I save soooooo much $$$ these days not having to use my session players in Nashville...As a Songwriting & Arranging tool it just gives me so many ideas...

Like this one...

Steve, very nice song, vocals, video production, your Korg of course sounds great, too! I remember reading that when Freddie Mercury left his band Queen to do a solo album, he said the great thing about being a solo artist is the music always came out exactly as he envisioned it, but the bad the bad thing was the music always came out how he envisioned it. I think what he meant was that not having his band mates to work with , collaborate ideas with, and even butt heads with made his solo work somewhat bland.
I’m not saying your music is bland, it sounds perfect to me, i’m just saying, sometimes it’s nice to have some musicians to work with, but I understand as you said, that it could be a very expensive endeavor, especially in Nashville. Anyways, I’m glad you found a workflow that works for you, keep on doing what you’re doing, congratulations on a great production.

Hello arranger friend.

I have the PA4Xpro and love the over all production and recording.Your video and song are wonderful. Well done.

I'd like to ask , what is your recording process when using the pa4x ?

Which type of microphone did you use ?

Thanks for the good word...Yeah, I agree. I just realized I have never met in person my Producer in Nashville or the session players on ALL MY COUNTRY SONGS..We have worked over the net since 2007...15years...Everything is email & drop box, maybe a call every blue moon..

On stuff I produce at home I will use a female BGV & electric guitarist in Nashville. Once again I never met them

Wow...I guess I am a solo Artist

Once I have an Arrangement in my head, I play & record the song all the way through on the fly...Need a good rhythm section. I try to hit the respective fills on first pass as I can always edit the details later...Personally, I rarely use anything from the Arranger initial recording except bass & drums. There are exceptions, but rare...That way my recording will never sound like an Arranger was used...I will record the lead instrument with the rhythm track: Piano or Acoustic Guitar & guide VOX will be cut next on my TASCAM DP24 which is synced to MIDI to my PA 4X...I'll also add in pads, or strings played live if needed. I ususally get inspired to edit the drums and bass to take the arrangement to a different level...Trial & error.

I record with an Audio Technica AT 4040 & a Neumann TLM 49 with a Solo 600 Preamp...That 4040 is $2200 less, but is a great budget mic and I've cut manay lead VOX on it...I use both mics on my acoustic guitar...AT 4040 at the 12th fret and the Neumann at the soundhole 8-12 inches away

Then I overdub on the TASCAM, dump it all to my comuter & mix on STUDIO ONE 6....I have a 16 channel Faderport so I got knobs & can use a mouse instead of clicking only on a mouse to mix..

From there I Master, do a video. & upload to YOUTUBE...

Then I wonder what do I do next ???

Thanks for sharing the process. again well done

So, in this final mix, which parts are still the arranger’s? Which are you playing the keyboard parts, and is there any guitar that isn’t you playing a real one?

Like you, I’m a big fan of using the arranger to get a basic scratch pad with the drums in the ballpark for overall groove. Then gradually subtract all the arranger parts with stuff you played, often on better sounding VSTi’s etc..

But having that full track in the first place definitely makes the creation process less difficult that being faced with a totally blank slate at the beginning!

Nice song… 👍🏼🎹

On this one I only used Bass & Drums from the Arranger. No Arranger Guitars pads or anything else besides Bass & Drums...Of course I edit the bass but especially heavy editing on drums to get this arrangement to breathe...I actually shut off the accompaniment while I recorded...Keyboard parts are all me, the Piano & pads...2 tracks of real acoustic guitars, my 1969 Yamaha Red Label Nippon Gakki which I bought for $20...

Nice. I tend to record the whole arranger, then one by one replace the ACC tracks with my own stuff. That way there’s always a bit of guitar rhythm or comping so I’m not back to playing to an (almost) blank slate, I have a bit of support. But I don’t play guitars much, if I did I might feel better about laying it down to just bass and drums.

But even my session work, I seldom have to play to tracks with no guitar (or no live guitarist laying it down at the same time), and it always feels weird when I do!

Good job, you're talented! Would love to have your arranger!