2023-07-14 Fabulous Friday - Week 2 Draft

What's happening, Music Tech Teckers?

How's everything going?

I'm just checking in with a little heads-up.

Valuable Assets - for FREE

Tyrell N6

Sitala Drum Sapmple Payer

Native Instruments Komplete Start

Email and Text Messaging Backlogs

I'm still a little backlogged in responding to emails and text messages. The reason is I recently changed from Google Contacts Cloud to Apple iCloud Contacts. Having used Google Contacts (for MANY years!) as my "single point of truth" for managing and nurturing my precious contacts, I decided to switch to an Apple-centric ecosystem and workflow. Even though we can (theoretically) integrate and connect both Google Contacts and Apple iCloud Contacts on our iPhones, this has always been problematic trying to keep everything synced. After all, Apple and Google are competitors. So Google Contacts and Apple Contacts don't always play nice together. When I was on an Android phone, of course, Google Contacts worked perfectly flawlessly. But I use an iPhone!

Updating My Student Contacts

Now that I'm 100% "ALL IN" with Apple iCloud Contacts, I have disconnected my iPhone from Google Contacts Cloud. My iPhone and all Apple devices (including 3 Macs and iPad) are working GREAT! But...a lot of my Student Contact NAMES got nuked. So, I have your PHONE NUMBERS in my Apple Contacts but NOT your NAME. This requires manually editing your names back into my iPhone. Not a problem, really. (except when some students call me now, I only see your number, not your name. So make sure to also text me your name. 408-313-9006

BTW, for syncing all my contacts over various platforms? I'm using this AMAZING app called Make to help automate everything.

Anyway, no worries, I WILL get all caught up with outstanding emails and text messages tonight and over the weekend!

Circle

Speaking of communication channels and building creative communities, I continue to learn more about Circle. It's VERY cool! There is also a pretty steep learning curve. One of the challenges is that Circle is primarily designed for people that want to charge money for membership subscriptions. But, for the Music Tech Community Circle channel, I'm setting it up for students to use for FREE. If you have not yet joined, you're invited. Make sure to develop your profile page with a photo, a bio, and some links to websites and social media.

Click here to Join Circle

Please let me know if you have any technical problems or suggestions for improving the Music Tech Community Circle message board! You can DM me on Circle, email support@brucetambling.com or call me at 408-313-9006

Artistc Creativity and Studio Tech

I've been installing and upgrading to an Apple Mac Studio computer. CRAZY powerful!! The installation has been a lot of work, but super fun getting the latest plugins, virtual instruments, sample libraries, etc. These tools are amazing and REALLY inspiring.

It's so important to have our studio, our creative space (wherever it is) ready to...CREATE!

This process (setting up a personal studio) reminded me of what students go through in our music tech classes. Exactly what I'm doing right now. Back to basics! – Connect all the hardware – Install all the software – Test everything (with Audio Files, MIDI Files)

If I were to summarize the basic keys and steps to creating and producing music, it – Listen Develop a collection of amazing music that inspires you. Get high-resolution (preferably 24-bit) WAV files of this music on your local computer Solid State Drive (or internal system drive). – Learn Songs Study the works (recordings) of other artists, sonwriters and compsers. Try to figure how to play this music. Either just one component (lie guitar, bass, drums or keyboards) ir, better yet, reproduce the entire song in your DAW. – Create stuff

Practice Technique Your DAW, your entire STUDIO, is a musical instrument. To learn how to play, and everyually MASTER a musical instrument? If course, takes PRACTICE.

The other day, the YouTube algorithms ld me to an audio interview with Charlie Parker. One of the greatest saxophone players that has ever lived. Couple tings stood out – Charlie Parker was hella smart and VERY articulate – In his youth, he used to practice 11 - 15 hours per day! – He is also clasically trained and has studied and practiced playing music from many styles and composers including Bach, Debussy, Rachmaninof etc. – He learned how to play THOUSANDS of songs including all the jazz standards of the day, pop music of the day etc. – He could sightread music and also had a deep and strong intellectual understaning of music theory, harmony and arranging

If you really want to MASTER your DAW software? We need to approach is as if we are stuyiong in a major Music Conservatory. Instead of practicing scales, arpeggios or drum rudiments, we need to practice our DAW. Editing tools, keyboard shortcuts etc. keyboard shortcuts on our computers and really master the editing tools. This takes PRACTICE. For eample, every day, learn some new keyboard shortcuts. And then review and practice them every day. Just like working out and exercisesing. Get the keyboard shortcuts this in yoour muscle memory. So youo know them inside out and blindfolded.

Some people say that they don't want to learn music theory, or study songs written by somelese, or practice BORING scales and finger exerices. They aurgue that they "want to be creative" and not be forced to comply with "the rules." That this traihing, study and practice might somehow encoumber, impede or limit the creative process.

Well, look at Chelie Parker. Listen to recordings of him performing. The point is, Chalrie PArker oput in the time to practice and MASTER his technique. And then, he could freely improvise and compose whatever ideas came into his mind and inner ear.

If you study the biographies and documentairs of ANY successful musical artist? In ANY genre or any time period? They have ALL: – Studied and learned the works of other composers, songwriters, producers and performing artists – Put in the time to really master their craft, including playong music instrumnts

Mile David is another example.

The whole idea is to – Master the technique – Then we can FREELY create!

Doug Henning "The hard must become habit. The habit must become easy. The easy must become beautiful."

Universal Core Cpmpencies

I've really been diggin in, and finally learning, Adobe Premiere Pro. Very much like learning a new DAW. So, I feel like a new, begiining student. Zen mind, beginner's mind.

I have a list (that I can share with you) of universal things we all need to know regardless of our DAW. – Navigate the Iterface – Customize how the windose are laid out on computer screens – Zoom In / Zoom Out – Change Track heights – Move and Edit Clips

Premiere Pro is like Pro Tools except we can ALSO edit video. The audio editing mixing capabilities in Premiere Pro are veru powerful. All my VTS and AU plugins load in the Premiere Pro Mix Wndow. Premire Pro is capable of actually MIXING a record!

Speaking of video editing platforms and audio production. Blackmagic is a company that makes video equipment. And their video editing software platform is called https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

And the audio capabilities of DaVici Resolve are the BEST in any video editing platform that I have ever seen.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fairlight

The exzciting this is that Blackmagic purchased the company Fairlight (famous foe making one of the first samplers in the world) and integrated all into DaVinci Resolve

Check out this video: How the Fairlight CMI changed the course of music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkiYy0i8FtA

Best part? DaVinci Resolve is Available FREE! Even the full, professional version for editing Hollywood mivies, is ony $259 https://www.amazon.com/Blackmagic-DaVinci-Resolve-Studio-Upgrade/dp/B076CQPVCF?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A86M66Z7Z0Z95

But, even the FREE version is VERY powerful! (especially for students)

Native Instruments

As part of my software installation tasks on my Mac Studio, I need to decide what plugins and virual instrunebts I really wan to keep. Trying minimize the bloat factor from instally too many plugins, I have really been pondering what I actually NEED, and want to USE.

For Natic Instruments plugins, synths and samplers, I contemplated striiping down the ecosystem to just Kontakt 7 Sampler. That upgrade costs $99.00 But then for me to upgrade to Komplete 14? It's $199. This includes Kontakt 7 and a huge collections of virtual intrument, and is only $100 more than just upgrading Kontakt,

This reminded me of two important things: – We all (you and me) need to invest the time reuired to listen to ALL of the sounds on ALL of our virtua instruments, drum mchivnes, synth and samplers. We need to liste to ALL the presets om every virtual instruwmnt. And, take good notes so we can remebr where the "good sounds" are. Everytone will need to fibgure the best way to manage these digital assets, like a databse, so when tiy are CREATING, you wont get side tracked down the rabbit hole trying to finf a sound.

In fact, it's a REALLY good idea to build some templates in your DAW with your Virtual Instruemtns to have a basic pallete of sounds available to you at the snap of a finger, whenever inspiratioon strikes. (or even, if you just want to sit down and oracive some scales or chord progression