PADS
START USING PADS TODAY. HERE’S HOW! | Brian Fuller
Today is the day! In our previous three pad
the way you were doing things before.
3.
articles, we walked through the why the what
Decide on a method for playing your pads
live. I highly suggest playing them from
and the how on this magical, musical little thing Like most creative artists, I am also a very a laptop through a headphone jack until
called ‘pads’. Now, the time has come to talk right-brain person, however, I also have a high you get into the groove, knowing you can
about the next question… when? degree of obsessive-compulsiveness and as always change playback methods later.
such, I like things in clear and concise order. (IMAGE 2)
While there are a growing number of worship So instead of babbling on, I am going to simply
4.
leaders and artists in church ministries that give you a bullet point presentation on how to iTunes playlist or whatever software you
have already jumped on board the pads simply start using pads today in your musical use to play music. (IMAGE 3)
bandwagon, there are still a large number of situation.
5.
folks out there, just like yourself, that want to
get into the pads world but have been either
Hook your laptop to your PA system and
label that channel ‘ambient pads’. Treat
STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO INTEGRATING PADS
this channel like you would a keyboard
player lightly in the background. (IMAGE 4)
intimidated or unsure of what the next steps are
to begin using them.
Transfer/import your ‘pads’ into either an
1.
In this article, I am going to walk you through a
Purchase -or- download a free set of ‘pads’
6.
‘Look Mom, no hands!’ Welcome to the
(audio files) from a reputable resource: inner circle of pads user. You are now a
www.worshiptutorials.com/pads legend!
step-by-step layout what you will need to do to
begin implementing pads easily, effectively and TIPS:
effortlessly. When? Today, so let’s get started! Start
small.
Practice
using
these
pads
underneath a live acoustic guitar and a vocalist
A word of encouragement, if you have been
thinking about doing this, I want to nudge you
to let go of any of your fears and just jump on
in. The water is fine! Using pads is an extremely
low risk yet high reward venture and if you don’t
like the experience, you can always go back to
or a keyboard and a vocalist until you get a
2.
Create a folder on your desktop called
‘PADS’ and put all your download wave
files or MP3’s is in that folder organized in
keys. (IMAGE 1)
good feel for how they work sonically.
Make sure you’re using the correct key! This
sounds simple but believe it or not, people
mess this up all the time. Just because the first
(IMAGE 1)
chord of the song is the F chord doesn’t mean
it’s in the key of F. Do your research and make
sure you’re using the pads that are in the same
key of the song you are doing!
Run the pads at an extremely low volume so
that you can tell that they are there in the mix
but they’re not too loud that they’re distracting.
The best way to use pads is that you notice
them when they’re gone but you don’t notice
them too much while they are there. If your
pads sound like there is an army of angels
descending on your worship center then
chances are they’re a little too loud in the mix!
Have fun and experiment. Don’t get frustrated.
Remember, pads are there to enhance your
worship experience, not to give you or your
listeners an ambient brain freeze.
188
June 2019
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