Jeff Duffield

The Times, They are a changin’...”

When Bob Dylan wrote that lyric in 1963, it became the title to his third record album. Take note that I said, “record album”. Mr. Dylan had social change in mind when he wrote that song. However, I’m talking about a different kind of change. Very few artists produce vinyl records anymore since the move from vinyl to compact disc occurred in the early 80’s. There are other changes that have taken place in recording technology as well, some that may not be as apparent. MIDI technology was introduced in the early 80’s. MIDI stands for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface”, and in plain English allows keyboards and computers to talk to each other! MIDI has dramatically changed how musicians perform and record, allowing musicians and engineers to control everything from keyboards to guitars to even stage lighting.

The detail and inner workings of MIDI would bore most, but for the sake of this article, it has had an incredibly profound effect on the music industry. Just about every Gospel singer has sung with a Performance track. They were created for years by removing the vocals from studio recordings meant for albums. Studio tracks were played by “live” (as opposed to dead!) musicians. Today, much of what you hear on tracks has been recorded using MIDI technology. Digital recording and MIDI have combined to enable musicians - and increasingly ONE musician - to create tracks that sound as though MANY are playing on a song. All this is done digitally, from bass guitar, drums, right on up to the sampling of a full symphony orchestra.

What’s the bottom line? Tracks for recordings, as well as for live performance can now be created at a lower cost with life-like results. A major factor for artists today is the cost of a recording project. Unfortunately, many singers and groups find it difficult to budget the high cost of hiring musicians and studio time, let alone combining all the other factors when doing a project. The “Catch 22” for me as a studio keyboard player: I prefer tracking with live musicians, hands down. But in the day and age where technology has opened many new creative opportunities, it’s rewarding for musicians like myself to offer Tracks produced with MIDI technology, making tracks more affordable for every singer at every level.

It has been exciting to create realistic, fully orchestrated tracks at a fraction of the cost of the traditional ways of recording. And just like “live” musicians in the studio, I am able to adjust tempo, key, style, and arrangement to fit the track to a singer’s specific needs. Custom quality tracks are everything to a singer. And when you hear, “I can’t believe that track is all MIDI!”, it makes it all worthwhile!

Indeed. Because the times, they are “a changin’...”

Jeff Duffield is a veteran keyboardist with over 35 years and 500 album projects to his credit. Artists include - Jimmy Fortune, the Original Couriers, Doug Oldham, Ben “Cooter” Jones, Sammy Hall. Jeff lives with his singer/songwriter wife, Sue, in Hendersonville, TN. For more information, contact Jeff at 615-995-2284 or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).