I like to think that there is a place for just about every sound or instrument, somewhere, in some song.  It doesn't matter how cheap it is or whether it's top of the line gold or a bargain bin reject, sometimes things fit perfectly.  I've found this to be true with a cheap RadioShack microphone, which barely qualifies as a nice toy, but actually records some nice room sounds for drum tracks.  And another time with my far-from-classic Yamaha PSR-190.  I got the PSR-190 shortly after starting to play guitar and was immediately amused by its built in rhythms and preset sounds that are nothing like the instruments they are named after.  Its career in dust collecting was off to an impressive start.  But as I grew and ventured off into the world of recording, I began to appreciate its character. I think I began incorporating it into some of my songs as its final test, failure meaning a swift trip to the Wednesday morning trash pick up or an adolescent reenactment of the final minutes of any good Nirvana concert (read: smashed to smithereens). Now I would never want to listen to a track composed entirely of PSR-190 sounds, but a layer or two often fit surprisingly well. This week's Free Ableton Live Rack is a drum rack made up of the Yamaha PSR-190's awesomely late 80s-ish kit.   There's some really indispensable kick and snare sounds, and the toms... the toms are such a charming $80 attempt at Phil Collins that you have to love them.  There were fourteen sounds in total, but to make things fit nicely on your MPC style pads, I modified a Kick and Snare sound, stretching them using Ableton's Impulse instrument.  I've included some FX to allow for some further sculpting.  The video will take you through the particulars.

I've included links to my first ever solo album (released under the name Project Nairb), which is littered with a light dusting of my once mocked and now prized (and sometimes still mocked) Yamaha PSR-190. Have fun and enjoy.

"Where to You"  Project Nairb -This track features one of the PSR-190's built in rhythms, my Yamaha CP-35 (Ableton Device Rack version here), and Gibson acoustic guitar, played with an E-bow (Ableton Device Rack version here).

Here's a track from DJ I-Master aka Abacus, using some AfroDJMac racks! It's a Great groove from a member of the US military, stationed out in Seoul, Korea! God Bless Him!

Happy Thanksgiving!  :)