Re: [linux-audio-user] Music

On Sun, Jul 23, 2006 at 03:23:12AM -0400, Jordan Nash wrote:
> I downloaded and listened to
> http://www.xscd.com/pub/music/audio/ogg/stephen-doonan_blues-in-c-1.ogg
> blues-in-c-1.ogg:
> Sounds very much like a real grand piano being recorded professionally.
> Very nice.

For the piano sound I used my favorite piano samples, William Coakley's
"Perfect Piano V":

http://williamcoakley.com/piano.php?product=V

These samples are a little expensive, but not really much more than the
alternatives: a ROM add-on card that can be installed in a hardware tone
generator or synthesizer, or a "virtual instrument" plugin for computer
software such as Synthogy's Ivory. I have tried both myself (and own
Roland's SRX-02 "Concert Piano" add-on card which I never use
anymore--anybody with a Roland Fantom want it?) and have listened to
demo audio files of countless highly touted piano samples, but to me
William Coakley's samples sound the best. They are really superior,
beautiful piano samples on CD that can be loaded onto a compact flash
card which can be inserted into a Roland Fantom series keyboard, or a
Yamaha Motif series (I use a Roland FantomXR rack-mounted tone
generator).

> blues-in-c-2.ogg:
> Sounds a bit more like MIDI. I don't hear as much expression from the
> flute. If a synth is being used, it sounds VERY nice and lifelike.

Blues in C 2 was recorded as digital-audio, using a patch on my old
GeneralMusic RealPiano Expander tone module for the piano/choir sound,
and one of the many nice flute patches on the Roland FantomXR, played
onto a second track in Ardour using my 88-key MIDI keyboard (a Yamaha
P-90; I love Yamaha's particular weighted, hammer-action keboard).

> By the way, which license are you planning to release these under?

I tagged both the MP3 and OGG files with the Creative Commons
non-commercial, attribution, share-alike license:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/

In truth, I really don't care how people use my files or my music, so
perhaps I should have left off the "non-commercial" stipulation. I'm
just happy if people listen to and use my music at all. ;-)

Steve

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