Settings for My Life by Billy Joel?
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Wild Goose
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 14 Apr 2025, 12:50
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Piano 5
Settings for My Life by Billy Joel?
Could anybody suggest settings for My Life by Billy Joel on NS5?
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Wurliman69
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 14 Aug 2023, 17:28
- 2
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Stage 4
- Your Nord Gear #2: Other Brand
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Re: Settings for My Life by Billy Joel?
Hi,
I have created an acceptable version for my NS4 88 after researching the track in some depth. Billy actually created a few very interesting sounds in the studio, but sadly he gave up reproductions of these live a long time ago eg, the best every rhodes & phaser (Just the way you are), some electric pianos like CP80 ("Surprises") and many more.
On my life sing he double tracked a Bright Grand ("White XL") with a rhodes ("Stockholm" will do, or the Nefertiti... with some drive / chorus / compression, reverb).
You're half way there blending these two, but there one more trick. The start - and throughout at times - is the riff starting with A octave in left hand and G G Em D in the right. Quite a driven sound. But it doesn't last throughout, most is generally more of a standard rock piano. What works is not joust using both instruments in the two slots, (from memory, Rhodes is 70% of piano volume) but splitting the keys (+12 function fader) so that the Rhodes is only in the left (plus bit of the next 6+ notes) for most of the song.
You'll need to fiddle around with the balance, drive and compress the rhodes, (from memory it's the spring reverb moderately high that helps the Rhodes sound with a chorus or ensemble effect).
Finally, i use a pedal (control) to bring in some strings / horns / pad ... but not too loud. Just to thicken out. When i played in studio thy went nuts... "so close". I'd give it 7.5/10. Whereas Just the Way u r, I have 9.5/10 copied. You'll wonder musch better because we will never know exactly what guitar pedal and amp he puts the rhodes through. Maybe a phaser, maybe a Boss Ce-1, maybe into a fender amp, maybe a warm chorus amp like jc. We will never know, I spent days on all parameters... couldn't get any closer.
if you do, kindly share!
Wurliman 69
I have created an acceptable version for my NS4 88 after researching the track in some depth. Billy actually created a few very interesting sounds in the studio, but sadly he gave up reproductions of these live a long time ago eg, the best every rhodes & phaser (Just the way you are), some electric pianos like CP80 ("Surprises") and many more.
On my life sing he double tracked a Bright Grand ("White XL") with a rhodes ("Stockholm" will do, or the Nefertiti... with some drive / chorus / compression, reverb).
You're half way there blending these two, but there one more trick. The start - and throughout at times - is the riff starting with A octave in left hand and G G Em D in the right. Quite a driven sound. But it doesn't last throughout, most is generally more of a standard rock piano. What works is not joust using both instruments in the two slots, (from memory, Rhodes is 70% of piano volume) but splitting the keys (+12 function fader) so that the Rhodes is only in the left (plus bit of the next 6+ notes) for most of the song.
You'll need to fiddle around with the balance, drive and compress the rhodes, (from memory it's the spring reverb moderately high that helps the Rhodes sound with a chorus or ensemble effect).
Finally, i use a pedal (control) to bring in some strings / horns / pad ... but not too loud. Just to thicken out. When i played in studio thy went nuts... "so close". I'd give it 7.5/10. Whereas Just the Way u r, I have 9.5/10 copied. You'll wonder musch better because we will never know exactly what guitar pedal and amp he puts the rhodes through. Maybe a phaser, maybe a Boss Ce-1, maybe into a fender amp, maybe a warm chorus amp like jc. We will never know, I spent days on all parameters... couldn't get any closer.
if you do, kindly share!
Wurliman 69