O Christmas Tree
Apple released a new drummers pack for the iOS version of Garageband, so I decided to give one a try with a Christmas classic.
Put A Ringtone On It
Born of the ubiquitous tones of that classic marimba-based cell phone ringtone! Rather than a direct sample, I’ve recreated the ringtone in my own style and wrapped it up in a pumped rhythm, arps and synths. Want this song as an actual ringtone for iOS devices? It has already been prepared for download here!
Simmer of Sixty Nine
Improvised from the Logic Pro X template for Electronic Music, with a little outside help from my trusty Korg i3.
Poking the Machine
It all started out with a drum pattern captured from the vintage Korg i3 synth and played by GarageBand on the Mac. From there I built it up with a percolating bass line, twinkling arpeggiator strikes and a catchy little melody you’ll be whistling all day long.
Two Point Oh
I was challenged to do a Kpop-inspired song, so that’s what I set out to do. Does it sound like a Kpop song? Maybe… maybe not… but it was definitely inspired by observations made when I took a couple of days to listen to some.
Yamahamburger
This tune is a spotlight on a vintage piece of gear in my TranSan studio, a piece which has been part of my setup for many, many years. The Yamaha TX81Z is a FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesizer from 1987 and can be heard in many songs of the era. “Yamahamburger” is a few layers of modern sound sprinkled with generous helpings of the presets LatelyBass, Sitar, HiStrings, NylonGuitar and BaadBreath.
The Tank Rolled Over The Piano
While this tune was intended as a spotlight on the iOS app “SampleTank”, the end of the tune was supposed to have been accompanied by a minimal piano part. Instead, and unbeknownst to me at the time, the part had instead recorded a synth sound in its place. But we liked it! So the tank rolled over the piano, and it was good! 😉
Kyle’s Red-Tipped Lazer Gun
The plan for this one was initially a straight-forward rock song, but the synth bass took it in a slightly different direction. What’s with the name? Well, the drummer preset I used on GarageBand was “Kyle”, and incidentally my firstborn nephew is named Kyle. The “red tipped lazer gun” is for the initials of my second-born nephew, RTLG.
Pair of Eyes on a Peach
This one started off with a dreamy acoustic guitar from one of my SampleTank collections. The rest just kinda fell into place, inspired by the guitar intro. In the end, I was told it sounded like paradise on a beach, but of course that was too plain a title for me. 😉
Whackin’ and Samplin’
My partner may not be a musician, but he loves percussion instruments. These “Boom Whackers”, plastic tuned percussion instruments, are among his collection. I decided to clip a lapel microphone directly to them and grab a few crisp, clear samples. With a note progression inspired by a #transanfan‘s name converted to notes, this up-tempo tune was born.