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Post subject: Let's build our own rhythm tracks
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:31 am
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OK, so we have this DEC-30 up and running, with no real problems. We recognize the long term ceiling, but accept it as a fantastic way to enter the MIDI backing field, knowing that eventually, the forced need for a stand alone synth module, like the $1200 Roland, will come along.
First things first, we will get good at building drum track sets and passing them back and forth between PC (and Mac) and DEC, knowing that since the MIDI input on the DEC allows streaming, the amp will still be useful long after the built in synth is outgrown.
Luckily, for me, when I bought an Alesis audio interface, they threw in a copy of the MIDI studio Cubase LE, but a program called Anvil is out there, and it's free in its basic form, cheap to upgrade. I then bought 62,000 country/folk files from Prosonic for $30. The files are 4 bar samples.
Opening the studio (Cubase, Cakewalk, Band in Box, all will work) and start pasting in the samples, all of which can be further edited. The samples show as a music score, and I really don't have to be extensively trained in music because I can watch the bars as I hear them.
(You may remember the object of all of this was to create a 3/4 backing for Kenny Roger's "Lucille.")
I had to buy this MIDI interface, a topic that receives quite a bit of discussion in this forum, and I am out $79 for the M-Audio USB powered MIDISPORT 2X2. But, it is a quality piece. So, my total investment, not counting the amp, is under $150, and what I have bought can apply to multiple functions as this obsession expands.
So, I print out the Fender DEC "Midi Guide" from Fender, read it, and now am ready to start manipulating the User Presets bank in the DEC memory.
To an experienced MIDI user, this is all, like, basic stuff. But not for me.
Any helpful comments will be gratefully received, and, um, wish me luck.
Ed :roll:


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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:48 am
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For your project (if I understand what you are working) would benefit greatly from the free program Jammer Songmaker. It is a midi compatible composer that includes sound kits for all the major genres of music. Composing music is as simple as choosing a style, enter a chord progression and press play. If you don't want to take the time to program the song, just download a midi file of the song you want to play, then edit the tracks. when I want to practice a particular song, I download a MIDI file of the song, then mute the bass track so I can play along.

Due to the limitations of the B-DEC synth module, I have switched to using a Toneport UX2 ($99 on sale) and Steinberg Sequel 2( $89 on sale). This setup gives me the great Line 6 amp modeling and the ability to construct loops in any genre really quickly. In fact, I enjoy Sequel 2 so much, I bought 2 content sets, which gives me a total of over 5000 sound loops and VST instruments.

Forgive me if I got too techie with the lingo


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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:06 am
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I can't thank you enough for those instructive comments, Kevmove. I was truly getting lost in the technology. Funny thing is, I had downloaded Jammer just after getting the DEC-30, but didn't "get it," so I deleted it. I had been experimenting with "Anvil," which is similar. Now that I know a little more, I am finding "Jammer," at your suggestion, to fit my current needs very well. Last night I came up with my first "usable" backing track, based on the "Jammer" free samples. So, thanks for the boost.
The more a guy knows about music, the better off he is, but the fact is that a bass player is going to do bass better than a lead guitar or sax ever will, and so on. The samples are key, but real mastery of this MIDI backing is a career in itself. I marvel at the functionality of Fender's pure and simple files, (such as Western and Swing) especially with the tempo and key variables built in. I am hoping the DEC-30 will allow key and tempo change for my files, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I the meanwhile, "Jammer" ought to offer quite enough challenge to last a while.
I will remember your sample source recommends. I did go to ProSonic to buy several thousand country backings for $30. Haven't yet figured out how to integrate them with Jammer files, but I am sure there is a way.
Again, the simplicity seems to be a key factor. With MIDI, the front end risk is listener boredom by repetition. As a lead player, I find myself pushing to cover drumbeats that all too quickly can be recognized by the listener as synthetic production.
Plenty of challenges.
It will be interesting to hear from you, as I follow in your footprints, at what point the DEC needs to be augmented, as you have suggested it has. Down the road, the inevitable equipment add-on?


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Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:54 pm
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The key to using the B-Dec is understanding its various applications:
-Practice Amp
-Band Simulator
-Midi Player
-Bass Method

I'm sure there are more uses, but let's focus on the chief applications.

First, the B-Dec is a really smart practice amp, meaning it has a lot of functionality in terms of providing woodshed exercises that will develop your technique, while also giving you a decent selection of loops that represent the various music genres. Unfortunately, the very exercises that the B-Dec excels in providing are the same exercises that most players don't have the discipline to consistently practice. That being said, if you set up a routine to rotate what exercises you will practice each day, you will build your chops pretty quickly, especially if you focus on developing a great sense of rhythm. Word of wisdom: if you only use the B-Dec as a fancy metronome, you wasted your money.

Secondly, the B-Dec is a band simulator. As Jay Picorilo points out, the B-Dec gives you access to a drummer, guitarist, and keyboard players who never get tired, can play in almost any key, and never gets impatient with your lack of progress. You can listen to the drummer alone, or add just about any acompaniement. If you have trouble getting a band together, this is a great tool.

Thirdly, the B-Dec is a full function Midi player/controller. Not only can you use the B-Dec as a MIDI hub, but you can store up to 100 midi files, which stay stored in the B-Dec itsef.

Finally, it is a Bass Method. While the B-Dec synth module is not the best of the best, it is robust enough to practice the songs in the Method Book, that provides a music theory discussion without becoming overly complicated. It is well worth working your way through each exercise, that teach technique. I hope this gives you some insight


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