It will come! wellcome to the massive limitless digital world!!!!

Thanks! It's exciting:P I might just stick with one instrument for now though

I was just reading up on the specs of laser harps.. ( yes like what jean michel jarre has!) They can now be got for less than £1000 (Uk no euros) and plugged into the DAW, they send Midi info and you can program the individual laser beams to trigger events in the DAW, so for example you could have the beams so they are an octave of bass or each one a chord etc etc...

Its stunning, I have links to videos of them linked in to music programs in folks bedrooms!!!
Over the last two years I have come to realise that this technology is ACCelerating at such a speed of knots that just when I think I have grasped one thing , I see a million other new things... but the upside is that there is just so much potential, and so much possibility, and so many new things that no one can grasp everything, and by the time we have grasped a few things... a million new ones have been put on the market.....

Check laser violins on youtube, or laser guitars ( not Replacement for guitars but more to let a guitarist play like a keyboard player)

stunning and exciting!!! My next keyboard must have "ribbon" technology.

Wow laser instruments. Who would've guessed?? Wonder what is coming next. I changed the pitches on the different instruments I used so I think you can hear the different parts better now.

Wow.. So much stuff on the piano bar this month! I will catch up today:) Thanks everyone for the nice comments on my pieces.

Yes ladypane, this is part of the enormous world you have entered! It works like this: There is a limited amount of "space" in the spectrum of what our ears can hear: From the lowest note to the highest.

That is the range you will be working in, but, there is a problem: Every instrument or voice you put in that "space" takes up space, and it is a finite limited small space.

SO, for example, if you put a cello in, and you check where that cello lies in the spectrum, you will find that your piano sounds will also "occupy" some of the same space. But a bass in and you will find that not only do the bottom notes of your piano occupy the same "space" but also now there is a conflict for "space" going on from the low notes of the cello and the higher notes of the bass..

And so on, all instruments and voices take up "space" and many instruments voices cross over into the "space " of others..

This is where the EQ / compression and Limiting of each voice or instrument or track, comes into play.
It narrows the bandwidth that they take up in the given "space" and leaves more "space" for other voices/instruments to be heard clearly in the mix.

And instead of things sounding muddy or indistinct, clarity can be achieved with work and patience...

You changed the pitches of the different instruments, which will change where they "sit" in the given space. ( either higher or lower in the spectrum)

There are a lot of instructional videos to help undertsand this, and to give tricks and tips, and good working practice. Many explain the importance of making cuts in the eq for what isnt being used by each instrument /voice/track, rather than boosts for what is ( which is poor production technique and will result in poor end results)

Keeping the volume of each track down is a good tip to learn, if you cannot hear one particular instrument in one track the answer is not to turn up the volume on that track, this will just lead to you whacking volumes up all over the mix and this isnt the answer, its all about eq ing each item as you go.

And thats just the begining!! the more you learn , the more you find there is to learn, its really really fascinating, a good DAW gives you everything you would have in a real recording studio, and the guys running those have oft spent years learning the techniques..

It cracks me up when folk think and state "oh thats just computer music" like computers make music on their own or something!!!

Computers definately do not make music, But real people using computers do, and the effort and hours spent to do it well should be recognised as just a valid art as any other artistic endeavour.

I wish you many fun and certainly rewarding years to come.

Thanks! I can see where to compress the piano recordings but I don't see where to compress midi recordings and files. All confusing! I have already adjusted volume so the instruments don't overrun my piano playing :P I guess I will have to watch those videos. I'm sure it's worth it!

Catching up here -

Studio Joe- "'Til Death Do Us Part" - This was the highlight of my morning! Had me smiling all the way through. I love your voice and your lyrics are just the best!

Elssa - Love the movie theme music you've got going this month. "The Way We Were" is one of my favorite movie themes - you really did this one justice. Loved "Days of Wine and Roses", too. But - the best one, IMHO, is "Don't Get Around Much Any More" - absolutely fantastic - it may be my favorite of yours - you put all the right things in this one! I really got a kick out of the old "music video" you posted, too!

Rostosky - "Please, please, please" - This is a pretty cool arrangement. Nice panache in your playing, too! I love the whole collaboration idea, to boot.

Bill - "Jean" - Wow, I haven't heard this for so long. It really brought back some nice memories. I loved the clear simplicity which made your voice really shine!

Maechre - Your "Chopsticks" is just too fun! Another one to put a smile on my face today.

"Age of Oppression" - Very nice accompaniment - your voice and this piece were made for each other. Nicely done! And a very lovely piece.

Glen - "Uptown" - Very Cool! I think you should expand on this one, so we can enjoy more than a minute-seven. It has so many things going for it.

LadyPayne - the new and improved "Nearer My God To Thee" - How great that you have new "toys"! This is really cool, and on your first trial! It was a little hard to pick up on the oboe sound. Oh, you're going to have fun playing around with all this. I really like the way you're going!

Thanks CMohr: Your delightful comment was the highlight of my afternoon.

ladypayne - thanks for posting this great old hymn. You did a nice job of keeping the stately and reverential feel of this wonderful song and I like the oboe and cello. This always reminds me of the movie Titanic. The solo piano at the end sounds fabulous.

Thank you, CMohr!

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

LadyPayne: That was wonderful - really something what you can do with modern technology.. great combination of piano and other instruments.

Well, I just remembered one more movie theme that I love...
Love Story Theme



P.S. They never show good movies like this around here with my basic cable.. haven't seen this in many years. How about you?

I'd love to show you guys my new video, but I'm sort of saving it up for the recital...

Great job everybody. Someday I'll get a piece posted, in the meantime I enjoy listening to all of you and getting inspired.

Bill, that is one of my favorite t.v. theme songs as well. They just don't make sitcom theme songs like they used to. Nice job!

Studio Joe- til Death Do Us Part- Singing! This is very good. I enjoyed it very much! Thanks!

Elssa- Don't Get around Much Anymore- Another song I'm unfamiliar with. sounds like fun to play!:P
Days of Wind &Roses- another song I don't know. I like it though. You played it so well:P
The Way We Were- another song well played:P
Love Story Theme- very pretty!:P

Rostosky - Piano cover of Please Please Please Welcome to the piano bar! You played so well:P I enjoyed the song.

BillM- Jean- Very Pretty and relaxing song, I really enjoyed this one:P
What A Wonderful World- I love this song!:P

Maechre- Chopsticks- lol nice:P
Age of Oppression- You have such a good voice:P

Inlanding- Uptown- Very Nice!:)

ladypayne- nearer my god to Thee- Very cool:P

Some excellent music this month. I've listened to most all of it and enjoyed just about everything I came across. Great job to all, and see you in next months thread. Maybe I'll record something myself.

Elssa - love that Love Story theme. Very nicely done.

Thank you CMohr, and Augustina, for your kind comments on Uptown.

One last turn at the January Piano Bar for me...

Eden Ahbez published this in 1947 and Nat King Cole made it a major hit in 1948. This video version has a few holes in it.
Glen

That has a great feel to it, Glen. Lovely.

Any "holes" must have been in the first dozen bars or so, after that it gets smoooooth as a satin pillowcase. Nice.

Hi Brent - Thanks so much. I am glad you liked it!

Here is an older audio clip of the same tune.

http://www.box.com/shared/062bz3yefx

Glen

Glen: That was very good. enjoyed it!

I just posted this in Composer's lounge then decided I might as well play it in the bar also.
Country Club Waltz

Ah, Joe, you are fast becoming my favorite composer/arranger/player This is my kind of waltz, and I just downloaded it so the bank can work it up for the next contra dance 'S wonderful.

Cathy

Thanks Cathy. Do you have a band at the dances, or play records?

Well done, Glen. That's one of my favorite songs of all time.

Wow, the end to another month! Great January Piano Bar!

Elssa - Theme from Love Story is beautiful. I haven't seen that movie for years.

Glen - Nature Boy - I like the way you really took your time with this version. So smooth and silky!

Studio Joe - Country Club Waltz - Nice one! This has such a wonderful "out in the country" feel to it.

We have a band (not a "bank" :\ ), and sometimes that band is Roaring Jelly, the band I play in. It's one of the funnest gigs around, because the dancers love having live music, and the energy level is always high.

Cathy

Joe, MaryAnn, CMohr - so glad you enjoyed Nature Boy - thank you!

Joe~ A fine waltz. It paints a pretty picture. Your compositions are always top-notch. Thank you

Glen

Elssa - I have always loved this song. As always, you do a wonderful job in bringing out the beauty and emotion of the melody.

Inlanding - I like the way this starts out kind of smooth and slow and then you slip into your jazzy gear. Very cool.

Studio Joe - I enjoyed your composition. I detected a little country influence in this one from time to time. Well done.

Thanks Bill, glad you like it. Yeah, I'm country to the core: there's a tractor in my drive way and a hound dog by the door.