Registered: 07/21/05
Posts: 5387
Loc: English Riviera, UK
I listen to a few bands on YouTube (Or better still live) etc. to see which I like the feel of and then use those instruments as a basis.
I record the performance as a Midi file then play it back to see how it sounds, changing instruments & settings as the file plays.
When I am happy with the Midi File play, I transfer all the settings over to registration pre-sets and practice playing the song as if I was playing the actual instrument.
Hope this helps
Bill
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English Riviera: Live entertainment, Real Ale, Great Scenery, Great Beaches, why would anyone want to live anywhere else (I�m definitely staying put).
Registered: 06/25/99
Posts: 16735
Loc: Benton, LA, USA
I listen to the song on Youtube, find a style that matches, make some quick edits if necessary, work out the lyrics with chord changes in-line in a text program, transfer that to the PA3X, then save it all to a Songbook entry. Sometimes it takes seconds, sometimes hours. DonM
Do you want to sound as close to the record as possible, or do you want to forge your own path?
Either way works. One is more fun than the other, but riskier, as you might not hit the audiences' sweet spot.
But either method, I try to figure out how I can play the most I possibly can in realtime, and turn off as many arranger Parts as possible. There's a lot you can do by either setting up velocity switched sounds on one side of the split (say an organ part that turns into the brass section for ff hits) and layers (piano/chorus Strat for the left), or you can use your swell pedal to choose which of two sounds/layers you are playing by inverting the response on one of them...
Bottom line about the whole process is to record yourself. I often find that my on stage perception of a sound is colored by what else is going on. Only in retrospect, listening to it all while you aren't preoccupied with playing, can you decide whether your layout really works or not...
Hope this helps.
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An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!