He takes vocals and instrumentals from original recordings of The Carpenters and revitalises them using an orchestral backing (arranged, conducted and produced by Richard). When I look at all the leads on the studio's floor, I can only imagine the challenges that the audio engineers faced in producing such amazing orchestral clarity.
My favourite Carpenters song is "For All We Know"... it's a pity that the below clip does not show the orchestra in action. It still sounds beautiful, though.
Thanks for posting this, Noel. Amongst all the trash that poses as "music" these days there are still beacons of light in the darkness. Wonderfully done. The mix has superb clarity - the background acoustic guitar for example is perfectly clean and clear in amidst everything. Cheers Ian
Last edited by sixchannel; 10/25/1910:29 PM.
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Could never go wrong with the beautiful voice of Karen Carpenter. If anything when I was young I found their music a little too smooth and MOR for my personal taste. The arrangements were always faultless but maybe lacked some grittiness. However her sensational voice could carry anything with it. What a huge loss to the world so young.
Could never go wrong with the beautiful voice of Karen Carpenter. If anything when I was young I found their music a little too smooth and MOR for my personal taste. The arrangements were always faultless but maybe lacked some grittiness. However her sensational voice could carry anything with it. What a huge loss to the world so young.
funkycornwall, listen to their first album, first called "Offering" and then relabeled as "Ticket To Ride". It's before they found their sound.
Absolutely beautiful. I've always been a huge Carpenters fan and this is superb. What a voice. I agree the guitar has stunning clarity. I remember as a child, sitting in a big arm chair listening to her songs on my father's 2 track reel to reel recorder in the early 70s. Happy memories.
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487 BIAB 2021 (Build 818) Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi) VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
Karen Carpenter's voice is superb but her drumming was just as good. I've read Karen called herself a "drummer that sang" thus placing her drumming first and singing second.
+++ HERE +++ is a video clip of Karen singing while playing drums. There's a nice drum solo at the end. It's a nice Ludwig set and she has the snare tuned tight with heavy muting that eliminates ring and gives a very classic, jazzy sound.
I wish I could remember the announcer's name as I remember seeing him as a game show host but can't place his name or what game show he hosted.
Thanks Jim for showing that link. I’d forgotten about her drumming skills. Makes me sad just to see the young talent. However she left an great musical legacy that will live on indefinitely I think.
I watched some more old YouTube videos of Karen’s drumming. I was blown away as I never realised just how great a drummer she was. How impressive that she could play such complex drum patterns and sing so beautifully at the same time. I am thinking how much more complex this is than say playing the piano plus singing. When you accompany yourself on the piano you can simplify your style whilst singing and then play fancier work in between. You can’t really do that with the drums as you are powering the band.
I have always loved her voice but now have seen another side to her talent.
If you can listen to their first album. It is her drumming, not a studio drummer and, as far as I know, the only album that she played drums on every song.
I'm not sure the new versions are improvements on the old. It's not like they needed fixing or anything.
In the new version it feels like everything has been turned up in the mix. There's certainly a lot less dynamic range.
The vocal feels like it's been hyped in the high end, which sounds more modern, but makes it a bit less integrated into the mix.
On "Superstar" the final choruses lose a bit of their punch because there's less contrast with the verse, and louder hi-hat and bass on "For All We Know" makes it feel rushed and busy.
Then again, I'd have "corrected" the /S/ on "two of us", so props to Richard for maintaining the integrity of the vocal.
Backseat mixer grumbling aside, it's good to hear these songs revisited.
Last edited by dcuny; 11/12/1901:11 PM. Reason: Typos galore.
At the time, I was not into this genre of music. Yeah I heard it on the radio but that's as far as it went. My tastes at the time tended towards the heavier end of the spectrum..... Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc......
All that aside, the girl can sing. Her voice has qualities that put her up in the top of the all time best female vocalists. She didn't live long enough to see that come to fruition. She wasn't a half bad drummer either. But again, at the time.... girl drummers were not exactly looked upon in the same light as the guys.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 11/12/1903:58 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
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