Music and the Mac – my interview on the Typical Mac User Podcast
By Daphne Kalfon
On January 14th 2007 I was interviewed by Victor Cajiao of the Typical Mac User Podcast. He invited me on the show to talk about making music on the Mac, and how I’ve been using a Mac to make my music from the beginning.
I first started using a computer to create music in late 1997, and from that time on, I was always using a Mac. At the time, I started off using a Power Mac 7500, and over the years, I upgraded it several times.
What I was doing for the first several years was writing music scores for short films and 3D animation projects. For that purpose I used Cubase and Protools. Using something called a Miro card, and Protools with the Audiomedia III card, I would capture the video into Cubase. That way I could score to picture right within Cubase as opposed to the older system which was to sync your VHS machine to the transport controls of your sequencing software, and score to the picture playing on a separate monitor.
My computer eventually became stretched to the limit of its capabilities and so in November 2003 I upgraded to a dual 2 Ghz G5. I continued to use Cubase pretty much until GarageBand became available, and from that time on, I’ve been using GarageBand almost exclusively.
How the Mac song was born… Yes, I do get asked that a lot, but I’m always quite happy to elaborate because I think it’s a very unique story. The whole thing started when one day, while poking around on macjams (www.macjams.com) I saw an ad for a song contest put on by the people at macCompanion Magazine. What really intrigued me about it was that the contest was to write a love song about your Mac computer. Being the kind of thematic writer that I am, I immediately jumped on the opportunity.
Did this song make me “famous” – well, in a way yes - it has helped get my name out there and helped make people aware of the fact that I write music in the first place. Have I tried contacting Apple – yes, but haven’t heard anything back. But that’s okay.
The song has been translated into other languages and Victor asked me to explain the process by which that happens. Basically, I get an email from a fan who indicates that they would like to translate and sing the song in another language, and so I send them an mp3 with my vocal tracks removed. If the key is too high or too low for them, I make the necessary transposition along with a few adjustments to the music, and re-send. As in the case of the Japanese version, I created a new musical arrangement altogether because I really liked Junko’s vocals and thought they deserved a better musical fit.
Victor is also a musician and has been for years, so he has perhaps a deeper appreciation of the musical training that can be involved in mastering an instrument. We talked briefly about my classical and other training and how it has had a direct bearing on the music I write, such as the music on the daphna.ca website. I explained that having undergone those various studies, one can’t help but come out with a rich and varied tool box from which to draw when writing music.
Victor asked me if all of the music at my www.daphna.ca site was created with GarageBand. I explained that some of that music dates back to my filmscoring days, so some of it was created with Cubase, and for some of the orchestrations, I had used Finale or Sibelius, which are notation programs.
We talk about how powerful GarageBand really is and that most can only skim the surface of what it can do. This is so true. On the surface, GB has a fun, simple look, but in reality, it has everything necessary to create whatever any of the other more “high-end” programs can create. What comes out of that is all up to the user. I personally don’t know what it would be like to work with a program like GB and not have much knowledge of music. GB really has so much under the hood and not having a musical knowledge base to sort it out could be somewhat overwhelming I would think.
Victor was saying that what matters is not how fancy or powerful or whatever your equipment – it’s always the ears that give the final vote, not what technology you used to make it. I couldn’t agree more. This is not meant to say that you can’t just “have fun” with GarageBand. The whole point of it I think is that with GarageBand, you can just have fun, because it is kind to the neophyte. And hopefully it is fun enough to inspire some to want to learn about the inner workings of the language of music, and to a deeper appreciation of what is required to write a good piece of music, both of which I definitely think it has done.
A caller in to the show asked if I used real instruments on the “I Love My iPod” song – well no, I didn’t use any real instruments. I almost exclusively used virtual instruments within GB played by my full-size keyboard controller, an Alesis QS8. I know that on more than one occasion I have unwittingly fooled people into thinking that pieces of music I wrote were performed by real players. Once again, knowing enough about each different instrument that I write for goes a long way in helping to make that happen.
Victor talked about how podcasts are always looking for original music and asked me how I would go about writing the music for a podcast. Well, it would depend on the podcaster’s personality, the general style of the podcast and its subject matter. Based on a combination of those things, I would create the music for that podcast.
I was asked what tips and tricks I use to create my music. I offered up a few but honestly speaking, I really don’t have much in the way of tips and tricks. My biggest tip and trick is probably just knowing the language of music really well, so when I sit down to actually write something, my workflow is pretty quick because I know exactly what I want or need to do. It is just like an artisan with a studio full of all the tools they need to create any number of works; coupled with the artisan’s knowledge, skills and ability, he or she is more likely to work quickly and efficiently towards creating a finished piece.
I agree with Victor that people should listen to other composers’ styles to learn how to write better music and to help get them out of the box that they may have been creating in for some time – to explore other genres and see what general things like instrumentation and styling they can incorporate into their own music as a result of learning through listening. Learning to listen carefully along with some studies of music basics can really go a long way in helping to write better music . I liked the question he posed: “What are you doing musically and how musical is what you’re doing?”
I really enjoyed my talk with Victor. It was so good to meet another musician and have that common background and experience with music. I was especially appreciative of his avid interest in my “other” music, besides just “I Love My Mac” and “I Love My iPod”, and of his playing some of this “other” music on his show. Thanks Victor.
As Victor did with the show that day, I would like to dedicate this column to the memory of Michael Brecker, one of the most talented saxophone players the world has ever known.
