I’m the lead singer in a rock band. I have a laptop computer and an M- Audio Oxygen 8v2. I’ve been wasting too much time trying to learn what I need to know so I’m hoping someone out there can help me. I want to use the computer and the MIDI controller during live performances. I want to be able to trigger samples such as sound effects. I want to be able to trigger pre recorded intros to songs or any sound files on my computer for that matter. I want to have a very simple synth. available to play short keyboard parts and add ambiance, etc. at times. Ableton Live Lite6 came with my MIDI controller but that seems waaaay too complicated for what I need. I just want to be able to select patch #89 or #3 or #44 or whatever and have some good sounds at my finger tips. I don’t care much about creating whacky synth sounds or having old fashioned, classic keyboard parameters available. I simply want something like what you would find on a new Alesis or Roland or Korg keyboard for example. Nice sampled, realistic sounds. Horns that sound like real horns, string sections, pianos, organs and maybe just a few of those whacky old synth sounds. Is there some simple and basic software out there for someone who’s not a keyboard player or a music engineer? I’m just a singer who wants to spice up the live show a bit and I don’t need anything too elaborate. What can you recommend? Thank you very much, John
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009 20:27:00 -0800 (PST), wrote: >I’m the lead singer in a rock band. I have a laptop computer and an M- >Audio Oxygen 8v2. > >I’ve been wasting too much time trying to learn what I need to know so >I’m hoping someone out there can help me. > >I want to use the computer and the MIDI controller during live >performances. I want to be able to trigger samples such as sound >effects. > >I want to be able to trigger pre recorded intros to songs or any sound >files on my computer for that matter. > >I want to have a very simple synth. available to play short keyboard >parts and add ambiance, etc. at times. > >Ableton Live Lite6 came with my MIDI controller but that seems waaaay >too complicated for what I need. I just want to be able to select >patch #89 or #3 or #44 or whatever and have some good sounds at my >finger tips. I don’t care much about creating whacky synth sounds or >having old fashioned, classic keyboard parameters available. I simply >want something like what you would find on a new Alesis or Roland or >Korg keyboard for example. Nice sampled, realistic sounds. Horns >that sound like real horns, string sections, pianos, organs and maybe >just a few of those whacky old synth sounds. > >Is there some simple and basic software out there for someone who’s >not a keyboard player or a music engineer? I’m just a singer who >wants to spice up the live show a bit and I don’t need anything too >elaborate. What can you recommend? > >Thank you very much, > >John If you are comfortable with computers, go to sourceforge.net (not ..COM!) and put MIDI in the search box. I get a lot of software from that site (it is all open source) and much of it is good and worth the effort. And, bless 'em, it is free!
I'm just beginning to fool with a VST plug-in called shortcircuit which can trigger sounds pretty easily. http://vemberaudio.se/shortcircuit.php I was a little confused at first at how to load the sounds: you have to put a link to the folder full of wav files in their data base and not the sound files themselves. Then you have to run the update database file - just double-click on it. After that you drag the sound file you want from the folder onto the piano key you want to assign to sound to., i.e.,, drag a snare sound file onto C3. Save the patch and you are done. When you hit C3 on your keyboard it plays the sound file. I got a bunch of very nice free sound files from sampleswap.org. Their interface is kinda weird and you have to register but it does work and it is free. Good luck.
