Most people wouldn't notice that little "hiccup" in your timing of triplets or shuffle beat. Here's an easy hint I also use for pounding-out chords for heavy rock.... The pounding that hits notes together is far more forceful, and even quiet jazz shuffles are painful to people who do notice the timing problems.
As true for all hints on this blog, the below steps assume a GarageBand menu -- but the technique works for ProTools and ProLogic and other studio programs.
Step 1. Do NOT (do not do not!) "quantize" your song the usual way. (See earlier blogs for other how-to-fix timing hints.)
2. Go to Control. Un-check "Snap to Grid".
3. Pull up the Notation View (snowflake, bottom left) as Piano Roll.
4. Place your playhead (red line) at the very front of the MIDI bars for your chord to quantize. They will not be together. (That's why the timing needs fixing!) So decide which of the notes is where you want the chord to hit; usually at least 2 begin together, which is why you like the chord enough to keep it:)
5. Put your cursor below the bottom-most note and, holding the mouse button or pad, go straight up to mark every note in that chord. All should be highlighted (selected).
6. KEEPING the playhead there on top of the front of at lease one highlighted note, go to the left menu and select "Auto Align to" as "1/8 Note".
Now you will see that your MIDI bars for each chord note has moved -- and perhaps a lot. No matter.
7. Click and hold on one of the still-highlighted notes. (The whole chord set should stay highlighted.)
8. Slide that note until its very beginning is right where the playhead is. Your chord is now aligned with "comfortable" timing.
9. As always, the final step after timing moves like this is to return to CONTROL and turn "Snap to Grid" back on.
Much joy to you in creating your own personally enjoyable music timing!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne; all rights reserved
