As you may know from previous posts I have owned Korg equipment for many years.

My last purchase has been the MicroArranger which I am delighted with it suits my style of playing very well (light fingers)

Just to toot Korgs trumpet for them my previous board was and still is a Pa2x which I bought second hand on eBay. I used the Pa2x for approx 15 months when the LEDs started to blow. I contacted Korg approx 6 months ago to ask if anything could be done. The responce was to send me some UPS labels to return the board and the faulty parts would be replaced FOC.

Unfortunately at the time we were just moving house so I delayed sending the board back for 6 months. Having got my act together I thought Korg may have changed their mind, but no problem, just return the board ASAP and it will be repaired. I have just recieved the Pa2x complete with new circuit boards, no charge.

I feel this sort of service should be applauded.

Sorry to go on but I had a Korg i30 for my first Korg keyboard and during that time I purchased a Korg iH harmoniser. The are a little tricky to set up Midi wise and I must confess I never got to grips with it. However being a glutton for punishment I saw an iH on ebay a few days ago and managed to buy it, this is 1996 technology. It looked just like it had come out of the box. This time having had more experience I managed to set it up with no problems.

My previous vocals posted have been using the harmoniser on the Pa2x and recently with the Harmony M, also from eBay.

Bearing in mind this little box is 16 years old see what you think. Apparently it was manufactured using IVL technology which also developed Digitech equipment. This was recorded withe the Micro. not the Pa2x.

http://www.box.com/s/9030pv9cvsn4nuqagreo

Regards

Col

Col. Saswick !

I really enjoyed your KMA & Digitech VH rendition of "If Tomorrow Never Comes".
Fine performance & terrific KORG sound.
I really like that classic "warmer" iH Korg & Digitech sound compared to the harsher (cold?) sound' of current VH offerings.
I regret having sold my old Digitech harmonizer now.

btw: are you still planning to sell your Pa2x and
stick with your KMA as your sole axe now?

Scott

Hi Scott

Yes I,m defintely going to sell the Pa2x and I am thinking of pairing the Micro up with a Microstation sort of a tiny Pa3x + a Kronos if you will. (that should raise some eyebrows)

I'm really happy with the little biddy keys. I think the Harmony M may also be on the way, good Lord I'm beginning to sound Donny.

Speak to you soon, regards

Col

Col...this is one of my favorite songs.......good job, music sounds awesome... but again why sing HARMONY thruout the whole song?....Harmony should be tastefully entered in a song at appropriate places to accent the vocals just as background singers would do IMO.

While that often is the case it is not always that way. For example Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang a number of songs where the main lead vocal was sung in harmony throughout the song. And they are not the only artist that do that.

Hi Donny

The harmony was only used in the chorus, the effect used in the verse was voice doubling.

This Korg iH harmoniser has a Harmony Mode and a detune mode(voice doubling)

In Detune there are 3 different Modes:

1 Light detune (2 voices +/- 7%)
2 Heavy detune (2 voices +/- 12%)
3 Light and Heavy combined 4 voices

Needless to say you got No 3 , I always give good value for money.

In Harmony you can have up to 4 voices from the selection below:

2 above 3rd 5th or 7th
2 below 3rd 5th or 7th
Bass tracking (the voice follows the root)
I in unison

I promise I WILL try to do better in future but it is difficult to teach old dogs new tricks (BIG 70 on Monday where did it all go). That reminds me of a new song, well new to me, Old Dogs, Children and Water Melon Wine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm36X3ZapLg

Watch this space.

Regards

Col

Ok Col....I stand corrected...didn't know what you were using to effect your vocals....I can understand Nigel's post also in certain songs it is VH appropriate also...coming from 25 years on stage with a 7pc show group I am so used to background singers 7 their stylings during a song punching in & out. If I offended anyone I sincerely apologize. Take care..

Col, you have a good voice. Like DNJ, I wanna hear MORE of it and use the effects for, uh, effects!
DonM

Hi Donny and Don

Donny you haven't offended any one and i didn't intend to sound a bit sharp in my reply. I really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to reply, regardless of what I said about old dogs I am always glad to hear your comments and I really am prepared to accept advice.

The voice most certainly is not what it used to be bearing in mind I started singing in a skiffle group when I was sixteen and have played and sung with a variety of bands ever since, mainly singing harmony and playing Guitar and Bass.

Keyboards and singing the type of songs I am attempting now is relatively new. The excessive use of effects is indicative of a certain lack of confidence.

I think that we all can learn from each other especially from the more experienced amongst us, I only wish more members would post examples of their work.

It took me quite a while before I plucked up courage to post something.

Once again thank you for taking the time to post what I consider to be constructive critisism.

I am prone, like Tony, to pass sarcastic comments at times, please put it down to our British sense of humour

Kind Regards to all

Col

It's great to know the degree of support Korg has provided... and super nice of you to share the story with us.

Dave Rice

Col....please excuse my UK ignorance but what is a Skiffle group?

Colin,

Most folks on SZ are gents and even if they did think you sounded tosh, they wouldn't say so,its like joining the Freemasons, it's a bit hush hush. If I start sing at home through the Audya or T4, my wife will say "why the hell are singing like a girl, your voice is nice without all that tosh" she deaf as well...heeeee Colonel Colin, I wouldn't want to post anything on CZ, just in case they said it wasn't me because it sounded too good for a none professional. Now the problem they have, am I being sarcastic, who will never know. You enjoy yourself Colin and tomorrow you can sing Happy Birthday to yourself as many times as you want, in whatever key you want, and with what VH you want.

You have a happy birthday Colin and many more of them, like me they are becoming more precious every year.

Kind Regards

Tony Hughes

Donny,

You have let your old mate down badly, I cannot believe you have asked this question, Donny the intrepid surfer, SZ answer to Reuters, here you are old lad, if in doubt look onto the Tinternet, as we say in Blighty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi2prqiopUE&feature=related Elizabeth Cotton wrote USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx4eN5_MAZ8&feature=fvwrel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vipers_Skiffle_Group If in doubt Wiki
http://www.lonniedoneganinc.com/
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1kfb9_lonnie-donegan-battle-of-new-orlean_creation

I thought you just might like the last one!!!


Tony

All us, er, more mature (well, in theory) blokes started off in skiffle groups. Great days. Anyone who could manage two or three chords or plunk away on a tea-chest bass (i.e., moi) was in a skiffle group, and most of us sort of graduated from there.

Like Col, I spent 9 years with an i30 and an ih harmoniser - not too shabby a set-up. And since Col wished more members would post summat, I have Mustang Sally done with the i30/ih combination. Just need to find out how to post the 'box' link.

Morning All

Sorry I left you last night an old Guy needs his kip (Sleep Donny).

As for Skiffle just to demonstrate I,ll record a Skiffle Classic today, all things being equal, providing the voice holds out.

We have a Gig on thursday evening entertaining the local WI (The Womans Institute) as Tony will tell you they can be a fearsome bunch of ladies they crucified our previous Prime Minister Tony Blair when he agreed to address them. The last ime we played for them they asked us not to do so many Country songs when we came again.(there's no accounting for taste) Maybe we will do some Skiffle this time Ha Ha

124 Sorry I don't know your first name. I look forward to Mustang Sally.

Speaking of performances I have a selection of numbers recorded by Mr Mason, Sir I bow to you, the first time I heard you play Matchbox I couldn't believe it was a keyboard not a guitar, great stuff. I loved your rendition of Toe's the other day.

Regards

Col

PS: I like my Jazz as well as Country and the 60's , I played a fretless bass for 25 years in a Jazz Quartet (Definition: Three Musicians and a Drummer)

Thanks, Col.
Looks as if you and I are the only ones around this time of night.
I know a Skiffle style on Yamaha arranger can be used to play Lay Down Sally and Garden Party. That's the extent of my knowledge of skiffle!
I'm gonna skiffle off to bed now, it's nearly 3 a.m. Cajun Time.
DonM

Not at all Donny. I was just pointing out that there are different production styles used. But of course harmony generally is applied like you mentioned to enhance choruses with background singers.

Arrrrgh! Having problems separating the one song from the five that are on my Box page. How's it done?. I tried the 'get link to share' option and it brings up the whole page - and all the access/details stuff.

Hi 124

Select the song as if you were going to play it, look to the top right hand side of the screen, Under Sharing you will find link, click on link, a window appears where you can copy the link to the song.

Paste the link into your topic and Bobs your Uncle.

Col

Thanks, Col. I just tried that but it still opens up the whole folder and all my account details and stuff is accessible to the world. So I don't know what's going on.

Hi 124

When you access the individual songs yourself you can see all the details of the folder and your other directories but other people veiwing can only see the individual song.

Col

Hi Col,

I've now put it on Soundcloud, so hope this works.

http://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

Cheers

124,

I got a log-in page for face book when I clicked the link. Put it on Box Net and post a link--much easier.

Gary

Hi Gary,

Weird. I get the track, no FB links here. Oh well, back to Box. how's this?
http://www.box.com/shared/r04vnjk37z

Timeless song, timeless sound. Great job!
Thanks for sharing.
DonM

The second one worked. I can only echo DonM's statement. "Great Job!"

Gary

Thanks, guys. I'm just glad it worked. You'll have gathered by now that computers and me is not a marriage made in heaven.

DonM, the style on that was called 'Memphis'. Is that still on the Pa3X?

Not by that name, but I'm sure there's is something very close. Anyway, styles from the older units can be loaded.
Don

Well worth waiting for great performance

Come on the rest of you

Regards

Col

PS: Just found Memphis on the Micro

Thanks, Col, glad you enjoyed it. I love all that mid-60's Stax stuff. Never mind all the 10-year-old technology talk on here, 10-year-old tech. on 45-year-old music works for me.

Hi 124,
I really enjoyed your fine rendition of Mustang Sally.
I assume the female back up vocals were produced with the Korg ih VH?
Was this added later on a separate track, and with 'your' voice triggering the female harmonies?
I really like the warm iH sound. Very realistically convincing.
I also notice that 'everything' expect for the backup harmonies, is in 'mono'. Was that intentional?
I would have liked to have heard your Korg i30 in stereo too. - Scott

Here it is years later and I notice change. I guess a few of the folks get tired of the same sounds etc.

I remember getting laughed at because after trying all of the recommended Mics, I chose the Shure 58. All of the other Mics for me made the awful "Popping" noise with a word starting with the letter"P" came up in a song. Then a while back I noticed one of the guys here was enjoying his return to the "Shure 58" after a long absence.

I still think that the ih harmony box sounds great with my dinosaur i30. The ih was made by VL Technologies especially for the i30 I was told by a person that recommended this rig to me. It's still a great set up. I have one for gigging and another in the office set up to learn new tunes etc.

If you can remember back some years (which is hard for me to do) it seems some things go in circles. I guess "history does repeat itself. LOL!

Hi Scott,

Thanks very much for your kind comments. The female backing vocals are the real thing, i.e., the missus, through the ih.

The recording was done in Adobe Audition with the i30 on track 1 straight out of the summed left/mono output jack. Since the i30 was recorded that way I guess, in retrospect, it could have been done stereo.

The vocals were done with the lead on track 2, and the harmony on track 3. I just added some plate reverb and a bit of compression to both afterwards.

Thanks again.