Re: Turn All That S**t Off

["Michael LaMeyer" <mlameyer@rcn.com>]

Here's another suggestion that would probably mean taking a
tonal tangent from your initial recording, but a fun exploration
in any case for me, and more live oriented.

Use some kind of input (drum pads, keyboard, blah, blah) to
trigger electronic drum tones that are themselves a rhythmic
phrase, either static or dynamic (the rhythym isn't exactly the
same each time the tone is triggered for some reason).

The biggest question for me would be what tones do I want to
use.  I don't necessarily want to trigger standard trapset
grooves this way.  More along the lines of the electronic
equivalent of that nifty little percusion instrument (ok, I'm at
work and in a hurry, neurons can't find the name yet) where you
hit it and wooden flaps smack together for a few seconds - a
physical delay!  Or self perpetuating percussive events if you
want, that's the idea that caught me.  Why not have electronic
self perpetuating percussive events that you play like that
charming wooden clacker? (hey I think that's it, a
clacker...stop laughing!).  Prime suspects for me would be
modulation, delay, pitch/time mangling.  So I'd merrily mangle
any old tone source I could work into a nice smacking sound that
wooshed and faded away slowly into the woods like hoofbeats or
something, but I digress.  (Except one more thing, got some
interesting things from the sound of the tape rewinding in my
answering machine).

It's interface-independent in my view, but I'd have more fun
hitting pads than keys.  (Hmmm, may consider building that paia
trigger/midi converter...)

<cheerful mumbling>

Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Lehmann" <relayonemanband@cts.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: Turn All That S**t Off


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> <snip>
> > Personally, I learned to take out all elements of my live
show that I
> can't
> > make up on the spot. I've seen enough live shows with the
musician(s)
> > playing over a CD of pre-recorded music or a drum machine
program that I
> > made a personal vow never to put people through that myself.
Most
> musicians
> > who I've seen play pre-recorded music at their shows seem to
think that if
> > the pre-recorded music parts are really dynamic and
interesting, it will
> > take away the turn-off of having pre-recorded music on
stage. It doesn't.
> In
> > fact, it often makes it worse, since the musician winds up
generating only
> a
> > tiny fraction of the music live.
> >
> > I know I'm stepping on a lot of toes here. I'm not saying
this to attack
> > anybody, it's more in the direction of trying to be
constructive
> discussion.
> > A lot of audience members will be too polite to tell you
this, so hear I
> am
> > giving an audience member's perspective.
> >
> > Matt
>
> The very biggest reason I got into using electronics is that I
can generate
> accompaniment without the inconvenience of rehearsing/paying
other fellow
> musicians.  I am in the business of providing
music/entertainment for
> people, most of whom can't spell the circle of fifths or name
a time
> signature.  Most of the time they want the predictable, and
they are content
> to hear me lean on electronics to play the song as they
remember it.  Guess
> it's the difference between art and commerce.  So here is what
I wonder--
> When people go to see their favorite dance/pop artist and they
use prepared
> audio (lip sync, MIDI/sampled background, et al), are they
disappointed?  Is
> the thrill of seeing them dance/perform and hearing the song
the way they
> are used to it enough to make it worth the tradeoff of not
seeing musicians
> playing the parts?
> 'Cause I think Matt's right, and that most musicians would
rather not play
> to tracks if they have the right musicians available.
> Gary
>
>