Bridget Murphy

On 10/8/2022 at 6:59 AM, daveiv said:

Never say never...

 

Lovely work.

On 10/3/2023 at 12:49 PM, treesha said:

Had to check this out, my uncle used to play the original version on the accordion ha. Really enjoyed where you took this. As for the mix, to me the vocals got a bit lower when the full music came in. And overall the sounds are dark tones total opposite of the old version, which is interesting and expressive. Nice job.

It's cool that your uncle used to play the original version of the accordion! The change in sound tones, especially considering the accordion price, is intriguing and adds depth to the music. 

22 hours ago, Jimbo 88 said:

pay the mortgage

You got me there.

15 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

The http://s-cats.com is only something that redirects to my Norton Music website, https://www.nortonmusic.com/cats/cats.html

It seems foolish to me to spend money putting the money on the S site when it immediately switches to a site with the https

So the site is https, but the pointer to the site is not.

As long as you don't have the add-on “https everywhere” on your browser, you will never notice it.

---------

Funny story. When getting the pesky little S, and wanting to register the S to my business site, my webhost put the application to a German company that authorizes and either approves or disapproves it. They are the ultimate authority, and if you get their approval, every anti-viral or browser extension will not reject your certificate.

After my application was sent ... ...

They rejected it saying that Norton Music isn't a real business.

I referred them to my website where you can buy things, and it also seamlessly links to a secure, well established shopping cart site. Didn't work.

Tried proving I have a Visa/MasterCard merchant's account. Zip

Gave them a link to my Authorization.net account where they authorize Visa/MC cards online. Nada.

So I sent them a picture of my Florida state sales tax license, plus my EIN number for federal income tax (Employer Identification Number). No dice.

I sent copies of sales invoices when I sold my Band-in-a-Box aftermarket software to customers in the 1990s. No good.

Next, I sent a copy of a voided check to my business banking account. Didn't work.

About a week later, and probably over 30 hours total hold time (with lousy on-hold music and constant “your call is important” interruptions) and another few hours actually talking to a human, I'm at my wits' end.

I'm asking to speak to a supervisor – and another – and another. With their thick German accents, I'm having trouble and asking them to repeat a lot, and I'm getting more and more frustrated. I have a lot of other work to do, and it seems like my life is now a futile attempt to get that all essential S at the end of my http.

Finally, I get to a guy who says, OK I did a Google search, and your site came up, so that proves you are a legitimate business.

• Website - no
• Shopping cart - no
• Visa/Mc merchant's account - no
• Authorize.net account - no
• Florida Merchant's sales tax account - no
• EIN number for the USA IRS - no
• Sales invoices dating from the 1990s to the present - no
• Business checking account - no
• Google search - YES!!!

Go figure.

I spent hundreds of dollars plus 10 dollars a month to get this "business” S because the lesser priced ones are sometimes rejected as unsafe by those with the strictest protection on their browsers and/or anti-malware apps. All the "no“ answers above take a piece of the money I earn for every sale I make. But the FREE google search finally means I'm really in business.

Sometimes the world doesn't make sense.

 

Insights, incites, and unintentional humor by Notes ♫

Just don't put your credit card information in there.

15 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I have some samples at http://www.s-cats.com

or https://www.nortonmusic.com/cats/cats.html

Same page, but those with https only will need the second link

The samples are old, from around 2005. I suppose I need to make some new ones, but I'm busy gigging

Video:

https://www.nortonmusic.com/catsvideo/index.html

Audio

https://www.nortonmusic.com/mp3/sophisticats128.mp3

And for work I've done for Band-in-a-Box

https://www.nortonmusic.com/styledemo.html

They are intended to be generic background styles.

 

Notes ♫

 

Thanks again, I'll have some more to listen to.

On 1/4/2019 at 12:05 AM, Notes_Norton said:

And he has a point, but perhaps because he never played MIDI. Also we all have a tendency to look at other performers through musician's eyes, and forget about how our audience looks at us.

As a sax player who doesn't play trumpet, trombone, harmonica, concertina, clarinet, flugelhorn, and a dozen other instruments, I enjoy playing different sounds on the wind synth and it gives our duo tonal colors and variety that they wouldn't get if I only played sax and guitar on stage.

Speaking of guitar, it's my 7th instrument (8th if you count vocals) and I can still do some thing solo-wise on the wind synth that I'm not able to do on the guitar yet.

Also, there is an art to emulating other instruments with MIDI. If you play that sax patch like a piano, no matter how good the tone is, you won't convince anyone that it's a sax. You have to recreate the nuances of sax playing, which are partially governed by the advantages and limitations of that instrument. If you play a piano patch like a sax, it won't fool anyone either.

Not to say that these are wrong things to do. If you want a piano to have sax-like qualities in your song, go for it. It just might work fantastically.

Learning to emulate other instruments with MIDI, including my own primary instrument, the sax, also taught me a lot about coaxing expression out of 'pure synth' patches that don't emulate anything specific.

For those of us who make their living playing music live, we must remember we are in show business and we must also remember to see ourselves through they eyes of whatever audience we find in front of us at the moment. If I thought making my guitar do a nice kazoo solo and it would please the audience, I'd do just that. And once you have the audience on your side, they won't mind at all if you occasionally throw in something that is exclusively for yourself, as long as it doesn't stray too far away and/or is at the right moment.

Insights and incites by Notes

Thank you for sharing. I hope we can hear your works.

On 10/9/2023 at 8:00 PM, El Diablo said:

I somehow over looked your suggested banjo.  I'll have to look at it!

Some recommended instruments like guitar and drums, I don't need as I have more than plenty.  It's the really odd instruments that nobody really uses goes into the kind of Western type of music I'm working on.

I'll let you listen to a shorten version of what I'm working on... it's a unlisted link.  It's only 1 minute and 47 seconds.  It's a Collab between me and Unfinished Songs.  It's not listed yet, but I think it's okay for this forum.  Try to keep it on the down low.

https://youtu.be/MDDP8393rco?si=KutEaTmPvGMRi_Fk

You can tell how it needs more instruments to build it up some more.

I'll have to see about adding different instruments and I'll even give y'all a link of an update.

I've added a church bell to my most recent version, but it doesn't sound right.  I'm still looking for a great church bell (not bells); but a single strike of a large church bell (not bong).  I think it would help this song.

I plan to release my instrumental versions to the Unfinished Songs members only after I've completed the song.

Please post your thoughts here and not on the YouTube

 

Nice work.

I thought I might share this here.

On 10/9/2023 at 5:38 PM, audioschmaudio said:

€28.76 for me. List Price is €41.65

$50 must be a typo

The discrepancy is getting bigger.

On 9/30/2023 at 4:41 PM, Rain said:

I grew up in a relatively poor household, so I have many contenders for the title of worst piece of gear you've ever owned. 

My first electric guitar was a used crappy Les Paul copy, a brand named Mann, that I got for Christmas in 85. I found a picture on the web. Mine had the black pickguard and the black speed knobs.

 

And here's me with mine:

 

I remember me and my pal bringing our guitars to have them adjusted by a friend's dad. When we came to pick them up, my buddy's Sears Harmony Strat copy was all set up and intonated. He then handed me mine with that sad look on his face, saying: sorry, there's just nothing I can really do about yours. THAT crappy.

As much as I was happy to have a guitar, a tobacco burst Les Paul stood out like a sore thumb when you were an aspiring metal god in the age of superstrats. In the late 80's, you'd rarely see any metal guitarist with a LP, much less one with that kind of finish.

But I kept at it for the next few years, and eventually, after an entire year without an electric guitar, I got a Sears Strat, all black, which was already a huge improvement, and then my Korean Fender Squier. I often wonder whether it's possible that that Mann sucked so bad that it slowed down my progress. I think so. Not to mention that I couldn't afford a set of strings, I'd buy individual ones when I broke a B or an E, but I'd sometimes go on with a 4 or 5 string guitar for a few weeks.

I had so many bad memories that almost 25 years passed before I even considered playing a LP again. Ironically, they then quickly became my favorites.

Not only did my guitar suck, but I didn't have an amp until the following Christmas. Ad then this is what I got:

And no pedal, of course (I eventually got a BOSS Super Overdrive, a year or two afterwards - although that was yet another compromise as I could not get the orange Distortion I lusted after). 

For a while, I rented amps whenever I could afford it and needed it for a rehearsal or something. I'd also borrow a little Traynor from school. And I eventually inherited that ROSS amp - though I seem to recall mine was for keys, it had no overdrive.

 

But, yeah, that one and all the rest of these are the stuff of nightmares. And the reason I was so ecstatic when I finally got my Korean Strat and my first Marshall combo. 

 

I am glad that you were able to push through with your passion and upgrade your guitar eventually.

Discover the key to preserving your concertina's tone and longevity with our comprehensive guide to maintenance and care.

Learn essential tips and techniques to keep your beloved instrument in perfect harmony for years to come.

Read more:https://medium.com/@cassidybole0712/maintenance-and-care-of-concertinas-9a2ed8a86ec7

On 9/6/2023 at 8:23 PM, samueldaisi said:

This news sounds quite intriguing! Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely looking forward to trying out this new feature. It seems like it'll add a whole new dimension to music creation in Pro Tools. As a dedicated Pro Tools user, I've got to say, I'm absolutely stoked about this new Sketch feature. This is the kind of innovation that can seriously speed up our work and open up some exciting possibilities for creative music production. Can't wait to dive into this. Speaking of recording music, I wanted to ask if anyone happen to have a concertina for sale or knows where I could find a good one. I've been on the lookout for a quality instrument to add a unique twist to my tracks. Hit me up if you've got any leads. 

Have you looked into McNeela brand? They have concertina for beginners to advance.

13 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

My Yamaha VL70m Physical Modeling Synthesizer has a nice Concertina. I use it from time to time. But no, I've never sampled one.

The PM synthesis is great for emulating. Rather than sampling, they actually use computer models so although sometimes the tone isn't spot on, it makes a better expressive emulation. Sadly the VL is no longer in production, and nobody I've found does PM as well as Yamaha did.

 

Notes ♫

I see. I've heard some synth do concertina but with that stint of techno music/sound.

On 1/4/2019 at 12:05 AM, Notes_Norton said:

And he has a point, but perhaps because he never played MIDI. Also we all have a tendency to look at other performers through musician's eyes, and forget about how our audience looks at us.

As a sax player who doesn't play trumpet, trombone, harmonica, concertina, clarinet, flugelhorn, and a dozen other instruments, I enjoy playing different sounds on the wind synth and it gives our duo tonal colors and variety that they wouldn't get if I only played sax and guitar on stage.

Speaking of guitar, it's my 7th instrument (8th if you count vocals) and I can still do some thing solo-wise on the wind synth that I'm not able to do on the guitar yet.

Also, there is an art to emulating other instruments with MIDI. If you play that sax patch like a piano, no matter how good the tone is, you won't convince anyone that it's a sax. You have to recreate the nuances of sax playing, which are partially governed by the advantages and limitations of that instrument. If you play a piano patch like a sax, it won't fool anyone either.

Not to say that these are wrong things to do. If you want a piano to have sax-like qualities in your song, go for it. It just might work fantastically.

Learning to emulate other instruments with MIDI, including my own primary instrument, the sax, also taught me a lot about coaxing expression out of 'pure synth' patches that don't emulate anything specific.

For those of us who make their living playing music live, we must remember we are in show business and we must also remember to see ourselves through they eyes of whatever audience we find in front of us at the moment. If I thought making my guitar do a nice kazoo solo and it would please the audience, I'd do just that. And once you have the audience on your side, they won't mind at all if you occasionally throw in something that is exclusively for yourself, as long as it doesn't stray too far away and/or is at the right moment.

Insights and incites by Notes

Thank you for sharing your story. Do you have experience in sampling concertina?

On 10/31/2020 at 9:06 AM, Starship Krupa said:

Thanks, @HIBI, I really like the koto and sakura.

(For some reason .SFZ instruments keep falling off my radar, maybe because they don't get as much flashy promo as the likes of Kontakt and Sampletank, so I appreciate the .SFZ people in this thread reminding us!)

My contribution today is one I noticed that @scookmentioned in another thread. If you want reed instruments, (Virtual Accordion, Concertina, Bandoneon, Bayan, Melodeon, Melodica, Flutina, Harmonium), check out Syntheway's Free Reed Aerophone Instruments collection.

I should try their concertina.

On 10/31/2020 at 9:06 AM, Starship Krupa said:

Thanks, @HIBI, I really like the koto and sakura.

(For some reason .SFZ instruments keep falling off my radar, maybe because they don't get as much flashy promo as the likes of Kontakt and Sampletank, so I appreciate the .SFZ people in this thread reminding us!)

My contribution today is one I noticed that @scookmentioned in another thread. If you want reed instruments, (Virtual Accordion, Concertina, Bandoneon, Bayan, Melodeon, Melodica, Flutina, Harmonium), check out Syntheway's Free Reed Aerophone Instruments collection.

Thank you for sharing this resource.

On 7/14/2022 at 8:06 PM, Tim Smith said:

Thanks for the heads up on all of this. I hope I can get to it before the 18th as I will certainly buy it. I now have room for more libraries, but I am trying to be careful about what I download because if I don't use it, it's wasted space. 

I had to ask myself if this was something I would truly use. I had a lot of fun playing with the free version and was impressed with the sound design team at Arturia. For 29.00 it's worth the gamble to me. If I want "different" strings this would be my go to. Haven't looked much at pigments, but you guys have my interest in it up so I'm going to check it out. I still haven't bought SERUM which has been out for 10 years or more.  

For me it's an odd arrangement musically. I have a great interest in synths and synthesized music in general from a technical stand point. In actual use, I hardly use the stuff because my sound has traditionally been more acoustic. You can make my music with a few guitars, a bodhran drum , maybe a bouzouki and some underlying synth for interest. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had just kept it simple...but nooooooooo. I found the deals forum and it was like Christmas day. I LOVE pretty much all of it, even if I'll never use it.

That seems like a good idea.

On 8/15/2023 at 1:56 PM, mettelus said:

The Freeware Instruments Thread gets bumped to the top every so often, but is also a nice resource for VST instruments out there and recommendations. There are a lot of VSTis out and about, so often a detailed Google search will give you some options for specific instruments. As Promidi mentioned, for instruments that are not mainstream, the free (or even 3rd party) route is often preferred for the simple reason that you can use them in any DAW. VTSis that come with many DAWs are often locked to that DAW, which can be problematic; e.g., if you are composing a song that requires 3 instruments locked to 3 different DAWs. You are then forced to render and import tracks from one DAW to another in that situation.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This would be very helpful. 

23 hours ago, Promidi said:

Even if “they” did, you would still probably be better off with a separate 3rd party vsti Bodhrán ....

23 hours ago, Promidi said:

Even if “they” did, you would still probably be better off with a separate 3rd party vsti Bodhrán ....

I see. I'll try your recommendation.

I hope they can soon add a bodhran in their drum kit.

On 10/31/2020 at 9:16 AM, abacab said:

Note that 'Free Reed' is a type of instrument design, and not free, as in beer.

These instruments are for sale. But they do have a free demo.

LOL, I think scook and I were typing about the same time. He beat me. You gotta be fast to beat scook! 😁

Thank you for that resource. That will be really helpful.

11 hours ago, fret_man said:

Google "concertina vsti" and you'll find lots of concertina virtual instruments suitable for Cakewalk.

Thanks a lot.

Hey,

Don't worry, routing can be tricky. It sounds like your effects bus might still be sending to the master bus when you solo a track. Check the settings in your effects bus to make sure it's not being sent to the master when you solo. Also, verify that the delay effect on the guitar track isn't being sent to the master directly. Adjusting these routing settings should help you avoid hearing the delay when soloing tracks.

Keep experimenting, and you'll sort it out!

Is there a concertina available on this?

Hello fellow musicians,

I'm excited to begin my journey into playing the bodhran. Could anyone recommend a good entry-level bodhran model and share tips on selecting appropriate beaters? Also, any advice on resources for beginners would be fantastic. Thanks in advance for your guidance!