In this assignment, you need to compose a loop that uses effects to enhance the sounds that make up your loops. Your loop must consist of drums, bass and one other instrument. It must also include include at least one of the following three effects types:
1. Some type of Reverb
2. Some type of Delay (or echo)
3. Some type of modulating effect: such as chorus, flanger or phaser.
Be careful not to let the effect take over the piece. Effects are for enhancing songs.
To apply an effect to a channel do this:
In the step sequencer, click on the name of the channel. A dialog box will pop up. Note that in the upper right hand corner is a window that says "FX" and there's a dash in the window. This is the routing number to send that channel to a specific mixer channel when an effect awaits. Set it to "1".
Now hit F9 or go to view-view mixer. The mixer appears. Click on insert 1 (Because we selected "1" from our channel in the step sequencer, it could be any number as long as there's a channel aimed at it.)
On the right hand side of the mixer there are 8 slots that we can put effects in. Click on the drop down arrow and then "select" to see what's avalable.
Try selecting delay because its obvious when it's working. When you play back your song, the channel that you have routed to the insert 1 of the mixer will play back with the effect you have selected on it.
You can do this with any channel. In the example below, I have reverb on the snare drum, a phaser on the bass sound and delay on some of the hits and on the short, high pitched bleep sound.
Here's the criteria:
20 Three different types of effects are used.
20 The blog post explains why these effects were matched with a particular channel.
20 The effects enhance the overall sound of the loop.
20 The loop makes musical sense.
20 Creativity and effort.
Good Luck!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Project 2: The Chop Tool, FPC and Transpose function
The chop tool can take a single note and break it up into a bunch of different pre-set patterns. Try this:
1. Select a generator that will produce a sustained pitch (not a drum) and drop it into the step sequencer.
2. Open the piano roll for that instrument (I used the slayer, channels, add one, slayer) and enter in a long note.
3. In the upper left hand corner of the piano roll window, there is a small icon that looks like a piano keyboard. Select it and from the drop down menu select tools, then chop.
4. Viola! Your note has been chopped into segments. Click on the check mark to accept the changes to your note and give it a listen.
5. So you're not impressed. Fine. Go to the piano roll window again and repeat step 3 (or use the keyboard shortcut Alt u) and select a different pattern from the pattern folder. There are hundreds to choose from. From this window you can also dial the time mul controller to change the population of notes in your window.
The same pattern played over and over again can cause brain damage if you're not careful. Beware of monotony. :-) To add some variation, transpose your pattern like this:
1. In the step sequencer, select the channel with the loop you wish to transpose, and copy it (Right click the channel name, Edit, Copy).
2. Select an empty pattern in the step sequencer, and edit, paste.
3. Now you have the exact same musical pattern in two separate step sequencer patterns.
4. Open the piano roll in one of them, and from the keyboard icon, choose edit, transpose (up or down- doesn't matter) or use the keyboard shortcut- shift, arrow keys.
Your assignment is to create a loop that utilizes the chop tool and the transpose function. form is up to you, but it must be organized in some way- be sure to mention the form in your post.
You will be assessed on your:
1. Use of the chop tool
2. Use of the transpose function
3. Use of drums and bass
4. Descriptive post (see sample post below).
Here's my example and sample post:
I started out with my favorite drum sounds from the RealDrumKits tab in the browser and wrote an up tempo rock beat. Then I added the slayer plug in and cranked up the distortion (double coil pickup setting too) . The chop tool gave me this pattern (trance 6) and I went with it. I added some effect (chorus on the slayer) and that gave me the main riff.
I used the chop tool again on a bass sound (also in the slayer plug in), and found that the two rhythms fit together nicely.
I used the transpose function to change the pitch of the bass and guitar sounds to create an 8 measure pattern, and then layered a melody on top of that pattern with a piano sound (I'm not sure if I really like the piano sound, but I do like the melody).
The for has a 2 measure introduction followed by a statement of the transposed 8 measure sequence in the bass, drums and guitar. That section repeats, but on the repeat, the piano comes in. Then there's an interlude where I used the chop tool again on one note (F), but I wasn't totally happy with the pattern it gave me, so I edited it a little in the piano roll and made the last two hits long. There is a drum breakdown section too. It's all FPC stuff. The song ends with a fade out on the original chop pattern.
1. Select a generator that will produce a sustained pitch (not a drum) and drop it into the step sequencer.
2. Open the piano roll for that instrument (I used the slayer, channels, add one, slayer) and enter in a long note.
3. In the upper left hand corner of the piano roll window, there is a small icon that looks like a piano keyboard. Select it and from the drop down menu select tools, then chop.
4. Viola! Your note has been chopped into segments. Click on the check mark to accept the changes to your note and give it a listen.
5. So you're not impressed. Fine. Go to the piano roll window again and repeat step 3 (or use the keyboard shortcut Alt u) and select a different pattern from the pattern folder. There are hundreds to choose from. From this window you can also dial the time mul controller to change the population of notes in your window.
The same pattern played over and over again can cause brain damage if you're not careful. Beware of monotony. :-) To add some variation, transpose your pattern like this:
1. In the step sequencer, select the channel with the loop you wish to transpose, and copy it (Right click the channel name, Edit, Copy).
2. Select an empty pattern in the step sequencer, and edit, paste.
3. Now you have the exact same musical pattern in two separate step sequencer patterns.
4. Open the piano roll in one of them, and from the keyboard icon, choose edit, transpose (up or down- doesn't matter) or use the keyboard shortcut- shift, arrow keys.
Your assignment is to create a loop that utilizes the chop tool and the transpose function. form is up to you, but it must be organized in some way- be sure to mention the form in your post.
You will be assessed on your:
1. Use of the chop tool
2. Use of the transpose function
3. Use of drums and bass
4. Descriptive post (see sample post below).
Here's my example and sample post:
I started out with my favorite drum sounds from the RealDrumKits tab in the browser and wrote an up tempo rock beat. Then I added the slayer plug in and cranked up the distortion (double coil pickup setting too) . The chop tool gave me this pattern (trance 6) and I went with it. I added some effect (chorus on the slayer) and that gave me the main riff.
I used the chop tool again on a bass sound (also in the slayer plug in), and found that the two rhythms fit together nicely.
I used the transpose function to change the pitch of the bass and guitar sounds to create an 8 measure pattern, and then layered a melody on top of that pattern with a piano sound (I'm not sure if I really like the piano sound, but I do like the melody).
The for has a 2 measure introduction followed by a statement of the transposed 8 measure sequence in the bass, drums and guitar. That section repeats, but on the repeat, the piano comes in. Then there's an interlude where I used the chop tool again on one note (F), but I wasn't totally happy with the pattern it gave me, so I edited it a little in the piano roll and made the last two hits long. There is a drum breakdown section too. It's all FPC stuff. The song ends with a fade out on the original chop pattern.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Project 1: Drum Loops
Your first assignment is to create three different drum loops in the step sequencer, and separate them with drum fills. In class, we discussed what constituted a "good" drum pattern, and what constitutes a "good" drum fill. Keep your repeated patterns simple, and save the flashy/ busy stuff for the drum fills. The fills should not repeat in the playlist.
Use different sounds from the browser in your patterns and don't forget to use the graph editor, panning and volume controls for each sound in your final mix. Once you have rendered your file to MP3, upload it to your blog and write your post.
This is a sample description of what I'm looking for in your post and embedded file:
I was inspired by the sounds of ZZ top, Justin Timberlake and Madonna. I have always been a fan of their music, and I guess it pours out of me easily. Anyway, I started with a straight four bass drum pattern with the snare on 2 and 4 and an eighth note pattern on the hi hat (al la "Legs" by ZZ Top). All of the sounds I used came right out of the FPC section of the browser. The A section morphed into something a little more syncopated in the B section where I used the ride cymbal instead of the hi hat and included two toms in the pattern. I was trying to make the B section strongly contrast to the simplicity of the A section by mixing up the rhythms with the toms. the ride cymbal has a darker color to it than the hi hat, so I figured it would contrast as well. Enjoy!
When you have finished your post, you need to go to the comments section of at least two other members of the class (all websites are on the chalkboard) and leave a comment. Click on the comments section of this post to see the sample comments I left about my piece.
By the way, this guy is a pro and uses the same tools you have to create something very high quality. check it out and be prepared to be humbled:
Use different sounds from the browser in your patterns and don't forget to use the graph editor, panning and volume controls for each sound in your final mix. Once you have rendered your file to MP3, upload it to your blog and write your post.
This is a sample description of what I'm looking for in your post and embedded file:
I was inspired by the sounds of ZZ top, Justin Timberlake and Madonna. I have always been a fan of their music, and I guess it pours out of me easily. Anyway, I started with a straight four bass drum pattern with the snare on 2 and 4 and an eighth note pattern on the hi hat (al la "Legs" by ZZ Top). All of the sounds I used came right out of the FPC section of the browser. The A section morphed into something a little more syncopated in the B section where I used the ride cymbal instead of the hi hat and included two toms in the pattern. I was trying to make the B section strongly contrast to the simplicity of the A section by mixing up the rhythms with the toms. the ride cymbal has a darker color to it than the hi hat, so I figured it would contrast as well. Enjoy!
When you have finished your post, you need to go to the comments section of at least two other members of the class (all websites are on the chalkboard) and leave a comment. Click on the comments section of this post to see the sample comments I left about my piece.
By the way, this guy is a pro and uses the same tools you have to create something very high quality. check it out and be prepared to be humbled:
FL Studio - Phat Beats 101 from Andrew Aversa on Vimeo.
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