New to Taxi and the forum...

[keysmandld]

Hi everyone,I must admit that I'm like a kid in a candy store at this point...new to Taxi and new to the forum. Don't know where to go and what to choose next. Hard for me to imagine the wealth of knowledge represented here. And as for the music that some members are doing, well let's say that I am severely impressed! So much so in some cases that I wonder if I belong here at all. I have a long ways to go to reach the bar in some cases.Anyway, thot I would take the time to introduce myself as I have written several posts and no one knows who this mystery writer is. I have been involved in music since I started accordion lessons at age 10. That was 45 years ago, so now you know how old I am. About 20 years ago I wrote a few tracks for a production library in Buchanan, MI. It was a fledgling then, but has since grown to be a large company. For reasons I would rather not disclose the relationship with that company sort of went out the window. I was hooked, back then but if you didn't live near a music Mecca, you had almost no chance of making a living doing this kind of work. When I started the Atari ST (with 1 meg of RAM) and Notator software was the Cadillac of the midi world. There was no such thing as actually recording audio to your computer though such things were fantasized about in a Jules Vernish sort of way. Back then you synched up your computer by way of SMPTE time code to someone's 16 track tape machine and dumped midi tracks at a whopping 4 per pass onto tape. Then you mixed. If you could find someone with a 24 track, you were living high. A 4 track cassette Portastudio was a home studio then. The idea of actually burning CDs at home was ludicrous as the equipment would have probably cost as much as your home! As for transferring files over the internet...let's just say that Federal express was a lot busier then. Anyone besides me old enough to remember those days?Anyway to make a long story short, things have changed dramatically since those early days of midi! With digital recording and the internet, it is now possible to do what I dreamed of 20 years ago right here from my home. I have been following Taxi since it's inception in the early days when those "in the know" warned of such "rip off con artists". They were often referred to as song sharks. Now I'm not so sure. After reading the success stories and the forwards, I am convinced that maybe I made a mistake by not joining Taxi long ago. What really sealed my decision was the encouragement I received from a local guy who is a frequent poster on the forum. He got forwarded and signed. I thot, if he can, maybe there's a chance for me.I am hoping that I can contribute to what some of you are doing by way of a listening ear from time to time, though I am a bit of an old fogey. I have a hard time figuring out if stuff fits into certain categories, for example Hip Hop, Trip Hop, it's all the same to me. But, I have an experienced ear and know the elements of good music are still the same: Rhythm, melody, and harmony mixed in with a dose of contrast and logical form. Top it off with a good mix and you've got a winner! Hoping to get to know you better on the forum.Best regards, David Doolin (aka Keysman)

[mojobone]

Welcome, Dave! I think you've come to the right place. For whatever it's worth, I've been recording since before there was any such thing as digital audio; pipe dream, that. Still have all my old MIDI gear, too...

[keysmandld]

Thanks Reverend,I am hoping that I have come to the right place. I have torn my hair out trying to make this work here in Indiana without much luck. I have a bunch of old Atari stuff sitting around too. Actually the midi functions in C-Lab Notator were pretty sophisticated even by today's standards. Hope to see you around the forum.

[mojobone]

Heck, ya might see me up South Bend way, sometime; I'm in Lafayette.

[philbrown]

Welcome brother Dave! Phil here, I too am a NewJack [Intro here in the General Forum: NewJackCity: Village Gets An Idiot] and feel much like you...Overwhelmed with all the info and music and just cool folks.You'll find that most everyone here is pretty even-keeled for the level of musicianship that isrepresented (in all catagories) and the vibe is very friendly and open.Checkin' out your tunes and very nicely done, good production - there's a lot of folks here that do this type of stuff I am venturing into this myself but still all-in-all 'just a Rock guy' ; - ]Welcome to the Jungle...

[wta]

David, I've read a few of your posts and glad to meet ya. I'm a rock guy like brownski but love acoustic and ambient cuts as well. I don't go as far back as you but tape and adat are what I cut my teeth on. I love being a recording artist as much as a producer/engineer so this forum and the Taxi realm is an awesome world to soak in and learn and share... We got fun and games... wta

[georginasaint]

Hi Dave, Welcome to Taxi University. You'll learn loads here, I'm sure. Taxi has changed my life in the best way possible. Good luck to you! Have fun!Georgie

[frayedknot2b]

Hey Dave, Just wanted to say welcome from the Country side of the tracks.

[toddt]

Hi and welcome fella. Thanks for the introduction, and look forward to hearing your stuff.

[orest]

Welcome Dave!! Enjoy your stay and don't hesitate to ask if you have some questions!