FREE TRACK: Skeletons “NO (Midi Verision)”

• WFMU

• Experimental Pop

This is the “MIDI VERSION” of the song “No” from the album “PEOPLE” by Skeletons.

This was made (mistakes and all!) by playing midi drums, a keyboard, and a midi guitar live, then using “SOFT-SYNTH” presets to create a “version”. We then edited the original vocals from the “PEOPLE” album to fit this new “version”.

We used the presets: “Hip Hop Heavy Kit”, “Square Pad”, “Subsonic Bass”, “Wurlitzer 200A”, “God Bless”, and “High Strings” from Logic Pro – for this particular “version”.

Download the “NO (Midi Version)” album and get the midi file and vocal track – and make your own “version”! Have the drum part played by an OBOE or the keyboard part played by “Nature Sounds”. Use the “Vocal Transformer” to make Matt’s vocals into a woman’s voice. Or scrap the vocal tracks and record your own (lyrics below). Or screw the whole thing up and make a new piece of avant-garde “MIDI MUSIC”. Or scrap the midi and make a new backing track. It’s in YOUR hands.

Import or drag the midi file and vocal track together into a session – it should be compatible with all midi/audio capable software programs (Logic, Garageband, Pro-Tools, Ableton, etc!). The midi file will split into 6 different midi tracks as follows:

1. DRUMS
2. Keyboard part
3. Bass
4. Keyboard part (doubled – GET LAYERED!)
5. Midi Guitar part
6. Midi Guitar part (doubled)

Rather than make it easy on you – we recorded the midi without a click (who wants to be stuck to a grid!)! SO the bpm should be set to 120 (typically the default) for the midi and audio to sync properly.The song itself is in 13/8, and is not at 120bpm. Herein lies a challenge…

Have fun and share your “versions” with us! Email – skeletons @ shinkoyo.com and send us a link! We’ll post them here and re-post and re-post and re-post!

-SKELETONS, INC.

I’M LEARNING HOW TO SAY NO
BEEN PRACTICING WAYS TO SAY IT
DELIBERATE AND SLOW
I’M LEARNING HOW TO QUIET MY MIND
ALL I NEED IS A LITTLE BIT OF TIME

I WAS ALWAYS OUT WAITING FOR THE SUN TO RISE
TO MANY LINES TO STAND IN
SO MANY PLANS DEMANDING
I DON’T CARE IF YOU CAN DIE A MILLION TIMES
I’D JUST RATHER NOT BE THE ONE TO TRY

NEXT TIME YOU NEED ME
I WON’T BE AROUND
I’LL BE HIDING
NOT MAKING A SOUND
I WON’T CARE IF THE WORK DON’T GET DONE
I WON’T CARE IF ALL OPPORTUNITY’S GONE

I’M LEARNING HOW TO SAY NO

credits
released 19 November 2011
Matthew Mehlan – Keyboard, Vocals
Jason McMahon – Midi Guitar
Jonathan Leland – Midi Drums