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Originally uploaded on 26/01/2015
Desann in Space was composed back in 2013 alongside the Matthew's Dream album using the software synths provided with Logic Pro 9.
Back then I had created quite a few songs using samples from a video game that I played (and still do now). I mainly used samples from a character called 'Desann' hence the reason I called the song 'Desann in Space'.
Back then I had created quite a few songs using samples from a video game that I played (and still do now). I mainly used samples from a character called 'Desann' hence the reason I called the song 'Desann in Space'.
Desann in Space was originally created as an experiment both music and video wise.
I got the idea after watching a YouTube video showing how you can make chord progressions smoother by using chord inversions. I then started playing around on my Yamaha PSR 48 using the tips and tricks that I had learned from the video. This resulted in me coming up with the following chord progressions; C Minor, G Minor 7th, A# Major and F Minor 7th.
I then recorded the chord progressions that I had just come up with into Logic Pro 9, added drums and then the melody. Finally I added some pad sounds to go along with the song.
After creating my YouTube channel, I wanted to upload a version of ‘Desann in Space’ with the copyrighted samples omitted.
I was originally going to just replace the Desann drum samples with similar sounding ones and leave the rest as it was. I did find however that the new samples that I had replaced the Desann drums with did not have as much of an impact as the original did.
I then looked at my Yamaha PSR 280, which was sitting on my multi-tier keyboard stand and then thought to myself, “Maybe it would sound better on the PSR 280”.
I connected the PSR 280 to my Mac using an USB to MIDI adaptor, and then edited the song to use instruments that sounded similar to the software instruments used in the original. I really liked the way that it sounded on the PSR 280, so I recorded the audio output of the keyboard into my Mac.
For the video, I used photos of the keyboard, which I had taken earlier and arranged them in a slideshow using iMovie. The Yamaha PSR 280 has a neat feature that allows you to display the notes on a virtual keyboard displayed on its LCD screen. This is done by transmitting the parts you want it to display on MIDI channel 1.
When the main melody begins, the screen is shown from what appears to be an overhead view of the keyboard. The keyboard was not actually filmed from overhead. The keyboard was actually placed on its side and filmed with the camera pointing directly at it.
I got the idea after watching a YouTube video showing how you can make chord progressions smoother by using chord inversions. I then started playing around on my Yamaha PSR 48 using the tips and tricks that I had learned from the video. This resulted in me coming up with the following chord progressions; C Minor, G Minor 7th, A# Major and F Minor 7th.
I then recorded the chord progressions that I had just come up with into Logic Pro 9, added drums and then the melody. Finally I added some pad sounds to go along with the song.
After creating my YouTube channel, I wanted to upload a version of ‘Desann in Space’ with the copyrighted samples omitted.
I was originally going to just replace the Desann drum samples with similar sounding ones and leave the rest as it was. I did find however that the new samples that I had replaced the Desann drums with did not have as much of an impact as the original did.
I then looked at my Yamaha PSR 280, which was sitting on my multi-tier keyboard stand and then thought to myself, “Maybe it would sound better on the PSR 280”.
I connected the PSR 280 to my Mac using an USB to MIDI adaptor, and then edited the song to use instruments that sounded similar to the software instruments used in the original. I really liked the way that it sounded on the PSR 280, so I recorded the audio output of the keyboard into my Mac.
For the video, I used photos of the keyboard, which I had taken earlier and arranged them in a slideshow using iMovie. The Yamaha PSR 280 has a neat feature that allows you to display the notes on a virtual keyboard displayed on its LCD screen. This is done by transmitting the parts you want it to display on MIDI channel 1.
When the main melody begins, the screen is shown from what appears to be an overhead view of the keyboard. The keyboard was not actually filmed from overhead. The keyboard was actually placed on its side and filmed with the camera pointing directly at it.
I was originally planning on changing the name but decided to keep it, as it sounded nice.
After filming and editing the video, I uploaded it on to YouTube with no idea of how popular the video would be. At first, it didn't get that many views and was on par with “Matthew's Dream” at roughly 2-3 views per week. I then noticed that the views were slowly getting higher and it eventually overtook “The Palace” in being my most watched video.
Desann in Space has been my most successful video on YouTube with over 1679 views and 7 thumbs up at the time of me writing this article (25/01/2015) and it's still going strong with an average of 15-20 views every 48 hours. An estimated total viewing time of 2388 minutes (39.8 hours) has been watched since this video was uploaded and it has been embedded on a variety of websites (including my own of course) around the world.
Desann in Space shows just how powerful the PSR 280 can be for a keyboard in its price range. I've seen PSR 280's going for as little as £20 ($30.16) on eBay, although recently some have been selling for as high as £200 ($301.60).
Desann in Space was composed entirely by me with no Apple loops and it has been used as a basis for all my other keyboard related videos on YouTube. It also feels great to me that it is being enjoyed all over the world.
You can download Desann in Space to listen on your personal media device by visiting the downloads section of my website.
After filming and editing the video, I uploaded it on to YouTube with no idea of how popular the video would be. At first, it didn't get that many views and was on par with “Matthew's Dream” at roughly 2-3 views per week. I then noticed that the views were slowly getting higher and it eventually overtook “The Palace” in being my most watched video.
Desann in Space has been my most successful video on YouTube with over 1679 views and 7 thumbs up at the time of me writing this article (25/01/2015) and it's still going strong with an average of 15-20 views every 48 hours. An estimated total viewing time of 2388 minutes (39.8 hours) has been watched since this video was uploaded and it has been embedded on a variety of websites (including my own of course) around the world.
Desann in Space shows just how powerful the PSR 280 can be for a keyboard in its price range. I've seen PSR 280's going for as little as £20 ($30.16) on eBay, although recently some have been selling for as high as £200 ($301.60).
Desann in Space was composed entirely by me with no Apple loops and it has been used as a basis for all my other keyboard related videos on YouTube. It also feels great to me that it is being enjoyed all over the world.
You can download Desann in Space to listen on your personal media device by visiting the downloads section of my website.
Disclaimer: If you see my keyboard images and blog posts on online auction sites, it’s most likely that the seller has taken my content without my permission. I am not affiliated with any of these sellers and I cannot be held responsible for the items they are selling
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