From ccmacdon@rogers.com Mon Feb 08 06:41:45 2010
Subject:New Topic: OK Here's the answer!!

Dennis, sorry buddy, it's not the Korg..
 
OK I guess it's time to give it up..  because, sadly, my challenge to the group is getting lost in endless debates about Nords and the Who ("is it live or is it memorex" - I think the real answer is that it's probably a little of both)
 
The organ solo in "Picking Hopes" on my CD was all software using VB3 which, in my humble opinion is one of the best Hammond emulators there is.. (note I said ONE of the best.. I'm not trying to start some other endless debate). 
 
As I said in another post, this was a fluke solo.. I put it down as a one-take  place-holder on the demo.. The song was written by our guitarist Pete Faragher, and his friend Danny Santo, who was a guest percussionist on our CD.. Pete and I recorded the demo in my basement on my computer using Sonar.  It was initially a very guitar oriented song, and Pete suggested that I take over the predominent rhythm part on the electric piano (which had previously been rhythm guitar), AND add an organ solo, so and I just opened up VB3 loaded a kind of raunchy patch and recorded this solo in one take... (in a key, Bm, that I hate to solo in). Initially I thought that it was a little odd sounding with so much distortion, but we recorded the final tracks at exactly the same tempo using a click track, and as such I was able to port the original solo over, which I did and I think it works well.. We've got some nice feeback on the song, especially the excitment that the
breakdown and solo generates to set up the latter part of the song.
 
Those of you who haven't listened to the tune, and are interested in hearing the VB3 go listen to "Picking Hopes" on our myspace site. By the way NOTE.... don't judge how realistic VB3 sounds based on this solo, in this solo I was pushing the limits of how grungy I could make it sound rather than trying to emulate a nice warm B3..  But I think it's a really cool/distinct sound! 
 
Dennis, you also asked about the Electric Piano in "Let It Go"..  The Electric Piano was recorded using Lounge Lizard 3 (or Lounge Lizard 2, I can't remember what version I had at the time I recorded this track). Lounge Lizard is a software VST, that I really love for Electric Pianos. It's really warm and rich sounding.. 
 
On that note, this CD is an eclectic mix of songs AND sounds..  Our guitar player, Pete Faragher, is a guitar/amp collector and he has used a huge long list of guitars and amp combinations on this CD.. (he has a spreadsheet listing the half-dozen guitar/amp combinations he used on every song, and he's receiving rave reviews for the guitar sounds and production on this CD)..  On the keyboard side, my keyboards are a mix of new and old technology, combining mostly the real Hammond B3 and my 147 leslie with a bunch of VST Softsynths for other instrument sounds, for example:
 
Lounge lizard for Electric Pianos
Mtron Pro for mellotron sounds
Sonik Synth for cathedral organ
Dimension Pro for Strings
Rapture for some evolving pads
Pianoteq/True Piano for piano sounds
 
Again guys, give the CD a listen and/or download, and support a fellow clonewheel member!! Thanks and enjoy!! (I hope)
 
Regards,
Craig MacDonald

Craig's keyboards/music can be heard at:
http://www.myspace.com/11stepsband

11STEPS songs/CD can be downloaded at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/11steps
 
CD's are now on sale at HMV in Canada!!  Support your local Music Retailer!!

Proceeds from downloads of "I NEED SHELTER" and "PICKING HOPES" will be donated to the Haiti relief fund C/O the Canadian Red Cross
 
Re: New topic - shameless self-promotion again?
Posted by: "Dennis" den121961@yahoo.com   den121961
Sun Feb 7, 2010 11:22 pm (PST)

It really sounds like the Korg distortion, butit doesn't have the harshness of the Korg. I'll go with either the CX3 or BX3?
Nice tune by the way. DO you have an electro midi'd to whatever you used for the electric piano sound on Let It Go?

--- In CloneWheel@yahoogro ups.com, "ccmacdon" wrote:
>
> Hey folks, how often is appropriate for shameless self-promotion? ? Don't answer.. this is probably already too much!!
>
> Two items you might find of interest.. I just loaded a new song up on our band myspace called "Lone Ranger".. It's got some hammond content AND it features me on lead vocal.. eek!! For the record, I'm not a singer, but I wrote the song when life was a little crazy and I was going through a divorce... the guys in my band thought I had the right amount of anxiety in my voice to sing it.. so I went with it..
>
> Second item... a test... all the organ on my new CD is real Hammond, except for one track, a song called "Picking Hopes".. This is a Santana-ish tune, and there's an organ solo that is NOT a real Hammond.. the only non-hammond on the CD.. Challenge.. first one to guess what it is get's a free CD.. only one guess per member!!! And going back through all my posts to see what clones I use IS CHEATING!!! Try to resist... don't do it!!!!
>
> Those of you interested in the above can visit my myspace:
>
> www.myspace. com/11stepsband
>
> CD/Songs are available for download at www.cdbaby.com/ cd/11steps
> (proceeds from downloads of "Picking Hopes" and/or "I Need Shelter" go to the Haitian Relief Fund c/o the Canadian Red Cross)
>
> For those Canucks on the forum, the CD is in HMV Stores in the Greater Metro Toronto area and can be ordered from any HMV store in Canada.
>

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