Craig Bryant - Paxus Productions

Drowning in digits

Craig Bryant — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:24:46 +0000

Maybe it’s me just getting older, but my attitude towards technology is slowly changing. I grew up watching the birth and development of digital music technology and relished the new possibilities. I continue to marvel at the power now available to anybody.

The thing that has changed with me is my view of the technology’s role. Our industry is now jam-packed with people who have learned how to create music with their computer. It is essentially their instrument, just as a piano was to Beethoven. And just as a cat can press a piano key and produce a perfect C, our technology allows us all now to produce pristine, virtuosic performances. Is this cheating? I guess really it isn’t. That perfect rendition that Beethoven could hear in his mind could only be realized with hours of rehearsal and direction. What was he doing, if not “programming” the orchestra to perform his music perfectly? Was he cheating by using outstanding musicians and exploiting their exceptional talents?

Of course the flipside to this new technology, is that our industry is saturated with ‘half-baked’ and ‘not-so-good’ music, albeit using high quality samples and effects. Maybe this period in our music history is only a short one though. I’m wondering if maybe the reason this bad music can exist is because our generation is diverted and distracted by the sound quality. I am from a generation which saw the demise of vinyl, cassette tapes and probably soon, CDs. My generation was obsessed with Hi-fi and bass, so it is no wonder that we continue to believe that sound quality and ‘ear candy’ means quality music.

Of course I know that I am talking about something which depends entirely on taste, but having a fairly extensive education in music and experience in production, all the mistakes, shortcuts, errors (both happy or ignorant) are not lost on me. I don’t want to sound prudish, and I’m all for breaking the rules, but I think this only works when you actually KNOW the rules and break them considerately.

The point I am trying to get to is that I believe the the technology should be considered a tool, and nothing more! Anybody wishing to join the industry should study music, both traditional and contemporary. They should become acquainted with all the rules (past & present), all the limitations of real life instruments, the ways in which past composers achieved their sound.

I think there are people out there who have a natural flair for music without studying, and are able to create something truly ground-breaking and inspiring. But there are far less of these people than there are of people who claim they are. Training, studying and exploring the craft is really a must!

A career in music unfortunately attracts a lot of people who are afraid of hard work. They mistakenly think that a life of music is a fun, glamorous and easy one.. And they will be the first to dismiss this post of mine.

I feel that the bar is set too low at present. We seem to be leaping ahead when it comes to eye and ear candy. Live performances now are almost overwhelming with colour, light, sound quality, visibility etc etc. I laughed out loud recently when I saw a live performance by Rihanna on TV. The view was from the back of a stadium and the entire place was ablaze with lasers, flashing lights, smoke, sound and movement! Then the camera did one long zoom in onto a tiny speck on stage and there she stood. If only we could apply the same level of detail and creativity and discipline to the music itself. Imagine if we ventured beyond 3 chords!

I called this post “Drowning In Digits” because I do feel that we are all saturated in an automated, clinically and digitally clean world where much creativity is replaced with plugins and impressive sounds. The quality of the composition, and the skills of the performer have taken a backseat, and I think it is high time that we change that! I predict that our industry will eventually come around. The evolution of music can’t happen without it.

Casting Call – The Balinese Princess & The Funky Monkey

Craig Bryant — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:21:49 +0000

I’m arranging and producing the music for this exciting new children’s show.

Auditions are beginning soon. If you are interested in finding out more follow this link.

http://www.balineseprincess.com.au/

Site is back up – APOLOGIES

Craig Bryant — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:18:49 +0000

Apparently our server was attacked by a hacker and needed to be repaired and secured.

Apologies to anyone who was unable to get to the site in the last 24 hours.

Cheers,

Craig

Vicmoves 2010

Craig Bryant — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Paxus Productions is proud to be involved in the huge annual production Vicmoves.
You can find more information at the following site: www.vicmoves.com.au

CD purchase system fixed

Craig Bryant — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:42:50 +0000

Hi there.
We just discovered that the Paypal link for “Lost In Thought” CD purchases was faulty. There was never a risk of losing payments. In fact it was impossible to proceed with an order.
The good news is that it is all fixed and CDs are going to be available with the week.

Album “Lost In Thought” has arrived!

Craig Bryant — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:33:09 +0000

My album can now be previewed and purchased at following

online music stores….

Amazon

EMusic

iTunes

Napster

Rhapsody

Backing Tracks – Australian Artists

Craig Bryant — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:21:07 +0000

Professional backing tracks for songs by Australian artists are often hard to find. For this reason, Paxus Productions has been commissioned to re-produce many over the years.

Below is a list of some of the popular tracks by Australian artists. Visit the Backings Store to order any of these songs.

John Farnham

Comic Conversation

Don’t you know its magic

Even When I’m Sleeping

Heading In The Right Direction (Acoustic version)

Help

Playing To Win

Please Don’t Ask Me

You’re The Voice

Chain Reaction

Tina Arena

Burn

Heaven help my heart

I Dare You To Be Happy

I Wanna Know What Love Is

In Command

Sixteen Years

Symphony of Life

Tu Es Toujours La

You made me find myself

Guy Sebastion

All I Need Is You

Climb Every Mountain (up 5 stns)

I wish

Taller Stronger Better

What a Wonderful World

Knock On Wood

Delta Goodrem

Be Strong

Electric Storm

Last Night On Earth (Piano Accompaniment only)

My big mistake

Not me not I

Predictable

This is not me

Together we are one

Will you fall for me

Backing Tracks – Need to hear a sample?

Craig Bryant — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:51:11 +0000

While we have made an effort to make this site as informative as possible, it is always beneficial to hear the backing track you are interested in.
There are plenty of very poor sounding backing tracks available online.

We pride ourselves on the high level of quality and detail we put into every backing track. They are professionally produced, mixed and mastered. They are NOT the simple MIDI files that some sites provide. All tracks are created using a combination of high quality samples, synths, and live recordings.

We do not yet have a ‘preview’ feature available for individual tracks. However we have added a couple of backing tracks to our online player to give you a general idea of the level of quality.

Click Here to go to our Samples Page

If there is a specific track you need to hear before deciding whether to proceed with an order, don’t hesitate to contact us and we can send you a sample.

Garage Band High – Youtube vids now UP!

Craig Bryant — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:47:17 +0000

Check out these tracks we recorded in 2009 with a super talented group of kids.This was for a TV pilot which will hopefully find it’s way onto your screens soon.

Latest additions to the BACKING TRACKS STORE

Craig Bryant — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:37:20 +0000

Below is a list of recently added and professionally recorded Backing Tracks.
Click here to browse all available Backing Tracks available for purchase.

———–

I Never Saw Blue Like That           Hayley Westenra
Can’t Buy Me Love                             Michael Buble
Nella Fantasia (From “The Mission”)       Ennio Morricone
Bridge Over Troubled Water           Charlotte Church
Ave Maria (in Eb)                               JS Bach
Ave Maria (In G)               Schubert
Future Love                                         Kristinia DeBarge
I Knew I Loved You (Rare Acoustic Version)   Savage Garden
Impossible Dream (down 1 semitone)
Nella Fantasia – (No oboe solo)           Ennio Morricone
Too Darn Hot                   Ella Fitzgerald
You Are My Destiny               Michael Buble
You Don’t Know Me              Michael Buble
Rainbow (With Bvs)                  Elisa
I’m Going Down                      Mary J Blige
Rainbow (no Bvs)                                  Elisa
Non Credere                                           Mina
Lovers                          From Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I Need A Hero
Somewhere Over The Rainbow           Hayley Westenra
Wuthering Heights Theme                   From Wuthering Heights
History Repeating                                  Shirley Bassey
Beautiful You Are                  Deborah Cox
Break The Girl                                       Wendy Matthews
Decode                                                    Paramore
Like It Loud (Down 1 tone)                 Cassie Davis
Mama Do (Down 1 Tone)                    Pixie Lott
Natural Woman (in B -orig Key)           Aretha Franklin
Stone Cold Sober               Paloma Faith
Stone Cold Sober – (Down 1 tone)       Paloma Faith
Stone Cold Sober – With short intro       Paloma Faith
Stone Cold Sober – With short intro (Down1tone)   Paloma Faith
Through These Eyes                  Hayley Westenra
Wishing You Were Somehow here again       Phantom of the Opera
Home                          Michael Buble
More Than A Game               Chris Doheny
More Than A Game in Fm               Chris Doheny
Playing to win (C#m)                  John Farnham
River Deep, Mountain High           Tina Turner
At Last                                                 Etta James
Baby It’s You                    The Promises
Both Sides Now                   Hayley Westenra
Boys In Town                                     Natalie Gauci
Come What May (Down 1 tone)           Nicole Kidman & Ewen McGregor
Dear Mr President (Down 1 semitone)       Pink
Decode (No BVS)                     Paramore
Natural Woman (in F)                 Aretha Franklin
Battlefield                                                   Jordan Sparks
Hyperballad                  Bjork
Hyperballad (Shorter version)             Bjork
Just One Step (Down 1 semitone) (slower)   Songs For A New World
Just One Step (slower)               Songs For A New World
Mama Do                          Pixie Lott
Tell Me A Story                  Jimmy Page
White Diamond                   Kylie Minogue
Work It Out                  Beyonce Knowles
Work It Out (no sax)                  Beyonce Knowles
Isnt She Lovely               Kris Aquinos
Just One Step                     Songs For A New World
Knock On Wood                   Guy Sebastion
Because We Believe              Andrea Bocelli & Marco Borsato
Chain Reaction                     John Farnham
Come What May (Down 1 Tone)           Nicole Kidman & Ewen McGregor
If I Can’t Love Her           Beauty And The Beast
It’s A Long Way To The Top          ACDC
It’s A Long Way To The Top (Shorter Version)   ACDC
Like It Loud                       Cassie Davis
The Showgirl Must Go On               Bette Midler
Swing Low (Sweet Chariot)          Russell Watson
Taller, Stronger, Better -No BVs-Down 1 semi   Guy Sebastion
Taller, Stronger, Better – No BVs – Down 1 Tn   Guy Sebastion
16                      Sneaky Sound System
You’ll Never Walk Alone (No Choir BVs)      Barbra Streisand
Listen (Down 1 Semitone)             Beyonce Knowles
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know             Selena Gomez
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (No BVS)       Selena Gomez
This Is The Moment – In E (Orig Key)          Anthony Warlow
This Is The Moment – In F              Anthony Warlow
I Don’t Think About It           Emily Osment
I Still Believe                                                              Hayden Panittiere
If I Had It My Way                                                    Emma Roberts
If I Had It My Way (NO BVS)           Emma Roberts
All I Want For Christmas           Mariah Carey
All I Want For Christmas – (Down 1 Semitone)   Mariah Carey
Big Spender                                                               Shirley Bassey
Georgia On My Mind               Jools Holland
Goodbye My Friend              Linda Ronstadt
Goodbye My Friend – in B (Down 1 semitone)   Linda Ronstadt
Goodbye My Friend – in Bb (Down 1 tone)       Linda Ronstadt