Recording - April 2015 - 41

As a keyboard player, I can use this same technique of isolating an
instrument in a style to start off a song with some guitar strumming or
to add a picking pattern to a track. I will usually use a folk-rock or
acoustic ballad style to find a pattern that highlights the guitar. The
trick when using the keyboard to play a guitar pattern is to play guitar-style chords. I try to move only one or two fingers as I go from
chord to chord, and don't shy away from the sus2, sus4, 7th and 9th
chords that can make a pattern interesting.
FrankenStyle
It is also possible to create a new style by copying parts from existing styles. I may like the drums from style A, the percussion from style
B, the bass riff from style C, the organ from Style D, and the horns from
style F. Now I can really go to town finding the right chords, hooks,
and melodies to make my song ideas come alive. Plus, you can easily audition new sounds to play the instrument parts to create your own
"band" or customized voicings.
And there's more
There are a couple of other advantages to working with a high-end
arranger keyboard. Often, the delay and other effects are pre-synced to
whatever tempo you choose for your style, so that again can save some
time, and makes noodling around and experimenting a little more
rewarding.
As I mentioned earlier, the Quick Record Backing Sequencer mode
and Step Backing Sequencer Edit mode are just other ways to get data
into the on-board 16 track sequencer. You can erase or re-record any
part at any time. So while the Pa3X can be handy in creating a great
demo, I can always have my bass player come in and record a real
bass part after the fact. The Pa3X has extra assignable outputs, so I
could record every instrument individually by making multiple passes
of the same sequence and changing the output routings to my recording setup.

Finally, keep in mind that most high-end arranger keyboards feature a vocal harmony generator as a built-in
feature. I can choose how many voices and the type of
harmony chords to create some amazing background
vocals-with no additional tracking. The Korg Pa3X happens to use technology licensed from TC-Helicon, so the
results are pretty impressive. See Photo 6.
Keep in mind, I am just scratching the surface with these
examples. But for me, using an arranger keyboard provides a level of interaction that I can only get from sitting
down at an instrument. Some things that happen surprise
me and lead me in new directions, some things fall into
place to turbocharge my creative endeavors.
I have used my arranger keyboard to quickly transform
the sketches for a song that an artist may bring into my studio into fully-arranged demos. By running the same chords
and melodies using a new style, I have been able to give
one of my commercial clients' jingle a Latin feel to match
their Cabo Vacation contest in a matter of minutes.
My arranger keyboard has an immense musical vocabulary, top-of-the-line sounds, onboard effects, and the versatility to effectively integrate with my digital project studio. I can
also add a video monitor to the keyboard to display chord
changes, scores (see Photo 7), and even lyrics, making it easier for other musicians to play along with my compositions.
And using the methods I've mentioned, I can jam with my keyboard at any time to kickstart my creative juices.
Malcolm Doak (doak@recordingmag.com) is a musician and
freelance writer for the audio industry. He's enjoying life in a
secret lair high in the Northeast Kingdom after decades of
product development at Avid, M-Audio, Kawai America,
Oberheim/Gibson, Casio, and most recently at Korg USA.

http://www.isoacoustics.com http://www.isoacoustics.com

Recording - April 2015

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