Thoughts of Pedal Steel transposed to keyboard software.

[Barry Yasika]

I think I've seen things like this before on the forum and I know the keyboard sounds library is not only pretty extensive it's also pretty good with most instruments. I always thought pedal steel was fairly safe because it is unique in it's ability to raise, lower and leave some strings alone all at the same time. Not to mention the left had vibrato. I listened to some of the sound bytes of this software and I was surprised how well it emulates the pedal steel. I can tell that the "human" feel is missing but man, I was surprised how far these people have taken this. Anyway I thought this was very interesting and also a bit depressing. Computers have changed the world.

https://impactsoundworks.com/product/pe ... Fh-9TNl00k

[Ian Rae]

The world hasn't changed as much as you might think. Those who can afford it still prefer to hire a real orchestra. My brother does a lot of music preparation for movies and he tells me that (ironically) the biggest customers for live performance are the producers of video games!

[Dave Mudgett]

Some fairly recent discussions on this software and other attempts to thing kind of thing:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=356655

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=348867

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=346887

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=347673

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=172354 - an old thread which recently got revived

More details on that specific software:

https://gearspace.com/board/product-ale ... works.html

I probably said this before, but I think this whole approach speaks more to the state of music (or perhaps more germane - the music biz) these days than anything about the software and its capabilities.

But I also say that I haven't been this busy playing steel guitar in a long time. Part of that is that I have more time, but another part of that is that I am finding more people with fascination about actually making music, and steel guitar in general. I mean, I've done software for a living at various points of my professional career. And I mean this sincerely - treating the process of making music as a software issue would suck the life out of it for me. To me, there's much more creativity involved in writiing such software than using it, which would be just God-awful tedium to me. Robotic music just pisses me off, I want no part of it. IMO, being involved with the process of making music, not just the end result, is a significant part of both the making and enjoyment of music for people who actually care about music.

[Barry Yasika]

Hi Dave, I see your name on the forum often and know you, like myself live in Pa. I just wanted you to know that I am not supporting the software in place of a real musical instrument that a human being is playing. I'm just really more surprised at what these people have been able to accomplish. I'm an engineer myself although not much of a software man, more of a hardware man. So, to clear up any confusion, I'm on your side.

I remember a time during the 80's and 90's that I had more steel guitar work than I could handle. I'm saying this as someone who's at best on the intermediate level, on the low end of the scale. I use to try to help people find guys I knew that played steel that might be able to help. That list was small cuz everyone and there brother was working. To compensate for lack of a steel player back then, there were guitarist's who used b string benders to mimic the steel guitar sound. Roy Buchanan was able to make his Tele sound as authentic as a steel back in his day. So people trying to make steel guitar sounds is really nothing new. But it would never have had much effect on a proficient steel player.

I suppose my only real dilemma is how much better this software will get and for sure it's only going to improve. I know a guy that played drums for Jerry Reed and a few other older Celebrity type acts. He's an A list 100% Nashvile seasoned player. He complained about how much studio work he began to loose to the "Drum Machines". He made a decision to get off the road if he was just a live drummer for hire. It's hard to explain how this all relates but in my mind it does. I'm not and have never been a full time, on the road with anyone special, guitarist or steel player. I just kinda feel for some the newbie's who might get snuffed out of work or experience both studio and or otherwise all because you can buy a steel player in a box.

[Dave Mudgett]

Barry - my comments were most definitely not aimed at you in the slightest. I just think that the whole canned music thing has gotten out of hand. There have always been people trying to automate the music-making process - music boxes, player pianos, computer-generated music, and of course the technology has been developing continuously.

In fact, I think there are very legitimate uses for automated music performance. Backing/practice tracks, getting composition ideas down quickly, being able to quickly hear a musical idea, execute ideas that a human couldn't possibly do, and so on. However, I draw the line at substituting for live performance by human beings. To me, it cheapens the whole process.

Ironically, I spent a good chunk of my EE career in automatic control systems. Same issues there. There's a big difference between using automatic control to do things that humans couldn't do - e.g., fly-by-wire aircraft that operate in such a way that a human can't possibly control them, handling tasks that are very dangerous to humans like handling radioactive materials, and so on, versus simply replacing humans as a pure economic move.

At some point, I think one has to ask - what is the point of automating things to the point that all there's left for humans to do is just sit around and watch TV and play games all day? Is that what centuries and millenia of development of human civilization come down to? I guess I'll wager 200 quatloos on the proposition that the whole thing falls flat on its face at some point as people get sick of robotic crap and want something real. And I think there are a helluva lot of people who already feel that way.

[Barry Yasika]

Dave, Agreed on all points. I never felt your comment was direct at me at all. I guess the long and short of it for me is, - How good is this going to get? When if ever, will it end. Keep on picking brother, I've only played 3 or 4 gigs this past summer. It's refreshing to know there's steel players out there working. I get out that way once in awhile, I'll check in if I'm heading over your way to see if'n your playing anywhere. Love to hear other steel players, see what equipment the guys are using and talk the talk a little if there's time.

[Larry Dering]

Dave is accurate in his explanation of automated life. In the music world it has been both useful and detrimental to our livelihood. I listen to Pandora radio often and their jazz guitar channel has some computer generated music. You will quickly notice the loss of feel and lame repetition of it.

[Dave Hopping]

It just depends on the music biz. If it remains unprofitable we'll probably see more live bands being half-karaoke.Not my cuppa tea, but going to a bar isn't the fun experience it used to be, what with DUI Enforcement ready to pounce at closing time.

Posted a few days ago about a trio I was talking with. They use keyboard-generated pre-recorded fiddle and steel tracks. Fiddle sounds pretty good, the steel pretty fake, but adding a fourth won't enable them to get more bux to compensate, so they're in no real hurry.

[Chris Templeton]

Maybe ten years ago, somebody posted a link to some computer program that emulated a pedal steel.
It sounded pretty bad and really cheesy.
These days, producers of music look for any way to minimize costs of production and since the steel guitar has been relegated to the back of the bus, so to speak, no breaks and barely a fill, the steel's man purpose is to serve as an Identifier of country music. Slide guitar can also serve that purpose.
Seems anymore, modern country music is just about pushing alcohol and bagging or not bagging the babe.