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Artist Name: Elliot Madriss   Title: What the Funk!   Genre: Blues   Rating:

Equipment

Cakewalk by Bandlab, PG Music Inc. Band-in-a-Box, Windows 10, Audient id14, Warm Audio WA-251 microphone, Beyerdynamic DT 990 headphones, Focal Alpha 80 monitors

Music

“What The Funk” is a blues project done in its entirety by Elliot.

Reviewed By Marty Peters

This month’s Spotlight is a gritty blues track with a carefully pronounced title! Elliot has leaned heavily into the Band-in-a-Box software to create the track. One of the great things about music creation these days is the myriad avenues available to accomplish it. Gone are the days of commercial studios and studio musicians to fulfill one’s vision. In fact, with the proper computer chops, one can fashion a fine track from the comfort of home. That said, without a solid understanding of composition, arrangement and the ability to create realistic performances, things can go off the rails mighty quick. Fortunately, Elliot has these skills well in hand. Over a rolling bluesy beat, the instrumental choices and tones Elliot has assembled are damned impressive. We absolutely love the harmonica with its Kim Wilson/ Fabulous Thunderbirds vibe. The pedaling bass guitar is equally impressive, and the faux Hammond Organ spices things up quite nicely. Kudos to Elliot for the electric guitar solo that he put together here, equal parts Ry Cooder, Jeff Beck and Robert Randolph – smooth! The powerful vocal performance was sweetly captured via his Warm Audio WA-251 Tube condenser/Audient iD14 signal path and presented front and center in the mix, with no issues. At mixdown, the integration of computer-based and live elements was handled deftly by Elliot, and it plays convincingly through both our speakers and headphones to our ears. Well done!

Suggestions

As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention “. Whether this is Elliot’s preferred way of working or one he established due to lack of other opportunities, he more than made the most of it. The ever-increasing quality of software instrumentation has been a boon to many who lack the space or connections to track things “old school”. With skill, focus and dedication, there is no reason to be hindered or constrained in our contemporary recording environment.

Summary

Thanks for the inspiration!

Contact

Elliot Madriss [email protected]

 

Readers’ Tracks