Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Beating the Audio Track Joining Quirk, by DianaDee Osborne

Sometimes I find myself talking to my GarageBand program: 
        "You may as well do what I want  because I      
              AM going to win in the end!"                        

The program doesn't talk back... I'm only nicely crazy. I pray.
But I just shared this trick with a professional studio that uses ProLogic -- so one of my "WIN"s of old will help there.
So perhaps you don't know this trick.
Often we edit audio tracks, such as to cut out vocal breaths or copy in a special guitar riff.  We can join the separate regions if the first region bumps up to Count 1.

However, if the audio track starts later, the tracks won't join.
In both GarageBand and ProLogic, you have to bounce out the audio track and then pull it back in as a new track, then delete the old track.  Annoying.   EASY TRICK:

1.  Put the playhead (red bar) at Count 1 of the audio track.
2.  Hit the Record button, and then just wait a few moments, recording silence.  Then stop.
3.   You can now select each region (one at a time) and do the JOIN command.  They are sent out and then brought back onto the same track -- in a different color in GarageBand.

4.  If #2+3 did not work, you can also split out a tiny region of the audio track where there is no sound, and copy it to the front of the track.  Then do Step 3.
Much joy to you creating new music!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Improve Studio Tracks While Traveling

Do you travel a lot?  Play an instruction CD  for improving an instrument, such as guitar or bass or sax.  EVEN IF YOU DON'T play the "real" instrument but use a controller.   You truly will find that your travel time helps you learn how to improve studio tracks.  Examples:

1.   You'll learn where to add  REALISTIC BREATH  rests for all woodwind and brass instruments.  A common FLUTE TRACK mistake is to forget that the player will pass out if there are no breath spots!

2.  Hearing the actual instrument will help you USE VOLUME controls to sound more realistic. For example, STRINGS TRACKS should waver and fade off at the end of a note....

3.  And you'll learn how to better use STACCATO (short choppy notes) to break that Strings rule (#2) and do the same with other controller instruments to create a light or jazzy mood.

4.  Especially important for instruments you don't actually play -- You'll learn a "FEEL" for the instrument's natural note range.  When I began supplementing live bass tracks with controller bass tracks, at first I sometimes included a note below the lowest B of a 5-string bass!  

5.  Finally for this list of benefits (but by far not all the reasons you'll improve studio tracks listening to CDs while traveling):
        You'll gain a feel for the natural capabilities of the instrument that cannot be duplicated easily on a controller.... Such as gorgeous deep slides for a bass, or fast trills of a flute,  or the resonating vibrato of cello.

So you'll learn when to seek out friends who will record the actual instrument for your music track!
May you have MUCH joy learning more and more for your music recordings!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved