Audio – Recording, Mastering, Sound Design and Programming, and Gear
If you’re interested in audio production, you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brian Li, and I’m a pit orchestra musician who likes to design his own sound patches. I also do classical music engineering on the side, and I work with Pro Tools and Logic everyday. Here, you’ll find tips, tutorials, and articles related to recording, mastering, sound design, sound programming, and reviews of live performance gear, consumer, as well as high end audio components and systems.
It seems like every other number in The Wedding Singer uses sounds derived from FM synthesis. The most famous FM synthesizer is the Yamaha DX7, and was probably used on every pop record in the 1980′s. It only makes sense that The Wedding Singer, an 80′s pop rock musical, contains many classic DX FM sounds.
“If I Told You” is the big love song in the show, and the Keyboard 1 calls for a FM Rhodes patch for the whole song. FM Rhodes, DX Rhodes, and DX EP are interchangeable terms. Just know that you’re looking for that cheesy FM sound with a generous amount of beautiful digital reverb.
For “If I Told You”, there are two programming choices for the Motif XF. You could simply use the GALAXY DX preset as is, or you can tweak it a little. I personally increased Element 5 a bit to give the sound a slightly more bell-like quality. The resulting voice sounds exactly like the patch used on the Broadway Cast Recording.
P.S. Ignore my use of rubato! I promise I don’t accompany like that.
Click here to view programming suggestions for the rest of the show!
If you’re a proud owner of the Yamaha Motif XF or XS and looking to program sounds for The Wedding Singer, then you’re in luck! I’ve spent the last few weeks programming Keyboard 1 on the Motif XF, and now I’m ready to share some tips on how I did it. This post will be updated every few days until I finish every number in the show.
I wasn't going for the stock photo look, but that's how it turned out...
I took this photo at work a few days ago. The text isn’t completely in focus, but I think it’s pretty good for an accident. I totally wasn’t going for this look. Maybe I should submit this to Audionet to see if they’ll do anything with it. The photo was taken with a Canon EOS 5D MK11 with a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.
After living with Mainstage 2.1.3 for over a year, I’m finally updating to version 2.2. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while, but kept on putting it off for unknown reasons. Maybe I thought it would be too much of a hassle. That’s the attitude I’ve always had toward updating audio and design software. They all take up so much hard drive space, and I end up thinking it’s just a huge process. It’s really not. Anyway, I’ve just updated to Mainstage 2.2, and I’m currently redownloading and reinstalling all my extra sample content and audio loops just to be safe and sure.
Mainstage is a great piece of software for live performers – keyboardists, guitarists, and bassists included. It used to be part of Logic Studio, but is now available as a standalone app on the Mac App Store for $29. Yeah, it’s a really good deal. Optional content is also available as a free download inside Mainstage.
I’m not completely sure what’s been changed since version 2.1.x, but there haven’t been any mind-blowing features in this version. I’m guessing 2.2 fixes a few bugs, and is now officially a Mac App Store app.
Update: Okay, I found some information on changes for version 2.2. As I suspected, it’s mostly a maintenance update. There are a few updates for hardware controllers, as well as enhanced flexibility with SysEx messages. New auto-assignment support templates are also present. Finally, Mainstage 2.2 can now take advantage of “Macs with four or more processor cores”. Yay! This is great because I suspect my next laptop will be a quad-core MacBook Air (whenever that happens). Just imagine it…a lightning fast MacBook Air with a huge ThunderBolt external hard drive to hold sound libraries.
A high quality keyboard amp should be on any keyboardist’s “To Buy” list. Unfortunately, a good one is often hard to find. Since keyboards use many stereo sounds, having one standalone amp doesn’t give a true stereo image even if the speaker horns are pointed at different directions. I don’t have anything against running keyboards through mono, but I definitely prefer a stereo piano sound. As with any kind of audio gear, quality comes at a price. Expect to spend over $1000, and you won’t be disappointed. If you’re into the one amplifier setup thing, the Traynor K4 is your best bet. They sound great and they can get very loud, but there’s no true stereo image.
In my opinion, the best solution is get a decent set of PA speakers. For keyboards, my best recommendation is a pair of QSC K12′s. Do some research online, and you’ll find that the QSC K-series is almost the definitive solution for gigging keyboardists. I got my first K12 a few weeks ago, and ran it mono for a little while. FM and other synth sounds were amazing, but acoustic pianos were thin and uninspiring. Obviously I didn’t expect a stereo sampled acoustic piano to sound good through mono. This past weekend, I got a second K12. I brought both of them to our first rehearsal for The Wedding Singer. It was the first time I had heard them in stereo and I was literally captivated. I really did not want to stop playing, and I was a little sad when rehearsal ended. Even though each K12 weighs 41lbs, the sound quality you get is definitely worth the transportation trouble. For frequent gigglers, a pair of the smaller K10′s is a better solution. They don’t have as much bass as the K12′s, but they are much lighter and smaller.
I’ve received a few emails asking about my keyboard setup for NU Stage’s spring production of The Wedding Singer. There are three keyboard books for the show and lots of classic synth sounds. I’ve been programming the patches for all three books, so I’ll elaborate on what I’m using and how I’m using it. Keyboard [...]
Have you ever wondered what keyboardists are used on Broadway? Last semester, I had the opportunity to interview David Hahn and Ben Cohn. They are both extremely accomplished musicians in the Broadway scene. Keyboard gigs are a large part of their work, so I took the chance to ask them about the gear they use. [...]
I’m currently music directing Northeastern’s production of The Wedding Singer, which means I’m responsible for teaching the cast their vocal parts. This is my first time teaching vocals by myself, so it’s been a new and exciting experience. I’m also serving as rehearsal pianist, which is unfortunate in a way. Taking on both responsibilities means [...]
Valentine’s Day is in a week, and it’s the perfect excuse to get something special for a musician. I’ve put together a short list of what I think many musicians would appreciate! I just want to say that I am also accepting Valentine’s Day gifts as well. Just wanted to put that out there… Okay, [...]
I’ve always preferred Z stands more than the traditional X stands. I find the latter much more limiting in terms of space to move around and flexibility. I often play with a Yamaha MFC10 foot controller and a FC3 sustain pedal, so having enough space for both pieces of equipment underneath the stand is important. [...]
