The Ryan of Axtell

Gibson E-335 Wanted

the ryan of axtell — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:56:39 +0000

So I’ve been saving for a long time to eventually purchase a new guitar. My main guitar right now is a stock American Tele. I do have a few ’80’s hair metal mayhems around but I only play them when I where my tights.

Originally, I planned on purchasing some type of Les Paul to really contrast my tele and fill out my sound, but after more research I’ve decided I want the semi-hollow E-335. From Chuck Berry and the 3 Kings of Blues to Eric Clapton and John Mayer, this guitar brings the tone, the feedback, and the bite. I personally am a sucker for the tobacco burst. Now this is obviously a blues/Jazz guitar…no Enter Sandman on this fine instrument.

So, here are the stats:

Maple Back & Sides
Single-ply top, back and fingerboard binding
Free Gibson hardshell case
Two volume controls, two tone controls
Three-way pickup switch
Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets
Nickel or Gold Machineheads
Mahogany Neck
Two ‘57 Classic humbucker pickups
Dot Inlays

If you happen to have on sitting in your room in mint condition give me a call! At the same time, in this economy, I don’t feel right about shelling out 3 G’s. Then I’ll need a new Top Hat amp, pedals, and new outfit!

Finale vs. Sibelius

the ryan of axtell — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:20:14 +0000

So, I currently use Finale Notepad and Printmusic, which are perhaps the hardest, most stripped down programs ever, but they are free/cheap. I have been looking at upgrading to either Finale or Sibelius, and after a lot of research, I am looking at Sibelius. From my experience, the interface is much more intuitive, and it offers more options for interfacing with midi programs/sequencer. Seems like Sibelius has been getting the popular vote, while most schools seem to get group licenses cheaper for Finale…Kinda like the mac you have at home and the pc you have to use at work.

This FORUM has some good insight.

This ONE too.

Flood Campaign Song

the ryan of axtell — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:56:34 +0000

I wrote the song “What I Have to Give” for a benefit CD used to raise money for Cornerstone Church’s flood campaign. The message of this song is very simple: What we do to others, we do to Christ. Inspired by the styles of Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson (The Band).

Automatik Training Video- VW Routan

the ryan of axtell — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:23:13 +0000

I tracked and re-arranged the Redbone song “Come and Get Your Love’ using Pro Tools and Ableton Live for this training buffer video used by Automatik (www.automatik.us) for Volkswagen Dealership training. Automatik is contracted by car companies to educate and train their various dealerships on new products. Click HERE to learn more about Automatik.

Automatik Training Video- VW Routan from Ryan Axtell on Vimeo.

Compare this version to the orginal one I tracked based off of the Real McCoy’s version of the song…A very different feel:

After I sent them the first edition, they asked me to create an edgier, more techno-ish version with a female singer to vibe more with VW’s German attitude. I enjoy both versions and had a blast creating them.Which one do you prefer if you had to pick? I’m curious…

Verbzilla…still need a pad?

the ryan of axtell — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:38:29 +0000

So my buddy Jay just got Line 6’s Verbzilla…and I gotta say that pedal is pretty awesome. While it delivers everything a verb should, its octo setting generates the reverb an octave higher, creating an ethereal pad-like layer…and for around 10 bucks! Definitely a great tool to add to the arsenal.

Free Christmas Download

the ryan of axtell — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:21:28 +0000

Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy these versions of Away in a Manger and Jingle Bells, featuring Steve Axtell on piano and Luke Bechtel on drums (for Away in a Manger). Click the “play now” link or the play button on the mp3 players above to listen in and let me know what you think!

(Right click the links below and select “Save as” to save to your computer)
Away in a Manger

Jingle Bells