The FoRcE oNe project has some interesting tidbits.  First off, the beat for this one as selected was a custom I made specifically for him in his interests.  He’s a big Lil’ Wayne and Young Money fan, so this beat follows that new southern sound with an MsP twist.   The drum pattern and bassline are akin to those found on their recent work, but the instrumentation and sampling is more MsP style.  Once some recording is done, I will post up a tidbit so you guys can get an idea of what we’re aiming for.  The second thing about this that I like is that FoRcE oNe will be spearheading the project, and I will just be trying to bring out the vision he’s got.  I’m trying to get him to let his creativity loose while increasing my producing experience in the sense of producing for other people.  Most of my producer work has been for myself, so getting a chance to produce for others (especially for uno because he’s only done one song on his own, this will be his second) is always exciting.

The beat is in Bb minor, and utilizes samples from a rare old school soul song called “Why,” as well as the use of the Hypersonic plugin by Steinberg.  Drums used were from the Sounds in HD kits that Boy Gnyus supplied me with, and of course the beat was created in FL Studio.  It clocks in at 140bpm, but will mostly sound more like 70bpm with that Young Money style flow that’s been coming from the South.

The second project that was worked on this weekend was the impromptu MooN ShynE/ADM/K-Maculate project that started earlier this evening. What we’re looking to do is something in the vein of what David Guetta has been doing these days as well as other non-hip-hop club hits.  So far, we’ve nailed down a decent club beat akin to Guetta’s recent hits such as “Sexy B*tch” and “Memories” with Kid Cudi, but once again, putting an MsP spin on it.  It’s a good mesh of styles as ADM’s electronic work comes into play here production wise in a big way, K comes in with some creativity as far as concepts, lyrics and vocals, and I come in with my lyrics/vocals and production work.  We’ve already recorded a small piece of the song that will fit as one of those catchy 8 bar loops that DJ’s should have fun with in the clubs.

The song is in Ebm, using a mixture of different drum kits we have here at Lunar Base.  We used Native Instruments’ FM8 for some synth work, as well as Vanguard for a gate.  We were using Cakewalk Studio Instruments String Section, but we may opt for a different set of strings (Hypersonic being a very likely candidate) as I’ve overused String Section to death lol.  We layered the kicks and included 808 bass drums to give it that extra push.  We’re also using the Izotope plugin called Trash (the plugin used to achieve Justin Timberlake’s voice in Sexy Back) to give it that real gritty club feeling.  Next week, we’re looking to do some more work on this, and I hope to have a sample for you guys to hear after that session.

All in all, a very productive weekend, and with other projects also in the wings, there will be more fun coming!  Stay tuned.

-mnshyn

E-MU has the PatchMix system, which is a little app that runs that handles your ASIO.  On Windows XP, there used to be two different visible devices in Windows; one ASIO, and the other a standard wave device.  Usually, most non-audio production stuff would run on the standard wave device E-MU driver, and I would run Audition and FL Studio on ASIO.

However, after installing 7, I ran into an issue: there was only one device, and only ASIO would work, meaning that only my audio production apps had sound.  Everything else, Google Chrome, Media Player, iTunes, etc. would not play.

I thought it was an issue with the driver, but after doing some investigating, I found that Windows itself has a selector for sampling rate.  You need to match this rate with PatchMix.

Here’s a quick screenshot, in case you run into the problem.  Click on it to see it fullsize:

Figure 2010-03-05/1 - PatchMix and Windows 7 Sound Control Panel

Notice how both PatchMix and Windows 7 are running on the same sampling rate.  This will allow other Windows apps to use sound.

To get to the Windows 7 Panel you see above:

1. Take note of what sampling rate PatchMix is using.  If you’re using 44.1K, you will need to set Windows to 44100, i.e.
2. Hit the Window Logo (The nice circular logo at the bottom left)
3. Click on Control Panel (On the second column)
4. Click on Hardware and Sound
5. Click on Manage Audio Devices
6. Click on the device that says Speakers, E-MU E-DSP, then click Properties
7. Click on the Advanced Tab
8. Choose the appropriate sample rate to match with PatchMix, then hit Apply.
9. Test by hitting the test button to hear a sound.  If you hear the sound and do not get a “this device is being used by another application” or similar message, you’re good to go.

Growing pains, I tell you.  But at least it’s working!

By the way, thanks to the people who have so far bought tracks from Phase 3 – L.Y.R.I.C.A.L. Without Fear!

Will update soon with a vid or two, MsP news, plus a review on the EastWest Quantum Leap Choir VSTi, as promised!

-mnshyn

But I digress.  I managed to get my hands on East West’s Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs.  Now mind you, this is a 42GB library.  FORTY-TWO GIGS!  Symphobia was about 20?  This is supposedly one of the best (if not THE VERY BEST) choir VSTi’s out there, so I’m looking to see what I can do with this.

So I’m very excited to see what I can make with this.  Once I get all this installing done, I’ll try to make something and I’ll put the results up.

If you’ve ever tried to use this VSTi, I’d appreciate some feedback comments from you.  Let me know what your experience was!  In any case, check back for some samples tomorrow.

-mnshyn