Samantha Stays at Home
I was planning to take Samantha the Border Collie to a park this morning, but she didn't want to go. So we worked on this piece of music instead. Still at a rough demo level...
(download)
29 Dec
2011
27 Dec
2011
Native Instruments Funk Guitarist / Jazz Bass
Wow! Lots to explore in this funk guitar software. The jazz bass package is more of straight-forward virtual instrument, though it too is very impressive. Here's a quick sample:
(download)
5 Dec
2011
Besides the Addictive Drums sounds, this also incorporates a variety of Native Instruments sounds (acoustic piano, electric piano, clavinet, Hammond organ), and the Yamaha TRB bass played through a Hartke Kickback amp.
Groove in 7/8
Exploring the Addictive Drums software, I found some nice drum patterns in 7/8 time, and built this musical groove around the drums:
(download)
28 Nov
2011
This piece uses Native Instruments electric piano, clavinet, and strings; Ocean Way drums; live bass guitar; and a lead synth from the Yamaha Motif ES.
Seven Hours Outside
Samantha the Border Collie spent seven hours outside today, running, digging, and playing with a rather large stick, despite numerous attempts to persuade her to come back inside.
(download)
27 Nov
2011
The Pianet sounds similar to a Wurlitzer electric piano. Native Instruments also sells the Scarbee A-200 keyboard instrument for a more robust Wurltizer experience, though the Pianet may well be adequate for a Wurlitzer sound in many applications:
Comparing these Scarbee instruments to similar keyboard patches on my Yamaha Motif ES, the overall differences are subtle. The Scarbee instruments may not sound vastly better, but they do sound more convincingly real and less sterile, and they are far more configurable to get the exact sound you want. I would not hesitate to use the Scarbee sounds prominently in a musical mix.
Scarbee Clavinet and Pianet
Taking advantage of the seemingly-annual half-off sale at Native Instruments, I picked up a copy of the Scarbee Clavinet and Pianet virtual keyboard instruments. I had bought the Scarbee Mark I keyboard instrument (based on the Fender Rhodes) last year, and have been very happy with it.
First impressions of this new set of keyboards are good. The Clavinet, being a more complicated instrument, is represented by many more sample options than the Pianet. Both come equipped with a variety of presets for the built-in effects, which let you instantly get a feel for what kinds of sounds are possible to achieve.
I put together a few quick demos of playing with some of the presets. The Clavinet, effect-free, sounds more or less like a harpsichord, but with effects brings out the more traditional funky sound:
(download)
(download)
