MsTrisMusic.Com

Well America we are in the final stretch of one of the biggest elections ever. You can make a difference!

If you think about it, we don’t have much say in how our Government runs. On one day every 4 years you have the opportunity to ad your worthy input by helping decide who will run the country best.

I am asking that all who read this pleeeeaaase take time to choose the candidates that will have the best interest for ALL PEOPLE. America it’s time to stand up. No excuses…no delay… not because it’s cool, but because you owe it to YOURSELF, and the World…

Remember don’t wear campaign gear to the polls..no Obama hats, no Mccain buttons etc…

For my readers in other countries, tell all the Americans you know to cast absentee ballots. It’s different for every state, but today may be absentee ballot deadline in some places! Call them up and tell them to get it post marked… This decision will have a global effect, and everyone’s vote will be needed.

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I’m in beat mode this morning and it is Mpc bang out day for me. I watched a few videos yesterday and I’m in the mood to do some soulful beats…I’ll post up one later, or tomorrow afternoon. By the way….. some of you saw the post about me adding a schedule….well it worked for a hot minute but the java script messed up the site … I may have to squash that one…

On to the goodies…

This is not a battle really …but a nice display of how you can use the mpc for scratching. You all know I’m gonna try this out lol.. enjoy.

Check out more from www.djmag.com

Happy Beat Making
Pz Til Later

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Happy Wednesday…how are those beats coming along? Hope you have been making some bangers, and building your catalog. B Crust asked me what’s the difference between Fl Studio and Adobe Audition. A Digital Audio Workstation or Daw is a computer with programs designed for working with audio. Most DAW systems will include an audio editor, multi track recorder, and music production software. You will basically have two types of main programs for making beats. A “digital audio editing” program and a “music production” program. Over the years many developers have made programs that do both, and simply call the “do it” all software a DAW program or DAW. I will try to explain a few differences.

Adobe Auditon as explained onWiki Adobe Audition:

Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro) is a digital audio “editor” computer program from Adobe Systems featuring both a multi track, non-destructive mix/edit environment and a destructive-approach waveform editing view.

When you look at all digital audio programs like Sonar 7, ProTools, Cubase, Logic and Adobe, many of them will allow you to do all, or some of the following and more:

Record and edit multitrack audio/ video
Add effect plugins
Add vst instruments
Manipulate audio recordings
Automate mixing
Mastering
Rendering multitracks to several formats.

Programs like Reason and Fl Studio started of as ” music production software” including software synths, drum modules, and samplers. Today Fl Studio allows you to record and edit multitrack audio, adding it to the list of do it all “DAW” programs. Reason is still considered only “Music Production Software”, meaning you can not record audio directly into the program.

Here is a nice article that may help you decide which DAW Software is right for you:
Harmony Central How To Buy Gear Daws

For more info on some of the most popular DAW software and a comparison chart check out:
Digital Audio Workstation shootout

You can see, there is a wide variety of workstations and software. I like Sonar and Adobe Audition, it’s more of personal preference than me saying ..”oh this is better than that one”. I work with both hardware and software music production equipment. So I needed a DAW system that can handle midi, multitrack, vst instruments, and live audio recording. Although Fl Studio is capable of being my only DAW software, I don’t do live recording, final mixes, or vocals within the program. I have noticed other programs handle those functions better. Most developers offer free demo downloads. Try them out, and choose the one which helps you work easily, efficiently, and most of all handle your production needs with no hassle.

Happy Beat Making To All
Pz Til later

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What’s up all..back at it with some cool videos. It’s all about drums today. Friday I mentioned how Swizz Beatz gets crazy with his drums, banging out on the Mpc. I just want to remind you to be creative with your rhythms. I like to chop up loops, add effects, and blend them in with the drums I either play out, or program.
I have also been a huge fan of one the greatest drummers ever, Sheila E.. She’s amazing on percussion and a full piece set up. She does a lot of Latin cadences even in her ” Pop” type songs. I often try to mix Latin percussion loops into hip hop rhythms, adding flange or phasers. Mixing techniques from different genres will help you make better drum patterns for hip hop.

Sheila E. Drum Solo:

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How was your day? Mine was productive, I got a few beats mixed,and I made a new one. I actually wanted to make more, but I got caught up comparing the Mpc kick and the Fl Studio Kick. I winded up tweaking in Fl Studio until they almost matched as far as the knock factor. But Boy did time get away from me…lol..

picture from www.dyfuse.com
I watched the BET award show last night. It was pretty cool, but I sort of missed Kat Williams …
When the stage was filled, after Pharrell performed, Swizz Beatz got up there. It took me back to when Dmx came out with his first cd…. oh the memories..

A lot of producers don’t care for Swizzy but I think he’s real skilled, especially with the crazy drum patterns. Here are a few videos of him banging out on the Mpc.. The first one is a short interview..enjoy

Swizz Beats Interview Clip From ” How We Did It ..The Movie”
by:Dj Greg Street

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Hey all.. I’m already busy busy this morning, which is good… Todays post was going to be completely about brass, by request. Once I went back to the DSK site where I got a FREE Brass Vst, I started checking out more plugins. I decided to just give DSK Music most of the shine today….

They have a great selection, and the DSK Brass works well enough. When you get free vst instruments you will most likely have to add a bit of eq and other effects to get the sound you want. For Brass vsts and soundfonts try adding a touch of Reverb to give it a “Chamber” sound, like a real Orchestra Horn Section. Also I’ve been playing around with loading seperate sounds and using my software to layer the instruments. For example:In Reason I may combine 5 NNXT modules loaded with a few trumpets,french horn, tuba, and a preset brass section. This gives a rich sounding Brass, much better than single instruments. To do this in Fl Studio I would have to use the “Layer” function, and layer a few Vsts or soundfont players.

You are gonna feel like it’s xmas if you don’t already have the Instruments DSK offers. I can’t wait to try the rest later:
www.dskmusic.com

There are few good soundfonts that have pretty decent brass. Here is the link to Sf2midi brass page. Try to find “Better Brass” there as well..

www.sf2midi.com

For those with a budget my favorite “for $$$” vst brass is included in the Edirol HQOR Orchestral:

Once you get all your Brass and other goodies, be sure to come back and use the chord progression tutorials. This will help you play some dramatic compositions using the sounds…

Happy Beat Making To All
Pz Til Later

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Hey all, I hope everything is going well, and the beats are bangin’. In the player below are some of my old and not so old beats over on www.soundclick.com/mstris. New producers who’d like to get beats heard, head over and sign up. They have free accounts, and VIP. I started with a free account, and eventually upgraded.

Now playing: MsTris

The player also represents the place I started my beat grind. I sold my first beat there in 2002. I’ve also been # 1 there several times, and I’ve managed to stay on the charts, although I’ve had fewer updates. I used to pound Soundclick with updates. Many of you know due to other work opportunities, my music grind was slow for a while. Well, it’s back in motion and I need to get my catalog back up. I’ve got new gear, more knowledge, and the time is right. So out with the old and in with the new.

I’ve learned some lessons along the way such as organizing beats by categories, and including Bpms in the name of the files. I have a fairly new external hard drive where I will store all the new heat. Here is an example of how my beat folder looks. This gives you a basic idea of how I organize them by genre. You can also see a few folders for some of my main artist that I work with weekly:

Everything is set up. I have made templates for Fl Studio and Reason start up files. I’ve organized my drums and samples into folders as well. I’ve also made programs for the Mpc2500. Today I am doing a new step which takes me back to my post on finding BPM (correct tempo):
Correct BPM For Hip Hop
I am taking an hour to go through some beats I love from the radio. I will have a four bar chop loaded in a folder called “08 Beat Tempos”. After finding about 15 tempos, I’ll write them down in my notebook. This will give me an idea of what tempos work for each style of beat I am going to make.
These steps are not set in stone, but they help me work efficiently from the start.

Another thing that helps me prepare to add to build my catalog is making a decision on which type of beats I’ll be making. When I make those undeniable “anybody who loves crunk will love this beat” dirty south bangers…it takes me 2-3 hours. When I make a soulful sample beat with my signature bassline..it takes me 2-3 hours. These beats are also the most important to the artist I work with. In each beat making session I will start with one of my two main genres, then continue with ones I’m faster at like R&b or Experimental. So basically I’ll do one or two “super” beats, and as many of the other styles as I can for that day. This way I’m covering what’s in demand along with other styles artist want. At the same time I’m making my own “MsTris” concoctions or experimental styles.

As I prepare to build up my new collection, I set a deadline. Having a goal to work toward, helps me stay focused. By November 21st I’d like to have at least 30-50 HOT beats. When you lease and sell beats you will need a catalog with plenty choices for all artist. Although I will upload some, and continue to work with artist on a weekly basis, my main relaunch for beats will be around Thanksgiving. Right now is the time for you and I as producers to start working on the New Year. Think about where you’d like your music career to go in 2009, and begin on the path that will get you there!~

Happy Catalog Building
Pz Til Later

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