Back that thing up: How to properly backup your computer and loops
At least once a week I hear a horror story of someone who just lost their files because their computer or hard drive just crashed. It happens way too often, and way too many people are unprepared when it happens. If you use your computer for your job, or in our case for music (that is also our job!), then it’s important to make sure we back up all our files properly. It’s not the most entertaining subject ever, but it’s worth chatting about. Here’s a few thoughts to get...
Read More5 ways to speed up your Loop Production Process
I‘ve been using and creating loops for the past 9 years. I’ve created 100′s of loops and learned alot about the production process along the way. This Christmas I had to create a loop for an arrangement of “What Child is this”. The arrangement was finished Wednesday night and I had to have the loop created for our Thursday service. I had a few meetings and a class to teach so I wasn’t going to be able to start it till about 3:00 and practice starts at...
Read MoreLooping vs. uhh.. Looping?
Are you interested in looping or using loops? Are you looking for a Looper pedal or a MIDI Foot Controller? When you think of loops do you think, Boss or do you think Ableton? After a few hours of pursuing the web this weekend, I figured it’s time to clear up a bit of confusion between the two. I’ve noticed on various forums, people wondering how to “use loops in worship” but the conversation at times tends to lead towards, “What Boss Pedal should I use...
Read MoreThe most important place in Ableton Live
If you’re new to working with Ableton Live, you’ll want to get to know Info View. It’s a place you’ll reference quite frequently. In the video below I show you how to access it and what it does. Questions about using Info View? Leave a comment...
Read MorePerplexed by Complexity: Why Simplifying Your Setup is Essential
With modern worship being so driven by electronics, electric guitars, keyboards, and synths, the need for a setup that provides you with a wide palette of sounds is essential. For guitar players this often results in gigantic pedalboards all with the hopes of getting anywhere close to sounding like the Edge. For keyboardists it typically means having 4 keyboards and virtual synths running on a computer that rivals even the best Bon Jovi cover band’s keys rig. I’ve found that a...
Read MoreHow to Get Great String Sounds
Finding a good string patch is one of the hardest sounds to find. A bad string sound can quickly ruin an otherwise great sounding track. We’ve all heard great sounding demos that get quickly cheapened by their very low quality string patches. My friend Justin Jeremias wrote a really great article on his attempts to create a great string sound in Reason. (While you’re there check out some of his loops he offers for free on his site!) Check it out after a few of my thoughts on getting...
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