Songwriter Make your own bedroom studio
Music software Logic vs Reason fi nd ou t whi ch is best
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Music saved my life 00000
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Kate Parker tells her remarkable story
ÂŁ2.90 May, 2011issue
Shure microphones sound the best, to be the best
Contents What music software is out there?
How to set up a bedroom studio
M us i c S aved my l ife -
Kate Parker real life story
Mini biography - John Denver
Songwriting learn your craft
What music software is out there? This month we are looking at Logic vs Reason Logic is a much more powerful program than Reason, but the learning curve is a lot harder. It’s an interesting comparison. Logic has a lot of what makes Reason interesting, but Logic might actually be beating Reason yet, they are still neck and neck on pricing. Reason’s strengths are low resource usage, decent stock sounds and instruments, and clever routing that is fun to work with. Logic beats Reason all day long on the qualabove photo by Apple Inc, photo to the right by Proppellahead ity and quantity of it’s instruments and same for FX, it has far more sample Reason is a synth-based sequencer with content, and is remarkably resource sampling and MIDI capabilities. That’s friendly. It doesn’t have the jiggly wires basically it. It does not have any audio like Reason though. Only get Logic if you are willing to master tracks for you to record on. Reason might your craft and take your ability to its highReason is cool, but Logic will do more for be better for a beginner to learn with, est potential. I recommend you get Logic you. A whole lot more. The two products, but Logic, its not a hard program to learn pro 9. It’s harder to learn than Reason although costing more or less the same, at all (well the basic processes) and the because you can do a lot more. Reason is are entirely different products because sound bank is awesome, not to mention also a good program but it seems unfair Reason really is just doing it’s own thing. the price you pay for it is very decent. to call it a music program when you can’t There’s nothing else really like Reason. record music into it. Logic is in a nutshell a software emulaLogic is a major workstation like it’s countion of a sound desk, with all of reason’s ter parts Cubase, Sonar and Pro Tools. If you had to buy only 1 Music Software features and more. Also it has more flexWhich we will cover in next months issue. Program to complete an album, Logic ibility when you start dealing with racks, would be the way to go because its pretty Logic’s synths seem to be infinitely betand external synths, recording, mixing, good at everything. ter than reason’s either because Logand mastering are light years ahead of ics synths have better presets or just Depending on what kind of album you’re Reason. Waves bundles (along with other because of the way they are made. talking about - synths and real instrusynths/plug-ins/FX etc) can be utilised. ment emulation, I’d go for Logic first. I could not find a way to utilise external One minor downside is that, Logic does plug-ins with Reason. have a steep learning curve, and you Its a very stable program, and is very easy to use. The instruments are incredible, have to really be interested in wanting to REASON is not fully-fledged Music softand the loop library is great for when produce good material and to be patient ware. Like I said before, it has NO audio you need the odd sound effect here and with it, for it to pay off and really learn and will not have audio. Logic has audio there. They’re also really good quality how to use Logic fully however compared and has just as good or better sounds. recordings as well. to Reason, which you can basically start REASON does not have audio and that’s making tracks within 20minutes of installone of the reasons it has a smaller footMake sure you get Logic Studio Pro, as ing it, it does seem to take a long time to print. Logic Express isn’t worth it. If your not get to grips with it. Although compared wanting to record anything but you just Another down fall is the price, Reason is with past generations of Logic it is a lot wanted to make a dance track then Reathe same price as Logic or they’re about simpler. son would defo be the software for you at least but you still have to buy another to buy. Asit is packed with all the snyths Logic is brilliant with loads of voices to music software to add vocals to your you would need. choose from as standard and its easy to track. So be warned your overall cost sample beats etc from where ever you may be more. By Sarah Brooks choose.
How to set up a bedroom studio THE EASY WAY BY Sarah Brooks First you need to decide what hardware you are going to buy. Are you going to buy a PC or an Apple Mac? Is it going to be a laptop or a computer? Once you have decided on this then you need to make sure that the computer/ laptop can handle complex operations as it will need to process and edit large music files. As well as play many instruments at the same time. Choose a computer with at least a dualcore processor, and very large hard drive as this is what will ensure your work runs smoothly. Set up your computer near a corner of the room. By recording near a corner, you will achieve strong natural acoustics, which work especially well for vocals. Choose the right software for recording
above photo of simple bedroom studio
USB or Firewire port of your computer. If the interface includes a CD-ROM, you will need to insert it into your computer and install the necessary drivers. Plug your instruments and microphones into your audio interface using standard music cables. For professional microphones, you may need to use XLR cables.
above cubase music software photo by Steinburg,
and mixing. If you want full control over your recording and mixing experience, you will want to install a professional digital audio program like Logic Pro, Pro Tools or Cubase. If you’re just starting out, you may want to begin with a simpler, more user-friendly programs like GarageBand, Audacity, Sonar, Cakewalk, Reason or Mixcraft.
Set up the microphone stands near the corner, and place the microphones on the stands. For vocal recordings, hook a pop screen to your microphone stand and place the screen about an inch in front of the mic. A pop screen, or pop filter, is a small, circular device that latches
Next you need an audio interface with USB or FireWire capabilities. This device will allow you to hook up all of your instruments to your computer using a single box. If your budget allows for a more advanced interface, you may want to purchase one with a built-in mixing board, which will give you heightened control over your music. Plug the interface into the corresponding
above photo of keyboard
onto your mic stand and filters your voice to eliminate the popping sounds caused by hard letters like “p” and “b.” Plug your monitors into the audio interface. You will need a pair of professional monitoring headphones in order to hear every nuance of sound when mixing music, and a set professional studio monitors in order to hear how the music will sound over a PA system. That way you can work out if it has too much base or too much treble and them ajust them accordingly. using the EQ services on your software and it will also help you to get the correct sound when mastering and doing final mix down of all the instruments.
M U S I C S AV E THIS YOUNG, UP AND COMING SINGER SONGWRITER HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH ALREADY IN HER LIFE. AFTER HAVING LOST TOUCH WITH MUSIC AT AN EARLY AGE DUE TO GETTING HOOKED ON TO THE DRUG SCENE, SHE HAS MANAGED TO BATTLE HER WAY THROUGH IT AND COME OUT THE OTHERSIDE TO GET HER LIFE BACK ON TRACK AND TO WHERE SHE SHOULD BE WITH A MIXTURE OF MUSIC, FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP. HERE SHE REVEALS HOW THEY’VE HELPED HER...
This singing siren has the most beautigo terrible wrong for her. ful voice and first started singing when “I started to get to know more people she was 6, “just along to The Carpenand different kinds of musicians and ters and Cher”, she says. But she then then I started to get asked to sing on DJ she got her first guitar and sets, I’d be going out to college started to make songs by “when all day and then rehearsing the age of 10. Gradually afterwards till eight at everyone around progressing and beginnight, and then hitting you is doing stuff, you ning to master her the clubs with the DJ’s, to start to wonder, what craft, she achieved an sing on their sets.” A* in music every year the big deal is.” This was a regular occurat high school and was in rence for Kate and soon she the musicals and shows every started to notice she was getting too year too. Thought of as a song-writing tired to sing at night and get up for colprodigy by her tutors, she went on to lege in the morning. So just when she study at the Leeds College of Music for was going to give up getting herself well her A-Levels. After managing to achieve known on the scene musically, a friend an A* for her AS-Level, things started to
ED MY LIFE of hers at the time offered her a pick me when everyone around you is doing up. “ I didn’t know what it was, I wasn’t stuff, you start to wonder, what the big bothered at the time either, as I felt so deal is.” tired. I was glad of anything She goes on to say, “I started that could let me work doing it more and more, 20hour days, and I started going out not it made me feel “I felt gutted about not to sing but to meet up great. I didn’t do doing music but i didnt care” with these new friends it all the time at that I had made, I first. It was just would stay out all night now and then or every and morning in these clubs other week. But then I started specifically to do drugs and get drunk to enjoy myself when I went out keep and just generally party with them. I in mind I was still underage, but people forgot about the music.” didn’t care, because I could sing so good, Kate started missing her lectures turnthey all thought I was gonna be a star. It ing up late for rehearsals and forgetting was just so easy to make friends. It was to hand in assignments, she went from so easy to get sucked into the scene and
an A* pupil to an A* drop out. And that’s what happened she dropped out, she failed. “I felt gutted about not doing music but I didn’t care, I was having too much fun,” she said.
Kate had just gone 18, when she dropped out of College she was just taking her first year again. Two years later and Kate had hit an all time low after trying to commit suicide for the fourth time and almost succeeding, if it was not for her mom, dad and music. “ My mom phoned the ambulance just as the sleeping pills and painkillers had started to take affect, I got rushed down to the hospital where they had to resuscitate me. When I
woke I thought I was dead, all I could hear was this beautiful music, I thought I was in heaven. Until I saw the look on my moms face and it almost broke my heart as I could see hers was breaking.” At this point she starts to well up and so do I, but she is still willing to carry on with the interview. “ I want people to hear my story,” she says “even if it will only stop one person from making the same mistake I did, it will have been worth it.”
After this Kate stopped going out, her voice had started to suffer and she was no longer able to sing, “That was why I took the overdose,” she tells me. It was a learning curve for Kate, she was unwilling to go out, not wanting to hurt her mom again but that was all she had known for the past four years.
“ I had no friends, the moment I stopped going out and stopped singing I stopped having friends. The majority dropped me straight away a few of them tried to still see me and keep in touch with a txt here and there but we were going in two different directions. I was growing up I suppose and they were still just staying the same old same old. But I however had remembered that I wanted to be somebody once, I wanted to make a difference in this world. “ “ I remembered the day I realised that, because I had this very peculiar dream about god and he said I forgive you… forgive yourself, and I remember waking up with this enormous warm feeling in my stomach and like a weight had just been lifted. I felt good, I felt content, which was weird because I used to believe in god and say my prayers every night before I went to sleep when I was young but then I just stopped, I lost my faith, but when he said he forgave me. I can’t really describe the feeling but all I can say is I felt like my old self again. That day I went up to my guitar and I just started to play, it was as if we’d never been apart and I started to cry.”
Leeds College of Music, if they’d have her, they did of course and slowly but surely she started to get her voice back after intensive vocal coaching. She started to make friends and started enjoying being at College again but made sure she stayed away from the nightclubs. In her second year at the LCM her voice was back and she was back on top form again, wowing the crowds and her tutors. “ It was as if I’d never left, “she said.
Her end of year performance made her top of the class with a standing ovation from everyone that came to watch and with one of her tutors Gary Hudson shouting out, “ that was bloody brilliant Kate” as he rose from his seat to applaud. Only once did she nearly slip back into old habits and that was when her and her new friends went out to celebrate after the end of year performance, and she bumped into her old friends. Who straight away offered her some drugs but with the help of her new friends she managed to say NO! “I found that very hard to say no to them, but then I just thought of my mom and my new friends and all the people I would be letting down. It also helped that my friends came running into the toilets to stop me once they found out what I was in there about to do.”
Kate managed to get fantastic references from her tutors, applied for university and got an unconditional for her first choice. “I couldn’t have done it without those references from my tutors, “ she said, “I am so great full to them and the Leeds College of Music.”
“I forgive you... forgive yourself “
Kate still couldn’t sing at this point but seen as she was going to be 21 soon she decided she would go back to the
At University things started to get even better for Kate, “ the people on my course were really nice and not one of them did drugs so I wasn’t afraid of going out with them to party like any other normal student. I was writing songs left, right and centre and with my ensemble groups I was comfortable playing them to them. They liked them so much that they all offered to play them in a gig for me and after months of rehearsing, on top of what we had at uni to do – and sometimes we weren’t
leaving uni till 11 at night – we got our very own gig. We were called ‘the fallen’. That night everything changed me and the band We started to play regularly at that club and soon word of mouth got round to other clubs, and before we knew it they were wanting us to play for them too. So I was constantly writing, I don’t think there was a minute in the day I was either writing songs or playing them. “ In Kates second year at uni she opted for the composition module which opened numerous doors for her, “I never believed just one person could write a whole song, just on a computer with strings, brass and drums all sounding real as if they had been recorded in.” She managed to achieve a first in that module and in her third year took on writing an album all by herself and managed to get a first in that too.
She has now finished at university and the masters in composition that she took after that.
She is currently finishing an album and getting it ready to load up to itunes ready to sell, she is hoping it will come out in the spring of next year. By Sarah Brooks
Mini Biography of the famous dead
John Denver though the film was a minor box-office hit, Denver’s acting career was thereafter limited to television until 1997, when he starred in Craig Clyde’s outdoor adventure film Walking Thunder. John Denver and the Muppets (1980), The Christmas Gift (1986), and Higher Ground (1988) are among the numerous television specials in which he either hosted or starred.
Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico, to parents Henry John and Erma. Henry John was persuaded to change his last name to Denver by record executives, partly in honor of the city and surrounding Rocky Mountains that he treasured, and partly due to his clean living image.
Hot 100, and its success gave Denver a higher profile in the music industry. He signed with Mercury RCA Records in 1969 and released his first single, “Rhymes and Reasons.” In the next two years, he released four moderately successful albums, including Take Me to Tomorrow (1970) and Aerie (1971).
Denver was an American popular music composer and singer, activist, humanitarian, and pilot. As a teenager, Denver received his first guitar, a 1910 Gibson acoustic, as a gift from his grandmother. After growing up in numerous locations, in a military family, with his dad being in the air force. He attended the Texas Technical University from 1961-1964, but dropped out before completing his studies. But after traveling to New York City in 1965 and successfully auditioning for the Chad Mitchell Trio, he began performing with the group until 1968 beginning his music career in folk music.
With his wholesome good looks and down-to-earth appeal, Denver was considered the golden boy of folk music. Soon he was playing to sold-out crowds in stadiums across the country. The most successful albums of his career included Poems, Prayers, and Promises (1971), which featured the hit :”Take Me Home, Country Roads;” Rocky Mountain High (1972), and Back Home Again (1974) featuring the title track, “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m A Country Boy.”
In 1969, Denver abandoned the band life to pursue a solo career, and released his first album for RCA Records: Rhymes & Reasons. Two years prior Denver had made a self-produced demo recording of some of the songs he played at his concerts. He included in the demo a song called “Babe I Hate to Go,” later renamed “Leaving on A Jet Plane.” Denver made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas. Mitchell Trio manager Milt Okun brought the unreleased “Jet Plane” song to the high-profile folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. Their version of the song hit number one on the Billboard
His greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, spanning from 1971 to 1975. Throughout his life Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed. He performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his enthusiasm for music, and relationship trials. Denver’s music appeared on a variety of charts including country & western, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning him 12 gold and 4 platinum albums with his signature songs “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Rocky Mountain High”, “Annie’s Song” and “Calypso”. In 1977, Denver made his film debut in Oh, God!, costarring George Burns. Even
As a renowned environmentalist and humanitarian, Denver’s membership in many organizations included the National Space Institute, the Cousteau Society, Friends of the Earth, Save the Children Foundation, and the European Space Agency. In 1976, he cofounded the Windstar Foundation, a non-profit wildlife preservation agency. In addition to founding the World Hunger Project in 1977, he was personally appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the commission on World and Domestic Hunger. He became a chair member of the National UNICEF Day in 1984. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan presented Denver with the Presidential World Without Hunger Award. That same year, he won an additional six awards for Rocky Mountain Reunion, his documentary about endangered species. In 1993, he won the Albert Schweitzer Music Award for humanitarian efforts. Among numerous awards and recognition for his musical achievements, he received the Top Male Recording Artist Award from Record World magazine for 1974-75. Also in 1975, he was named the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. In 1967, Denver married Anne Marie Martell, a psychotherapist. Together they had two children, Zachary and Anna Kate, before their divorce in 1983. Denver was married to Cassandra Delaney from 1988 to 1991. Together they had one child, Jesse Bell. A longtime aviator, Denver died on October 12, 1997 when the plane that he was piloting went down over Monterey Bay, California, killing him instantly.
How to write a song in a day With Sarah Brooks Step 1: Lets assume you don’t already have a tune. The first thing you need to do is work out how fast you want your song to be. This is the bpm of the song. Then you need to think what key you want it to be in, so that ‘s either Major for a happy song or minor for a sad song. Step 2: Now that you’ve decided what Major or minor key you want it time to choose one of the these keys C,D,E,F,G,A,B.
Step 3: The structure to a song is very important you need to decide, are you going to start with the C chord or are you going to start with what we call the dominant key which is always the 5th in any key - for example you could have the intro - 4 bars of C Major or you could have 4 bars of G Major. Once you’ve decided that, your ready to start struming at your guitar or playing on your piano. I am going to start with C MAJOR. My intro will be 2 bars of C 2 bars of G. Try it yourself. Next we are gonna add one more chord the 4th note in the key, which is F Major. Here is a structure for you to follow - intro C C G G verse C F G F C F G F chorus G G C C GGCCF G x2
I am going to go with the C key to start you off with it’s a nice simple key and cause it’s a C Major and it’s relative minor (it’s opposite) is Aminor. I am going to go with C Major. Both these keys are the only ones that don’t have any black keys on a piano played in them or sharps and flats on other instruments. Step 4: So once you’ve repeated the verse and chorus twice. Then we need a bridge, now this is normally the place when you slow the tempo down or just change the rhythem of what your playing, for example a guitar could go to picking the strings instead of strumming them. Or a piano could go to hold the chords down for the whole bar, this means 4 beats seen as we are playing in 4/4 time signature.
Step 5: Writing the lyrics is often found as being really hard to some people, yet to others it is the easist part. Do not fear if you find it hard, there are many tricks you can use to help you to get inspiration.
Next we’ll go bk and put a verse in and then another 2 choruses but fade out on the last.
Simple and to the point.
Due to using only 3 chords it’s better that we try and change the rhythem as much as we can so that the song doesnt end up sounding too boring. Tip change the rhythem on the second verse.
For instance try just writing simple things like a nursury ryhme, just a few lines like ie I I love my dog, although he’s a hog. Or try writing about someone you love, many great song have been written about the one they love. Just try something simple again for instance, you have a smile that lights up the entire room and when you walk in my heart goes boom.
Step 6: Now all you need to do is add a simplle drums if you can whilst playing ie if you have some recording equipment. Or you can move on to adding the bass part this is to add another depth to your music. Adding bass also ensures that your song doesn’t come out to top heavy, you need some low tones in there to ensure it’s not too high. You could start off with just changing when the chord does or you could change every 2 bars. If your feeling that that is too easy then you could try gracing over notes that are with in the chord, it’s all a case of just listening to what you play, and whether it goes or not. You will be able to tell. You could even try doing a walking bass. To listen to the song that i have made visit www.myspace. com/songwriter
Songwriting learn your craft Songwriting is a craft, and those who are serious about being the best they can be will seek out a quality education at a good songwriting school or music university. Although songwriting school isn’t for everyone because it requires an absolute change in your life for a time, every songwriter should spend some time learning formally, even if it is only occasional classes online. But there are many options available from a traditional Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, to certificate programs, casual songwriting classes, songwriting workshops, songwriting camps and yes, even private songwriting lessons. Delivery methods are just as varied as program type. Universities and private music schools make up the bulk of formal classroom offerings, but there are several good songwriting classes online as well as correspondence classes (by mail) and even one-on-one coaching by telephone. No matter who you are, where you live or what your current level of songwriting proficiency is, there is training available for you. Songwriting classes may give you that extra boost to make money with music! Songwriting Classes Songwriting classes are at the heart of learning. All degrees and certificates are comprised of songwriting classes along with other material. At the same time, those people with a specific interest, a lack of time or who just want to test the water can enroll themselves in songwriting classes without having to commit to a more formal program. This is a great option for everybody and is extremely important for those who are gradually working on their skills while they perform or write. I think everyone tries classes at one point. Some examples of songwriting classes include Lyric Writng, Writing Songs for Film and Tv, Commercial Songwriting, and more. Delivery of songwriting classes is usually the same as certificate programs with Universities, adult education, community colleges and private schools all available. Recognizing the impact of the Internet
on the music industry, even traditional schools are starting to offer online classes in songwriting. This is a great method of delivery because you don’t have to uproot your life, move to a larger center and enroll in a formal program. It works for a far larger number of people than formal classrooms do. For example, you can enroll yourself in an online songwriting class with Berklee Music and work at your pace in your home. It is the best option for many people. Songwriting Courses What are songwriting courses? The terminology is confusing, sometimes muddied even by music schools themselves, but a course simply means “a path, “ “direction” or “route.” Therefore a songwriting course is simply a path to a goal. The path is defined for the most part by the school itself who thinks that to obtain a goal you must pass through several markers, or classes. This path usually takes you through several songwriting classes and in the successful end you reach the goal and are awarded a certificate or degree. In other words, a songwriting course is just a series of songwriting classes. People who take individual songwriting classes may or may not achieve the same goal, depending on if they know the correct route to take. For those who are uncertain of the path, or want more than just bits of knowledge, or who are doing more than just filling in gaps in their understanding, then a formal songwriting course is definitely the route to take. Songwriting schools Songwriting schools offer both songwriting courses and classes, they typically offer a more formal education than other options and are usually found at accredited Universities or private music schools. Additionally, they offer traditional degrees, like a Bachelor of Arts (BA), and the scope of programs available is larger. Some degree programs at popular songwriting schools and universities include Commercial Songwriting and Music Publishing.
Private music schools usually have certificate programs that focus specifically on songwriting instead of a more liberal education you’d find at a University. That means you can focus on what you want, and get it done faster. A typical program may last 6 months to 2 years. An example of a private school is Musician’s Institute (MI) in Hollywood. Although they don’t offer specific songwriting certificates at this time, songwriting classes are incorporated into other certificates like the Independent Artist certificate. This is great if you wish to be a songwriter for yourself or your band, as opposed to writing for other artists, film and tv, or advertising jingles. Many of these schools require attendance in formal classrooms, but several have begun to offer their degrees through online courses that can be done at home. As well, adult continuing education is offered by some. Songwriting Workshops Songwriting workshops take on all kinds of forms depending on who the leader is. Typically they are presented in a conference form with a number of topics being covered over 1 or 2 days. Some workshops are focused around a single speaker (for example, the fabulous Jason Blume), and others, like the super cool Taxi Road Rally span several days, are held annually and feature many industry greats in several sessions. Songwriting workshops are important because they not only give you a chance to hear from those in the business and take home some new songwriting tips, but they let you rub shoulders with others in the same boat as you, and that’s always an invaluable experience. Songwriting workshops should become part of your extended learning and attended regularly. Depending on your level of songwriting proficiency, your credits, who you know and your local market, you may even consider organizing a songwriting workshop for songwriters in your area and help them out too. Try something new today.
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