Blogs
Piyala, the incredible vocalist who put life into this song, has created a beautiful video to accompany "The Dream". Could a songwriter be any luckier than me? The Dream (Video)
It was never about a DAW for me: It was only about Creating Passionate Music
By shaunfriedman, 2013-11-18
It was never about Fruity Loops for me, and never will be about Fruity Loops for me.
I was born in 1981. My father produced jingles for commercials, put Cleveland on the map, excelled at jazz piano, and had a state of art studio in 1985. I was immediately mesmerized by the sounds programmed with a floppy disk and the Yamaha DX-7 Keyboard.
Music is an art of expression. I have given my blood, sweat, and tears to this entity called music. It is the universal language and relates to both me and every human being around the world.
It was never about a DAW for me. It was about CREATIVITY. It was never about the Pro Tools vs. Cubase battle for me. That was simply a vessel to create a final product. It was never about Ableton.family:Helvetica;">
I ask you this: If you write a letter to someone, does it matter if it comes from Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, or another type of email program? No. Rather, it is about the content within the email and how it makes you FEEL.
Music means creating something from nothing. Like a painter with a paintbrush on a blank canvas.
I ask the world: Why be so obsessed with the Pro Tools vs. other software programs? I guess I can "sort of" understand those who say "these kids never learned an instrument." I can't really speak to that because I learned the piano and drums by ear, and then took that knowledge into the digital domain. I guess you can call me a hybrid of the analog and digital worlds. I am grateful that my dad "showed me the ropes" so to speak, using midi keyboards like Korg and Kurzweil, and manually playing in each harmony or drum pattern using a keyboard.
I ran into somebody today who claimed I was "stuck in box" by using the FL Studio Program. I would argue that any thinking that claims I am stuck in box is exactly that: Stuck in a box. For me, it has NOTHING to do with the software DAW so to speak. Yes, the software FL Studio is good for me because it allows me to sequence quickly. But the underlying message I am trying to communicate is this: The most important part about composing music is NOT the software that you use. Certainly it can help in the process, and you should find the DAW that works best for you, but it is all about your own creativity. It's about how you add each section of your song, the harmonies you incorporate, and the way the melody or baseline makes you FEEL.
Music makes you FEEL. It makes you FEEL when you hear it through a radio. It makes you FEEL when you are working out and listening to music on your iPOD. it makes you FEEL when you are dancing to music in a club. It PICKS YOU UP when you are feeling down. It motivates you. It connects you. It reminds you. It's your friend. It's the emotion that is indescribable. It is different for each person listening, yet it connects everybody.
As producers, engineers, and composers, it is not about what DAW you use. It's about how you make your audience FEEL. If you can get your message across using Pro Tools, by all means use it. If you like Digital Performer like the famous composer Hans Zimmer, use it. If you like fruity loops, keep at it. If you like Cubase or Ableton, stick with what works.
The main battle comes between each fellow producer. We are supposed to be making music that makes people FEEL. This was never a gimmick for me. I have seen the forums and I have seen the YouTube comments. Why do we have to battle with people that are using different DAWS? We should be encouraging people who are making music, not cutting them down because they use a certain DAW. Just because you use Pro Tools doesn't mean you are better than someone else. Rather, pro tools (in certain cases) may be a crutch to certain people, because they have no real creativity. It's like spraying Febreze instead of really cleaning your carpets: Your house still stinks and the spray is only a cover up. You will be exposed for who you are in due time.
I can create in Pro Tools. I can create in Cubase. I can create in FL Studio. I can create in Ableton. I can create in Digital Pefrormer. I have been multi-tracking since I was 5 years old, using a Casio Sk-8. It was never about a DAW. It was only about creating. I can only shake my head in disbelief when I see or I am part of these arguments, which base themselves upon what DAW you are using, and not WHY you are creating music in the first place. For the LOVE. Not for a gimmick. Not for notoriety. For the love of music and creativity.
Congratulations to Danielle Bloom for having the Mixposure.com Song of the Week! Check out the tune I Give Up here !
Bio:
Being a preacher’s daughter didn’t stop Danielle Bloom from having dreams of being a kick-ass, hard driving, Rock-n-roll Goddess. Sure, Danielle grew up singing in the choir and touring the church festival scene, but she shed her choir robes for corsets and cut-offs and hit the rock scene hard, never looking back.
Armed with a long resume of music behind her, (Danielle cut a pop record at the a...ge of 16 and while still a teenager, she belted out the National Anthem during sporting events including opening for the Atlanta Braves), Ms. Bloom moved to Nashville where she honed her powerhouse rock chops and mastered the fine art of no-nonsense rock and roll songwriting. Collaborating with a range of writers,including her brother Aaron Julison (bassist for Kid Rock) Danielle has crafted a catalog of gritty, introspective and telling songs that weave together the story of Danielle Bloom. "I've written about things I've gone through personally and the way I'm feeling at that moment in my life. I want to live as authentically as I can and hope to inspire others to do the same."
Not only do you feel the authenticity in her songwriting, but you see it in her raw, in-your-face live performances. Often compared to Janis Joplin or Joan Jett, Danielle not only displays incredible voice theatrics, but her stage presence is felt from the first row, right through the front door. Danielle says that her "favorite part of this musical journey is performing. I love being on stage and rocking it out.” And rocking it out is exactly what she does. From her funky moves to her unique musical style and out of this world costumes, Danielle proves that rock-n-roll is not just a man’s game, but it’s also for chicks with six-inch platforms and cat suits.
Underneath the skin-tight hot pants and steely black eyes, there is a soft side to Danielle Bloom. She is on a mission to inspire women “to stand up and be strong. I want to encourage them to know that they are beautiful and amazing." She is committed to doing more than just entertain her audience, which she does with sizzle, but Danielle is also determined to engage, inspire and change the mindset of anyone within earshot. “I want to inspire people in a positive way with my music. We are all capable of anything.”
Danielle fills her shows and her music with the passion with which she lives her own life. Her upcoming release is laced with her passions. These messages manifest in songs like "Revolution," which encourages a revolution of authenticity. In it, Danielle sings, "Stop complaining 'bout your situation/ Let's start a revolution, you and me." "Tell Me Why" is a powerful song that takes womanizers to task and encourages women to rely on their intuition and independence, and not a man to determine their worth. Ultimately, she classifies the album as being about self-reflection, but Danielle’s ability to bare her soul through her music, expresses a collective wisdom that can resonate with anyone, no matter their situation
I have had the good fortune of Piyali offering to sing a new song of mine called The Dream. Talk about power vocals! I hope you like it.
We have changed the Private Message system to be like it was before so you can now message anyone in the system. If I have to start managing a ton of spam then we will need to address this issue again at that time.
Please let me know if you have any issues!
Thanks,
Todd
I continue to have no way to contact you directly on Mixposure and it continues to not allow me to post a note on your page so I thought I'd use this and hope you see it. John, thank you very much for your recent kind and thoughtful review. Dave
Congratulations to Tara Lewis for having the Mixposure.com Song of the Week! Check out the tune here !
Bio
I write songs that mean something to me. sometimes this can be brutally honest but that usually happens when the connection is strong. I try to keep it simple, as true to the spirit as possible, and let the song come through. these are all channelled songs, coming out of a deep, hypnotic, musical meditation..
Title track from the new album by the TrueVulgarians, "A Reason to Walk in the Rain"! Hopefully the remainder of the album will be posted in the upcoming months as we head into the new year. Song is meant to be food for thought...