Putting the Band Back Together

I’m a musician. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in a band. It all started in 7th grade, when my friend and I used to “jam” in my parent’s basement, playing horrendous covers of Ted Nugent and Rush songs. Four years ago, my band days came crashing down around me. My wife accepted a position at a university in a different state and we moved… away… from all my bands. I felt like an orphan – a rock ‘n’ roll Oliver Twist, but without the British accent and the smudge-y face. Like it or not, I was now a one-man-band. I tried recording songs on my old Mac, but it just didn’t have enough juice to make the effort worthwhile. There was a lag every time I clicked “record,” and just when I’d get things sounding “song-like,” the thing would crash and I’d lose everything. Then, I got my Mac Pro. The thing was a monster – frankly, it scared me a little. It ran my Digital Performer recording software as if it were a puny word doc, and there was not only no lag, there was no limit to the amount of tracks I could record. And it never crashed! I decided to put the band back together. Since I didn’t know any actual musicians in town, however, I turned to my kids. My son and my daughter, ages 10 and 7. Yes! They would be my band! They loved to make up songs! It was a brilliant plan! It would be like the Partridge Family, if they had less kids and wrote songs that would make it virtually impossible for Reuben Kincaid to get them a single gig. And so, “Kicksome” and “The Miss O Beat” were born. Here’s how we do it: 1. They sing whatever they want, a capella, and I record it. 2. They go away. 3. I come up with a song to couch the vocal track in. 4. I record all the music on my freakishly powerful Mac. 5. We all listen to the song. 6. Rinse and repeat if necessary.

Without my Mac, and its lightning-fast processing speed, I wouldn’t be able to be in a band, once again. My kids wouldn’t be able to record their songs and they’d probably take to the streets and end up stealing cars and plundering small towns. (Or they’d watch a lot more TV.) Seriously, though, the Intel processor makes recording music a breeze and a joy. By allowing me to use unlimited tracks and plug-ins with ZERO latency, it not only doesn’t stand in the way of my creativity, it enhances it. Rock on, Intel!

Music

Andy Poland uses a desktop powered by  

Intel® Core™2 Duo processor