Quick Tip: Using Multiple MIDI Controllers in FL Studio 9

Everybody loves MIDI controllers. They’re so much fun, some people buy a few of them. Before version 9, FL Studio used all connected MIDI controllers to control only one channel, but now each one can be configured to control something completely different.

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Step 1

Plug in and set up your MIDI controllers. Make sure the inputs are enabled in FL Studio’s MIDI settings and everything is working properly. I’m going to be using my Evolution MK-449C keyboard and a Korg PadKontrol.

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Step 2

Add the instrument channels you want to control with each MIDI controller. I want to control some drums with my PadKontrol and a bass sound with the keyboard, so I’ve added FPC and 3xOSC channels.

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Step 3

Now we can configure the MIDI controllers and the channels in FL Studio so that each channel is controlled by a seperate controller. When multiple channels in the step sequencer are selected, the MIDI channel that each note is sent on determines which channel (each instrument in FL Studio, like the 3xOSC and FPC, is called a ‘channel’, it’s confusing) it controls, from the ones that are selected. So, when 16 channels in FL Studio are selected, the first channel responds to MIDI notes sent on MIDI channel 1, the second on channel 2 and so on.
The MIDI channel is part of the note on and note off messages sent by the controller. When we set up a controller to send notes on MIDI channel 1, it doesn’t tell FL Studio that it’s being operated on channel 1, each note message just happens to be on channel 1. In the case of the PadKontrol and many other controllers, we can send notes on any MIDI channel we want. Knowing these limitations, we can predict how FL Studio will respond to different MIDI channels.
For example, let’s select 2 different channels in FL Studio’s step sequencer. FL Studio doesn’t know how we’ve configured our MIDI controllers or what MIDI channels we might be using. Any notes on MIDI channel 1 will be sent to the first channel in the step sequencer. Notes on MIDI channel 2 get sent to the second channel, as do any notes on any of the remaining MIDI channels.

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Step 4

Read the manual for your MIDI controller to find out how to determine and change which MIDI channel(s) it’s operating on. My PadKontrol sends all notes on channel 10 by default, because in prehistoric times, channel 10 was always used for drums. My keyboard is set up on channel 1 by default, so this works out well. If the keyboard used any other channel, I would have to change it to channel 1, as any notes on channels 2 and above will get sent to the second selected channel in FL Studio. Since the PadKontrol is sending notes on channel 10, the FPC channel should be below the 3xOSC channel in the step sequencer. Selecting it (by clicking the little green light next to it’s name) and pressing Alt+ Up or Down Arrows will move it up and down.

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Step 5

Now with both the FPC and 3xOSC channels selected by right-clicking the green lights next them, the PadKontrol plays the drums while the keyboard plays the bass. If you have a friend, this is a great way to collaborate.

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Extra Step 1

Let’s revisit the PadKontrol to do some really amazing things with this. Each pad can be configured to any MIDI channel, so with a bit of planning, multiple drum sounds can be triggered at the same time with just Sampler channels and no FPC or Layers. I’ve set up 4 pads sending notes on MIDI channels 1-4. To make things a lot easier, I’ve set each pad’s note to C4, which FL Studio sees as C5. This is just so that there’s no weird pitching going on.

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Extra Step 2

If you’re having fun with this, go into FL Studio’s MIDI settings window and click the ‘Record to step sequencer’ button. Now, if you play a cool beat on the pads, FL Studio will record each hit right into the step sequencer and it can easily edited from there. Whoooa!

Open Mic: Tell Us About the Microphone You Use the Most July 26, 2010 at 2:31 PM

Which microphone do you actually use the most? Each Tuesday we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance. You may have a collection of microphones in your arsenal, or be starting out with just one. Which microphone do you use the most, and why? This might not be your best mic, or most impressive mic. It’s the one you find yourself turning too more often than the others.

20 Killer Background Music Tracks on AudioJungle July 26, 2010 at 6:42 AM

You’ve almost finished your killer presentation. You’ve chosen an effective template and communicative fonts, and tweaked the design just right. You’ve fine-tuned your wording and rehearsed your delivery. But something is missing. You need killer audio to add atmosphere to your killer presentation. Where do you get it? Our sister site AudioJungle.net is an abundant source of royalty-free stock audio. Google reports that many people go there searching for “background music” every day. You’ll also find audio tracks in many other categories and genres. Have you checked it out? It’s a great place for musicians, composers and music producers to call home, earning a decent residual income on the tracks you upload there. To find out more about becoming an AudioJungle author, check their Sell Your Work page. You’ll meet a bunch of current authors below. If you’re already an AudioJungle author, give us a shout out in the comments, and leave a link to your profile page. And it’s an amazing place to visit when looking for stock audio. All submissions are checked for quality by our careful reviewers, so you won’t find any rubbish. And prices start from $1 (though the tracks reviewed here cost a little more). In this article we’ll list 20 of the best tracks you’ll find when searching the site for “background music”. For a presentation you’ll want some music that conveys the right atmosphere and ambiance without distracting the listener from the voice over. In fact, you may want a selection of tracks that take the audience on a journey. Let us know in the comments which of the 20 is your favorite, and the types of stock audio you need for your current projects. Soundroll Soundroll (Dmitri Lifshitz) is a freelancing sound engineer who also plays synth in the metal Yiddish band “Gevolt”. He does post production, for commercials, adverts and corporate videos, and also composes for music libraries. He is one of AudioJungle’s most successful and popular authors. Read more, see photos and check out his gear in the AudioJungle interview. 1. Desert Night Cost: $10 This dark Arabian/Oriental track features great percussion, a flute and pad sounds, and has great ambiance and atmosphere. Download audio file (preview.mp3) 2. Chilling Mood Cost: $12 This track is a bit more up-tempo, featuring electronic piano, synths and acoustic guitar. It will add character to a presentation, but you wouldn’t want to have to speak over it. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Leto Leto (Tomislav Letinic) is a composer and music producer based in Croatia, and has been making music for over ten years. Check out his AudioJungle interview here. 3. Easy House Background Cost: $8 This track will bring a modern feel to any presentation. The volume remains at a constant level, and will be well-behaved behind a voice-over. It features synth, soft rhythm and bass. Download audio file (preview.mp3) 4. My Dream (With Vocal) Cost: $10 This track has a great corporate flavor, and features female vocals which sit nicely in the background. A version without the vocal is also available. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Tomh Tomh (Tom Howe) is a young composer based in England with a love for writing for orchestra. He has won a Royal Television Society award for his work. Read more in his AudioJungle interview. 5. Jazz Cafe Cost: $12 A great Jazz track featuring piano, upright bass and subtle drums. It has a carefree sound, and loops well. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Visualgroove Visualgroove (Febby Tan) is a web designer, graphic artist and drummer. She has been producing music from the age of 14, and believes the most important ingredient is to put your heart and emotion into it. Check out her AudioJungle interview for more. 6. Flow Cost: $7 Another corporate tune, which is designed not to distract when a voiceover part is placed over it. It loops seemlessly, and has a “relaxing feel with positive energy.” Download audio file (preview.mp3) AudioQuattro AudioQuattro is a freelance composer and audio engineer, working as a producer for both TV and radio stations. He is based in Berlin. 7. Clouds Cost: $12 This motivational pop track sits in the background nicely where it belongs, and is suitable for a variety of project types. Download audio file (preview.mp3) 8. Relief Cost: $12 Low pads dominate this piece, with synth and mellow piano figures adding to the rhythm. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Vaisnava Vaisnava is a music producer based in the US, creating music for their own meditation, healing and fun. 9. Simple Piano Background Cost: $10 An atmospheric piano background designed for multimedia projects. Download audio file (preview.mp3) 10. Ambient Background Talkover Bed 2 Cost: $12 There are lots of soothing pad chords in this track. “This is meant to play softly in the background of your works… Perfect for commercials, broadcast radio, audio backgrounds and talk overs.” Download audio file (preview.mp3) ADG3studios ADG3studios (Adrien Gardiner) is a composer, musician, and all-around nice guy based in Canada, and also AudioJungle’s community manager. 11. Jazzypack2 Kitchen Showroom Cost: $7 A quiet piano background with accompaniment. “A nice and pleasant jazzy loop using a bossanova progression with piano melody and melodic guitar support, reminiscent of furniture and appliance displays, at least I think so, or for whatever else you might think it would suit.” Download audio file (preview.mp3) Audioaddicted Audioaddicted is a music producer based in California who previously worked on video games and multimedia projects. 12. Atmosphere Cost: $12 A relaxing track featuring sparse piano, thin drums, mellow bass, and filtered synth pads. Download audio file (preview.mp3) BMovier BMovier is based in Italy. His byline is “Scoring music for your guts.” 13. Background Loop Cost: $10 A funky mid-tempo track suitable for presentation and multimedia projects as background music. The instrumental progression follows a series of cool instruments including saxophone, vibes and electric piano. Download audio file (preview.mp3) DL-music DL-music has been an AudioJungle author since February 2009, and currently has three tracks in his portfolio. 14. Be Calm Cost: $8 An ambient loop featuring tremolo electric piano and sax, accompanied by a subtle rhythm track. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Solidbeats Solidbeats (Stefan Gustafsson) is a Swedish composer who has been with AudioJungle for years, and produces music in a wide variety of genres. 15. Smoove Cost: $10 A smooth and laid back R’n'B groove featuring electric piano. “Ideal as background music, easy to loop and fade out with minor skills when it comes to editing audio.” Download audio file (preview.mp3) Slats Slats (Andy Slatter) is a guitarist based in the UK who has been producing music for more than quarter of a century. He is also an AudioJungle audio reviewer, and an author who has contributed 11 tutorials to Audiotuts+. 16. Ambient Website Background Sound Pack Cost: $14 “A full length ambient website background track, which is also broken down into it's sub parts, 10 variations to allow the user to re-arrange into a custom built track or use the individual parts on different parts of a website/movie. The variations are subtle, so there is a nice flow between each part, but there is enough change in feel to create a nice feeling of build, from the sparse delay driven acoustic guitar and percussion intro to the full pad swells and electronic drums. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Musicant Musicant is a graphic artist and music producer based in the Ukraine. 17. The First Kiss Cost: $12 “Easy, light music which bears in itself positive emotions.” It features a guitar melody, and will sit in the background of a presentation nicely. Download audio file (preview.mp3) Flashleap Flashleap is a multimedia designer who composes in his free time. 18. Soothing Guitar Background Loop 2 Cost: $8 “A must for those who want a soothing background music for any project use. Guitar is used as the main instrument, with drum and a bit of chill aspect as the background creating an mellow and soothing mood which is relaxing and easy listening.” Download audio file (preview.MP3) Plastic3 Plastic3 (Alexander Polishchuk) formerly wrote songs for a number of leading Russian artists, and now concentrates on electronic, dance and edgy orchestral music for Film and TV productions. He is based in Europe. 19. Energetic Background Pack Cost: $27 This pack contains five full electronic tracks which contain many different instruments and emotions. Download audio file (preview.mp3) SoundProdigy SoundProdigy is a web developer and graphic artist based in Europe. 20. Good Luck Cost: $10 An up-tempo corporate motivational track with a guitar groove and violin/strings melody. Download audio file (preview.MP3) What types of stock audio files do you need for your projects? Which of the 20 tracks above did you enjoy most? Are you interested in becoming an AudioJungle author? Let us know in the comments.

Discover Steinberg's Cubase 5

Cubase 5 is Steinberg‘s MIDI sequencer and digital audio workstation for Mac OSX and Windows (now including 64-bit), retailing for around USD$500. The product has played an important part in the history of professional audio software, and has introduced many of the innovations in DAW software we take for granted today.

This article was previously published on the AudioJungle blog, which has moved on to a new format in 2010. We’ll be bringing you an article from the AudioJungle archives each week.

The most controversial issue relating to Cubase is the use of USB dongles as a copy protection measure. Cubase forums often contain concerns from users about lost or broken dongles, others avoid the product altogether because of the dongle issue, and still others are intent on breaking the copy protection and have succeeded for most (but not all) versions of the program. Of course there are also many happy users of the program who don’t find the dongles a concern. Which camp do you find yourself in?
This is our eighth article in the series "Exploring Digital Audio Workstations". If you've missed the earlier articles, you can find them here:

• Exploring Digital Audio Workstations
  
• Discover Pro Tools LE
  
• 11 Essential Pro Tools Tutorials
  
• Discover Logic Pro
  
• 11 of the Best Tutorials for Logic Pro
  
• Discover Propellerhead’s Reason
  
• 18 Reason Tutorials That Cover All the Bases

Now let's have a look at Cubase.

 

History and Background

The history of Cubase begins with its precursor Pro 16 in 1984. It was a music program for the Commodore 64 and Apple II created by programs Karl Steinberg and Manfred Rürup in Hamburg Germany. The following year they introduced Pro 24 for the new 16-bit MIDI Atari STs, as well as an editor for the popular Ensoniq Mirage sampler.
Cubase itself started life as a MIDI sequencer for the Atari in April 1989. It was released for the Mac platform shortly afterwards. Originally the program was called Cubit, but its name was changed for copyright reasons. It featured score editing, groove quantizing, macro sound editing, and a host of other features. It was also the first sequencer to use an Arrange Page, which listed the tracks vertically and timeline horizontally, and we are very familiar with today.
Cubase got into audio early—in 1991—with the release of Cubase Audio for Mac. Cubase Audio integrated both MIDI and audio in its Arrange window, and Steinberg also provided the stand-alone program Time Bandit for more detailed audio editing. Cubase for Windows was released the following year.
Cubase VST with FX plug-ins was released for the Mac in 1996 and Windows in 1997. Ataris were in decline, and the idea of sequencer/editor plug-ins was starting to catch on. VSTi’s appeared in 1999, and Cubase VST 4.1 offered a new rack for virtual synths.
In 2003, Cubase SX2 was released, incorporating Nuendo’s recently developed audio engine, and in early 2005 Yamaha purchased Steinberg, making it an independent company in the Yamaha Group. This year Steinberg turns 25, and Cubase 5 was unveiled at the NAMM Show in January.

Cubase 5 Features

Steinberg’s Cubase 5 Details page lists the following features:

Composing and Sequencing

• The Key Editor allows entering, cutting, moving and transposing individual notes or whole chords, editing MIDI parameters, reworking a MIDI performance. With the In-place Editing function, you can also process MIDI parts directly in the Project Window in context with other tracks.
• The Score Editor is a notation environment that lets you view your music in the form of scores, with support for many symbol, display and editing options, lyrics and remarks, drum notes, guitar tablature and lead sheets.
• The Drum Editor is for constructing and reworking beats, rhythms and grooves as well as creating individual drum maps for every employed instrument.
• The List Editor gives fast access to every aspect of a MIDI note.
• MIDI plug-ins include Beat Designer, Arpeggiator, a MIDI pattern sequencer, a MIDI chord processor, a MIDI compressor and a Context Gate for selective MIDI data triggering/filtering.
• The VST Expression feature allows integrated editing of articulations, with full control over multiple articulations in the Key and Score Editors.

Recording and Editing

• The Steinberg audio engine delivers 32-bit floating-point resolution and 96 kHz sample rate.
• The Sample Editor provides a range of functions that cover common editing tasks right down to the sample level.
• The Control Room is a recording and monitoring environment with custom busses and setups for up to four studio sends for performers, full talkback and metronome integration, custom monitor setups and much more.

Mixing

• Three mixer views allow you to show specific combinations of channels, channel types and zoom.
• Cubase provides 256 physical inputs and outputs, 8 inserts per Channel, 64 FX sends as well as 256 groups/busses and unlimited routing between audio channels, busses, groups and FX returns.
• Automation handling provides a dedicated automation panel for quick access to all automation functions.
• Sidechain inputs are available on most VST3 plug-ins.
• Channel Studio EQ includes multiple filter modes and characteristics.

Effects

• Cubase 5 comes with 58 realtime effect processors, including EQ, Dynamics, Modulation, Reverb, Filters, Distortion and special effects.

Instruments and Content

• Cubase 5 delivers rich virtual instruments: LoopMash, Groove Agent ONE,  HALion ONE, Prologue, Spector and Mystic.

User Comments

What do Cubase users think of the product? Here are some comments by users and reviewers that I found around the Net. I'd love to hear from you in the comments too.

• “For first-time buyers looking for a complete production solution, Cubase 5 is up there with the best of ‘em, while for those coming from another DAW, features such as VariAudio and VST Expression are no doubt highly attractive.” (Musicradar.com)
• “Cubase 5-0 could have been a lot worse.  In the balance, though, I am left with a positive feeling.  The new features push Cubase 5 past the realm of sound recording and into sound developing.  Lets face it, all sequencers record midi and audio, use plugins, soft synths, effects and allow you to mix and master.  But what tools do they give you to create something new and different?  LoopMash and VariAudio are a continuation of Cubase’s focus on audio manipulation.  It appears to be finding its niche.” (TweakHeadz Lab)
• “For those with the cash, the full-blown Cubase 5 is more appealing than ever. Plug-ins aside, it no longer feels underpowered compared to Sonar, with VariAudio and Groove Agent ONE in particular filling some important gaps in its toolbox. As this old stalwart turns five once again, this time around we don’t envisage Steinberg going back to the drawing board any time soon.” (Ben Pitt, PC Pro)
• “The problem for Steinberg is that Apple’s own Logic bundle offers so much more, and costs around £200 less. For newcomers there’s no contest – even with the new features in Cubase, Logic still wins easily. For established users, the decision isn’t quite so easy. If you already have years of time and hundreds of plug-ins invested in Cubase, there’s every reason to want this update. And for the few hundred people in the UK who can score orchestral music with dots on staves, the articulation features may be a real time-saver compared to other packages.” (Richard Wentk, Techradar.com)
• “Introduced in 2006 to replace the SX/SL/SE designation, Cubase 4 was (and still is) viewed as a ‘lemon’ by many in the audio production world. In 2007, Steinberg tried to rectify the situation by releasing the Cubase 4.1 update. Although some of the bugs had been fixed with this update, there was still an alarming lack of DAW stability for Cubase users on both the Mac and PC platforms. For a music producer, there are few things more frustrating than a DAW that crashes repeatedly for reasons that are not fixable by the end user. With Cubase 5, Steinberg has put the instability issue to rest. Furthermore, there were some notable improvements made in Cubase 4 (such as the ability to change the order of channel insert effects via drag and drop and the introduction of instrument tracks) and all of those been carried over in Cubase 5.” (Clayton Warbeck, Suite 101.com)
• “No complaints out of the 4 years i have used cubase, big jump from the vst32 version with sx and then to the sx2, haven’t really felt the need yet to go to the 3.0 upgrade although i will just to stay on top of the game of this EXCELLENT program!!! Cubase should never be underestimated of it’s power and stability.” (Recording Engineer/Instrumentalist/Producer, Nashville)
• “The interface in Cubase has, for me, always been the best. I sometimes need to spend a few hours re creating MIDI lines with a pen tool and lining them up against the original audio. Cubase has such a liquidity in the screen, plus a cool targeting feature that seems to know just what and where you wish to edit, freely (not with quantization) lining things up to guide the eye while doing work with pin-point accuracy. That’s just one small but useful features I’ve always found so user friendly.” (Recording Artist, Engineer, Producer, London)
• “The programmers at Steinberg have obviously been doing their homework. In the world of mix and match PC components, it is surprising that this group designed a product that plays nice with almost any combination of components. Having looked extensively at Cubase user forums, I have seen so few complaints regarding hardware compatibility problems. Compare that with ProTools, which requires certain expensive add-on hardware to run well. Plus, the company seems commited to solving any problems that do crop up. The look is both funcional and aesthetically pleasing, plus it’s very modifiable. The adjustment options take into account an amazing array of possible configuration needs. Again, with earlier versions (including SX1), if you installed poorly written free plugins, the program would sometimes choke on startup, leaving you to figure out which plugin was jamming it up. SX3 manages to load right up no matter what. (It’s probably better to buy good plugins anyway, but…) I never worry about whether the program will make it through the boot process.” (Performer, Composer, Producer, New Orleans)

What do you think of Cubase? Have you tried it? Do you love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments.

Be Organized Before Mixing With Cubase

A friend brings you a multi-tracked session recorded with another DAW. Before diving in to the mix, send him looking for coffee and a newspaper, and take time to organize your project and optimize the work area. You will save time and gain in efficiency. Some say “Less is more.” Now let’s say “No stress, good mix!”   Step 1: Import the Audio Tracks Before importing the audio files in the DAW, let’s have a look at those files. Are they WAV or AIFF? Are they OMF? The files’ format depends on the way your friend exported from his DAW. OMF (Open Media Format): When importing this file format, the DAW recreates the same project and puts all the audio files along the timeline in the proper order with the correct track names. Note that this file format does not capture effects data. WAV or AIFF: If the export of every track has been done with this file format, all the tracks have to start at the same point. Otherwise you won’t be able to line up the files at the same start point. Start with an empty project. Hit <ctrl + N>, select your project folder and hit OK. Under the menu File, select Import Audio file and look in your hard disk to select the bounces. If you import the tracks one by one, you will have to create an audio track beforehand. You can select all the tracks you need by holding the <ctrl> key on your keypad. At this point, make the good choice in the Import Option windows: Import Options window Select “copy files to working directory”. All the audio files will be copied and stored in the audio folder of your project. Selecting “Convert and copy to project if needed” will convert the audio files to the same sample rate and record format you previously set in the Project Setup. Some Cubase users set the project at 32-bit floating point (adding extra 8 bits full of zero), arguing that all internal processing in the application are done at 32-bit floating point, which means there is no bit depth conversion during processing. The gain is not clear but the impact on the storage capacity is really clear! Selecting “split channels” allows you to decide if you want separate a stereo track to two mono tracks. The next window gives you the choice to insert the audio files on one track or insert on different tracks – select “different tracks”. Insert objects option Step 2: Organize the Tracks We all remember our mother saying “Clean your room!” We thought she was wrong when we were young, but for a mix, she’s so right! Let’s have a look at the project: The Mix Project window As you can see, all the tracks are completely disorganized. They appear in the order you selected them. Some guitar tracks are followed by keyboard tracks, drum track, vocal tracks, piano tracks, drum tracks again, and piano… Set all the audio tracks in the common order most of the front of house engineers use: First, all the drums tracks (kick, snare top, snare bottom, hh, toms and oh), then the bass tracks, then guitars tracks, then the ‘extra’ instruments (keyboards, strings…) and finished with the vocals tracks. To do so, drag and drop the kick drum track to the top of the track list. As you move a track on the track list, two green horizontal lines appear. Use the same technique with your project tracks. Drag and drop the track. Step 3: Rename the Tracks Take the time to rename tracks as you want to. If there is only one kick drum track, why keep a track called “bounce kick-01″? Rename it “kick drum” for example. You just have to double click on the name in the track list to edit it. At the same time, if you want to rename the track in the event display, select the track, click the Show Event Info Line icon in the toolbar and double click on the name under ‘File’. Rename the track. Step 4: Colorize the Tracks You should add some colors to your tracks for easier overview. You have two options: Eat some pills and paint your tracks like a rainbow, really nice! Or decide to colorize all the drum tracks in one particular color, bass tracks in another color, guitar tracks in a third color… Select the first drum track (which should be the kick now), hold [ctrl + shift] and click on the last drum track. All the drum tracks are now selected. Choose and apply a color from the color selector in the toolbar located on the top right of the project window. The colour selector. At this point, all the tracks are organized, renamed and colorized. Step 5: Group Channel Track Using group channel tracks is very useful for mixing. By routing several audio channels to a group channel, you can submix them, apply the same effects and equalization to all of them. Let’s create these tracks and see the benefits. In this example project we have 10 drums tracks, 2 bass tracks, 3 guitars tracks and 4 keyboards tracks. So we create four group channel tracks. Do a right click in the track list, select “Add Group Channel Track”, set the count to 4, select Stereo and click OK. Rename the group channel tracks as ‘Drums’, ‘Bass’, ‘Guitars’ and ‘Keyboard’, set the colors of your choice (the same as the corresponding audio tracks or different one) and place these four group channel tracks at the end of the track list as it is physically placed on an analogue mixing desk. To route the output of an audio channel to a group, pull down the output routing pop-up and select the corresponding group. Group Channel Track Routing. If you want to route multiple audio channels to a group at once, select all the tracks needed, hold Shift+ALT and click on the output routing pop-up to select the group. Step 6: Solo a Group If you solo a group channel, all channels routed to the group will be automatically soloed as well. Soloing a channel routed to a group will automatically solo the group channel. Note that if you solo a group or channel routed to that group, any channels which have AUX sends routed to other group channels, FX channels or output busses will be muted. In the example below, the solo button on the drums group track has been activated. The drums group track soloed. Step 7: Mute a Group If you mute a group channel, all channels routed to it will be muted as well. The drums group muted. You can change this functionality in the Preferences at the VST page. “Group Channels: Mute Sources as well” option. If you deactivate the option “Group Channels: Mute Sources as well”, muting a group channel will mute this group channel track but all channels that are routed directly to that group channel will remain unmuted. This means that if any of those channels have aux sends routed to other group channels, FX channels or output busses, those will still be heard. The drums group track muted (Mute Sources as well deactivated). Next time, we will continue to organize and prepare the project session. We still have to create folder tracks, check the phase cancellation on the snare, edit some audio tracks and set configurations of the mixer. I think you need more coffee before you can finally put your fingers on the mixer…

Music Production

Quick Tip: Add Rhythmic Variations with Gated Vocal Effects
July 22, 2010 at 4:21 PM

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Gated Vocal effects are a cool way of adding extra rhythmic variations and dynamics to you tunes.
Especially, genres like progressive and psy trance make extensive use of those techniques enhancing the overall rhythm and adding a sense of spirituality, if you like. I am going to be showing you various ways of achieving this effect using Ableton Live 8.0.9 for this tutorial but the technique can easily be applied to any DAW.

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Setting Up

I have two audio tracks, one playing a loop from one of my tunes and the other one a female vocal phrase.
Listen to the drum loop:
Download audio file (back-to-basics.mp3)
Listen to the vocal:
Download audio file (vocal.mp3)

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Using Clip Envelopes

On the vocal audio file’s Envelope Editor select Clip from the Device Chooser, then Volume from the Control Chooser. Start drawing envelope steps in various quantization grid settings to modulate the clip volume. You can add varying envelope step heights depending on how much you want the volume being chopped up.

You can also adjust the envelope Breakpoints to control the attack and release of each volume modulation for smoother results. I’ve also highpassed the vocal to make it better sit in the mix.

Listen to the result:
Download audio file (loop-vocal1.mp3)

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Using a Sampler Device

You can achieve the same effect by using a Sampler device or any sampler on any other DAW. Drag a Sampler instrument on a MIDI track, then drag and drop the vocal sample clip on the Sampler where it says “Drop Sample Here”.

Go to the Modulation tab and activate LFO 1. Set the LFO Type to Square, sync the LFO Rate to beat-time and drag the Vol parameter all the way up to 100% to have the LFO fully modulate the volume. You can even preview the effect by auditioning the sample by hitting C3 on your keyboard. The Beats parameter sets how fast the vocal sample will be gated according to the master BPM.

Now, you can program a MIDI clip playing note C3 and automating the LFO 1 Synced Rate parameter or any other parameter that you might see fit. The Vol < LFO parameter can also be modulated to temporarily deactivate the gated effect or add a varying degree of volume attack to the effect. In the example above I’ve modulated the above parameters using the clip’s envelope area.
Listen to an example:
Download audio file (loop-vocal2.mp3)

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Using a Simpler Device

For those that only have Simpler, they can still use the same method to process their vocals. Just activate the LFO and set similar values as before. The Volume > LFO depth setting is located at the right of the Simple device just underneath Volume.

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Using a Gate Device

Using a Gate device you can achieve similar results. You are going to need an extra MIDI channel so you can drop an Operator instrument (or any other instrument as a matter of fact) to act as the sidechain input for the Gate device. Remove the clip volume envelopes on the audio track we initially had from Step 1 and drop a Gate device. Open the external Sidechain input and select the Operator track from the drop-down list. Set the MIDI track’s Audio To to Sends Only to mute the Operator’s output and enter some MIDI notes inside a clip. When the clip is played any MIDI notes will activate the Gate sidechain making the vocal audible whereas no MIDI notes will silence the signal. For smoother volume changes, play around with the Attack setting on the Gate. I’ve added a bit of reverb on the vocal for some extra space.

Listen to an example:
Download audio file (loop-vocal3.mp3)
Since, delay effects are also appropriate for this kind of thing, here is another sample with some delay added as well.
Listen to an example:
Download audio file (loop-vocal4.mp3)
Another thing you can do is create various MIDI clips with repeated 1/16, 1/32, etc length values and fire them up during a live performance to create varying rhythmic effects drawing only one long note to one of the clips so that you can switch back to the un-gated vocal sample. Or you can create a super rack where you can combine various parameters easily.

Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (5.8 MB)
Contents

• Ableton Live Source Files

Media Files
back-to-basics.mp3 (MP3 Audio, 218 KB)

How to Create & Use Custom Groove Templates in Logic July 22, 2010 at 3:04 AM

Groove templates can be very useful when making music, and Logic makes it quite easy for you to make your own and use them in your projects. However a little homework is required and there are a few tricks to doing it right. That’s what this tutorial is all about. I would like to mention that I am not going to provide the project file for this tutorial. If you do it right, this has to be done only once. So if I do include the project files, it would make the tutorial redundant. For the uninitiated, a groove template is made using a MIDI pattern that has been quantized with a certain groove. Therefore a prerequisite to this tutorial is that you have some other source for a “groove” at hand. For example a drum machine or a sequencer other that Logic (like Ableton Live). This may seem strange but there small differences in the groove quantization. I will be using Ableton Live to create the source MIDI files which we will later use in Logic. Again, you can use any sequencer or plugin that can add groove to MIDI sequences. (a plugin that can do this is GURU by fxpansion) Let’s get started. Step 1 Open Ableton Live and create an Instrument Track. Now drop a “Simpler” instrument on the track and drop the “Click Attack” sample provided on Simpler (this is only for monitoring purposes). Double click in any cell of the instrument channel to create a MIDI region. Step 2 At the bottom left corner, right click/crtl click on the “1/16″ and select 1/8 in the popup menu to change the grid. You could use 1/16 notes too, but I’m sticking to 1/8 notes for the purpose of the tutorial. Once you learn how it’s done, you can create MIDI sequences with different grooves based on both, 1/8th and 1/16th notes. Step 3 Now double click after the first grid line to create a MIDI note. In this case it makes no difference which note you are using since this has nothing to do with tone or pitch. Do this for all 8 divisions of the grid, or simply use the shortcut “Command-D” seven times (Ctrl-D in case of windows). Play the MIDI clip to hear how it sounds without any groove applied. This way it will be easier to hear the difference once you apply a groove to the sequence. Step 4 Once the notes are drawn, locate the “Clip” section towards the bottom left of the screen. (It’s right beside the “Status Bar”.) Here you will find the Groove drop-down menu and right next to the word “Groove” a small round “Hot Swap” button. Click the Hot Swap Button to reveal the Groove Library. Now you can see all the grooves from various sources that you can apply to your MIDI patterns within Live. Ironically there is also a folder of Logic grooves you can use in Live. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will chose the MPC folder which uses grooves generated using the legendary AKAI MPC sampler. (I suggest experimenting with the others later.) Step 5 Now double click on any of the MPC 8 Swing grooves to hear how they sound with the pattern you created earlier. Experiment to hear what they sound like and make notes since you can make templates out of all the grooves that work well with your music. In the case of this tutorial, we will use the “MPC 8 Swing-60”. To apply the selected groove to the MIDI clip, click on “Commit” right below the Groove drop-down menu in the Clip section. The quantization will visually change on the right side to show the applied change. You should also be able to hear the difference. Step 6 We now need to export this MIDI data so that it can be used by Logic. To do this, simply right click / ctrl click on the MIDI clip and select “Export MIDI Clip” in the menu. Save the file in an easily accessible location since it will be needed soon. I also suggest naming it depending on the groove used, for example: mpc8-60.mid. This will avoid confusion when using the files later. This process can be repeated for all the chosen grooves and also using the 1/16 grid. By the end of this you should have your own pool of usable MIDI grooves that can now be converted to Groove Templates in Logic. Step 7 Once this is done it’s time to open Logic and start a new project. If you use a “Project Template” or “Autoload” in your workflow, I suggest incorporating the next part into the Template and saving it. If you do not use a template, now would be a good time to start. The reason for this is that Logic will not remember your groove templates across projects or even within the same project if it is not being used. Step 8 Import or drag and drop all the MIDI files that you created using Live and organize them in the arrange window. Rename the tracks to exactly how you want them to appear in the Quantize menu before saving them as Groove Templates. Once the tracks have been renamed select all the MIDI regions that were imported containing groove information , right click / ctrl click on the selection, scroll down to “Name & Color” and chose “Name Regions by Tracks” in the sub-menu. Step 9 Finally we get to creating the actual groove template in Logic. This is a really simple step. Just select a track which has a MIDI region with groove information and in the “Inspector”, found at the top left of the page, click on the arrows next to “Quantize”. The menu that appears will have all the default logic quantization values and at the bottom of the list an option to “Make Groove Template”. Clicking one that adds the groove template to the list and it is ready for use. Using the templates is easy. Just click on any other midi track to which you want to apply the groove and go back to the quantization menu and select a groove from the list. The groove templates will also be available in the Piano Roll editor. Step 10 Now that we are done with the creation of Groove Templates, it’s time to clean up and organize. First of all, remove all the virtual instruments that were created on the instrument tracks when the MIDI files were imported. This is very important! You could also choose to not send them to the stereo output (by assigning them to “No Output”), but this is not essential. Step 11 Select all the MIDI regions you used as groove templates and right click / ctrl click on the selection, scroll down to the last option in the drop-down menu and select “Pack Folder” from the resultant sub-menu. You may want to rename the folder at this time following the same steps as renaming a MIDI region. Step 12 On top of the Arrange window, immediately to the left of the “Edit” button is a button with the letter “H” on it. Clicking on this button turns it green and reveals a smaller “H” button on all the tracks in the Arrange window. Click on the small “H” corresponding to the folder track containing the MIDI grooves. This will also turn green once activated. Now simply click on the larger “H” next to the “Edit” button and the track will be hidden from view in the arrange window. The button will also turn orange to indicate that the project has hidden tracks. Step 13 All that remains now is to save all this work. As mentioned earlier, those that started this exercise within their Autoload or Default Template should save it as a part of the template. For those that haven’t been using templates, save this project as a Template. By doing this, the Custom Groove Templates that were added to the Quantize list will appear on every new project. Have fun creating your own pool of Groove Templates for Logic.