Didier

Hi John, Not much real personnal experience. But Tim Conrady is a big fan of Algorithmic software. A lot of them are listed on his web site: http://tamw.atari-users.net/timidi.htm (go to Software/Algorithmic Applications). All the software listed is for Atari, but a lot of them work fine under an emulator. Even without actually trying the software, there are description/tutorials for most of the programs, and I find it an interesting read. Didier

Yes, that idea has been floating around, mainly promoted by people who want music for free. What is most flawed in it, is that it doesn't make a difference between a composer, a songwriter and a musician (i.e., someone playing an instrument or singing). They are not necessarily at all the same persons. Did you know Berlioz wasn't able to play a single instrument? (Well, I seem to remember he was able to play a few tunes on a recorder). True also. That has been an increasing issue. Didier

So, how many will you need to sell? Didier

Hi All, How much is that new album really going to cost you? How many are you going to have to sell to break even? Following the show-biz blog mentionned in Frenchstuff, I found this excellent break-even calculator: http://www.gigcalculator.com/album.html Simple, but effective. It works for Albums releases and Gigs. Didier

Good. I like the design of your site. Plus I don't like having dead links on my own site Didier

Going further, you could say it started as Pro16 on Commodore 64. Didier

A detailed discussion on my pick preferences: http://www.songstuff.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2070 The short answer: Gibson medium triangular. Mine (two or three, usually) are in my right trousers pocket. Didier

So, it is "disolve" in Cubase. Those Germans... Thanks for your report. It's always nice to know a reply has been useful. Didier

Hi, I think that should be "merge MIDI tracks", and perhaps "unmerge MIDI tracks". In those "compressed files", all the MIDI channels are in the same track. "Packing" is called merge. "Unpacking" should be something like "unmerge" or "split MIDI channels". But in fact, in your case, I guess it's because you have either "format 1" music files (multitrack) or "format 0" files (every notes inside a single track). See here for an explanation: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefin...i213649,00.html I don't have Cubase, but I'm pretty sure it can do it. Otherwise, if you can't do it from within Cubase, there are numerous utilities available. Search for "convert MIDI file format 0 1". Example: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=c...0+1&btnG=Search Didier

Lead vocalist. Definetely the technical skill: I'm not good enough for harmony/backing vocals Can you imagine Dylan doing harmonies/backing vocals? I think the difference might be more in why and how people sing. Do they want to express something, or do they make (pretty) sounds with their voice? Not to say that some lead singers couldn't be great backing vocalists. But I think you see the point. Didier

Hi Rittman, Thanks, interesting read. Didier

Hi All, I found an interesting article reflecting on the music business. Great conclusion, too: The Truth will set you free, but first it will really piss you off! http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_885.shtml Didier

No issue, I wasn't wearing my blue suede shoes I try to make not that many takes, but concentrate very hard on each take. I.e., I press record when I think I can do it (but I do umpteen rehearsals before that). And I normally don't do punch in/punch out. If I fail, even at 10 seconds from the end, I usually start from the beginning again. Didier

Hi Steve, Thanks for a different opinion. There's a lot of confusion, usually, between composer and singer/instrumentist. Because, I guess, most heroes of "modern" music have been both. Yes, backing vocals. But I was more thinking of a tool for a composer. Not (obviously, given the current state of the art) to make final recordings. But to make demos, test ideas, etc. Didier

Thanks, I wanted opinions. "Strangers in the night" is one of the worst. But "La vie en rose" and "L'aigle noir" are different. They sound more (to my ears) like bad recording/editing of a real singer than coming from a computer. Didier

That was one of the interesting questions: where do you draw the line? Violin is OK? (does not only come from the human body). Hand clap is definitely no? (comes only from the human body). Didier

Hi, Strong opinion, then Are songwriters supposed to be all singers? I fully agree, as a singer. That's why I wouldn't consider using autotune. I'm not. Just wanted to share opinions, and possibly have an interesting discussion. Which I understand. Didier

Hi Bongstuff, Agreed. That's hardly one of the "best" ones. Didier

I think we already have them. How do you think most Pop princesses sound without effects and autotune? Next step is the hologram, to get completly rid of the talent. Didier

Sorry I guess, for that company, it must depend on opportunities. Occitan is obviously because they're from Toulouse. But why Finnish and not Dutch? But "Virtual Singer includes the Real Singer II technology: you create a voice from recordings of your own voice.". I guess from that that you can create any voice you want from samples, not necessarily yours. Didier

My initial reaction. But then, as soon as you use any synth, is there that much difference? Didier

Have you listened to the MP3 demos on the site? I agree, but what if you want female back up vocals? I am not *that* flexible. Didier

Hi All, I found a virtual singer software, and I'm quite impressed by the demos. http://www.myriad-online.com/en/products/virtualsinger.htm Features (from the web site): This module is completely included into Melody/Harmony and appears as a new palette. The miscellaneous singers are displayed as icons. Character location on the stage shows: laterally, the voice panning (right or left location in the stereophonic space), by its depth, the voice power (volume). To each singer, a different voice and language can be related. Each singer can be fine-tuned, by modifying its timbre, intonation or kind of voice (man, women, child, tenor, soprano, etc) Above this, several different voices will be able to sing at the same time, in several languages: British English American English French German Latin Spanish Italian Japanese Finnish Occitan Virtual Singer includes the Real Singer II technology: you create a voice from recordings of your own voice. The voices sound sometimes "autotuned", but most real singers sound the same nowadays anyway. I would like to know your impressions. It seems Marc could use something like that. Personally (if the demos are not tweaked and are actual possibilities) I think I could use it for backup vocals. Didier

Hi, Obviously (like others), if the instrument is to be synched later with something else, I use a click track or a drum track. Supposing the song is really a stand alone instrument, I would tend to practise hard with a metronome (I would tend to say that, if you have to concentrate hard on the click, you haven't been practicing enough), then record without. Metronome is important when practicing. Too often, "emotion" is an excuse for lousy tempo. Didier

Hi Steve, I know a bit about it. Of course, John might be more fluent than I am (I don't practice). PHP is a script language. It means that once a PHP page is processed, it will appear as a normal HTML page for the end user. Provided your provider (where your pages are stored) has a PHP server up and running, there's nothing specific about PHP page implementation. You just put it on the server like any HTML page. If your provider doesn't offer PHP, then there's no way you can use your PHP page. A the place specified by the documentation that should go with it. Inside a *.PHP page anyway, but this can sometimes be more specific (specific directory, etc.). Without knowing all the details, that's not really possible to answer your questions. Didier