TRACK OF THE MONTH / may 2021: Dreambox

Dreambox: TRACK OF THE MONTH / may 2021*

This month…"Dreambox" is a perfect song title for this hazy, ethereal track. It opens sounding like a dusty tape loop of a lo-fi recorded piano set to simple beats under a whistled melody. But this soon unfurls into a clear soundscape of sunny, uplifting notes and chords - an optimistic instrumental built on negative space.

Find this one filed under HIP HOP in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Working From Home

TRACK OF THE MONTH / april 2021: No Going Back

No Going Back: TRACK OF THE MONTH / april 2021*

This month…The opening organ notes bounce playfully, sounding like vintage vinyl before the beats strut into the mix with more modernized aplomb. But it's the subsequent layering of spirited sounds that give "No Going Back" its deeper dimensionality. An uplifting horn section, ethereal synthesizer tones, and cheerful backing vocals all do their part to turn a simple song into a radiant anthem.

Find this one filed under INDIE…ALT POP in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Check It Out: MO/OW Design Available

Design available as a hoodie or t-shirt at the Music Orange Shop.

TRACK OF THE MONTH / march 2021: The Art of Paper Cutting

The Art of Paper Cutting: TRACK OF THE MONTH / march 2021*

This month…You'd be hard pressed to find another song that perfectly approximates the coming of spring. "The Art of Paper Cutting" opens with lilting piano notes that flutter around like butterfly wings as a sunny melody gradually emerges. The cello's deep timbre seeps into the song like tea before pitter patter rhythms give the tune its feet. But when a boomy kick drum joins the accompaniment, this all begins to feel like you're inside the soundtrack of a Wes Anderson film.

Find this one filed under INDIE ORCHESTRAL in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Check It Out: Spongebob, "Agua", and Music Orange

Who says playing the penny whistle doesn’t pay off? One of Music Orange’s founders, Blaise Smith, just received an ASCAP award for the use of his SpongeBob Squarepants penny whistle sample in one of the year’s most played latin tracks, J. Balvin and Tainy’s “Agua.” Cue the penny whistle and turn up the volume.

In the Studio: New Philips Philicorda Organ (1967)

Our new Philips Philicorda GM751 Organ arrived yesterday. Needed some light repairs due to shipping damage, but it’s working perfectly now and ready to record. This one was produced for the German market in 1967. Sounds (and looks) great!

TRACK OF THE MONTH / february 2021: Say 'Si'

Say 'Si': TRACK OF THE MONTH / february 2021*

This month…Equal parts exotica and space age bachelor pad music, "Say 'Si'" saunters and sways with vintage vibes and tropical tiki tones. This handsome ditty dances on the coolness of Bossa Nova, the zaniness of Juan Garcia Esquivel, the martini shaker rhythms of Martin Denny, and the Cubano piano styles of Perez Prado

Find this one filed under COCKTAIL…TV RETRO in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Available Now In the Music Orange Shop

TRACK OF THE MONTH / january 2021: The Compound Effect

The Compound Effect: TRACK OF THE MONTH / january 2021*

This month…What’s immediately alluring about "The Compound Effect" is its cheerful vibe. The perky intro sets an enthusiastic tone with bubbling electro effervescence. Then the beats drop like balloons on New Year’s Eve and suddenly we’re surrounded by chirpy synthesizers, catchy rhythms, and uplifting melodies that all come together and radiate beams of good energy to carry us confidently into 2021.

Find this one filed under HIP HOP…URBAN in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Greetings from the Golden Gate

TRACK OF THE MONTH / december 2020: Silent Night 2

Silent Night 2: TRACK OF THE MONTH / december 2020*

This month…This gorgeous instrumental rendition of "Silent Night" is a welcome respite from those familiar versions we grew up with. The bells, chimes, horns, and strings all swirl together to create an grandiose arrangement of gossamer beauty. But when the choir vocals chime in, this Holiday carol becomes even more ethereal.

Find this one filed under HOLIDAY in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

TRACK OF THE MONTH / november 2020: Creepin'

Music Orange -> Expertly created original music for commercials and other advertising.

TRACK OF THE MONTH / november 2020*

Creepin'

This month…Creepin' is the perfect title for a tune with tiptoe rhythms, muted fingersnaps, and woodwinds being looped on a slightly warped strip of analog tape. With some endearingly dusty textures and a nostalgic nod to '90s hip-hop production, it's easy to imagine Digable Planets or A Tribe Called Quest rapping over these hushed beats.

Find this one filed under HIP HOP…URBAN in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

library.musicorange.com/

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. If you like what you hear, please visit and check out some of our latest tracks. Enjoy the Music!

Our Work: The Lincoln Project "Fairytale"

Usually, Music Orange doesn't do politics. But when The Lincoln Project asked us to compose the music for this Ad, we decided there's no better time to change that.

If you like it, share it wide. And remember to VOTE on November 3rd!

TRACK OF THE MONTH / october 2020: Skyscraper

Skyscraper: TRACK OF THE MONTH / october 2020*

This month…The opening bars of "Skyscraper" come out of nowhere, playing punchy riffs on an electric guitar. It's as energetic as 1990s pop punk - especially when the drums and bass join the party, with those stop-start dynamics that are indicative of the genre. But the melody here is more playful and bouncy than many of yesteryear's post grunge darlings. Add in a new wave synthesizer, some handclaps, and you've got a hit jingle that sounds like a hit single.

Find this one filed under INDIE…ALT POP in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

For Our Oakland Musician Friends

The Oakland CARES Fund for Artists and Non-profits is open for the next three days

If you have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 Pandemic please consider applying.  Grants for individual artists and musicians are available for up to $3000.00 and the deadline for applications is this Friday, October 9.

https://www.cciarts.org/Oakland_CARES_Fund.html

Our Work: "We Are Here"

Here’s a project that really resonates with us. Share the message. Create and celebrate diversity in the workplace and everywhere else. And remember, #RepresentationMatters

TRACK OF THE MONTH / september 2020: Head Above Water

Head Above Water: TRACK OF THE MONTH / september 2020*

This month…The pulsing synth waves set a cool and atmospheric tone. And then the layered wooden percussion adds an organic groove. But when the song shape-shifts into ethereal ambience, this new aural dimension takes the listener into futuristic soundscapes that feel both biological and mechanical. The manipulated vocals help give the song an otherworldly vibe. "Head Above Water" is both curious and comforting.

Find this one filed under DANCE…ELECTRONICA in The Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

*Each month, we feature a new track from the Music Orange Library online—the easiest, most intuitive online library in the industry. Enjoy the Music!

Home Studio Build #2

In my perfect world of composition desks, I would have an LED light indicator above each MIDI key that I could turn on and off, preferably with a choice of color. Writing for choir and need to keep track of vocal ranges? Just mark the lower and upper limits of each group with it’s own color (e.g. red for bass, orange for alto, etc.) Want to keep track of a handful of drum or string articulations while programming a part? Just mark each key as needed. As I mentioned in Part 1, Kontakt’s Komplete Kontrol keyboards do this to some degree but not in an easily configurable and customizable way. So, as long as I am already building a new desk I thought now would be the time to solve the problem. The solution I decided on is plain brute force - make a panel of 88 toggle switches that line up below each key, each of which can turn on a single LED above each key on the keyboard in two different colors. It’s a little extreme, but it makes for the quickest most direct route from wanting to keep track of a key and actually doing it. Plus, I do like the look of lots of toggle switches. I decided on the Doepfer LMK4+ keyboard because of it’s very nice weighted keyboard and because it comes without a case.

I contacted them directly and they graciously supplied me with a to-scale drawing that I could open in Illustrator to measure and line up the switches and LEDs with each key. I decided it would be much easier to mount all the switches and LEDs on two metal panels which would attach to the desk instead of trying to mount them directly in the wood itself, so I created two panels in Illustrator and laid out all the switch locations.

I sent the Illustrator file to a laser cutting place…

…and had them anodized and etched.

Figuring out how to actually power the LEDs, what the load on the them would be, what resistors I’d need, etc. was beyond my Googling skills so I contacted my friend Kent Suzuki of Right Brain Electronics. For him this was child’s play and he quickly helped me select the correct LEDs, resistors, power supply, etc. for the project and explained how I’d have to wire it all up. I chose red/orange LEDs - toggling each switch one way will turn on one color, and toggling the other way will turn on the other color.

Here are the switches, LEDs, and resistors needed for the panels…

This turned out to be a LOT of soldering…

Here’s a portion of the front of the switch panel.

Now it’s time to layout and build the desk, mount the switch panels, and finish the wiring.

-Michael

Check It Out: Moog 2020 Trifecta Raffle

The Bob Moog Foundation is raffling three different vintage synths -  a Moog Rogue, a Moog Prodigy, and a Moog Source, each of which has been fully restored. Tickets are $25 and there will be three winners, one for each synth. All proceeds benefit Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum. Only 4,500 tickets will be sold. The raffle closes September 28, 2020 at 11:59pm (ET) or when all tickets are sold. 2020 Trifecta Raffle