Jerry Gerber

I send MIDI data via the Ethernet with a program called ipMIDI. It's been working flawlessly for 4 months. Suddenly it doesn't work. I've determined through troubleshooting that it's not my DAW, I've tried both Sonar and Digital Performer. It's not my MIDI interface (hardware); when I send midi data through the MOTU Microlite it works fine in both playback and from the keyboard. Audio also works fine. My slave computer and its audio interface also work fine. I've uninstalled and reinstalled ipMIDI and made sure that it can pass through the firewall, but this didn't resolve it. I've also checked my Ethernet cable, and it works fine because I can send files back and forth between the master and slave computer. It seems to be only MIDI over Ethernet that isn't work. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks! Windows 10 32 GB RAM 2 fast SSD drives

Hi Bjorn, I am always extremely reluctant to give feedback or advice to others. You've made a good effort. If I may share my experience (please take it with a grain of salt!) I would say listen carefully to the attacks and releases of your strings. Your bassoon sounds fine. Sampled wind hardly ever need the work that strings need to get that "singing feeling". The first thing I do is try find the right string sample for the passage. This might involve going through a half a dozen or more of samples to find the one that works the best, taking into account dynamics, tempo, phrasing, etc. After choosing the best sample-set, then comes the midi controllers to make sure the attack and releases also fit the phrasing. In the opening, the releases of the strings are too short; the phrase can be made more musical simply by making them a little bit longer so they don't' sound as though notes are being cut off too soon. I hope i am not overstepping my bounds, I am really hesitant to be critical of another's work and I don't generally receive constructive criticism often enough myself. But I think with a few tweaks of the string attacks and releases you'll get a better sound. String attacks are always slower than wind, percussion or even brass attacks, and certainly much slower than crisp synth timbres. Best, Jerry www.jerrygerber.com

Thanks Andy!

Thanks Paul, much appreciated...

Haha! Yeah, I used the melody from "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and the main theme from "Rebel Without a Cause" to follow the poet's references to these. Same with the reference to The Rite of Spring.... Thanks for listening!

Thanks Douglas and Tom, Glad you enjoyed Raga! Jerry

Hi Amicus, Thank you for the kind comments, glad you liked the 1st movement.. Jerry

Thanks Max, I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. Jerry

Thank you Bjornpdx! Glad you appreciate my composition! Jerry

Thanks Wookiee! Glad you enjoyed listening.. Jerry

I wrote Rhapsody as way to utilize only synthesizers and some vocal samples from the Roland XP-30. There are no orchestral instruments in this piece, it's my version of electronica, or perhaps in a genre closer to classical electronica. PLAY

Thanks everyone, it was automation that was causing it. "Delete Special" resolved it. I have no idea how automation got in the file as I didn't put it there... Jerry

I have a project with about 35 MIDI tracks, no audio yet. I've checked the event lists and staffs for every track and there is no data after measure 89. There are no markers and no meter or tempo changes after measure 89 either. Although I have checked "Stop at Project End", playback continues long past measure 89. I've checked other project files and they behave as expected, they stop at project end. I can't figure out what's causing this. I've tried "apply trimming" and "bounce to clip" but this doesn't work. There are no hidden tracks. What could be causing this? Thanks! Jerry www.jerrygerber.com

Hi Tom, No, I did not play the music into Sonar. I programmed it, note by note, in the notation editor. Thanks for the comments! Jerry

My 14th album, Earth Music features my 10th symphony and two shorter works, including Three Short Piano Pieces. Here's a link to these pieces. They are programmed for a piano that is constructed using physical modeling, not sampling. Here's a definition of physical modeling: Physical modelling is a process of recreating the physical reactions and unique interplay of both physical and electronic components using mathematical models and algorithms to create a realistic reproduction. This scientific process is used in many fields, from seismology to the automotive industry. Interestingly, the same principles that create accurate earthquake predictions and more efficient engines and vehicle design can also be used to give vintage instruments a new lease of life in software. PLAY

I know, of course time is valuable and should not be wasted. And the generally accepted meaning you gave is right. But still, from my perspective one can be replaced, the other cannot, so for me personally time is more valuable because while money can be gained and lost, time only moves in one direction...

The saying "Time is Money" never made any sense to me. The huge difference between them is that money can be replaced. Time cannot.

This is a short piece for this album: http://www.jerrygerber.com/virtualharmonics.htm PLAY It's scored for string orchestra and 2 instances of Z3TA-2. I hope you enjoy listening! Jerry

Oops! I forgot to mention the singer and lyricist's names! I wrote and produced the song, Lee Gregory is the tenor and Lisa K. Buchanan wrote the lyrics... My error...

My friend Art Austin is one of the few classical musicians that I know who is a fantastic improviser. We get together from time to time, when there weren't any pandemics, just to play. Nothing memorized, nothing notated, nothing agreed upon, not even tempos, keys or chord progressions. We just listen to one another and respond. I find that improv is the time to give expression to the spontaneous musical impulse, the most direct and immediate form of musical expression. As a composer, improv often serves as the place where ideas are discovered and turned into composition. Composition is about structure, refinement, development and organization, improv is about music-in-the-moment-- and nothing else. I hope you enjoy listening. Art Austin, clarinet Jerry Gerber, piano PLAY

This is a song I wrote and produced quite a few years ago, my wife wrote the lyrics. I may get around to re-mixing it to improve the relationship between the vocal and the instrumentation even though I already released this track on a CD years ago... PLAY Lyrics by Lisa K. Buchanan Sung by Lee Gregory

I would add where the politician gets their money from. That directly relates to how and why they set policy. By previous actions I assume you also mean voting record, which is essentially a history of their policies. We'd better quit while we're ahead because when the conversations turn political the censors begin their censoring!!

Buffoon is spelled incorrectly.

To make a mix that sounds good on other systems you have to mix on really fine, and usually very expensive, speakers. Computer speakers just won't do it. That's what pro monitors are for: To get an accurate image of the sound, warts and all. That's desirable, because if you can't hear what's wrong you can't improve it. I hope you listen to a lot of classical (not film!) music and study scores. When I finish a symphony it usually takes me about 2 years working on it every day. Much of that time is spend in MIDI programming--attacks, releases, velocity and cc7 or 11, moving notes forward or backward away from the beat, sample-set choice, etc. It's time consuming. You have to think how a player would attack a note, express a phrase, create gesture and intention. Using lots of tempo variation, even slight, also helps. The problem is that a computer can play perfectly in time. That easily degrades into a mechanical, artless, lifeless sound. It's up to the musician to counteract that with techniques to bring expression, randomness, clarity and a sense of human intention into the MIDI sequence. I'd start with basic classical piano pieces, i.e. Bach inventions or fugues, and learn that way. Taking on producing The Rite of Spring requires not only an incredible amount of time and energy, but also top notch gear and a lot of knowledge of music. If you have that, go for it. Here's a masterclass I did a few months ago on this topic: http://www.jerrygerber.com/soundbytesinterview2019.pdf And here's a new symphonic work you can probably learn something from: http://www.jerrygerber.com/symph10complete.htm Jerry

It's a wonderful and clever parody. It's a song....