Live Band/finding sounds advice

[bledredwine]

Hey all,


I like this forum that you guys have here and hope to stick around for a while.

Anyway, to the chase.....

I've recently been asked to learn 10 songs for a group covering modern pop music (gaga, Jay Sean, Jason Derulo) type of stuff and we have our first rehearsal next Monday.


My chops are not the worry; but finding matching sounds has been difficult.

I sat down and read the Yamaha S80 manual, highlighting what I could to help. I've figured out how to do split voices, and layers etc, but I have trouble finding the sounds that I want.


Are there any sets/samples that you would recommend for this sort of gig?


I am also worried about how this will all sound live with the band. While it sounds good in my own home and playing along with the tracks, I'm afraid that in the mix it may not be ideal.

Would you guys have any general advice on EQ, etc, finding sounds, and words of wisdom to help a pianist with his first gig in a (legit) group? Finding a sound I'm satisfied with for Prince - 1999 has been IMPOSSIBLE

These guys are all musicians and while I am a perfectionist, I still want to be the best that I can be for them. If you know of any online one-time buys I could make for great sounds in this style, I would surely do it (for a reasonable price).



Any advice/words/help is greatly appreciated.



Cheers,

Sha

 

[Burn4Him]

hey!

ok well the s80 is pretty well equipped and if you experiment enough with the sounds on it you can probably get what your looking for. however the other option is to run midi out of it to a laptop (idk if this is an feasible option for you but just a thought)

if there was one keyboard you could probably pic up pretty cheap that could help you get some of the synths (easier than the s80) maybe a korg triton le.

I use a s90es (basically a new s80) but layering and spliting synths kinda stinks some time, so i use a korg m50, but i actually prefer the older korg triton le's and u can find used ones for very very reasonable prices.

also i wouldn't worry to much about EQing, if you have a decent set of headphones use those to make the patches you want so that your sure to get a true tone. but if you are bent on it then here is a article you should defiantly read. http://hillsongcollected.com/creative/eq-or-not-eq

hope this helps

 

[Burn4Him]

another thing to keep in mind is that while you may not get the exact sound every time, your probably the only one that will notice. i am the same way with trying to get it exact but at some point you need to realize (and i tell my self this all the time) that sometimes its just not worth driving yourself crazy over..... although most the time i ignore my own advice until i am way past crazy haha

 

[bledredwine]

thanks burn!


Would you know of any sort of sample packages that have good sounds?

I'd be willing to spend the bucks if there is some sort of card I can put in the Yamaha for better synths.

 

[Skipp]

Hehe, you know... I never liked bands that did EXACT covers of songs...

If I wanted to listen to a copy - why bother? I'll just put the CD in my stereo back home.

First of all, like mentioned above - you'll never have the exact sound... Or hardly ever.
What I do, and that proved to be a very nice thing in the end, is pick up some standard
sounds like Pianos, rhodes, deep creamy pads (just for filling the bacground "holes"),
hammonds and strings and do every single song with those.

That way you will have to give something "extra" to the cover making it your own since
you will have to come up with your own variations.

Ofcourse, if there's a song specific sound in a chorus or something - you will have to program it yourself, but for the majority of the songs - sounds mentioned above will work.

This may sound strange since you'll be playing only 3 sounds all the time - BUT,
that will give your band a recognisable overall sound.

Honestly, I can't stand the overall sound change drastically from song to song...
For example, you start with pianos, then go to brass, then mellow pads, then to punchy synth solos, then rhodes, then some bells, then trumpets...

It's pure chaos!

If you get the hang of what i just wrote - you can just thank me later hehe

And remember - Playing on stage makes major difference compared to recording in a studio.

Having tons of sounds is easy when you can just pan them wherever you want and record with specific timing.
But switching several sounds on a live gig - during a single song, or even a single verse is just annoying.
Not to mention damn hard, especially with songs today that have modern production with tons of sounds in them

Learn the motifs in the songs and the recognisable riffs - and just improvise the rest. Once you learn how to improvise,
you'll never want to switch more then 2-3 sounds anyway hehe.

Oh and you'll just make the rest of the band jawdrop

 

[Burn4Him]

skipp, that is incredible advice, actually thats pretty much exactly what i do lol and its true people actually think im good....dont know how that works haha. but yeah i have four sounds i use 90% of the time piano, rhodes, organ, pad(not sharp pad but a warm one) and i pick up a lot of gigs without rehearsal/practice time and im always fine and i think this is why people trust me to play without practicing or sitting in on a rehearsal.

 

[bledredwine]

Thanks Skip!

I'll try that...


hmmm, what do you mean by "pick up" sounds?

Is there a way to get more sounds for my keyboard?


I'm going to try this advice (I've actually already started recycling sounds).

And your right, it is somewhat silly to see the music replicated live....... I am probably being way too perfectionist.



-Sha

 

[Skipp]

If the band is willing to do real covers (meaning they will all come up with their own parts and variations), then the S80 is all you really need.

You might have a little problem while playing organs on weighted keys but if it's just
for chords, it'll do.

AFAIK, the s80 is not a sampler - meaning you can't load extra samples in it,
but you can load user edited presets, and create your own. But like I said - you really have all you need.

Take me for example - my band plays soul/blues... A lot of songs like Aretha Franklin, Joss Stone, Tina Turner, Sade, Angie Stone, Sting, Alicia Keys...

All I need is a piano, rhodes, hammond and a creamy background pad - nothing more, and nothing less.