Ewi Midi Notes Stuck

Have an Akai 4000s Ewi midi electronic wind controller and sometimes low midi notes play on their own and stick – usually when turning the instrument off. Anyone encounter this or know a fix?

Answer: This is normal with most electronic instruments. The fix is when shutting down start with the amp first and go backwards in the audio chain. All midi devices from time to time produce stuck notes. Must midi patchbays have a “all notes off” buttom for this reason. Sometimes it just helps to switch the sound on the synth and the stuck note stops.

Stuck notes are usually caused by switching something while a note is playing. In the MIDI protocol synths communicate by sending and receiving “note on” and “note off” and sometimes the “note off” just gets lost.

Freddy Fender and Conrad Askland at Grand Ol Opry

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q6g1_3lgK4

Hey, video of me playing at the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville! “Freddy Fender and Conrad in Nashville” – Ok, more like Freddy and a couple seconds of me that nobody knows. This just got posted on YouTube. Performance of Freddy Fender at the Grand Ol Opry (I think around 2001 – don’t remember). I DO remember we had to wear suit jackets for the performance and be clean shaven – I look like a dork in the video, oh well.

This was Freddy’s last appearance at the Opry, the first appearance in over twenty years. We performed “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”. Thanks to Chris Jurado for posting this.

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Do You Need a College Degree for a Music Career?

Email question received – How important is a degree for a career in music?

Hey conrad i have an interest in music production/recording and need some advice if you have the time. Im thinking about school at mtsu outside of nashville and i was wondering about job oppertunities and the long hrs was a concern. Is it long hrs no doubt or does it depend on the area of study? Is a degree a must?

Response:

A degree or certificate sure looks good on a resume when you’re starting out. Many people I work with that have good positions for their age have some sort of degree or certification. That being said, I don’t have any – but I studied very hard for years at different universities, workshops and with many artists. If I had to do it again, I may have jump started with a degree instead of learning everything the hard way.