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 Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Lights and Sound |
 Topic: Bye, Bye Birdie MIDI files available?( Topic Closed) |
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TonyDi
Celebrity 
Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325 |
 Posted: 7/30/09 at 6:58am |
It's not necessarily the link that is the problem. I talked to Rick just after this thread was posted and he told me that the server that holds the sequence clips for listening online was down and thus NO-ONE could play them regardless. I don't know if he has since fixed that issue but it was through his service provider - whomever it is that owns the server where these clips are housed that is the problem. AT any rate, I suppose he'll get them up and running at some point but he stays so busy and actually I believe he recently said he'd just had back surgery so he may not be sitting at the console as much as of late....aside from which this thread is nearly a year old....I suspect it doesn't matter much at this point!!
Anyway I hope you found what you needed.
TonyDi
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"Almost famous"
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musikman1
Lead 
Joined: 4/06/08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 7/31/09 at 12:39pm |
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Hey there Tony!
Are you pimping for me again? (grin)
We DO have the entire Birdie from Overture to Exit Music, INCLUDING the two "new numbers" from the TV version, "Let's Settle Down" (replaces the "Luggage Dance" in "One Boy") and A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore (replaces dialogue in Act II btw Albert and Mama in front of Maude's Bar.. I would HIGHLY recommend ANY group doing Birdie to give Mama a chance to shine with this number, it's killer!).
My arm/shoulder is back (thank gawd), I just played a live pit for Seussical up in Northern Ohio. We're back to making new tracks, we have clients doing Beauty and the Beast as well as one of MY favorites, 1776, so those will be appearing soon!
Email me sometime Tony, it has been TOO long! :)
Rick Ashworth
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TonyDi
Celebrity
Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325 |
Posted: 8/02/09 at 10:03pm |
Why OF COURSE, Mr. Ashworh. You know I'd pimp for you any time. You know what I think of your work - impeccible as it is. GLAD your shoulder is functional again. Can't be lettin' those things keep a good man down!! HAHA!! Seriously, I will give you a call sometime soon or E-Mail a lengthy, wordy, verbose message.
Talk to you real soon - even though I did a week or two ago. I'll write soon.
Best
TonyDi
aka you know who
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"Almost famous"
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Scott B
Celebrity
Joined: 12/08/04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 239 |
Posted: 8/02/09 at 10:55pm |
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We just finished Birdie two weeks ago. LOL I think we missed our window of opportunity.
We ended up using percussion, keyboard and piano. I don't think I could have talked my musical director into anything else. Some people like myself don't mind canned music while others despise it. It is good to know these options do exist ... especially for smaller theatre groups that just can't find musicians. |
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musikman1
Lead
Joined: 4/06/08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 8/03/09 at 10:39pm |
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Even tho' I make a good percentage of my living with the tracks, I will be the FIRST person to tell you that LIVE is ALWAYS better IF you have competent players!
The next best is (blush) use my tracks ALONG WITH live players, so you can have the accuracy and fullness of the full orchestra PLUS the excitement of the live players.. Again, I HIGHLY recommend that Numark CDN95 or CDN90 or CDN88 players, that allow you to immediately vary the tempo with the live singers and players. It's a great setup!
Lastly, the tracks make a good SECOND choice if you just don't have the space or the local talent to allow you to represent the music adequately. We pride ourselves in that our music "breathes" with the singers. As a musical director/piano-conductor for over 30 years, I have almost a "fetish" about the music "feeling" correct.
Anybody with a mouse can put in the right notes, but if you've ever run across some tracks made that way, you will notice that-they-sound-very-robotic. We have a "bible" here that describes the physics of the instruments.
EXAMPLE:
A violin plays 8 eighth notes in a measure. Easy, right?
Well, no. A live violinist playing 8 bowed eighth notes (vs. 8 fingered notes) will have a spiccato attack, and usually, the first note is bowed down, and depending upon the notes required, will alternate up and down throughout the eight notes.
THE PHYSICS OF THE VIOLINIST:
In the case of a violinist doing the above mentioned alternating bow up/down, the UP bow is roughly 1/32 beat shorter than the DOWN bow note. Additionally, unless the passage is legato (and this is true of most all instruments) the notes AREN'T eighth notes that are played, but rather 3/64th to 1/16th of a beat, eight notes, that are PLACED on the eighth note timing.
Try it yourself sometime. Take a violin/flute/oboe, and place 8 eighth notes in a measure and play it back.. You might not be able to "place" it, but there's "something" that sounds wrong. The notes are right, they are in the right place, but you're missing the human physics of how you are accustomed to HEARING 8 eighth notes..
This is the type of detail that our tracks are programmed for.. additionally, we use a sextet of live players (piano/bs/drums/2 winds), and sometimes the guitar guy. Next we have several units of custom recorded instruments, stuff you can't possibly get on sample players, like claves, cymbal roll, whip crack (think JC Superstar or Sleigh Ride), train whistle (Music Man, Sweeney Todd), ratchet, trumpet trill, trumpet 16th note slide (jazz), trombone glisses, and so on..
Sorry about going on, I get a little passionate when talking about doing sequencing the RIGHT way vs. just a mouse or just a piano.. Makes a LOT of difference!
Rick
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musikman1
Lead
Joined: 4/06/08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 8/03/09 at 10:40pm |
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Hey Tony,
Give me a call anytime. When I'm stuck in the studio for weeks at a time, it's nice to have a human being to talk to!! :)
Rick
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TonyDi
Celebrity
Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325 |
Posted: 8/04/09 at 7:52am |
Okay Rick will do. Maybe a visit is in order some day too eh? And for the record I've seen what Rick does with his sequences. Takes him hours on hours (I know I've sat there and watched him do it) but so good end results - live sounding and nuanced to the hilt as singers/performers would use them. Awesome stuff done on top notch equipment made for REALISTIC instrument sounds as close to real as you can get. I covet his equipment and actually bought most of mine on HIS recommendation as well as one of his controller keyboards (yes I still have it). SO while LIVE is always a tasty treat - some people simply cannot afford the expense of totally live orchs - way high these days. But a few live pieces to go with what sounds like live orch the rest of the way - can't be beat. And even if you have to go completely digital - it still sounds superb. I know ringing endorsement and believe me, he doesn't need MY endorsement.
TonyDi
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"Almost famous"
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