“Morning Has Broken Into 1000 Pieces” (Guitar/Guitar Synth, NS Chapman Stick, Zendrum)

[jcub]

This piece resulted from experimenting with Jam Origin’s MIDI Guitar 3. I recorded a guitar track clean into an audio track through the MIDI Guitar 3 plugin which sent the MIDI to separate MIDI track. The tracking was not perfect and it took a while to find a good patch to use (I ended up with Arturia Mini 4). I added the drums and NS Chapman Stick for the bass part. [Updated SoundCloud Mix]

https://soundcloud.com/jeremycubert/mor ... -into-1000

[wagtunes]

Ah, one of my favorite artists with another track. You know, I got my own Chapman Stick VST because of you. Absolutely love it. Anyway, on to the music.

For me, this is the ultimate in jazz/rock fusion. Love the lead guitar. Sp that's a MIDI guitar? So no need for an amp or anything like that. Just plug it directly in like you would a MIDI keyboard and play? I assume the FX are added inside the DAW, correct? Anyway, damn that sounds good. I may have to invest in one because I don't really love playing a virtual guitar with a keyboard.

But back to the music. Great track. Absolutely love it. Can't wait for your next creation.

[jcub]

Thanks! The guitar is real. The plug in translates the audio signal to midi on a separate VST track. I am still learning the settings. I initially had issues with ghost midi notes that hang indefinitely. But it tracks very accurately. Here is the website - https://www.jamorigin.com/products/. MIDI Guitar 3 is in beta and you can download a trial version.

[jcub]

This track is included on an EP with two other tracks. Part II adds piano to the instruments while the last track is (real) acoustic piano, tablas (Korg Wavedrum Global), and the Soma Flux:

https://jeremycubert.bandcamp.com/album ... 000-pieces

[DCrown]

Mastering way too loud btw imo
I like this kind of music, unfortunately too squashed

[jcub]

Thanks for the listen. The reduced the mastering compression on Bandcamp. I have now updated the SoundCloud file.

[aaron aardvark]

jcub,
It was years ago, and I experimented with (I think the first 2 versions of) MIDI Guitar, the plugin; I am almost certain, maybe even a public beta version. I was hoping to get an 80's guitar synth thing happening, and it was not quite there for me (years ago) with the tracking. Maybe this version 3 is better in that regard. Anyway, I think your song sounds good. I'm no expert in the Jazz Fusion category, though I think your song might fit that genre; a bit avantguard? The drums work well for the complex rhythms. Guitar tone (a bit synthy) is good, though not certain every note is in key: not sure if that's the tracking issue (fixable with pitch correction; if wanted), or purposely a bit dissonant. Before the Stick starts, had a slight Santana vibe for me (good). Audio quality is very good for me. I would have a rough time playing electric bass or guitar to a drum beat that complex. Will be posting a new song in about an hour, perhaps you could check it out.

[DCrown]

Your John McLaughlin track now is better, seems to be a bit more dynamic range now.
Well, I used to listen a lot to Laughlin, Zappa and Miles, that,s why I am used to wider dynamic range, a very important thing for such music, maybe you could let someone mix your cool song,
I hope you haven't used compression, Instruments must live and breathe within a song, Al Schmitt would be one of the best for your track, did you hire Rick Rubin and Vlado Meller? (haha just kidding). Good music more important than mixing quality anyway. Arrangement, well, ok.
As for loudness, I'd say, not louder than -10 Lufs for this genre/track. Louder is not better!
Heavy metal and Hip Hop are not the competition for such music.
Keep this genre alive!

[enroe]

Very nicely varied and playful. The live feel comes across well, guitar and bass both play
their lines. It's great to hear what's possible with a MIDI guitar and a Chapman stick.
The drums also fit in very nicely.

Overall: really well done - including the ending!

PS: The level of compression is always a concern. For loud hi-fi listening, this would be
far too much compression. However, for car audio or MP3 players on the go, a high level
of compression – like here – is necessary (in my opinion).

[jcub]

jcub,
It was years ago, and I experimented with (I think the first 2 versions of) MIDI Guitar, the plugin; I am almost certain, maybe even a public beta version. I was hoping to get an 80's guitar synth thing happening, and it was not quite there for me (years ago) with the tracking. Maybe this version 3 is better in that regard. Anyway, I think your song sounds good. I'm no expert in the Jazz Fusion category, though I think your song might fit that genre; a bit avantguard? The drums work well for the complex rhythms. Guitar tone (a bit synthy) is good, though not certain every note is in key: not sure if that's the tracking issue (fixable with pitch correction; if wanted), or purposely a bit dissonant. Before the Stick starts, had a slight Santana vibe for me (good). Audio quality is very good for me. I would have a rough time playing electric bass or guitar to a drum beat that complex. Will be posting a new song in about an hour, perhaps you could check it out.

Thanks! Tracking with the plugin seems to be excellent on my computer. This piece is definitely more in the avante garde category. The issue I am working on (and have mostly solved) is stuck MIDI notes. I struggled for hours trying different synth plugins until I adjusted the MIDI “noise gate” setting and also the MIDI dynamics settings. That seemed to get rid of the stuck notes. Since I am a better keyboard player than guitarist, I am not going to use the MIDI guitar to emulate other instruments but rather to augment the guitar sound.

[jcub]

Your John McLaughlin track now is better, seems to be a bit more dynamic range now.
Well, I used to listen a lot to Laughlin, Zappa and Miles, that,s why I am used to wider dynamic range, a very important thing for such music, maybe you could let someone mix your cool song,
I hope you haven't used compression, Instruments must live and breathe within a song, Al Schmitt would be one of the best for your track, did you hire Rick Rubin and Vlado Meller? (haha just kidding). Good music more important than mixing quality anyway. Arrangement, well, ok.
As for loudness, I'd say, not louder than -10 Lufs for this genre/track. Louder is not better!
Heavy metal and Hip Hop are not the competition for such music.
Keep this genre alive!

Thanks for the kind words. I do have an Al Schmitt drum library (Toontrack Decades) which is outstanding. For this track I used to the newer Jazz SDX library from Toontrack mainly because the ride cymbals are my favorite among the sampled drum libraries. I use some compression but generally keep it to a minimum for certain styles.

[jcub]

Very nicely varied and playful. The live feel comes across well, guitar and bass both play
their lines. It's great to hear what's possible with a MIDI guitar and a Chapman stick.
The drums also fit in very nicely.

Overall: really well done - including the ending!

PS: The level of compression is always a concern. For loud hi-fi listening, this would be
far too much compression. However, for car audio or MP3 players on the go, a high level
of compression – like here – is necessary (in my opinion).

Thanks - it is always wise to keep an eye on overcompression. Lately, I have been using the Softube Weiss Maxzimizer I picked up on sale. Its “Transparent” setting has a light touch. I am having fun with trying out different MIDI guitar settings. I am getting a guitar soon that has a built in Roland GK3 pickup but I think the MIDI Guitar plugin may be enough for my purposes and will work with any audio source.

[DCrown]

Your John McLaughlin track now is better, seems to be a bit more dynamic range now.
Well, I used to listen a lot to Laughlin, Zappa and Miles, that,s why I am used to wider dynamic range, a very important thing for such music, maybe you could let someone mix your cool song,
I hope you haven't used compression, Instruments must live and breathe within a song, Al Schmitt would be one of the best for your track, did you hire Rick Rubin and Vlado Meller? (haha just kidding). Good music more important than mixing quality anyway. Arrangement, well, ok.
As for loudness, I'd say, not louder than -10 Lufs for this genre/track. Louder is not better!
Heavy metal and Hip Hop are not the competition for such music.
Keep this genre alive!

Thanks for the kind words. I do have an Al Schmitt drum library (Toontrack Decades) which is outstanding. For this track I used to the newer Jazz SDX library from Toontrack mainly because the ride cymbals are my favorite among the sampled drum libraries. I use some compression but generally keep it to a minimum for certain styles.

Yes, Jazz SDX sounds great, one of the best drums I ve ever heard, unfortunately 160GB download size and I am not going to upgrade my hard drive space any more, I have learned how important it is to limit yourself by not buying every plugin or expansion.

[jcub]

Your John McLaughlin track now is better, seems to be a bit more dynamic range now.
Well, I used to listen a lot to Laughlin, Zappa and Miles, that,s why I am used to wider dynamic range, a very important thing for such music, maybe you could let someone mix your cool song,
I hope you haven't used compression, Instruments must live and breathe within a song, Al Schmitt would be one of the best for your track, did you hire Rick Rubin and Vlado Meller? (haha just kidding). Good music more important than mixing quality anyway. Arrangement, well, ok.
As for loudness, I'd say, not louder than -10 Lufs for this genre/track. Louder is not better!
Heavy metal and Hip Hop are not the competition for such music.
Keep this genre alive!

Thanks for the kind words. I do have an Al Schmitt drum library (Toontrack Decades) which is outstanding. For this track I used to the newer Jazz SDX library from Toontrack mainly because the ride cymbals are my favorite among the sampled drum libraries. I use some compression but generally keep it to a minimum for certain styles.

Yes, Jazz SDX sounds great, one of the best drums I ve ever heard, unfortunately 160GB download size and I am not going to upgrade my hard drive space any more, I have learned how important it is to limit yourself by not buying every plugin or expansion.

The Toontrack libraries are expensive and large. I have resisted their recent libraries for the reasons you mentioned. However, the cymbals made this one worth it for me for certain pieces where I don’t want the ride to get lost in the mix. I am fan of IK Multimedia’s MODO Drums (very small footprint) but the cymbals are just ok.

[seismic1]

The Stick/Drums combo was reminiscent of the instrumental break in some of the live versions of 21st Century Schizoid Man. The guitar playing sounded a little like a Holdsworth/Torn hybrid.

Good work