Arranging and Orchestration Concepts!! 99Organs.The Hammond B3 organ, with a Leslie speaker, has been the
standard organ sound used in all forms of popular music. There are also
smaller reproductions of the original organ available for purchase. Virtual
synthesizer software replicas of many organs, including the Hammond,
are also available. They can be edited basically the same as their hardware
counterparts. Organs other than the sound of the B3 might be more appro-
priate for some arrangements.
Synthesized organs.Most synthesizers and samplers include a num-
ber of organ samples in their general MIDI patches. An infinite number of
variations and combinations of sounds can be achieved through editing.
(Combining an organ sound one octave above a bass can be very effective
in certain styles of music, such as dance music.)
Effects generated by keyboards.Keyboards can be used to trigger
MIDI effects. For example, each time a keyboard is struck, a delay occurs
on the vocal track. The track is bused to an effect in the synthesizer, which
generates the delay. Almost any parameter can be MIDIed.
Electric Guitar
The electric guitar is one of the most popular rhythm and solo instruments
in popular music. It has line-level outputs that either route the signal
through a direct box that converts the signal for optimum signal input into
the console or go directly into the recording console, into an amplifier, or
to both inputs simultaneously. (All recording consoles have line-level
inputs.) A combination of direct and live sounds gives the engineer/pro-
ducer a choice and offers a safety factor; if one signal is not usable, the
other, it is hoped, will be free of distortion or digital error.
Because technology provides numerous options, some engineers
always want to have at least one ‘‘clean’’ (no effects) signal that can be
channeled through effects during the mixing process. If an effect is
recorded on the same track as the original signal, the effect cannot be
deleted without rerecording the guitar.
Many rhythm sections have both a lead and a rhythm guitarist. When
recording, it is common practice to double the rhythm guitar part, creating
a wider, more enriched sound (when desired). (This is a creative decision,
not a ‘‘rule.’’)
Rhythmic strumming is an integral part of the sound of a rhythm
section.Most commercial guitarists consider themselves either rhythm or
lead guitarists. In the same manner that a drummer and bassist have to
sound like one unit, the rhythm guitar player has to join the drummer and
bassist and ‘‘lock’’ into the groove.
As in other styles of music, rhythm guitarists specialize in certain
musical genres. Some are skillful rhythm-and-blues players, while others
are accomplished rock or jazz performers. Their styles differ, and so do