My Window To The World…

While also occupying a very high position on my list of all-time favourite musicians/singers, I must admit that I did not really get into Johnny Cash’s stuff until a couple of years ago.

The film they made about his life, “Walk The Line”, was fantastic.

His autobiography was a very interesting read; except for the parts where he felt he had to explain his Faith/Christianity.

Many of the cover songs he recorded before he passed away are very touching. So today’s choice is his version of “I Hung My Head”.

It is available on his release "American IV: The Man Comes Around".

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Johnny Cash, The Man Comes Around, Cover Songs

Again I am recommending a track by a band that has been rocking my world for a few years now: “Without You I’m Nothing” by Placebo.

The Cure’s Robert Smith introduced me to Placebo, since he kept mentioning them in interviews.

While I always enjoyed the music, Brian Molko’s voice did take some time to get used to. On their latest album, "Meds", it is more accessible than ever. Or maybe I have simply gotten used to it.

Before "Without You I’m Nothing" was released, Placebo were still relatively unknown. They did nevertheless manage to hire none other than David Bowie to do the backing vocals on the single release. While he does sound good on it, I prefer the longer album version.

You will most likely receive some more Placebo recommendations in the future…. (They deserve it.)

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Placebo, David Bowie, Placebo Without You I’m Nothing, Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Hewitt

Lucky 13? Unlucky 13? Well - it’s already been 12 good recommendations, so very lucky 13… because another one is coming.

I was introduced to The Pixies relatively late, when their album "Bossanova" came out.

As with all great bands: so much good stuff I can choose from. Since “Bossanova” was the first Pixies album that I bought, I am recommending “Velouria” - track 03 off this album. Great riff, great vocal line, great everything. Frank Black and Co. have in my opinion not recorded one bad song.

Again: do yourself a favour and check out the whole album. Tracks 1 (Cecila Ann) and 2 (Rock Music) build so nicely into Velouria, you got to hear it.

Good to see The Pixies back together.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: The Pixies, Pixies Bossanova, Frank Black

Today, I discovered a podcast on The Times Online website.

It is a very cool and entertaining interview with 80s electronic pop duo OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark).

They talk about their past, and their future: they will be touring again later this year (2007).

This is the direct download link (grab it while you can): Times Online OMD Podcast

Technorati Tags: OMD, Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark, Times Online, Times Podcast

I have received several reports from customers having problems with their Ableton Live music production software.

Without exception, their complaints were related to “Hard Disk Overload” error messages and/or the “CPU Load” exceeding 100 %, accompanied by that beautiful (not) distorted sound. (Make sure this will not happen to you at a live show.)

Let me explain

- how well Ableton Live works (1),

- how the CPU / harddrive issues are caused (2), and

- how you can work around those difficulties without investing money into a more powerful computer, more RAM, or a higher-capacity harddrive (3).

(1) Ableton Live was designed as a MIDI controller. Audio capabilities were added only in later versions, as far as I know.

On my Apple iBook G4 (1.33 GHz, with only 512 MB RAM), Ableton Live will work beautifully with up to twenty MIDI tracks (as long as they are not too complex), plus three short (ca. 3 minutes each) audio tracks.

(2) Problems do not start until MIDI and/or audio effects are added. Most built-in effects (especially the presets that are made up of several separate effects) will hit the computer’s CPU hard. Use one too many, and you will see 100 % in the “CPU Load” window.

Ableton Live loads Audio tracks into its virtual memory (for which it uses your harddrive), so the longer your audio tracks and the higher the number of them, the more likely you will run into harddrive space issues. (This is very important for those of you DJing with the software.)

(3) With a bit of imagination and common sense, however, it is still possible to produce music on your “outdated” computer.

This is how I do it:

Using Ableton Live’s internal MIDI sound bank, I create a rough version of my song. No effects on any of the tracks.

After I have finalized one (or all) of the instruments and the arrangement, I re-record each instrument (directly into Ableton Live) using Propellerheads’ Reason, which has a far superior soundbank anyway. (It will instantly make your track sound a lot better!)

What difference does this make, you ask? During playback, audio tracks (preferrably with all the effects you want on them recorded directly into them) use far less CPU power than (complex) MIDI tracks.

Do run some tests yourself and compare MIDI vs. audio - the difference is huge.

In future articles I will go further into Ableton Live, computer music production, and DJing with Ableton Live.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Ableton Live, Propellerheads Reason, Music Production, Computer Music Production, Ableton Live CPU Load, Ableton Live Hard Disk Overload, Hard Disk Overload

Today’s Top Tune, Round 012.

I am a bit of a perfectionist, always doing my best to get my facts right whenever I write.

Since starting the “Today’s Top Tune” series, I consulted several online (as well as offline) sources to read up on certain artists. This bit of research has been fun and educating. Today’s choice presented itself while researching Tony Williams, one of my all-time favourite drummers.

I have to admit that I had almost forgotten that he played on the PiL (Public Image Limited) release "Album" (aka “Cassette” / “Compact Disc”). My favourite track off it is “Rise”. (How could anyone ever forget singer John Lydon’s line “Anger is an energy”?)

The line-up on “Rise” is incredible: Steve Vai (credited on Frank Zappa records as playing “stunt guitar”, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Laswell, Nicky Skopelitis, Tony Williams, and Lakshminarayana Shankar.

Other musicians that appear on the album: Bernie Worrell, Ginger Baker, Jonas Hellborg, Malachi Favors, Bernard Fowler, Steve Turre.

There is an entry for this album on the Wikipedia website: PiL “Album”.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: PiL, Public Image Limited, Johnny Lydon, Tony Williams, PiL Album, PiL Rise, Steve Vai

Today’s Top Tune, Round 011.

After recommending a few tracks that are only available by spending your hard-earned cash, I felt it is time to once again guide you to another free download. Good-hearted guy that I am, you will find not only one, but four free tracks on the page I am about to reveal.

Katsue are a pop/electronica duo from Bangkok (Thailand): members are Montonn “J” Jira and Joni Anwar, who both have been superstars and very much loved in Thailand for almost two decades.

The following four tracks available on their MySpace page: Simple Life, If I Were, Pickled Sunday, Clear Cut.

My vote is on “Clear Cut”. Download it, scrobble it - and add them to your MySpace friends if you like their stuff.

Montonn “J” Jira, btw, is currently touring with Kenna. Later this month he will play live in London, alongside Justin Timberlake.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Katsue, J Montonn, Montonn Jira, Joni Anwar

Today’s Top Tune, Round 010.

Jazz in the early 1980s wasn’t exactly that exciting anymore, but this album is Jazz at its very coolest. Ubercool. No doubt about it.

Again, the whole CD is really good, but I am choosing the opening track named “Incident On South Street”. It is by The Lounge Lizards, of course. Off their debut album simply entitled "The Lounge Lizards".

This album is worth its price for Arto Lindsay’s guitar parts only.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: The Lounge Lizards, John Lurie, Arto Lindsay

Today’s Top Tune, Round 009.

Frank Zappa has been a huge influence on me, and still today I feel sad that he is no longer with us.

Again, an extensive catalogue that I could tap into. Today’s choice is “Yo’ Mama”, off his album "Sheik Yerbouti". It is the closing track, so you will have to at least also listen to the preceding one “Wild Love”, because they go so well together. Better yet check out the whole album. A masterpiece.

Great line-up, too: Frank Zappa, Patrick O’Hearn, Adrian Belew, Tommy Mars, Terry Bozzio, Peter Wolf, Ed Mann.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Frank Zappa, Patrick O’Hearn, Adrian Belew, Tommy Mars, Terry Bozzio, Peter Wolf, Ed Mann, Sheik Yerbouti

Today’s Top Tune, Round 008.

No, still not running out of ideas. In fact, I can probably keep doing this until the day that I die, because there is so much music out there that I adore.

Still, I will today tap into the catalogue of one of my all-time favourite bands: The Cure.

Such an extensive list of songs to choose from, but today let us go a little psychedelic: “The Kiss”, off their album "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me".

Very cool guitars/drums intro, three minutes and fifty seconds of slowly building up a wall of guitar sounds, then into the lyrics - half screaming. As on many The Cure albums: a perfect opening track.

“The Kiss” live used to be mind-blowing, but since drummer Boris Williams left back in 1994, it sounds terrible and does not have the required drive.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: The Cure, Robert Smith, Boris Williams