June 27, 2010
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June 2010 From Songwriting Software Plus at www.SongwritingSoftware.com To
help your songwriting with a focus on the benefits of innovative software,
tools, resources and programs for your songwriting craft and career. |
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There continues to be an ongoing need to help our songwriting family and indeed the entire Nashville and environs family recover from the devastating floods of last month. Per my contact with my song coaches and mentors there, Pete and Pat Luboff, they noted a good central site to find out more and to see the opportunities for us to help were at a posting by Danny Arena of SongU - click here. Please join me in helping however you can and wishing all a speedy recovery. Regular Editor's Note: It's keyboard month here at the Express and though you may be a guitar player or lyricist only or a bass player or drummer perhaps - or even a little of all - you may well have to interact with a keyboard - particularly to interact with a computer sequencing program or DAW (digital audio workstation) as they're often referred to as well if you're doing some home recording. They're is a myriad of choices when it comes to keyboards for their own playing ability as well as they're ability to connect to a computer. A new trend that has been developing is the ability of computer oriented keyboards - called midi controllers or often just controllers - to recognize the type of software you use for sequencing such that all the buttons and knobs on the keyboard will automatically recognize and sync up with the sequencing program's own control features. This feature makes running your software more of a tactile and perhaps more intuitive experience as you have the ability to manually interact with your sequencer program beyond simply moving your mouse or typing in commands on your typing keyboard (the famous QWERTY keyboard). Today we'll take a closer look at one such puppy that may capture your interest or at least serve to inform you of a good working model that you can compare to other possible models - if you're looking to start anew or change up to a more contemporary controller keyboard for your home studio setup.
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Newsletter errors? See correct formatting here shortly after its mailing. Particularly for Yahoo. Also, in some mail programs links do not show up - so if you suspect
something might be linked simply run your mouse over it and it should
light up if it is a link. |
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Take More Control Of Your Songwriting With A More Controlling ControllerOkay, that headline was perhaps a bit abusive of the great lyric writing tool alliteration but hey it got you to read this first line, right? Midi keyboard controllers continue to evolve rapidly and one new trend taking shape is the ability of controllers to recognize your sequencing software in your computer and automatically adjust to it. In other words many new keyboard controllers are more elaborate than just simply having a piano type keyboard on which to play the various instrument sounds in your computer and have various other knobs and slider type controls, similar to a manual mixing board, to exert further control over your software if you want more manual control. It used to be that you'd have to configure all of these controls manually but now the technology exists for controllers to essentially read your program and configure itself automatically to your program. And this goes for PCs running Windows as well as Macs. Get HyperControl With Category Leader M-Audio One such keyboard controller riding up the charts with this technology is M-Audio's Axiom Pro 49. The M-Audio Axiom Pro 49 keyboard controller employs what they've termed HyperControl in which the built in software processes automatically map the keyboard's controls to the main functions of popular and commonly DAWs (your sequencer or recording software program) such as Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Reason and other popular DAWs. This combines the best of mousing and manually manipulating your software with buttons and sliders that have been used forever on manually operated mixer boards. And there's a feature to map buttons that can send QWERTY key commands (what you'd normally type in on your QWERTY keyboard) directly from the Axiom Pro 49. And you can save the settings as well. M-Audio Axiom Pro 49's Enhanced Keyboard Touch
I had a chance to stop by a local Guitar Center the other day where they had the Axiom Pro 49 (pictured above) set up to play with so I gave it a whirl. Regarding the touting of their 49-note, TruTouch semi-weighted, piano-style, professional-action keybed I must say the feel is definitely more substantial and weighted than your typical controller. The keys are still plastic and relatively light weight compared to a digital piano for example but I'd say adjusting to them is pretty quick. And of course you've got 49 keys so that typically covers enough territory if you're gong to want to play two handed parts and certainly enough around the middle sweet spot of keyboard for pop song playing and composing. And of course the controller has onboard Aftertouch, a sustain pedal and expression pedal sockets, pitch bend and a modulation wheel. Maybe Right In Your Price Range Or A Budget Buster At Around $500 US Okay, all this goodness comes at a cost. The one I checked out at Guitar Center was listing on special sale at $349.99 but I've seen it generally at $479.99 and depending on your state or country you've got to add tax typically and maybe shipping too. As time goes on I imagine these features will become more common place and prices will come down for these capabilities. See you next month! |
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For Inspiration And Thought On Your Path To More Songwriting Success:"Past and future are in the mind only — I am now." -- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
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