FredMcKinnon.Com

Hey Gang,

I started playing the drums in high school marching band after we no longer needed my piano skills on the bass line for “Bird Land”.  (remember those big ole’ keyboards on the roller cart w/ the amp attached?).

Ever since, I was hooked on drums and percussion and found myself marching quints on the drum line at Georgia Southern University for three great years.  Few things ring me up like the sound of an intense drum line banging out a sweet cadence full of dynamic and flare.

Enter the new sample package “Rumble” from SampleLogic.Com (configured to work with Native Instrument’s Kontakt player)

I’ve seen drum line used occasionally as a feature in a worship setting.  It was creative and inspiring.

How this can be used in every-day composing, I’m not sure – but I’ll give you this:
Listening to this clip got me FIRED UP.
RUMBLE by Sample Logic

What are some ways you’ve used drums/percussion creatively?

A huge thanks to my good friend McKendree Augustas for sharing this loop with me and giving me permission to share it with you.  Make sure and stop by his site and checkout his awesome music.

Song:   Christ Is Risen
Key:  F

Click and Vocal Guide:  Left
Track:  Right

*note:  this loop will fade in slowly prior to click starting.  You won’t start hearing the intro/click until around 12 seconds in.  That is by design, so don’t freak out!

Enjoy!

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Download

Hey Gang,

Monday I posted on our “Worship Confessional” video that we’d introduced the new song by Chris Tomlin, Nathan and Christy Nockels & Company from the Passion 2011 CD, “All My Fountains”.

Although I wasn’t there for the live recording of Passion 2011, I was present at the “Lift” event last month and experienced this song for the first time and loved it.

Our debut of this song at SSCC was extremely well-received.  I’d like to share the click-track and loop that I made for this song with you.  Enjoy!

Details:
Our Arrangement in Key of D.

*acapella Chorus intro – then start loop
*Segue, VS1, Chorus, Segue, VS2, Chorus, Segue, Bridge (4x), Chorus, Acapella Chorus, Tag

Instruments we used “LIVE” that are NOT on the click:  Acoustic (open tuned to D), 2nd Acoustic, Mandolin and Hammer Dulcimer, Bass, and Live Drums.

Instruments in the Loop:
Click
Spoken Guide
Stylus RMX Loops
Tambourine Loops
Clap Track
Organ Track
Piano Pad Guide Track

CLICK and SPOKEN GUIDE:  Panned Left
INSTRUMENTS:  Panned Right

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Download the loop.

If you use it, let me know how you like it!

Hey Gang,

I mentioned a couple of days ago in this post that we were going to be debuting Christy Nockel’s “A Mighty Fortress” this Sunday at SSCC.  It has some huge stuff happening and I didn’t want the sound to be anything less than “epic” so I decided to create a loop that we can use in Ableton Live.

Of course in Live, I will use individual audio files and can choose what I will and will not have playing.

Many of you asked, so here’s the .mp3 version of the mixed loop.
This loop assumes:
4-bar intro
Click in Right
Assumes live drummer to supplement loops, guitarist, and bass player.
(those instruments not included)

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(download)

Let me know what you think.  I’m still pretty new at this whole loop-creation process.

I’m a faithful die-hard. I don’t like change. I didn’t like change years ago when Gibson bought out Opcode and StudioVision Pro was “no more”. That’s when I made the change to the big-time industry standard recording platform, “ProTools“.

Now that I’m not sitting in my studio all day, ProTools isn’t very practical. I find myself getting more and more portable. I have a M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 in my office … with no sounds. GarageBand isn’t really as versatile as I need, although it worked last week for a 4:30 instrumental solo. Launching Protools would require hardware – I could borrow Chris’ MBox, but that’s a pain.

One of my good friends, and an incredible artist/songwriter/worship leader, McKendree Tucker, keeps telling me I should make the switch to Apple’s Logic Studio … and I’m very tempted. He uses both – Logic for tracking, recording, looping, creative … and ProTools for some tough editing and transfers when needing a ProTools studio.

Here’s the deal … $499 retail is an AMAZINGLY LOW price for all the stuff you get with Logic Studio. I mean, it comes out of the box with more instruments and plugins than I already have with a big investment in ProTools stuff. Plus, it’s portable – I don’t need hardware to record MIDI, to mix, or to edit. I have major creative recording and editing tools at my fingertips.

Sounds like I’ve made up my mind … I’d like to hear from those of you who have experience with either, both, or who made the switch.

Whatcha say?

PS: I want to stay engaged in the blog comments, but as some may recall, I’ve been unplugging and “fasting” blogs on Wednesdays, and I’ll be traveling most of the day on Thursday, so hopefully I can get back into the discussion by then … but we got all night!