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    • A warning on the future of music
      Hey
       
      As ever, an interesting interview by Rick Beato with American music critic and historian Ted Gioia.
       
       
      Interesting. Any thoughts?
       
      cheers
       
      John
       
        • Thanks
      • 25 replies
    • Hey gang
       
      I thought it would be a bit of fun to post up old pics… namely, photos of you, aged 20! Are you game?
       
      So here I am in 1987, rehearsing with my band, The Outside Edge…
       

       
      That’s me on the guitar.
       
      Cheers
       
      John
        • Like
      • 23 replies
    • Hey gang
       
       I know a lot of people have had a lot of extra time on their hands. At the same time I am aware of a lot who sit in perpetual boredom, who have largely wasted their time.
       
      What about you? Did you add to your skills? Add to your song or composition collection? Did lockdown light a fuse under your ass?
       
      Cheers
       
      John
        • Like
      • 7 replies
    • Lemme start with a few that I use
       
       
      CAKEWALK BY BANDLAB : https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk
       
      I've alread created a topic on this on this very board. I've used many DAWs before Cakewalk but after switching to Windows, this has been my constant and only choice. Not that there aren't great alternatives, but for a free software - it's the most robust, full fledged DAW you can get! I was particularly impressed by how good the virtual instruments are on this. If you haven't tried Cakewalk yet, you totally should. And if you're an old SONAR user who wants to share some thoughts, feel free to do so here : https://forums.songstuff.com/topic/55230-any-cakewalk-users-here-i-just-started-using-it/
       
       
      Spitfire LABS : https://labs.spitfireaudio.com
       
      Spitfire Audio has been a godsend for virtual instruments and sample libraries for many years now. So when LABS was first announced as an unending FREE series of instruments and sounds, I was very quick to latch on. I've used it for a couple years now including on my previous single "Fading Colours". I recorded this in my old room last year during lockdown. The piano and strings used for final part of the song was from LABS. Fading Colours :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDGy3X4tT-0
       
       
       
      Wider : https://polyversemusic.com/products/wider/
       
      I used to do all kinds of things to work with the spatial width on my tracks. Some worked well, some would bring about phase issues on which I'd spend a lot of time investigating. Sometimes I'd end up rolling things back to the way I started. That is until recently when I discovered Wider and it's such a hassle free, straight up piece of software. It handles phase really well unless you crank things up too much but more than anything, it's quick to turn on or off while I'm trying to bring some life into my sounds when needed. You should totally have it handy.
       

       
       

       
        • Like
      • 14 replies
    • Hi Gang
       
      Thought I would ask a few basic questions about how you feel about indie music.
       
      Please take part!
       
      As well as voting, please feel free to add comments.
       
      Cheers
       
      John
        • Like
      • 27 replies
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    1. Latest Entry

      By john ,

      It’s not a single, simple thing. Knowing your audience is the product of asking a great number of questions, and being prepared to look at the answers you receive in different ways.

       

      Once you have gained insight into who your audience is and how they are likely to behave, the dividends this can pay you as an artist are massive. For a start your audience targeting efforts become much more successful.

       

      For artists, the benefits can be success, connection, and growth. Knowing your audience can:

       

      Help You To Make Your Music Relatable

       

      If you understand who gets your tunes, you can craft songs that hits them right in the feels. It's about creating those "This is my song!" moments for your fans. While you might want to make your music for yourself, then maybe you are your ideal fan and you can offer one insight into what your average fan is into.

       

      Guide Your Promo Strategy

       

      Knowing your audience means you can figure out the best ways to reach them. If your fans are all about TikTok, you know where to focus your energy instead of wasting time on platforms they don't use.

       

      Help To Tailor Live Shows

       

      For a start you can book better gigs. Places where the regular audience is a good match for your typical fans. If you know your audience loves high-energy performances or intimate acoustic sets, you can design your shows to match their vibe. This way, everyone leaves the concert feeling like it was just for them.

       

      Inform Your Merch and Content

       

      Understanding your audience's tastes helps in creating merch they might actually want to buy and content they'll love to engage with. It's about offering something valuable beyond just your music.

       

      Build a Stronger Community

       

      When you know your audience and engage with them based on their interests, you're not just building a fan base; you're creating a community. This leads to loyal fans who'll stick with you through ups and downs.

       

      Inspire Your Artistic Direction

       

      Feedback and insights from your audience can inspire new music, helping you to grow as an artist and explore new territories musically.

       

      Knowing your audience isn't just about selling music; it's about building genuine connections, understanding what your fans love, and delivering it in spades. It's a win-win for everyone involved!

       

      You can read a full article diving into the subject by clicking on the link below:

       

      Know Your Audience

    2. So, I’ve been using my studio to work on a track for Mahesh. It’s a track I love, called “Sleep”. Truly beautiful.

       

      Re-arranging and producing a track for someone else is not something I often do these days. I do hope it sees the light of day as a release. Not that I have any expectation that it might not be released. Far from it. I fully expect it will be released, but you never be too sure. A song can seem to be working well and developing in a positive direction. But appeal can be an elusive thing.

       

      As ever, with any track I am working on, I can’t wait for it to be heard. Drifting piano, finger style guitar, emotive strings, layers of harmony, all capped off by Mahesh’s voice, weaving a magical melody. It hangs on the air, emotions painted with the voice acting as a paintbrush.

       

      Soon, soon…

       

      The early mixes are done, a few tweaks here and there and it should be there. It’s just not across the finishing line… yet.

       

      Exciting!

       

      Meanwhile I’ve been pulling together my own songs I think have a pool of about 30 songs to draw on. There are of course many more songs. These are the ones I think are ready or will be ready. Exciting times. I’m even planning on some videos!

       

      Onwards and upwards!

    3. As the second release from Brody Brown's debut album, "The Kick Back," "Eyes On Me" is a melodic uptempo track that is guaranteed to ignite the club scene. This captivating song has been making waves on DJs' playlists nationwide, leaving listeners enchanted by Brody's unique lyrical approach. Its infectious appeal makes it a favorite that keeps finding its way back onto repeat.

      Produced by the talented trio of Brody Brown, Point Guard, and M-Millz, "Eyes On Me" showcases their collaborative expertise in crafting mesmerizing beats and captivating melodies.

       

      This exceptional release comes under the esteemed labels of 80's Baby Ent. and Def Jam, solidifying Brody B's presence in the music industry.

       

      Get ready to have your eyes and ears fixated on "Eyes On Me" as it captivates audiences with its undeniable charm and irresistible energy.

       


      https://youtu.be/S2zeTVZ2m9s

    4. Yesterday was a much anticipated day for me, with the release of Toontrack’s EZkeys 2 (EZK2), the sequel to (surprise) EZkeys, which was released back in 2012.  That's several lifetimes of normal product cycles, and it was for a long time thought that EZkeys had been abandoned by Toontrack. But the rumours of an update started towards the end of last year, and now the product is finally here. It is unquestionably a massive update, coming into line UI-wise and to an extent, functionality-wise with Toontracks other EZ products (EZdrummer and EZbass).  That in itself is worth the price of admission of this update, but as we'll find out, in spite of some amazing additions, its not all rosy. This is a really superficial review - I’ve only had the product for a day.

       

      In case you're not familiar with Toontrack, or the EZ line of products, these are virtual performers, where you buy the shell product, and add-ons, which are typically genre specific MIDI performances and sample based sound libraries which work within the shell. No prizes for guessing that EZkeys is a piano based virtual instrument, though there are also some synth based add-ons which expand its usefulness. There are currently 77 add-on MIDI performance packs, and 17 sound libraries that work with both EZ keys and EZ keys 2.

       

      The UI of the original EZkeys was its most annoying feature, and the fact that it was never updated to allow for resizing meant that it always looked dated in your DAW, and was inflexible in its use. It was also hard to use on today's laptops because the UI size was so small. In contrast, EZK2 has a resizable UI, and multiple screens to help keep things manageable. Honestly, it looks a bit disorganized even with these multiple screens, but things are laid out in their logical screen areas based on activity, so it is at least easy to find things within your normal workflow. You can use EZK2 standalone, or as a plugin in most DAW’s. It has MIDI in and MIDI out, the latter of which is useful if you want to use your own piano or synth sounds with the performance from EZK2 while writing. Once you have complete MIDI parts exactly to your taste, you can simply drag them to your DAW’s timeline for further manipulation. 

       

      EZK2 has four main screens - 

      - Keys - where you set up your instrument preferences

      - Grooves - where you choose your MIDI performance parts

      - Grid Editor - a piano roll where you can edit your performances

      - Bandmate - where you can import music (audio or MIDI) to help you find the right companion piano part, with chord and rhythm recognition.

       

      The bottom of the UI always shows the timeline, where you add chords, grooves and where you can make adjustments within these. I’m not a huge fan of the colour scheme, and this particularly noticeable in the Grid Editor where the background is dark, the pitch and timing dividers are very light, and your data is light also. That’s a personal preference thing, but it would be nice to have been able to reverse the colours at least, so that its easier to read. I would also add that the color scheme is exactly the same as EZbass, creating some confusion when having both open at the same time. A different hue would have helped enormously to differentiate on a quick glance (as is the case with EZDrummer).

       

      In terms of performance content that comes with EZK2, its a bit on the light side. I was hoping for something more extensive with some nice, general purpose comping rhythms that are somewhat genre agnostic, but I should have learned from my lessons with the add-in packs, which themselves typically have just eight almost complete songs for you to work from in their specific genres and split between sections as appropriate for the genre (some are verse, chorus, etc, others Section A, Section B etc). I say almost complete songs because there is a distinct lack of endings in almost all of their products, and the library that comes with EZK2 contains a big fat zero endings which is twelve less than came with the original version. I’m not sure whether Toontrack thinks we should be fading out our endings, or whether we should be coming up with our own content here, but honestly, its a bit bizarre. 

       

      One of the new additions to EZK2, which is also found in the other EZ products, is the ability to create variations to the MIDI performances, by moving a slider to add or remove complexity from those performances. In general it works quite well, though thinning out (ie, removing) complexity tends to make the performances sound incomplete, rather than just simplified.  Hopefully Toontrack will work on improving this. I use it a lot in EZ bass and EZ drummer, and find it works great in those products. Its a complex thing to do, and they obviously need to use algorithms that understand performances to make these changes in an idiomatic way.  I think it currently falls a bit short. 

       

      I mentioned earlier that you can pick from a library of grooves, and these contain both rhythmic and chordal information. If you are applying them to an already existing chord progression on your timeline, they will adopt those chords. If you have no chords currently written, and drag a performance from the groove library to the timeline, it will also drag a set of complimentary chords. You can set your base key inside EZK2 and the chords that the grooves use, will adapt to that key. You can change your chords in a number of ways once they are on the timeline, so nothing is set in stone, and the intelligence of EZK2 in voicing chords according to the groove performance is basically the same as in the original EZ Keys and is executed extremely well. At any time you can replace the groove or the chords you’re using and using the piano roll you can change individual notes.

       

      EZK2 is intended to be your songwriting companion, and is geared to song creation a little more than the other EZ products which are virtual bandmates. You can start with your own chord progression, or theirs, and there is a full suite of chord options/extensions available.  Their chord selection wheel (based on the circle of fifths) is a carry over with just a minor tweak, and works very well both for selecting chords/extensions and for recognizing chordal relationships. There’s a new section that allows you to pick new chords if you want to make your progression more exciting. I haven’t figured out how these are calculated, but I assume they are based on standard substitutions, and they differ based on genre, with fifteen broad genres to choose from. When you pick one of the suggestions in any of the chord boxes, the subsequent selections update based on that, so it does seem intelligent. I will go through and see if I can figure out what its basing its suggestions on. My theory is rusty to the point of not seeing a specific link at this point. You can also roll a dice on a single chord or a full progression and get new chords generated by EZK2.

       

      Another songwriting tool that EZK2 has is a songwriting scales section that gives you scales and chords to use based on different musical ideals. This is in the Grid Editor and suggested chords can be dragged to the timeline to be incorporated with any rhythmic/midi performance data that was in that space. I think it might have been more helpful to find this in the Suggest Chords section, but I can see why they put it where they did since you can also use it to highlight usable notes in the Grid Editor, based on scale/modal choices. I think its a little clunky to use it this way, and the “highlighted” notes in the grid editor aren’t easy to differentiate from notes highlighted for other reasons. It all seems a little unclear, if not outright confusing.

       

      Toontrack suggested that they had a new awesome sampled piano with EZK2, but I have to say, I’m not overly impressed. It’s not bad, but there are much better sounding pianos in much older products. 

       

      The only other bad part to EZK2 that I’ve found, is that you can’t import project files that were created using the original EZ Keys. Your projects have to be re-built.  Even dragging in chord/performance data from EZ Keys into EZK2 doesn’t hold completely accurate data swap. This is another bizarre omission.

       

      I’ve highlighted some disappointments in this very quick review of EZ Keys 2, but I have to say that overall the experience is excellent, and they’ve done a great job in giving it a similar look and feel to their other EZ products. It’s very snappy to use and feature packed. If you use the original EZ Keys, the upgrade is an absolute no-brainer, both for aesthetics and functionality. If it’s never been on your radar, you might consider it if you’re not a keyboard player but have a need for keys on your projects. As a songwriting tool, I think it’s excellent, again, especially for folks who aren't great performers, and those without expert theory chops. I hope Toontrack doesn't ignore what they've now created like they did with the first version (MIDI pack content aside). 

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    • World5music

      WORLD5 ‘III’ Has Arrived
      Review of the new WORLD5 album "III" by Skope Magazine
       
      https://world5music.com/
      By Jimmy Rae   Read More at Skope Magazine

      · 0 replies
    • Kono Music

      New live video from Kono!!!
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    • World5music

      An Exceptionally Moving Collection of Songs, Album ‘III’ from Transcontinental Powerhouse WORLD5 is Set to Move the World
      Review by Moosic Entertainment , Feb 29, 2024
      WORLD5, the transcontinental musical collaboration of seasoned musicians, is back with their latest offering, their third studio album named ‘III.” The band, with members scattered globally, has harnessed the power of the World Wide Web to create a cohesive sound that transcends physical distances. The album showcases a refined blend of Adult Contemporary, Pop-Rock, and Soft-Rock elements with Lou Evans’ lead vocals akin to the styles of Jason Mraz, Bobby Kimball, and Brandon Boyle.
      WORLD5’s III will be available for pre-order on March 10th, 2024, and released on May 10th, 2024. On May 10th, III will be available wherever music is streamed or sold!
      The opening track, “I Get It,” sets the tone for the album with emotionally charged vocals, skillful guitar work, and a rhythmic foundation that grooves. This track serves as a perfect introduction, inviting listeners into a world where love triumphs over hardships.
      The inclusion of guest vocalist Jonna Sailon in “You And I” adds a delightful dynamic to the album, especially when Jonna and Lou sing together. Lou Evans’ vocals soar into a high tenor range, creating a captivating contrast. The catchy chorus and a scorching guitar solo make this track stand out.“Just Another Night” is based on an irresistible bass groove with unstoppable drums that demands movement, you can’t help but dance. The sweet saxophone adds an extra layer of musical richness, adding a bit of sweetness for your ears. Carrying a powerful message, “Cry For The Children” is about making a positive impact on the world for future generations. The intricate percussion, impressive guitar work, and soulful vocals contribute to the song’s emotional resonance.
      “Bellacita” transports the listener with its Spanish guitar introduction, setting a passionate mood. Smooth and expressive vocals further enhance the allure of this track. “Be You” delivers an uplifting message, encouraging listeners to embrace their authenticity. Tender vocals and a memorable chorus make this track infectious from the first listen.
      A ballad about a free-spirited man who isn’t ready to settle down, “That Kind Of Guy” has a tight rhythm section and cool guitar licks, adding depth to the storytelling. “That’s How She Plays The Game” offers a contrast to the previous track, celebrating a strong, driven woman. The infectious chorus and spirited instrumentation make it a standout moment on the album.
      “A Moment In Time” serves as a reminder to savor life’s fleeting moments. The butter-smooth vocals, supported by a solid rhythm section and soaring guitar solos, create a captivating listening experience. Joe Gavito’s “My Life My Soul” is an instrumental track that showcases the band’s instrumental prowess. With a strong beat, sweet guitar licks, phenomenal guitar solos, and bass fills, it’s a testament to the musicians’ skill.
      Closing with “You Are My Why,” a heartfelt ballad with passionate guitar riffs, the album leaves a lasting impression. The sweet and touching vocals invite listeners to sing along, concluding the musical journey on a poignant note.
      Shaun C.  MOOSIC Entertainment

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    • Kono Music

      New Kono Interview: 12/9/2023
       
       
      https://www.ftdmusic.com/2023/12/interview-kono-12923.html?m=1
       
       
      Enjoy! 
      · 0 replies
    • Mdumsen Mbanjwa

      New Single Out Now 🦋
      https://open.spotify.com/track/2BcGlaEB84skGEgIhKz6uk?si=DrISa3nLQ6-R3ou12eAL2w
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