I have been working with a new suite of audio recording and mixing software for the last two weeks called Presonus. I am using their Studio One 5 bundle. I am starting to get the feel of how it works. A bit of a learning curve and unlearning curve from other programs, but very flexible interface and great sounding plug ins.
Here is my first tune noodling around with the functions and features. A simple groove I call ‘Forward’.
Forward by Michael S Kennedy
The great thing is the new software automatically imported all the instruments, effects and and plug ins I already had. These are all ‘virtual’ instruments from the sound and effect plug ins. I use a MIDI keyboard controller for most of the input for instruments.
I hope you enjoy this one for a few minutes in your busy days.
It’s not like I planned it Much of life is under handed I didn’t really understand it. And all of it demanded. The rest of my life branded My soul reprimanded Heart and thoughts now commanded Hope forever abandoned.
Not like I didn’t have a choice When I needed it I lost my voice. The true cost is not on the invoice But everyone loves their toys. There are those who will rejoice Not just women or their boys Their words thick and moist It is the silence that destroys.
My Mistake And I made it so long ago. My Mistake Took me this long to know.
Passions and hope and dreams I made them all routine Rather leave than make a scene Hide behind another machine. Standing tall and in between Excuses and lies on a trampoline Drinking cool-aid from a canteen Pretending what I did wasn’t mean.
My Mistake And I made it so long ago. My Mistake Took me this long to know.
Summer sun setting on one hand The winter moon rising on the other. Watching as my father’s son Is told of the loss of his brother.
Forces built up with only one end And the end will always come. More dreams lost than can be counted Began with the Pounding of a Drum.
We can no longer make sense of the world. We can’t protect loved ones, It has begun Hear the Pounding of the Drum.
There is no comprehension No mere words could ever describe. There is no excuse or reason In a righteous man’s diatribe.
Left standing in a different world So much life just swept away. The worst pain is not physical Like the memories from today.
We can no longer make sense of the world. We can’t protect loved ones, It had begun long ago it is true The Pounding of the Drum now heard from Beirut.
Summer sun setting on one hand The winter moon rising on the other. Watching as my father’s son Is told of the loss of his brother.
Forces built up with only one end And the end will always come. More dreams lost than can be counted Began with the Pounding of a Drum.
I now see the infinite wisdom here. God made us in his image and likeness So we are told. Angels are white and robed in gold
There are demons and that’s for sure. Tempting us toward an unholy path To steal your heart. Man questioned how he might tell them apart
So he made one red, and another black. Colors of hair and eyes and some stand tall Now you can see. The faces that belong here with thee
But what for the blind that cannot know The wisdom of the lord from above? To save them too. Languages were created no one knew
It is so simple as to be part of my face We just need a color-guided human race. How thoughtful to make it so well known Good and evil separated by the color shown
Your enemy is also made in his image. And feels exactly the same way you do Love conquers all. As another peaceful day begins to fall
I posted a poem earlier called “Let You Go” https://midimike.com/2020/07/07/let-you-go/ that I really liked. While I was working on writing the music for these lyrics I got side-tracked. I had recorded a few MIDI drum parts and had a guitar theme I liked playing on my Martin Acoustic/Electric guitar chained together trying to get a feel for the song.
A good friend called me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to have his old MIDI studio gear. No instruments or toys will be orphaned if I can help it so I drove over that day. We chatted for a while and I left with a van full of what most people would call ‘ancient’ gear. This is the stuff hits were made with. Everything you heard growing up using electronic drums or synths used these gems.
I got home and hooked up a few pieces like a kid not knowing which present he wants to open first. DAYS LATER I opened up my recording project again and played with a vocal effect toy I had not gotten to yet. Not wanting to stop an idea I was working on I started recording in another section of the session. As you will hear, I decided not to sing the chorus parts. Instead I used some of the lyrics to do a chant-style intro and outro.
After juggling the original music around I started to work on a melody for the lyrics. I used some of the chant themes so the melody took shape pretty quickly. Not wanting to overdo the vocal effect, I just used reverb on my voice. Then I added some MIDI bass guitar sounds and put the pieces together.
Next, I added a little MIDI piano in the chorus sections and sprinkled through the end of the song. Then I made some stupid editing error and trashed all of the drum tracks!!! Redo the drum tracks and a few days later I have a rough mix for you.
As some of you will know, a rough mix is probably the last one I do! LOL.
Here is “Let You Go” as it stands today. I hope you enjoy this one.
This shuffle will take a while to get used to. Really, there is no groove here. No comedic relief either, but I do like the strangeness of it. How about that for an intro?!!
The recording was simple and there is a lot of open space in this one that makes most listeners a little uncomfortable. I played my Ibanez 6 string electric guitar and used effects from my PC after the recording to get the delay and chorus effects. I created the MIDI drums to match the odd beat in the guitar strums. After laying down a simple bass guitar track using computer plug-ins and the song is almost done.
I have not had the chance to get out and take pictures – or a bunch of other things – but here are a few pictures using my cell phone from around my house.
This is another one of my poems I pulled out of the archives recently. Written back on April 2nd, 1984 (what a good year!) and it has a few lines I like.
I want you to stay For the moments that last forever Like seasons that always change.
Not to change you But to watch you grow. Not to hold you Or to let you go.
It’s too late to cry Much too long since you went away Sometimes you just can’t look back.
Don’t need to know why Something beautiful goes the wrong way But you can never go back
Not to change you But to watch you grow. Not to hold you Or to let you go.
I want you to stay For the moments that last forever Like seasons that always change.
MidiMike 