The Minidisc saga [most companies are discontinuing them]

Dreadful news for all those acts, big and small plus theatres, Opera Houses and live music makers amateur or world wide professional who have depended on minidisc players..

The most reliable, most used bit of play back equipment that has served our industry for many years is being phased out and is now practically impossible to buy new.

The minidisc player was reliable, simple to operate, easy to edit, create programs, move tracks, edit tracks, erase, divide or combine tracks.  It also has the fantastic 'auto-pause' facility, which meant that a track could be played and when the Marker for the next track came along the machine would pause automatically and cue up the next track.  A 'worth it's weight in gold' facility in Theatres, Musicals, Operas and of course for any act using play back or any band using an 'added instruments track' playing with the band [as my band does].

After much asking around and research I have only found one new model available with 'auto-pause' [can't find any stock yet] ... the Sony MDS-JE780 ... the current model available is the MDS-JE480 but has no 'auto-pause'.

Available on EBay etc. are old used models MDS-JE330 ... 530 ... 640 ... 770 ... these all have 'auto-pause'.  There are high end, with prices to match, machines by Tascam.  They will be phased out as well.

The thinking is that acts should use laptops ... good in theory, but good expertise is necessary and I have heard scary stories of computers freezing mid song!  Think of 5 minutes of silence while you, or an operative, restarts, finds the program, loads the program, finds the track being played and then says a quick prayer that it will not freeze again?

Unbelievable? [flattering - but crazy?]  

A friend sent me the two links below.  Old time model vans with adverts for my band on .... crazy idea but the manufacturers must know how to make money.  I wish I had thought of it? 

Success Story  [ nice praise! ]  

Uncle Dec,

Thank you very much for the compliments. I'll say, all thanks to you. You deserve the honor and not me. I am just a product of teachings i.e protege. For this, I am so grateful

Sincerely, I have never regretted meeting you and I must say this, you are a true example of a mentor.

Thank you very much for the message. I think everything is beginning to make sense now. The ideas you shared with me were wonderful, But, if I read your message properly, I think everything still boils down to a wonderful vocal arrangement.

Thank you very much for everything, I appreciate your time.

Regards,

'KK' 

 Subscriber's Section [  I couldn't understand KK's question - he lives in Nigeria ]

"Please forgive me for the misunderstanding. I think, reading my message and not understanding it the first time means, I write it poorly...my bad.

Below is a rephrase.
------------------------------------------------

Uncle Dec,

I have this question to ask you and it has to do with working with LOOPS.  

 

The question is, do you think it's a good idea working towards a partciular direction when creating a backbeat from a sample CD?. 

 

Instead of just slipping in a sample CD into a compact-disc player and expect a bad ass loop from the sample CD?  

 

What I mean is, if I wanted to create a hiphop dance track...and that track should be cruising at a tempo of say 98-120bpm...do you think it a good Idea I sit with my drum module and sampler then create a hiphop dance loop around that tempo...I mean, create the basic bounce or drive for the music around that tempo...?

Sample CDs have got some great drumbreaks but I think waiting for that bounce from a sample CD might waste precious time.

I think there has to be a way of working around this type of style for making HIT music...

Regards,
'KK'
 

 

My Reply:   

Our rules are "one short reply to ONE question on music FOR NON-MEMBERS, Members of 'The Serious Writers Guild' have unlimited personal access to Dec by direct telephone, Fax and Email, apply at https://secure.mistral.co.uk/makehits/swgappsecure.htm ".   

[Any advice given here shall not be deemed as financial or legal advice under any existing or future laws of any country]

KK

You have wonderful grasp of English!  Just look back through the years to your first emails to me.  The improvement in your written English is fantastic ... Well done. 

As regards loops and wanting a hit to come from the loop, there are a number of ways of looking at it. 

Most guys will listen to a loop / sample  CD and perhaps one loop will inspire them to write in that particular tempo and the loop will perhaps give them an idea for one or two lines of the chorus. 

Other guys will have a line in their mind and then listen to a loop CD and somehow the line and a particular loop will meld or 'gel' together. Perhaps the tempo may need a little slowing or quickening.  Most samplers and sequencers will do this without loss of pitch ['timestretch']

Other guys, again, will think of a line and make the loop from scratch using the kick sample, the snare sample and perhaps High Hat , shaker and/or claps [that is how I like to work] .  A lot of Beyonce and Leona Lewis stuff has noise samples making the rhythm. 

The most important point in all of this is to realise that the bounce and jump comes from the vocal NOT the loop.  Listen to Beyonce, Destiny's Child ... Listen to any of Justin Timberlake or Dr. Dre records .... The drums are very sparse and it is the vocal, and more particularly the vocal arrangement that is making all the excitement.

Sometimes the kick, snare and H.H. will be very simple and sometimes stop altogether leaving the vocal solo.  Just listen to Top Ten Hip Hop music to understand this logic. 

Make the vocal and lyrics jump ... Let the drums add to that jump and have the rest of the music as the frame around the picture.

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