.2014 Keyboard

65

CODA

5 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT Buying a Modular Synth BY JIM AIKIN

Jim Aikin has been reviewing synthesizers in the pages of Keyboard for more than 30 years is fi rstt sy nth th b ack k iin 1981, was a years. H His first synth, back modular. Read more about his modular adventures at midiguru.wordpress.com.

IN THE DIGITALLY OBSESSED 1980S AND ’90S, MODULAR ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS were dismissed as dinosaurs. But today the modular market is thriving, with more than two dozen small companies building terrific modules to suit every imaginable need. It’s about twiddling the knobs, it’s about the mad scientist feeling one gets from patching the cables, and it’s about the rich organic sound. There’s nothing like a modular. But how to sort through the profusion and latch onto a system that will satisfy you? Here’s what I’ve learned.

You may have plugged a cord into the wrong jack. Some filters can be intentionally overdriven for fat tones and chaotic distortion. Turning one knob may change several things, even in other modules. Some circuits will do nothing until you twist a knob. Throwing a tiny switch may change the sound radically.

1.

5.

Start with Research

Educate yourself and develop a plan. Get on the Muffwiggler forum (muffwiggler.com/ forum/), and ask questions of the friendly folks there. Go to Analogue Haven (analoguehaven. com) and Big City Music (bigcitymusic.com) and “window-shop” the product lines. Visit manufacturer websites, read module descriptions, and download PDF manuals. Experiment with panel layouts using the very nice browser-based tools at Modular Grid (modulargrid.net). Think about your needs: road cases for gigging? MIDI input?

2.

Be Ready for DIY

Some modular systems, such as those from Buchla and Sound Transform (Serge), are available pre-built. But most of us buy single modules and install them ourselves into the rack(s). With a Eurorack system, this will mean plugging each module’s ribbon cable into the power supply rail inside the case. Some modules 66

Keyboard 02.2014

have rear-panel jumpers that can be attached or removed to change their behavior. No soldering should be required, unless you want to save money by building modules from a kit, but being cautious around electricity is essential. You can fry a module by plugging in the power supply cable upside down.

3.

Mix and Match Modules

Pre-built systems are convenient, but you’ll be sacrificing flexibility. With a Eurorack system, you can combine oscillators, filters, step sequencers, and signal processors from a dozen different manufacturers and get a system that matches your unique musical vision. You’ll be amazed at the variety of designs you can choose from.

4.

Expect the Unexpected

If something weird is going on, don’t panic. You haven’t made a horrible purchasing mistake. (At least, we hope not.) Check the manual.

Have Your Checkbook Ready

You can make very satisfying sounds with a single Eurorack panel, but gear lust will never be far away. I bought inexpensive plywood cases from Doepfer so I could spend a little more on the modules themselves. After spending a few days with my new system, I could see that I had bought a couple of things I didn’t need. Swapping modules with others or buying used gear will take away some of the pain, but if your budget is entry-level, think twice about getting into modular.

Audio examples from the author’s modular synth. Our comprehensive guide to building a modular. keyboardmag.com/february2014

“… if you want one software piano that can cover any musical genre, is equally facile onstage or in the studio, and makes zero sonic compromises, Ivory II is the platinum standard. Long live the king!” —KEYBOARD MAGAZINE

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