Yet another Footprint backing track

[Normster]

I'd forgotten I even had this. It started life as a midi, but I think it came out pretty sweet thanks to a VSC plugin. :)

FootprintsBT (http://thenormster.com/MP3/footprintsBT.mp3)

I actually found this track a little easier to play over than Ant's. I think the mellow stuff just works better for me. Here's my take:

FootprintsNF (http://thenormster.com/MP3/FootprintsNF3.mp3)

[Normster]

Hmmm...that bad, eh?

[Jo]

I love that backing track? Did you create it? I like that version.
I'm going to enjoy noodling over that one. I like that slow kinda melodic stuff.

Do you have any more in a similar vein?

[Normster]

Thanks, Jo. I used a midi from Jazz Session (http://jazz.session.free.fr/home/f.htm) and just used a VSC plugin in Cakewalk to add better instrument voicing to it. I think I may have also added a touch of BBE.

[Jo]

Wow you did an excellent job tarting that midi up. You gotta teach me how to do that. What plugin did you use? (and was it a free one?). I'm yet to explore the plugins section of Sonar, for me it's just a glorified midi player. :)

What's BBE?

[Normster]

Jo,
If you're using Sonar, you've already got the VSC plugin. Basically, you add an audio track to the midi file and map the midi tracks to it. Cakewalk has the instructions on their site. Using Virtual Sound Canvas. (http://www.cakewalk.com/tips/july02_soundcanvas.asp) The VSC plugin won't turn a bad midi into a good one, but it will turn a good midi into a pretty decent backing.

BBE Sonic Maximizer is an effect that tightens up bass and brightens the presence. It's supposed to resynch the bass, treble, and high frequencies so they arrive at the same time, but my feeble ears can't really tell if that's happening. ;) I just know it works pretty good on tracks that seem muddy.

If you're using Sonar, there's a whole world of decent backings just waiting for you to play with. The VSC thing is amazing. Just be careful when clicking on midi sites...some of them are just virus and trojan storefronts. The Jazz Session link in my previous post is safe, though.

[scottl]

So sweet Norm! Perfect mood bro. Excellent vibe. Not frantic and psychotic like my ultrawank take I whipped out over this one...

Here is my take. I really need to slow down or something...

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/30/normprintz.MP3

[Marcello]

Originally posted by scottl
So sweet Norm! Perfect mood bro. Excellent vibe. Not frantic and psychotic like my ultrawank take I whipped out over this one...

Here is my take. I really need to slow down or something...

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/30/normprintz.MP3

wank ? where ? tasty playing i hear.

i didn't like the tone, some unusual grittyness ! WTF?

[scottl]

Originally posted by Marcello
wank ? where ? tasty playing i hear.

i didn't like the tone, some unusual grittyness ! WTF?

I was experimenting. I was off axis pointed at the cone center. I also messed with other stuff. I did not hear the take until it was over. Too late at that point ;)

[Jo]

Thanks for all that info Normster, I just gave it a test out. And to think for all these years I've been recording the drum tracks from midi through the soundcard. My last band had no drummer so we used midi files for the drums. If only I had known about this it would have made my life so much easier (not to mention the improvement on the sound quality). I can't believe you can just output the midi files out straight to .wav this way.... Arrrgh! Well now I know. Thanks!!! :dude

I'm like this -> :D

Now back to your regularly scheduled Footprints thread. :)

[scottl]

Originally posted by Jo
Thanks for all that info Normster, I just gave it a test out. And to think for all these years I've been recording the drum tracks from midi through the soundcard. My last band had no drummer so we used midi files for the drums. If only I had known about this it would have made my life so much easier (not to mention the improvement on the sound quality). I can't believe you can just output the midi files out straight to .wav this way.... Arrrgh! Well now I know. Thanks!!! :dude

I'm like this -> :D

Now back to your regularly scheduled Footprints thread. :)

C'mon Jo, break one of those sweet PRSii out and record something for us! :dude :dude :dude

[Jo]

Originally posted by scottl
C'mon Jo, break one of those sweet PRSii out and record something for us! :dude :dude :dude Are you crazy? After hearing your clip and thinking to myself 'wow, I love that tone' and now apparently it's not that good a tone. No way! :) I live vicariously through you guys.

[scottl]

Originally posted by Jo
Are you crazy? After hearing your clip and thinking to myself 'wow, I love that tone' and now apparently it's not that good a tone. No way! :) I live vicariously through you guys.

Thanks! I thought the tone was kind of cool. Marcello did not like it! But, hey, what does he know! He is French/Canadian!

[Normster]

Originally posted by scottl
So sweet Norm! Perfect mood bro. Excellent vibe. Not frantic and psychotic like my ultrawank take I whipped out over this one...

Here is my take. I really need to slow down or something...

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/30/normprintz.MP3 I LOVE frantic and psychotic ultrawanking! :dude
The way you dart in and out of the melody just amazes me. Shucks, I even liked the "unusual grittiness" of your tone. :D

BTW, glad you found the info useful, Jo. :)

[Marcello]

Originally posted by scottl
Thanks! I thought the tone was kind of cool. Marcello did not like it! But, hey, what does he know! He is French/Canadian!

hahahaha :D

still a good tone though...pheeeew bad weather is killing me...http://www.websmileys.com/sm/crazy/1087.gif

[scottl]

Well, here are some GOOD tone quick snippets. This is what I am talking about!!!!

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/75/fender75better.MP3

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/75/fender75better1a.MP3

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/75/fender75better2.MP3

Scott

[Normster]

The tone and playing on that third clip was stunning! Not that the other two were bad, it's just that I completely connected with the third one. Does this mean I REALLY have to save up for a Fuchs, or does the "fender75" mean that I can get by with a modded amp?

[fig]

Very nice song, Norm!


scottl - your last three takes were very bluesy, VERY nice! I love it when you slow down a bit :D and let your melodic side shine through. :)

[Normster]

Thanks, Fig!

Well, it would seem that I've overlooked the obvious again. I was fairly pleased with a clean take that I did over this backing until yesterday when I changed strings. (When I swapped out the pickups, I kept the old strings on to A-B the difference.) Anyway, I didn't realize how dead the old strings were until hearing the new ones. I'm in tone heaven! :D

Clean Footprints with New Strings (http://thenormster.com/MP3/FootprintsNewStrings.mp3)

[marinblues]

Originally posted by Normster
I'd forgotten I even had this. It started life as a midi, but I think it came out pretty sweet thanks to a VSC plugin. :)

FootprintsBT (http://thenormster.com/MP3/footprintsBT.mp3)

I actually found this track a little easier to play over than Ant's. I think the mellow stuff just works better for me. Here's my take:

FootprintsNF (http://thenormster.com/MP3/FootprintsNF3.mp3)

Norm,

that way that slow solo line just cuts over that smooth base is truly tasty and requires a ton of feeling and control.

Also, I like the tone. What's the setup?

thanks

Marin

[Normster]

Originally posted by marinblues
Norm,

that way that slow solo line just cuts over that smooth base is truly tasty and requires a ton of feeling and control.

Also, I like the tone. What's the setup?

thanks

Marin Thanks so much, Marin! I'm not a pro either so I really appreciate the comment. :)

Gear:
Ibanez Artcore AS83, '57 Classic neck pickup, '57 Classic Plus bridge pickup
Route 66, gain at 9 o'clock, bass boost, and compressor at 1 o'clock
Arion Tubulator, gain at 10 o'clock
Arion Digital Delay
Fender Blues Deluxe

A friend of mine discovered that chaining two OD pedals together does a fair job of emulating sag and compression while smoothing out the gain. It's my "poor man's Dumble" tone. lol

The clean takes are the same gear, but with the gain switched off on the Route 66 and played through the neck pickup.

[fig]

Nice playing, Norm! Great tone.
I was debating on whether getting the Classic 57 pickups or the Seth Lovers for my LP. I ended up getting the Seth Lovers, but the 57's sound really nice.

[Normster]

Thanks, Greg. The Artcore was just singing yesterday at Loren's. A little compression and OD and the bridge pickup just comes alive...with the volume turned up of course. ;)

One of these days we're gonna have to get together and jam a little. (As long as you keep it simple. hehe)

[KirkLorange]

Here's my version of this on electric slide. Thanks again Norm for such a great track.


Download it:
http://www.thatllteachyou.com/mp3s/kirks_footprint2.mp3

Stream it:
http://www.thatllteachyou.com/mp3s/footprint2.m3u

Kirk

[Normster]

Great interpretation, Kirk. You have such a unique sense of timing and melody that you always bring a new perspective to these tracks. The horn-like quality of your tone is a perfect fit here. (After all, Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis did the original takes of this song.)

This one goes in my Kirk folder. :D

[KirkLorange]

Thanks Normster ... Melody is always my only consideration ... I have no interest in any other aspect of improvisation.

You may have noticed this is another take. I got my gear working again ... in other words my RP100 ... and my crude set-up allowed me at least hear a decent sound in the headphones. Sure makes it easier to play something nice when it sounds good!

Does that VSC work with CoolEdit? I'm so impressed with the sound of this track, and to hear that it's a midi track! I must find out more. I went to the site ... I'll go back and check it out.

[fig]

Kirk - I really love your playing. Nice melodies.

[fig]

Here's my lame take, warts and all. . .

Tele through a Gibson GA15RV.

Footprints (http://www.mrseamusic.com/Media/Footprints.mp3)

[Normster]

Gorgeous tone, Greg. It worked really well with your minimalist approach to this song. I dig it muchly! :dude

[fig]

Thanks, Norm! I appreciate the comment. :)

[KirkLorange]

Beautiful authentic tone, fig. Nothing lame at all about that take ... I love it.

[scottl]

Originally posted by fig
Here's my lame take, warts and all. . .

Tele through a Gibson GA15RV.

Footprints (http://www.mrseamusic.com/Media/Footprints.mp3)

Fantastic tone and feel Greg! Check your email btw. I sent you some pics. I cc'ed Jesse too. Hope he does it.

[fig]

Originally posted by KirkLorange
Beautiful authentic tone, fig. Nothing lame at all about that take ... I love it.

Thank you very much, Kirk!

[fig]

Originally posted by scottl
Fantastic tone and feel Greg! Check your email btw. I sent you some pics. I cc'ed Jesse too. Hope he does it.

Thanks, Scott, for all your help. Hey, I understand about kids and all. But I'm not sure the situation with Jesse and his dad can be salvaged at this point.
But we'll see.

And thanks for the comments!

[L5player]

A little late to the party, but here's my take:

Jimprints.mp3 (http://solos.jimheidinger.com/jimprints.mp3)

Jim Heidinger

[scottl]

Originally posted by L5player
A little late to the party, but here's my take:

Jimprints.mp3 (http://solos.jimheidinger.com/jimprints.mp3)

Jim Heidinger

So smooth!!! So west coast laid back! Very nice Jim. You are a great octave player! Very tasty indeed....

Scott

[L5player]

Thanks Scott. I've enjoyed all your takes on this by the way. Your tone is just incredible and your sense of harmonic content and phrasing just continues to amaze me!

Jim

[scottl]

Originally posted by L5player
Thanks Scott. I've enjoyed all your takes on this by the way. Your tone is just incredible and your sense of harmonic content and phrasing just continues to amaze me!

Jim

Thanks Jim! Means a lot coming from a great playing cat like you. Now we need to get Carlos to post :eek:

If you get a chance, can you check out these Tonespotter clips? I LOVE these speakers! Since I used Norm's Footprints backing for these, I can add them here. I like this backing for tone testing since it has nice seperation and air.

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/eminence/100printsNoLoop047MC47FB1.MP3

http://www.scottlernermusic.com/eminence/100printsNoLoop047MC47FB2.MP3

Thanks!

[L5player]

Hi Scott,

Yes, those are mighty nice sounding! I can't say that I like one over the other because they are both really cool! Each have their own personality.

The first clip has a nice level compression sound to it where the tubes and guitar and speaker seem to be finely tuned in terms of a smooth overdriven sound. Very expressive.

The second clip is a little less compressed in sound but has a deeper quality to it. Maybe a little more forgiving in dynamics but a great sound.

Like them both! :)

Carlos just got back from playing a Jazz festival where he toured with a couple of bands. I think if we both bug him hell be on this pretty quickly! LOL

That is quite a tone shop you have going for you there! So cool to hear these sounds and how they inspire your playing.

Thanks for the opportunity to listen to these!

Jim

[iluvstrats]

Originally posted by KirkLorange
Here's my version of this on electric slide. Thanks again Norm for such a great track.


Download it:
http://www.thatllteachyou.com/mp3s/kirks_footprint2.mp3

Stream it:
http://www.thatllteachyou.com/mp3s/footprint2.m3u

Kirk

Kirk,

I really like your playing. What tuning are using are you using on this tune.

[Normster]

Jim, I'm sure I mentioned this before, but I LOVE that chorus! Also, you're timing and phrasing are impeccable.

Scott, I got a chance to listen to the two new clips this morning. First impression was...hmmm, sounds like Scott tearin' it up again. ;)

Just listened again through better speakers. Great tone and playing on both, but there is a sweetness about clip 2 that I really like. Not as chewy as clip 1, but it has a gorgeous singing tone on the high notes. The extra grit on clip 1 sure gives it great growl on the low notes, though. :D

[KirkLorange]

Originally posted by iluvstrats
Kirk,

I really like your playing. What tuning are using are you using on this tune.

Thanks iluvstrats ... I use dropped D (just the bass string).

Kirk

[iluvstrats]

I don't know this song but loved the backing track and I don't why but I tried it to.


http://www.joedavies.net/footprints.mp3

[Normster]

Holy crap, Strats! Have you been listening to Johnny A a lot recently? Tone, style, phrasing...man, you've got it all. Excellent!!!:dude

[jimfog]

Originally posted by iluvstrats
I don't know this song but loved the backing track and I don't why but I tried it to.


http://www.joedavies.net/footprints.mp3

Joe,
Don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I ALWAYS look forward to your clips.......and this one is really top notch!! Great feel....and very creative lines.

On the mundane side.......gear and setup for this clip?!?!?

Thanks!

-jim

[scottl]

Originally posted by iluvstrats
I don't know this song but loved the backing track and I don't why but I tried it to.


http://www.joedavies.net/footprints.mp3

Joe, that was tremendous!!! The playing was stellar! The tone was out of this world! What gear??

Also, a mix question for you. Please tell me how you mixed your track in. Sounds like you depanned the backing. You panned right on the lead and applied reverb to the left? What verb? I loved the verb.

Scott

[iluvstrats]

Thanks Normster, Jim and Scott.

Normster, thanks so much for posting the back clip and I really enjoy what you play.

Scott, your playing always humbles me.

I used my warmoth strat with classic 57 humbuckers into my Clairmont. Mic'd with a senheiser E 609 into EMU 1820M into Nuendo software.

Used some Waves reverb on the guitar but didn't do any panning. I dithered it with Waves ultramaximizer.

[KirkLorange]

I'm another fan iluvstrats ... brilliant take! Quirky and novel, always interesting, a new twist at every turn ... magic ... and what a sound!

Kirk