The Lamb Laid Down on MIDI

February 2012 Update

2012-02-05T11:15:00.001-05:00

I know that there hasn't been a lot of music posted. I have made a decision to NOT post stuff in progress like I have done in the past. The reason behind this decision is that these past tracks weren't really completed, just were I was at the time in the recreation. I have spent the last couple of years getting more of the original equipment used by Genesis when recording the LAMB... updated this equipment has done quite a bit to further the goal of the project. I know where the compromises have been made and as such what I still need to get the music closer.I know have everything I need for Tony's gear EXCEPT a Steinway D that has been sampled with the same characteristics used in the studio. This is a very important sound for many songs (Title track, Anyway, Lamia to name a few).Phil's drum kit is also very unique and still making compromises. I have found a sampled kit that gets me close to the snares and the toms and also updated to a very good sample set of cymbals. The drums now sound better than in previous tracks. Missing however, is the TIMBALE sound used in most of the drum fills PHIL did. Again, this isn't about finding TIMBALE samples, rather TIMBALES samples with the sound from the LAMB. Phil has them tuned and plays them like TOMS, sampled TIMBALES sound more like a LATIN PERCUSSIONIST would use.Steve's equipment is almost 100% duplicated in my library. I have his entire audio chain for when he uses the LES PAUL, from the guitar to the channel strips on the original HELIOS desk. There is another guitar that I have to find for his other electric sounds. Steve did not use his Les Paul as the exclusive electric guitar in the studio.Mike's rig is also pretty much duplicated for his BASS sounds.. from the guitar to the mixing desk... but again, his other guitars and amp chain (think electric 12 string) is still a mystery to me. So, this has been pretty much a trial and error process to try and get this sound. I have some ideas to try but this takes quite awhile to set up and record and analyze what I am experimenting with for these sounds.Obviously, there is still the percussion and acoustic guitars used but I am pretty close on these.The mixing desk is another area where I have pretty much what I need to recreate the sound of the desk (which is a very important part of the overall sound of The Lamb).So, at this point, I am thinking about putting up some partial tracks that I think are close to being done just to get some feedback on the performance, instruments used, mixing, etc.Other than these audio examples, I think I am going to wait until I am closer to having all the tools I need to post complete songs.One last note, I was contacted by Lilywhite Lilith (the blond woman who has been making videos about Classic Genesis performances) and asked to help her on an upcoming project comparing the instruments used on The Lamb, LIVE vs STUDIO. She has a pretty good base for the LIVE stuff in that The Musical Box Tribute Band has given her access to everything that they have to recreate the LIVE show. She stumbled upon The Lamb Laid Down on MIDI during her research and asked for my help. What little I know, I have shared with her and hopefully has helped decode the magic of The Lamb. So, this is what I needed to say about the progress of the project but I can say that the music is sounding much better than it did a couple of years ago and once I have the entire sounds duplicated, the finished tracks will move a lot faster.THANKS!Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

Jan 2012 Update

2012-01-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

The Helios channel strips have arrived. One of them needed to be returned for some technical issues but one of them is working real well. I sampled Steve's guitar sound for Hairless Heart (electric guitar) using the exact recording chain that was used back in 1974 in the studio. That is an H&H IC100 tranny amp head with a HiWatt 4x12 cab (with the purple fanes), a 57 Les Paul, and a custom pedal board with a Cry Baby Wah Pedal, an MXR Phase 90, a Schaller volume pedal, a Shaftesbury Duo Fuzz and a Marshall Supa Fuzz and a Coloursound Octivider, recorded with a Shure SM 57 with the Helios channel strip. The guitar samples sound almost IDENTICAL to Steve's sound on this song.A close friend of mine who has been following this project for year's now suggested that I try and do Hairless Heart next for a couple of reasons, one, is it probably the easiest Genesis song to perform and play EVER and that there are a bunch of new sounds on this track so I agree with this approach.The floaty organ in the beginning needs a couple of channel strips to record the Leslie (rotating) speaker in stereo so I have to put this off until the second Helios channel returns (should be within a couple of weeks). By the way, these are being made with official licensing of Dick Swettenham (God Rest His Soul) by an English chap named Tony Arnold (who now lives in France). Tony was a very well know technician in the English music scene of the 60s, 70s and probably worked on every Helios desk ever made. He has a real passion to make these new channel strips with all the exacting details of the original designs. The design that GENESIS used with both the Island Mobile and at the Basing Street studios, was the Helios Type 69. To this day, Tony actually calls all of his customers to offer whatever support you may need with these Helios units. When he heard that one of my units wasn't working right, he offered to send me one ASAP from the UK to get me up and running right away. I purchased mine from Vintage King and without getting into a lot of details, it turned out that I would actually get mine quicker if Tony sent the replacement unit to VK first and they would expedite it to me... had something to do with customs and bunch of other export/import issues. So, if you ever think you might want to get some of these, rest assured that they are being made as a labor of love with all the support one might expect.Back to the floaty organ sound... one of the real interesting parts of this sound is UNIQUE to the T Series Hammond Tony used, that is, this sound is mostly a PERCUSSION stop on the organ mixed with a very low drawbar setting. I will be sampling this soon, as I said, and will probably give away the sample sound to anyone who is a customer of Shabby Chic Samples and want to get a preview of the organ samples that I will eventually make available through the site.The early work on the track are sounding real good to me and I am sure that you will hear the payoff of all this background work of focusing on getting the right sounds for the project.Hope you had a Happy New Year and thanks for supporting this site.Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

Project Update

2011-12-03T20:57:00.001-05:00

Not a lot of music happening now but I have been very busy. It has dawned on me that before I get serious about creating more of the music (the easier part), I need to get the sounds and mixing techniques together.To that end, I have been increasing my vintage gear but now working more on the studio gear than the instruments. I have gotten an 1176 compressor and 2 Helios - Type 69 channel strips. Even though I am doing this project In The Box (ITB), the custom samples that I have been making need to be tracked using this same equipment used in the studio by Genesis when they tracked The Lamb.This equipment will be used to make all of the custom sample programs I need for the project and also for the offering from Shabby Chic Samples so that customers can also have the sounds either FLAT or pre-processed with the wonderful HELIOS sound.The neat thing about the Helios gear is that in addition to having a very unique character but it is very musical.. you can really push the EQ on the channel and still sound great. I will create a little demo of this later so you can see how much 10K is needed on the drum kit to get Phil's kit sound.So, for now, thanks for stopping by and have a very happy holiday season.Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

Hammond and Leslie Update

2011-08-21T18:16:00.002-04:00

A small update to the Hammond and Leslie issues. As you may recall, I discovered that the power amps were blown in the Leslie 760 and sounded like Jon Lord playing with Deep Purple which isn't the sound of Tony Banks. I ordered a studio power amp (ART SLA-1) to replace the internal power amps of the Leslie.

After a few hours this weekend, I wired in the new amp and I am happy to report that the Hammond and Leslie now sound SUPER SWEET. I got all the innards of the Hammond working properly a few weeks ago and now that the Leslie is up and running and sounding good, it is time to seriously sample the Hammond thru the Leslie.

I ordered a new audio interface for the DAW as well (Roland Octa-Capture) which allows me to capture up to 8 channels of audio into my DAW. The idea here is to use a matched stereo pair of mic's on the upper rotor and a nice, warm mic on the lower rotor and a couple of overhead mic's to capture some air. I have the mic's but needed to order a couple more boom mic stands to set up the environment for the sample session.

It won't be long now until I finally have the correct Hammond sounds to enhance the project.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Fuzz Bass and Hammond Issues

2011-08-13T12:41:00.003-04:00

My Hammond DR arrived and installed the LESLIE kit. However, the leslie sounds REAL distorted and after some trouble shooting found out the the cross over was fine and that the problem is with the power amps. Trying to find a replacement power amp for a LESLIE 760 is nearly impossible but the DR came up with a pretty good work around. I am going to use a stereo power amp (the kind you would use for monitors or a PA) and feed the two signals from the crossover to the stereo amp. The output of the stereo amp is going to go directly to the treble and bass speakers in the leslie. I should be OK and have ordered an ART SLA-1 power amp which is on the way.

The Micro-Frets bass also needs another trip to the Doktor. There is a wierd buzz going on with the HIGH E string so the neck may need some adjustments. Also, I have a lot of HUM in the pickups and I am going to have the DR try to sheild the pickups a bit better. And lastly, I got some new ORIGINAL hardware for the MF. I am going to replace all the magnetic poles in the pickups with new poles as a strictly cosmetic change (the existing poles are quire rusty) and also replace all the roller nut pieces up on the nut (these are in bad shape as well) and these adjustment nut pieces can help set the intonation a bit better on the LOW E string.

On a positive note, I have been playing around with the H&H amp and 57 Les Paul to get Steve's LEAD sound for Lamia. There are many variables for this sound: Amp settings, pedal board effects settings, guitar pickup settings and HELIOS desk settings to try and get the wonderful sound Steve had on this track. Been getting close and I am almost sure that the MARSHALL fuzz box is involved but not over bearing fuzz. Knowing that Johnnie Burns used an SM57 and Steve used his 4123 Hiwatt cabinet has taken these variables out of the equation since I am using the same mic and guitar speaker cabinet that was used back in 1974.

Again, a lot of activity but still no music but when I finally get around to the music again, I think there might be a quantum leap forward in progress.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Fuzz Bass

2011-08-06T13:06:00.005-04:00

Got all the gear ready to try and duplicate Mike's fuzz bass and played around getting the correct setting. I think I have finally NAILED the sound and am about to do the sampling session for this great sound. If it comes out as good as I think it will, it will be available in the store, "SHABBY CHIC SAMPLES" for anyone interested in having the FUZZ BASS sound in their own arsenal.

The Leslie kit (9770) for the Leslie 760 and T series Hammond has arrived and is way too complicated (and dangerous) for me to try and do this from "instructions". The Leslie gets its power from this connection kit and one wrong connection could fry the gear or worst yet, electrocute someone (namely, ME). So, I have contacted my Hammond guy for another House Call to install the kit.

Not much music lately but real progress on the project. I need the right sounds to accomplish my objective and I am getting real close in filling in the gaps for the missing sounds.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Leslie Cab 760

2011-07-30T20:55:00.003-04:00

I picked up a Leslie 760 cabinet with the preamp. Now the Hammond T (even though it has a built in small leslie) will sound even better for the sampling sessions. I got this cabinet from a keyboard player that lives in North Carolina and is still gigging. Luckily for me, he had a gig about 1.5 hours from my house, so I drove up there to pick it up. It sounds a lot quieter than I expected and it should prove valuable for the project.

More than just Tony's Hammond was sent through the Leslie. Can you name all the tracks and in what songs the lads used the leslie. I will give you an easy one. Steve's intro to Cuckoo Cocoon was mic'ed thru a leslie. But there are quite a few other spots throughout the Lamb that had tracks sent thru the Leslie. Should prove interesting to sample. For those uninitiated, a Leslie is a speaker/amp that has spinning speakers. There are two rotors, the top high rotor has a slow and fast speed and the bottom (lows) spins counterclockwise to the top rotor at one steady speed creating that whirling sound you hear on Hammond organs and Steve's intro to CC.

Plus, this leslie has a much louder amp than the built-in T-295 leslie and should be great for sampling. The test samples I did with the built-in leslie had as much MOTOR noise as it did organ sound, which rendered the samples useless. Plus, I am going to MODIFY the hammond to have a DIRECT OUT as well as the leslie sound for I think that this is how Tony recorded the Hammond in the studio (mic'ed Leslie plus DIRECT OUT, blended together at the mixing desk).

Just a small update and slowly I am getting the correct instruments for The Lamb re-creation project. It is a TON of FUN.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

Hammond T Organ and H&H Amp w/HiWatt Cab

2011-07-22T12:12:00.006-04:00

So, great news on the Hammond front. The T is up and running after many hours of TLC. I don't want to go over all of the problems that existed with the organ but suffice it to say it is now operating at 100%. Some of the fixes I did myself but I needed to call in a Hammond House Doctor to finish off the last few problems that I had no idea what the problem could be (turned out that just one of the connectors inside the guts of the organ had come loose and it was causing all of the issues).

On Steve's guitar sound, I have the H&H IC100 amp head removed from the combo amp and fitted with the hardware to make this a stand alone amp head (thanks to my wife for helping me TOLEX the top and bottom of the head). The amp is working perfectly.

The HiWatt 4x12 speaker cabinet had a slight buzz in one of the speakers. I took this to my speaker tech and luckily all that needed fixing was to re-glue the cone to the coil. It appears that due to the age of the speaker, this glue became loose and the re-glue did the trick and the cabinet maintains its 100% vintage status. The HiWatt cabinet (SE4123) has the old FANE speakers and sounds unbelievable.

The combination of the H&H head and the HiWatt speakers yields the perfect HACKETT sound for The Lamb.

Also, the AT 4047MP mic arrived along with the UA 6176 (built in 1176 compressor) channel strip so the sampling session should be of very high quality. I think I will sample the Hammond Organ TWEET sound for Hairless Heart first since this appears to simply be one of the percussion presets (no drawbar settings required). And then perhaps, the "In the Cage" organ.

Again, we move forward on the project in getting more accurate instrument sounds.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Custom and VIntage Shabby Chic Samples Launched

2011-04-26T23:23:00.002-04:00

After being asked at least 100 times for my custom instrument samples by followers of this blog over the last two years, I have finally launched, "Custom and Vintage Shabby Chic Samples". It is an ON LINE store that will be offering the custom instrument samples used in this and other projects.

The difference for this venture is that I will only be sampling "Hard to find, vintage instruments". So far, the RMI Electrapiano and the ARP PRO SOLOIST Collections for KONTAKT are available at the store. So, if you wanted to have your own RMI and/or ARP PRO SOLOIST, now is your chance. I probably spent over 1,000 hours getting this project together and sampled these instruments painstakenly in 24 bit, 44.1 khz so they sound as if you have the real instruments on your studio.

So, if interested, check out the link for Shabby Chic Samples and help support this project.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Lilywhite Lilith Updated

2011-04-03T22:27:00.003-04:00

For your enjoyment, Lilywhite Lilith updated. Some minor corrections, remixed and mastered. I know that I haven't done anything new for awhile but I am applying the new learned techniques to tracks that have their MIDI tracks close to their final performance.

I am going to re-do another song soon but I have some work to do first on the hardware side.

The Hammond T-200 arrived this week and needs some overhauling and tender, loving care to coax it back to being useful for the project.

I am also contemplating a test on sampling the LES PAUL both direct and thru the H&H amp head and Hiwatt 4x12 (vintage with purple fanes) cabinet to try and get a more accurate Steve Hackett sound. Let's see how that goes. I want a GREAT sound for the solo in the next track.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out these updates.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Scree Updated

2011-03-27T14:03:00.002-04:00

I replaced the MP3 for SCREE after tightening up the instruments and playing about with the mix. I still have some volume adjustments and EQ to work on but thought I would let you hear the corrections. Mixing this thing and getting the right sounds is pretty intense.

After getting the Hammond T organ samples, I found a T organ on Ebay and it is going to be delivered next week. I also found a LESLIE 760 but am going to wait until I get the organ up and running.

I still need to work on Mike's 12 string sound and Phil's kit sounds are still elusive to me.

Enjoy and leave some feedback. I do respond and appreciate any constructive words.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Riding the Scree

2011-02-27T12:21:00.005-05:00

Posted a work in progress (these songs are really never DONE) trying all the new mixing techniques. This track was posted a long time ago but this is a complete re-work and does sound closer now.

During my research for sounds, I came across a fellow from Sweden who had a T series Hammond and a leslie and he sampled his Hammond for me in the studio. It sounds much better than the Hammond B and C samples that are commercially available. I want to really thank Frank Carvalho for his time and effort producing these Hammond samples.

I also resampled my ARP and updated the Kontakt program to get the ARP sounds better.

I still need to tighten up the drum track and figure out how Mike got his 12 string guitar sound????????? Anybody have any ideas?

I hope you enjoy this little update.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

It's Been a Long Long Time

2010-10-16T14:07:00.002-04:00

I have NOT abandoned this great past time project of mine. I have only decided to take a break from the work because I was getting stale. I want to thank those of you who continue to send your kind words about the project and for still checking back now and then.

With the cooler weather upon us here in North Carolina, I am planning on getting back into putting some work into the project and will keep you all posted.

I hope all you musicians out there got a chance to download the free sounds that I had made available while they were still up on the download site. I think once there was no download activity for 30 days, the link disables itself.

While taking my break, I picked up a few new hardware pieces for the GENESIS museum. A 1970's Schaller volume pedal (Steve's) and a FENDER champ amp that Steve used in the studio during this period.

So, check back soon for some updates.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

New Version (Close to FINAL) of Lilywhite Lilith

2010-07-25T20:25:00.002-04:00

So, after about one year of retooling the DAW and learning how to mix the Lamb a little better, here is what I think is close to the FINAL version of Lilywhite Lilith.

I replaced it on the player and also have a new TRACK page for the song. There are a bunch of goodies about how the song was created on the track page as well as another place where you can listen and download the song.

Let me know what you think and thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Another New Freebie Sound

2010-07-05T16:18:00.004-04:00

Thank you for visiting this site. I have made available another free KONTAKT program for the Arp Pro Soloist, The Steel Drum. You need the full version of Kontakt to enjoy this free instrument. Those familiar with Genesis and The Lamb will know this as the sound in "Riding the Scree" where Tony plays a duet with Phil on his monkey skulls, right before, "Here I Go".

You can get to the download by following the DOWNLOAD AREA section link on the sidebar and then once there, follow the link to Musician's downloads.

Enjoy and thanks again for visiting,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

New Music Distribution System Added to BLOG

2010-06-27T12:09:00.003-04:00

I have gotten many many requests to allow DOWNLOADING of the MUSIC and MIDI. I have found a solution for the MUSIC portion and have included a small test here to the right.

You can listen, download and leave comments on any of the tracks to The Lamb Laid Down on MIDI.

I have included a couple of examples of audio for your enjoyment and these are not final versions but you can now see how the music distribution will work. Also, you can listen to all the tracks right from this home page instead of going to the EXPLORE the tracks pages of The Blog.

Hope you find this new feature entertaining and helpful.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Micro-Frets Bass Magic

2010-06-26T22:38:00.003-04:00

Picked up the Micro-Frets from the luthier this week after bringing it back to him for some adjustments. The treble pickup was too far away from the strings making it have a very weak signal. He had to adjust the neck (where it meets the body) and raise the pins of the pickup higher and it did the trick. While at the luthier, I had him change the strings to FLATWOUNDS (that's another story finding a FLATWOUND 6 string set of short scale bass strings) and adjust the intonation accordingly.

So, I re-sampled the bass and inserted the new sample set into Lilywhite Lilith and then started playing with AMP/SPEAKER/FUZZ box combinations (all in software) and I had some success in making the bass sound a quantum leap closer to Mike's FUZZ bass sound on The LAMB.

This is a major hurdle to get over for the project for as you know, Mike's fuzz bass is all over The Lamb and is one of the very important sounds that make The Lamb sound like the The Lamb.

So, back to Lilywhite Lilith to incorporate this improved sound. It's getting closer!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

Lilywhite Lilith

2010-06-18T23:12:00.001-04:00

Lilywhite Lilith was added to the preview page. I haven't stopped work on the project rather been spending time learning to mix with some of the magic and getting more of the correct instrument sounds. The tracks are slowly beginning to come together a bit more accurately. Check it out on the LLDOM preview page link. Once at the site, the song will start in the player all by itself.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Added another FREEBIE Instrument

2010-05-23T22:09:00.002-04:00

In the download section (musicians downloads), I have added a new KONTAKT based instrument sample set for Mike's RICK 12 string. Again, you will need the full version of KONTAKT in order to use this sample set but this one is bigger and better.

Every fret of the RICK has been sampled and mapped acrossed 6 Kontakt programs. Midi Channel 1 thru 6 corresponds to each string on the RICK. The samples are very accurate and even include the reverse octave strings on Mike's 12 string rick.

The sample set was made to use with a MIDI GUITAR as the controller but if you know much about KONTAKT you can take the sample programs and make one for use with a KEYBOARD controller but it won't have the same effect as strumming a 12 string RICK.

Anyway, like I said, it is big (about 350 MB) and again, it is free. This was the first practice guitar sample set I had made and I thought that some of you might like a REAL RUTHERFORD electric 12 string sound.

Enjoy,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

MAY Update Micro-Frets Bass Project

2010-05-10T19:03:00.002-04:00

I have added a section on the blog for the special Micro-Frets 6 string bass guitar project. Having a RICK and sampling it doesn't sound like The Lamb bass so, I found a Micro-Frets Signature guitar (the model Mike's bass was) that wasn't a Baritone (which is needed for the short scale 6 string bass).

I have contracted a local luthier (he is doing great work by the way) to convert this guitar to be a 6 string Micro-Frets bass guitar. I have more info on the Micro-Frets Bass Project page which you can access via the Studio Session link on the top right of this page. Once on that page, there is another link for the Micro-Frets bass project.

My luthier has been providing updates and pictures as the project progresses and it is very interesting to watch this guitar transform from a regular guitar to the unique Mike Rutherford LAMB Bass Guitar.

If you have a few minutes, check out the page. I think you will find it both interesting and intriguing.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrinejkleban@nc.rr.com

April 2010 Update

2010-04-17T09:58:00.004-04:00

Lots of exciting things going on. Mixing "trial and error" is starting to pay its dividends and part of the "secret" is in the mastering stage. As mentioned earlier, one of the keys is having the correct instrument sounds. I find that as I get closer to the alchemy, the sound of the instruments is becoming more and more important.

To that end, I have found a Microfrets Signature guitar (not the baritone that Mike converted into a six string bass) and purchased it via eBay. I have a local luthier who is going to convert this to a six string bass (including changing the neck to a baritone neck) and duplicating Mike's bass guitar to a "T". The key to the sound is the Micro-Frets body/pickup combination so this should come out quite well. I have my fingers crossed. Not sure how long this is going to take in that the luthier has to build the neck from scratch and has to move and change the tailpiece, move the treble pickup and reset the intonation. I am also going to have it painted "JET GLO" black and add the white binding. Then the idea is to sample the Micro-Frets bass and use this in the project.

I have also found an excellent source for Steve's setup and sounds and have incorporated this information into the project as well. The test track is starting to take shape but the closer I think I am getting to recreating this masterpiece, the further away I realize I am really am.

Hope all is well. I am probably going to be putting up another FREE Kontakt sample set soon. Can you believe over 200 musicians downloaded the ARP PRO soloist sound now available?

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

March 2010 Update

2010-03-25T19:57:00.005-04:00

I am still creating the music tracks for the project but have been focusing on getting the correct sounds for the mix. I have almost all the tools I need and while working on the guitar track for the title cut, realized that no AMP SIM is going to recreate Steve's sound on this song.

So, after a ton of research, I have found and procured the following:

Steve's pedal board (all the same effects)

A 1978 Les Paul Deluxe with the mini-bucs (have since found out that Steve used the 57 Goldtop in the studio and also have one of those babies)

H&H IC100 AMPLIFIER (In excellent condition)...

and a HIWATT 4x12 cab with the FANE speakers.

So, the idea will be to sample the 57 Les Paul so the MIDI tracks can trigger the LP samples and then RE-AMP the midi track through the amp and pedal board and record the result as an audio track to be used on final mixdown of Steve's guitar parts. In order to accomplish this I will be getting a mic pre and EQ channel strip from the same board Johnnie Burns used in the studio to track the Lamb.

I know that Steve also used the Synthi on The Lamb as well but very sparingly and other than the solo in Counting Out Time, can't really hear anywhere that the Synthi would be needed (yet). Perhaps, someone who owns a Synthi could lend it to me for a week when I get to the COT track?

The music is coming out great and now I am getting so close, I have decided to make sure the instruments and effects sound as close as possible before going into final mixdown using software that models the same vintage hardware that Johnnie Burns used while tracking and mixing The Lamb.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Site Improvements

2010-01-31T12:42:00.003-05:00

Completed some maintenance to help make the site faster and easier to navigate. All the LAMB (title cut) stuff is off the main page as is the studio details of the project. These details are now in their own web page which you can see by following the link on the right of the page.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Progress Report

2009-12-13T11:10:00.002-05:00

Without a doubt, the retooling effort has paid off. With the exception of GREAT drum samples for The Lamb and the Microfrets BASS samples, I think I have all the tools and the production environment to create even more authentic sounding LAMB tracks.

The UAD2 stuff and going to x64 for my DAW did the trick. Quite amazing stuff. I will be posting a completed NEW song shortly so you can hear the progress and the difference from my earlier attempts. The homegrown RMI samples surely does the trick.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

IKWIL SOUND ADDED

2009-12-02T20:14:00.005-05:00

Just another quirky sound file for musicians to download. I tried to recreate the ARP synth lawnmower sound from I Know What I Like and saved it as a wave file to download into your favorite synth. I know this has NOTHING to do with The Lamb but what the heck.

Access this file in the download area and follow the links to MUSICIANS DOWNLOADS.

Enjoy!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Download Area

2009-10-26T19:22:00.003-04:00

Added the first FREE instrument sample download. Follow the links to the Download Area and then go to the Musicians Download to get your FREE, KONTAKT, ARP PRO SOLOIST - Steel Guitar instrument.

Enjoy,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

October Update

2009-10-21T19:37:00.004-04:00

Well, been almost a year in this RE TOOL but I am almost there. I have decided to move to 64 bit OS for my DAW because of the 2 gig ram limitation of XP. I know I am in for a whale of a ride but I have no choice because the projects just take too much RAM and my DAW software (SONAR) is crashing whenever I try and add another plugin.

My test song is getting close but I realize that the two instruments that sound the furthest from the original album are the drums and bass and as you know are important to set the tone of a song. Don't get me wrong, these instruments sound OK just not spot on.

For the bass, Dave K from Esoundz has told me he will be releasing the samples from Mike's double neck Microfrets bass before the end of the year which should take care of the bass sound. As a backup, I have located a Microfrets Signature baritone guitar (which is what Mike used for his 6 string bass) not for purchasing but I am trying to get the owner to RENT it to me long enough to sample it.

Now the drums! I have tried almost every commercial drum sample set available and in that most of them sound good, they just don't sound like Phil's kit on the Lamb. There is a possibility that the drum kit samples might be made in the near future but until then, the closest sound I can get is the BFD, jazz kit add-on, which features a 6 Tom vintage Gretsch kit.

The mixing experiment is going good as well. I am using the exact same desk EQ as was used on the original Lamb and am applying some unique processing to the mixing (I got some good hints on these techniques from a very reliable source).

So, I might post a "interim" song on where I am up till now but really need to get the new DAW working and some better bass and drum samples. Don't get me wrong, it's not sounding bad and it sounds real close to the original but now that I am this close, I might as well try and get this spot on.

Thank you to the newly added FOLLOWERS of this blog. Can you believe that 10 people have found their way here and decided to follow this crazy project?

Til later,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

August/September Update

2009-08-29T10:19:00.002-04:00

First off, I have not stopped working on this project and I thank all of you who have continued to check in on the progress.

I am at a major cross-roads and am a bit hung up in the mixing process. I have gotten some very reliable information on how The Lamb was mixed back in 1974 and am trying to duplicate these techniques using software plugins.

I am working on ONE song to get all of these techniques down and am making progress but I have quite a way to go to get my mix to sound like the original LAMB. I will share this information when I finally release this tune. It is all quite interesting and I know it will make for a great read for those of you who enjoy this type of technical stuff.

Until next time, keep enjoying your Genesis music!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Need Some Help

2009-07-29T21:24:00.001-04:00

I am working on a very special project for use in this project. I need your help. If anyone has any information about Phil's drum kits for both The Lamb and SEBTP STUDIO work (not live), please let me know via a private email. I am looking for as much info as I can get. The make/model of his toms (how many, what size), the snare, the kick, his cymbals, the timbales, etc. Even the percussion! So, if you have any info, please send it my way. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I have my theories of what Phil used but I need some confirmation. So thanks in advance.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

July Update

2009-07-18T09:13:00.003-04:00

Still working on the re-tool but this is a comprehensive retooling of the project. I have spent the last few months working on the mixing and doing very little new music. The most important part of the work has been the understanding of creating the room sounds for the instruments. I am using a tool called Altiverb which recreates actual room sounds (real spaces). There are a ton of third party IRs (impulse responses which are the room samples) and choosing the right ones and mixing in the music is quite a trick but it is sounding quite amazing.

I also have been working with the UAD2 plugins which are vintage models of channel strips, EQs, compressers, etc. One of the plugins from this set was actually modeled from the same desk that John Burns used during the tracking of The Lamb. This plugin has provided the right EQ sound for the songs and it is making a big difference (especially on Tony's ARP).

So, keep checking back and when the new track is ready, I will post it along with a bunch of goodies. The good thing about the drawn out process is that once the room sound is nailed, I can use it on the rest of the tracks for the project.

I also noticed a couple more FOLLOWERS of the site and I say welcome and thank you for showing interest in my little corner of the world.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

June Update

2009-06-14T22:21:00.003-04:00

I am not making excuses but this is taking longer than I anticipated. I have gotten alot of new information for how to mix/eq the tracks and have been applying this knowledge to the project. I have come to the conclusion that these tracks can NEVER sound exactly like the real tracks from The Lamb but I do know that they can be alot closer than they have been in the past.

The mixing knowledge is taking quite a bit of time to master but once completed can be used on the rest of the project. So, in this case, haste definitely will make waste.

It is quite amazing how the mix down keeps exposing things that need to be tweaked. I hope to have something up pretty soon but can't promise anything except that I will make more of the tracks and sample programs available for download.

Thanks for your patience and keep checking back.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

May Update

2009-05-12T19:17:00.004-04:00

So, this retooling is getting more intense. I have added some more VST tools and wouldn't you know, my DAW ran out of juice. So, it was off to do some research and I came upon a tool called FXteleport. Basically, you use another computer to host your VSTs, freeing up your DAW to do more stuff. Guess what, it works! I have moved all my AMPLITUBE plugins to be run on a remote computer and this freed up most of the DAWs RAM and CPU usage. So, in a nutshell, you insert a VST in your DAWs track (the VST is installed on the remote PC) and magically, the audio leaves your DAW, is sent to the VST that is running on the remote PC, is processed on the remote PC and then sent back to the DAW. All in lightning SPEED, so fast in fact, that you don't even know that the VST isn't on the host PC. Quite SLICK and it has been around for awhile, I just never heard of it before.

So, now that the PC issues are behind me, I have gotten a few new audio toys and am in the process of working these into the first track since the RETOOL. I will say that the quality of this track is definitely much closer to the original track and I am amazed at how much you can do with today's tools.

Check back soon for the first track and the new track layout page where you will be able to download lots of FREE goodies related to the track.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

April Update

2009-04-12T13:38:00.003-04:00

So, it seems that every month, a new toy comes available that I know will enhance this project. The new toys take a while to fit into any one of the tracks and many times, requires a new performance of the instrument to create a more accurate MIDI performance in line with the nuances of the new sound.

I am almost done with the first track after the re-tool and just recently, I added TRUEPIANOS to the tool box which really gives me more flexibility in getting Tony's acoustic piano sound.

As a reminder, with the release of this track, the track pages will go under a major overhaul and allow you to download more of the tracks and information that will accompany each track release.

So, check back soon for "it won't be long, yeah" til the first RE-TOOLED track is released. And, by the way, sounds incrementally better than the tracks released to date.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Another March Update

2009-03-19T21:22:00.006-04:00

I have been getting a lot of email asking, "where is the new music?" I have been working on Colony of the Slippermen and it is coming out real good but with the re-tooling complete, I have decided to update an existing track and put Slippermen on the back burner for awhile. I thought I needed to work the new drum samples into the project and Colony is probably one of the tougher drum tracks to recreate in MIDI on the entire album so I have opted to redo an existing track and work these drums into the project using an easier Phil track. This updated track will be completed with all the newest improvements made on the audio side of the project including a new drum sample set, new vintage plugins (UAD2 stuff) and a few new instrument sample sets that sound more like the original instruments GENESIS used back in 1974 while recording The Lamb.

I probably will also introduce some new formats to allow downloading of the MIDI tracks, separate audio tracks for each instrument (in case you want to hear any instrument ISO'ed) and of course stereo mixes of both the vocal and non vocal versions. I am not a WEB guru but I tried a test and I think I can create download links for all these files so all you will have to do is click on the link and you should get a download file from the web based upon your choices.

If this works, you can even create your own mixes using the individual audio tracks of each instrument provided you have a DAW. Or you can create a mix with all the instruments but one and then play along on your instrument of choice.

I also had a suggestion to provide some track sheets for these songs indicating what products and plugins used on each track and I think I will work on this as well.

As this last year progressed, this project has evolved into something that I had not really envisioned. The help and support I have been getting from the GENESIS community and musicians has been absolutely the best part of the project for me and I really appreciate all the feedback and support I have gotten.

Thanks!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

March Update

2009-03-09T22:39:00.009-04:00

Quite some exciting news. The DAW is up and powerful (QUAD CORE), UAD2 is installed (and awesome) and the custom samples are working great.

I had some delay in finding the right drum kit sound for this project. Those following know that the first attempts at the drum kit samples was nothing short of lame. Then came Ocean Way Drums and what a giant leap forward. But the OWD proved to be too pristine for recreating The Lamb. I then went on and experimented with BFD2, another good product but not sounding right for the Lamb. Then, our friend Squids came through again. He finally produced some studio drum samples from Nick D'Virgio who had set up a Collinsesque (Dave's term) Gretch set and Premier Set but most importanty, timbales and roto toms. If you follow Nick D's career at all (currently drummer in Spock's Beard), you know that he is a tremendous classic Genesis fan. As a matter of fact, he recently produced and released a complete Lamb tribute but with new arrangements and it is quite good. I think he calls it Genesis Rewired so check it out. Nick's GENESIS drumming is SPOT ON.

So, I think that the drum samples are as close as I am going to get to use for this project and I am ready to go forward. Another good note is that I finally found a solution for the ARP PRO soloist. You will hear soon and I will tell you all about it at a later date.

However, the most exciting news (at least for me) is that I finally made contact with Johnnie Burns. He was the producer/engineer for the early classic Genesis albums. I believe he worked on Foxtrot, SEBPT, The Live Album and The Lamb. He is a very nice fellow and has offered to help me where he can. He sent me a CD full of notes from the tracking sessions from The Lamb and I am very grateful for his assistance.

So, I haven't posted any music for quite awhile but this time has all gone toward the retooling necessary to move the quality of the project to a higher level. I think I will post a small preview of Slippermen on the Preview Site just so you can hear how authentic this is starting to sound (you can access the site by clicking the link at the bottom of the track listing to the right, it says Preview Site".

That is all for now and be keeping you up to date.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

February Update

2009-02-13T23:28:00.007-05:00

The re-tooling is progressing well. I have successfully upgraded my DAW to a QUAD core processor. It now CRASHES less frequently which is a good thing for it takes about 15 minutes to recycle everything once it crashes. Plus, I have more POWER for PLUG-INs.

I also purchased a DSP plugin system (dedicated card) from UA called UAD2 - OMNI and it comes with some of the best classic emulations out there. It has a NEVE mixer with EQs, COMPs etc and a bunch of needed effects. Included is the famous ROLAND Space Echo (this thing sounds amazing) and a MOOG filter effect. Both ROLAND and MOOG authorize these plugs as official software versions of their hardware. The Moog Filter is what ENO used to ENOSIFY the LAMB.

Colony is starting to sound good and quite accurate except I am still trying to recreate the TIMBALE tom tom sound which is not only featured on this track but actually used all over the album.

So, I think this retooling effort will be worth it and I am looking forward to posting The Colony soon. You can travel over to my preview page with the PREVIEW link on the right side of the page (under the track listing the link that reads "LLDOM Preview Page").

Talk to you later,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

January Update

2009-01-29T19:12:00.003-05:00

They should good things come to those who wait. Well, I haven't put down this project, rather I am re-tooling. I have most of Slipperman completed but I need one more SOUND to finish this song. While creating this tune, I have done a lot of "prep" work in preparing some new instrument sounds that are alot more accurate to those used by GENESIS on this album.

So, once I get this last sound, and upgrade my DAW with a QUAD CORE CPU (I have a dual core that has just about run out of horsepower), I will complete this song and move forward with the project.

I have decided that I am going to make some of the work files from the project available to those that are interested as well as some custom sample sets (for KONTAKT) of the special instruments that I have sampled.

Talk to you soon!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

December Update

2008-12-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

First off, I hope you all had a very enjoyable holiday season and are looking forward toward the New Year. Looking back at 2008, I have had tons of fun creating the tracks for this project and with each new song, I am raising the bar higher and higher.

I finally got a useable HAMMOND organ sound for Colony and have made significant progress on this track. Plus, I get to use my NEW homemade 12 string RICK (with g-MAP) during the section of chords during the "Me, Like You" little break and the RICK sounds marvelous.

I also completed the section of Tony's synth solo and finally understand how the Arp Pro Soloist is mixed on the track(s). I have heard that TB sent his ARP through the Leslie, applied echo and chorus. So, I tried to recreate this sound and finally came up with a passable solution that includes chorus and a vintage tape echo device (obviously, all in software). I had tried this before but the key was to set the tape delay on a VERY FAST echo setting and putting a bit of space on the track (via reverb).

I would say though that the most challenging instrument to recreate in this track is Mike's bass playing. Not sure if you ever tried to listen carefully to what Mike is doing on this track but I will say that he surely kept busy and not just random busy but as usual, controlled chaos. Much of Mike's playing is spot on to Phil's kick drum so you know they spent some time working out this outstanding rhythm section.

It might take me awhile to complete this song but I have put a major dent into this track and I hope the trend of each track being better than the one before continues.

Happy New Year,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Rick 12 String Samples

2008-12-13T18:23:00.004-05:00

Alright then. Another major breakthrough in decoding the alchemy of classic Genesis. As noted below, I have been sampling my 12 string RICK to have a better sound for the Gen parts. I sampled this baby and it sounds good but still not right. I remember reading awhile ago that Mike R reversed the octave strings on his 12 string RICK to be stringed like an acoustic 12 string. So, using some creative juices, decided to sample the Rick using up stroke picking on the 4 low strings so that the higher string sounds before the lower string (as if the guitar was reversed stringed).

As luck would have it, our friend Squids (Dave), recently went on a "sampling" trip to The Farm and while there took some photogs of the equipment stashed away in the closets. A couple of the photos were of Mike's double-necked Ricks from both SEBTP and the LAMB and BINGO, when I looked closely, I could tell that these octave strings were in fact reversed.

Now, the new RICK sample set (with reversed strings) simply sounds MARVELOUS and I can't wait to use it on one of tunes. I have quite a way to go before I am done doing with the sampling sessions (I can't tell you how hard this is doing it by myself and making sure that I have many velocities to use). I am in the process of fine tuning my technique in doing guitar samples but I am making real good progress.

Later,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Project Update

2008-12-08T22:37:00.003-05:00

OK - I started serious work on Colony... the organ samples I have just ain't cutting it. I have searched for some new samples everywhere. I have ordered a new organ sample set that might do the trick. The NI B4 sounds way too artificial for the track. So,

While I am waiting for the organ sample CD to arrive, I have decided to seriously sample my RICK 12 string. I am trying to do a real good job and I think I have learned alot about sampling and this just might come out great. I can't tell you how much work this is. I am doing something that I do not think has been done before with guitar samples. I call this G-MAP for Midi Guitar. What I am doing is sampling (with multiple velocities) every note on every fret for every string and then mapping these samples to correspond to a MIDI GUITAR interface so that the correct notes play depending upon the fingering of which frets on which strings are fingered while playing the guitar parts. The way this will be implemented is by using a COMBINATION program in the sampler. That is, each string will be a separate program responding to its own MIDI channel. All six programs (one for each string) will be in the COMBINATION program. I have tested this using SONAR as the sequencer HOST with my MIDI guitar and it works perfectly. I will post an example up here of some Rutherford 12 string parts sequenced using this gMAP concept and these new sample programs so you can get an idea on how this all works out.

Stay tuned for more information on this concept. I might make this sample instrument available if it comes out as good as I think they might.

I will obviously use these new RICK 12 string samples in the project wherever this instrument is needed. Should be alot of fun.

Thanks,

Jim

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Broadway Melody UPDATE

2008-11-27T18:31:00.001-05:00

I posted a new version of Broadway Melody. Not that the first one was bad but I just wanted to clean up some loose pieces and generally tighten the rhythm tracks a bit. You can read more over on the track page.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Broadway Melody of 1974 - POSTED

2008-11-22T19:06:00.004-05:00

Well, it is up on the shrine. It has been awhile since I posted a new song so I hope you enjoy this little track. This is the first song that I used the vocal track from the surround mix of the new boxset (which is awesome by the way).

I spent a lot of time getting the instrument sounds correct. I really like the 12 string electric sound that wasn't the easiest thing to recreate. I will blab more about this over on the track page for Broadway.

Thanks for checking for the updates and remember to rate the song over on the Track Page. Your feedback is invaluable to me.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

New Boxset 3 Released

2008-11-15T08:14:00.010-05:00

I know we all share a tremendous amount of excitement about the new boxset released this month. For those who are not aware, Genesis has released a 12 disc boxset from the early years of Genesis, covering the period where Peter Gabriel was their frontman. The albums released are Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound and the holy grail, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

I have been anticipating this boxset release since the late 90s when I first heard rumors that Genesis was re-mixing all of their albums in surround sound. Well, my expectations have been exceeded. Studying The Lamb over the years, I was hoping that this surround mix would reveal more of the details of what was going on with these tracks.

I have to give Nick Davis (head engineer of the new mixes) a tremendous amount of credit now that I have gotten the chance to dissect the DVD AUDIO surround mix of The Lamb. For the most part, Nick put the keyboards and guitars in the rear stereo field and the drums and bass in the front stereo field. This separation of the instruments has made each stereo field less busy and as a result, the individual instruments are much easier to hear. I know already that this is going to help create even more accurate MIDI tracks for the instruments and should also help my mixing and instrument/amp choices.

As an added bonus to this mix, Nick has put Peter's isolated vocals in the CENTER track (with no music) and now I can add the vocal track to the project with NO BLEED THROUGH issues. The vocals will not have to be squashed with EQ to eliminate the instruments leaks that occurred when I sampled the vocals from the original stereo tracks.

If anybody is interested, I have already found a way to transfer the DVD audio tracks to my DAW and then creating 6 separate mono wave files of each surround channel.

I feel like a kid in a candy store and don't know where to start but I can tell you that this release has rejuvenated my excitement of The Lamb Laid Down in MIDI project.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Lilywhite Lilith Update

2008-11-08T12:37:00.002-05:00

Ooops, forgot to post the latest version of Lilywhite Lilith on LLDOM. It came out quite good (in my humble opinion) and has set a NEW standard for me for posting songs before they are complete. Check it out from the TRACK LISTING on the right and don't forget to vote (and if you already voted and want to change your vote you can).

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Silent Sorrow and UPDATES

2008-11-07T20:39:00.008-05:00

OK folks. I have started a new song from the album, "Silent Sorrow". I will go back to Supernatural but needed a break. As you know, the song features some really classic mellotron work and it was a ton of fun to recreate. I wanted to finish the SONGS from SIDE 3 of the album. Just click on the song title in the Track Listing on the top right on this page.

I also added a feature to the website which will allow you to follow the BLOG. That is, get notified when new posts are created, etc. and let other people know that you are interested in this project as well. Most of the feedback I get is from other musicians who also like Genesis with alot of questions of how did I create this or where did I get that sample or general statements on the project, quite nice, actually. Please take some time and sign up to easily follow the progress of this ambitious project. You can find the gadget to sign up on the top right of this home page (under the subject, "FOLLOWERS").

I really am going to finish the entire suite of tunes from The Lamb, no matter how long it takes.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Supernatural Anaesthetist Redo

2008-11-01T16:24:00.004-04:00

Well, back to this tune to update the mix and correct some of the parts. I am still in search of a decent snare drum sample that sits in the mix and sounds more like Phil's kit. Using a new one but it still isn't quite right.

Also, re-eq'ed the 12 string electric (sounds closer but still a way to go). I had some work done on my RICK 12 string (mostly setup stuff, neck straightening, lower action, intonation, etc) and plan on making my own sample set to use with the MIDI guitar interface.

My idea here is to create a KONTAKT multi and sample every note on every string and use the MIDI guitar to trigger the samples. The guitar sample sets I have now were mapped to a keyboard and not a MIDI guitar so the same sample plays whether I play the 9th fret on the G string, 5th fret on the B string or an open high E string which isn't realistic. The midi guitar can transmit on 6 midi channels (one for each string pickup) and as such, I should be able to trigger the proper E note depending on where I play it on the guitar. Also, open chords should also sound very realistic whenever the fingering has the same note playing on different strings. This will take me a while and will have a long learning curve since I have not ever created a native KONTAKT sample set before.

Just wanted to keep everyone posted and let you know that I have not lost interest in the project.

Hope all is well on your end.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Back to Work

2008-10-16T11:50:00.002-04:00

After a brief break from the project, I have retooled a couple of new toys and plan to begin created some new songs (actually, I think I will go back and re-do a song or two). I got a couple of new toys in the last month. BASiS (a great bass guitar sample set) which includes a multi sampled RICK bass which has both a direct and amped phase aligned sample set. Also, got a new MASTERING software suite (called T-Racks) and a new audio editing program from CELEMONY called "MELODYNE". The melodyne audio software is coming out with something they call DNA and you have to see this to believe it (try browsing their site at www.celemony.com) and watch the video that demonstrates DNA. This software will come in handy to isolate the vocals better especially with the surround mixes due out next month.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Explanation of The Project

2008-09-03T19:30:00.005-04:00

I have gotten a tremendous amount of feedback about this project and a whole lot of questions. The question that seems to pop up the most is, "What are these songs?".

I am surprised on how little most people understand what a MIDI file is, so here goes. The best way to describe a MIDI file is that it is an electronic format of a player piano recorder except it can synchronize many "virtual" tracks allowing one to create a piece of music with more than one instrument.

In order to create the MIDI file, the parts actually need to be played on a instrument that can transmit this information (Note on, note off, velocity, etc.) to the MIDI file recorder (Sequencer Software). On its own, the MIDI file makes NO SOUND. The performance data needs to be sent from the player to some type of electronic instrument (most people are familiar with a SOUNDCARD playing back a MIDI file). In the case of this project, instead of using a soundcard to playback the MIDI tracks created, I use "SAMPLE PLAYER" software which allows me to load my own instrument sounds to be played back.

All of these MIDI tracks are actually performed and created by me from scratch just for this project. This is NOT taking existing MIDI files created by other musicians and just playing them back using these sounds rather these MIDI FILES are completely brand new, accurate recreations of the way GENESIS had to perform the original recordings on their "REAL" instruments.

I use a MIDI keyboard controller to play the keyboard parts, a MIDI GUITAR controller to play the guitar and bass parts and drum pads to play to drum tracks (the drum pads are on my MIDI keyboard controller). So, to clear things up, I am playing and recording each and every instrument you hear in the songs (but in MIDI) then using the samples to play back my performances using the same instrument sounds used by GENESIS and then mixing down the songs all within my computer workstation. It is like having a complete recording studio but all built into a computer.

The only part of these tracks that aren't MIDI are obviously the vocal tracks. This is done using a special technique where I use software to pull out just the vocal lines from the original recording and then placing these VOCAL CLIPS inside the MIDI file so that the vocals sync up with the music.

So, I hope that explains what The Lamb Laid Down in MIDI is all about.

Thanks for all of your queries into this project.

Jim

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Lilywhite Lility POSTED

2008-09-02T21:40:00.002-04:00

So, this simple song took a bit longer than I expected but I decided to try and get the mix and the sound as accurate as possible. There were a couple of little keyboard parts in the lower registers that gave me a bit of trouble to recreate. I also spent some time on getting Steve Hackett's little guitar solo sound as close as I could with a Les Paul sample and using Amplitube to recreate the sound. All in all, I think this song came out all right. Enjoy and remember to rate the song over on the Lilywhite Lilith page (to get to this page, chose from the track listing on top right of this home page).

Enjoy!

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Anyway Version 2 POSTED

2008-08-03T12:06:00.003-04:00

Well, it's finally ready for the shrine, Anyway Version 2. This version is a big improvement over the version that has been up on the shrine and worth checking out. There are corrected performances, a new mix and new instrument samples used.

The piano has been overdubbed using Sampletekk's Black Grand Close. Steve's guitar part is a new sample set from Prominy called Les Paul Custom and has improved the guitar to almost the same degree as Oceanway Drums improved the drum tracks. Speaking of which, the drums have been reworked using the new Oceanway drum samples.

So, please check out the new version(s) using the track list to the right and navigate over to the Anyway page. As usual, if you have some time and would like to help me out with feedback, please rate the song over on the Anyway page.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine

jkleban@nc.rr.com

Lamia Update

2008-07-18T21:30:00.005-04:00

I have posted version 2 of The Lamia. While listening to version 1 and feedback I received, I decided to do some major revisions to the original LAMIA midi file. This version has corrected parts and a new, smoother MIX. Some of the sounds from the original album are very hard to reproduce without the same instruments and amps available to me. So, I did the best I could with what I have available and tried to recreate the sound and feel of The Lamia.

Please navigate over to The Lamia in the track listing to give this new version a listen. If you have already voted and feel you want to change the rating of this song, you can do that on the page by choosing, "change vote". If you haven't rated the song, please help me out by doing so for it only takes a second or two.

With Lamia behind me now, I am still not sure what song will be next up in the line up and am debating between:

1) Updating ANYWAY with the Oceanway Drums and some corrections

2) Hairless Heart (No vocals)

3) Lilywhite Lilith (which would almost complete side 3 of The Lamb)

I am leaning toward Lilith, which will require a decent replication of Mike's FUZZ bass. I know I can get it close but it needs to have that "right" sound to fit into the mix. I will let you know what I decide.

Thanks,

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Supernatural Anaesthetist Posted

2008-05-31T13:05:00.003-04:00

Hello fellow Genesis fans. I have posted what I hope to be close to the FINAL version of Supernatural Anaesthetist. I have tweaked, prodded, probed, listened and virtually tightened up all the parts as close as I could to the original Genesis recording of this very interesting tune. My biggest challenge was with Mike's 12 string part. Between the actual chords played and the sound of the guitar, I had quite a time working out his part. I hope you enjoy it and it is at least close to what Mike played. My friend Swede from the official Genesis fan site was quite a help in working out some of the chords. The actual sound of the guitar was impossible for me to get given the limited set of RICK 12 string samples that are available, so I tweaked the EQ to try and get the sound Mike used but I never got quite satisfied with the sound of this part. Maybe later, I will try and sample my own RICK 12 string to try to get the right sound for this song.

I am quite happy with the way the drums turned out. Ocean Way Drums made a HUGE difference to this track. With Mike's bass part and these drums, the rhythm section turned out quite well.

Steve's LEAD guitar part was very challenging and for a MIDI guitar part, didn't turn out too lame (except maybe at the end section - which I probably will redo at some later point).

But for now, this version of Supernatural will be added to the shrine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while creating both the MIDI and mix for this song. Thanks and remember to "rate" the song over on the track page.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Riding the Scree POSTED

2008-04-20T15:59:00.003-04:00

It's finally finished (at least for now). Click on the track listing on the right to navigate to the page with the MP3s and my other ramblings. I had alot of fun doing this song. Had to use many of the software tools and the MIDI guitar to get this to sound decent. I did a first pass of this MIDI back in 1997 and it took me a couple of hours to complete (I guess it sounded like it too). To get the MIDI file ready for the project required me to redo the entire MIDI and very little of the original MIDI made it through to this version. I think it sounds pretty good, let me know what you think.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

Anyway Posted

2008-04-03T20:58:00.003-04:00

Well, this took longer than I anticipated. I had all kinds of learning curve issues with Kontakt (mainly routing its output to multiple audio tracks into Creamware, for submixing purposes). Finally, I got it all worked out. To listen to the MP3 track of the MIDI file for ANYWAY, click on the ANYWAY link in the LLDOB track listing on the right. This link will bring you to the page with the ANYWAY tracks on it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did creating this music.

Jim K - Keeper of the Shrine
jkleban@nc.rr.com

LLDOM

2008-02-29T18:23:00.007-05:00

The Lamb Laid Down on MIDI

The title says it all. Over the years, I have attempted to share some midi file creations of classic Genesis tunes. I have not been active in the internet world for quite awhile. Life found me focused on basic matters such as career, family and growing older. But, I have always left myself some "downtime" to continue playing with music and midi technology. Back in the late 90's, I met a quite a few talented musicians from around the world on the net who shared the same passion of MIDI and GENESIS and we attempted some "group" midi efforts on a couple of classic Genesis tunes. These efforts included "Suppers Ready" and "The Cinema Show" (if you are interested in getting any of these MIDI files, drop me a note and I will be glad to share). One friend imparticular, Simon Goodwin, was the Oscar Peterson of the group. I mean this as a total compliment in that he would only contribute MIDI parts that were absolutely perfect. The utlimate downfall of these projects was that the MIDI files shared with those interested, sounded TOTALLY different depending on the soundcard used to playback the MIDI file and even if one had a decent soundcard, the sounds used on the LAMB just didn't translate too well to the handful of GENERAL MIDI instruments. Simon would always complain to me that some of my parts sounded lame to him and I would tell him that the sounded good on my soundcard (Simon, if you are out there, drop me a note, I would love to catch up with you). Anyway, Simon inspired me in a couple of ways: 1) To only recreate MIDI tracks that were as SPOT ON perfect as possible and 2) To develop a method to play the tracks using the original instruments and effects.

At this point in time (2008), I think the technology (hardware and software) has matured enough to give this a "GO".

So, I present to you, my fellow Classic Genesis Fans, The Lamb Laid Down on MIDI for your musical enjoyment and entertainment.

Please feel free to leave any comments, thoughts, stories, etc. related to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway or Classic Genesis in general.

I will be sharing my thoughts, tips, secrets, midi and MP3 examples of this tribute from time to time as this site builds.

This project is a "hobby" to me and I would like to share my ideas and recreations with those who enjoy GENESIS as much as I do and as a tribute to the Best Progressive Rock Band of All Time.