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Carson Bruce welcomes listeners to the Worship Keys podcast, thanks sponsor Aerospace Audio, and highlights their Atmosphere analog drone pedal (v3) with MIDI capabilities and the Aero Pads iOS app. He announces his newly released piano sample library featuring five sampled pianos and 10 patches, with both regular and felt versions, and begins a series on how to build your own sample library. He covers required equipment including a reliable computer and DAW (he tracks in Pro Tools at 96k, 32-bit float), an audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 with eight preamps), microphones (his setups range from four to seven mics), headphones, cables, and stands. He emphasizes planning around instrument quality and room acoustics, then shows his upright piano sampling session at Miller Piano Specialists in Franklin, Tennessee on a Ritmüller upright, recording notes by fifths with multiple velocities, organizing playlists, managing CPU issues, and capturing both standard and felt samples, previewing a future episode on editing and cleanup.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening! Subscribe here to the podcast, as well as on YouTube and other social media platforms. If you have any questions or suggestions for who you want as a featured guest in the future or a topic you want to hear, email carson@theworshipkeys.com. New episodes release every Wednesday!

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In part two with Micai George, Micai discusses preferring keys while still loving organ and aux keys, then shares advice for music directors at church: the role requires grace, heavy responsibility, and strong preparation; leaders must be sensitive to the Spirit, intentional, humble, and willing to sacrifice space so the whole band can shine and sound locked in. They discuss setting the atmosphere at the start of service and the value of expressive, structure-free moments with just piano and a drone pad. Micai describes his early faith upbringing, spiritual growth at Tower Prayer in Leeds, praying for his own sound, and the importance of anointed playing rooted in a relationship with God, before Carson invites him to play a soaking-style piano moment.

Micai George

Aerospace Audio

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Subscribe here to the podcast, as well as on YouTube and other social media platforms. If you have any questions or suggestions for who you want as a featured guest in the future or a topic you want to hear, email carson@theworshipkeys.com. New episodes release every Wednesday!

Micai George, a self-taught keys and organ player originally from Baltimore and now serving as musical director in Birmingham, Alabama, discusses his background, learning to play without a teacher, and returning to school to learn reading and music theory. They talk about the challenges of learning to read after becoming proficient, the importance of church production and proper gear/infrastructure (inputs, snakes, stage boxes, in-ears, stems), and Micai’s influences and approach to ear training and the number system. The episode features Micai performing an Afrobeat track and the worship song “Here Is Holy” from Transformation Worship.

Micai George

aerospaceaudio

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Subscribe here to the podcast, as well as on YouTube and other social media platforms. If you have any questions or suggestions for who you want as a featured guest in the future or a topic you want to hear, email carson@theworshipkeys.com. New episodes release every Wednesday!