This page has links to MP3 files of song ideas I have worked on since the early 2000's. Click on a title below to access the full mp3 file for the song.
Song Notes
Aeon Flux
The motivation for this song was to compose something with a kick drum on
every beat. This made me think of samba, so in that spirit, I used agogo bells
for the rhythm. I was also having lots of fun with my lead electric guitar
at the time, so I wanted the lead guitar to be prominent. The repeated layering
at the end was inspired by one of my favorite bands from the 70's, Camel.
This is the last song I recorded using my previous studio equipment (primarily an ADAT XT and Ensoniq TS-10). Although the song needed some kind of vocal, I did not get a chance to write something and record it, so I mixed the song without the vocal and stored it on my computer.
As I was putting this page together, I wanted to include this song, but still needed a lyric idea. I had just seen a movie called Aeon Flux, and I liked that title for this song (though I thought it was a terrible name for the character in the movie). So I threw together some lyrics inspired by the movie. This song is primarily about the lead guitar, so I wasn't too concerned about the quality of the lyrics.
To record the vocals, I imported the pre-vocal mix I had on my computer into my BR-600. I then used the BR-600 to add the vocal tracks. Although I have Sonar on my computer, I still find it easier to use the dedicated hardware in my studio. I do like how they work together, though. For example, A couple of vocal sections had a touch of distortion where I peaked over 0 db during recording. I was able to export that vocal track from the BR-600 to my computer and then use Sound Forge to redraw the clipped waves and smooth them out, greatly reducing the distortion. I then imported this track back into the BR-600 and continued with the mix down.
This song is a bit long, but there is some cool lead guitar layering at the end, so check that out.
Finding Breath
The motivation for this song was to record a native american flute melody
accompanied by guitar. Typically, the native american flute has a five note
scale. For this song, I was playing in the key of A along with the guitar,
so I needed to add a note to the scale by only half covering one of the holes.
It took a bit of practice.
The Korg Triton only has a stereo hard disk recorder, which is limiting when trying to record multiple tracks of recorded parts such as vocals, guitars, and flutes. I had recently gotten a native american flute and wanted to record a song with it. I figured I should get an 8 track recorder. I ended up getting the Boss BR-600 Digital Recorder, which had just come out. I was a bit skeptical about how flexible it would be because of the porta studio design, but I have to say I am quite impressed.
It is very well thought out and efficient to use. It records to a memory card and has a USB connection to exchange files with a computer. The effects section is awesome and very usable. It even provides a special set of sophisticated effects for mastering and pitch correction! The inputs are a bit limited, but I run through a mic preamp and small 8 track mixer first so I can use multiple mics and condenser mics that require power. I then run the output of the mixer to the stereo line in of the BR-600.
I mixed the song onto a virtual stereo track within the BR-600. I then exported this to my computer where I mastered it using Sound Forge (which I am used to) and could output MP3 and burn to CD.
This is my first song I recorded using the BR-600, so I was in the process of learning. I think I can get better quality recording from the mics next time, but I am still pretty impressed with the results considering all the recording and effects were done using a $400 device that is smaller than a laptop computer.
Flight Over Night
This song was inspired by doodling around with the Yamaha QY-100 music sequencer.
For composing on the road, I had gotten a Yamaha QY-100, which is a portable sound module with a 16 track sequencer. I composed this song on the Yamaha QY-100. I did use the Holy Grail Piano on my Proteus 2000 to play the lead piano part. I used my TS-10 for the keyboard interface.
There's a Land
The motivation for this song came from doodling around on the Korg Triton
Studio keyboard workstation and playing with the TC Helicon Quintet harmonizer,
which I had just gotten. I have many more half baked ideas still in progress
stored on the keyboard's hard drive.
A couple of years ago I totally revampled my music studio to make it simpler and more compact. I got a Korg Triton Studio keyboard that has a built in hard disk recorder. I figured I could keep and mix all my sequenced and recorded tracks for a song in this one device. This is the first song I put together using the new equipment. The synth lead part was played on the Alesis Ion and sampled into the Korg. I recorded the vocal track using the hard disk recorder. I used a TC Helicon Quintet to generate harmony vocals for the chorus.
The lyrics were improvised on the spot, so they don't have any conscious meaning -- just whatever came into my head. I thought they turned out OK, so I kept them. This song was more about composing and recording using this new equipment than communicating a meaningful message.
Blissful Night
This song started as a loop with a couple of acoustic guitar parts, which I made while exploring my Roland RC-50 Loop Station. I brought these into Sony Acid Pro on my computer and added the drums using drum bits from the Acid loop library. I then recorded some orchestrations and the lead guitar using my Roland GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer, which is connected via USB to my c0mputer.
I spent about a year creating and organizing the 200 or so sounds I have in the user bank of the GR-55. The sound for the lead is a modeled Les Paul, some of the guitar's pickup, and a flute that are layered. The guitars go through a modeled Fender Tweed amplifier, and there is heavy delay. The sound starts off somewhat clean, and then I bring in gain and overdrrive using the expression pedal.
It took many, many takes for me to get the lead acceptably close to what I wanted, as my lead guitar skills are not the best. :-)
Just a Comet
I wrote this song with a female vocalist in mind. It was primarily inspired by the daughter-father relationship in the movie Interstellar. I could not find the vocalist to sing the song, so I ended up using a virtual instrument called Realivox Blue, which is still being improved.
I started by writing several parts in a sheet music program, which I then converted to MIDI files and brought into my DAW, Acid Pro. I applied virtual instruments to these tracks. For many more of the tracks, I played the parts with my guitar through the GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer. I recorded my own singing behind the virtual vocals.
A Better Day
This song was inspired by the election of 2016. I recorded it in one take using the TC Helicon Play Acoustic to process the guitar and vocals and add the harmonies. I also created a video, which you can find on my YouTube page.