Monday, May 14, 2018

Music Sheets TEMPO INFORMATION

Music Sheets TEMPO INFORMATION 
DATE of posting:       14 May 2018      SUBSCRIBE  
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RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

OTHER MUSIC NOTATION TYPES
After you have created your music project, whether in GarageBand or another program, 
you might choose a music format that was NOT built from that project's software.
For example, the
described at www.DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com Resources tab for Music Method
tells you how to easily put your music into a written form for yourself
and other musicians without the "foreign language" of symbols like ♬ or ♮ or ♭ or ♪ .

How do you test to find right Tempo for song?
GREAT TRICK:
Use an odd-number tempo while you are still in draft stage,
and are not yet quite settled on how fast you want your music to go.
On your music sheet, include information such as TEMPO: 113 bpm (odd number).
After you decide what tempo you want -- 
because a difference even of only 8 beats per minute can turn a dragging piece 
into a more popping song--
1. Ensure that the GarageBand /program tempo is changed to an EVEN number, and
2. Mark the music sheet to match, such as TEMPO: 114 bpm
3. Make the font for the music sheet's number BOLD.
Afterwards, you will always know when looking at your music sheet
that you have verified the tempo and do not need to return to the program to ensure your sheet is correct.

Much joy in Music Writing to you! Creating something that has never before existed in the universe.... something uniquely out of YOUR mind only, that no one else would have thought of in the exact creative form you did..... music is such a joy! And remember --
YOUR music is NEVER wrong!
If you have clashing notes
(as I OFTEN do in my 500+ songs, see DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com),
they are still right if  YOU   say  so! That's your creative mind at work!

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 18 February 2012)

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

DisguIsing the Off-Key Vocal Notes

DISGUISING OFF-KEY VOCAL NOTES
DATE of posting:    8 May 2018       SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

So the vocal line is great except for one tiny little EAR-catching off-key note! 
What do you do without a fancy ($$) program that does pitch correct?
Especially if the vocalist cannot return to sing that section again?

FUN HINT on how to DISGUISE the note.
You probably have several instruments playing simulataneously with the vocal track.

1. Pick the single-note instrument, such as flute or sax.
Piano with all its notes is ok but not as effective in catching the listener's attention.

2. Go to that instrument's notes that surround the slightly-off vocal note.

3. Ensure that the instrument's track at that point does NOT
repeat / include the correct vocal note! After all.... the singer MIGHT have followed it....


4.  Create harmony notes at this area with the instrument track. 
Notes can go  above and/or below  the vocal note.
 "Busy" (like 1/8th notes) can be a friend, but not required .

5.  Adjust the volume of the instrument's notes so that they 
stand "above" the vocal in the surrounding area somewhat -- 
not enough to be really noticeable, but enough to detract attention from the vocal.

6. If still needed, open the volume track, open the audio region to be 'wide', and reduce the volume of the offensive note:)

And of course, if all else fails....
call the vocalist in to re-sing the piece,
or learn to just enjoy the fact that music is to be fun, not always perfect!

Much joy to you creating sometimes imperfect music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/

©2018, 2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 8 January 2012)

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Get Out the MIDI Buzz - by DianaDee Osborne

GET OUT THE MIDI BUZZ   
DATE of posting:       1 May 2018     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

QUALITY CHECKs:
This is one of my final Quality Check steps to get a better sound from MIDI instruments.
1. Go into the SCORE section of the music.

2. Select a short section. Working about 4 measures at a time,
click ABOVE the first music note, then hold the mouse button as you
drag the cursor down to the lowest note and then to
the right-most bottom of the 4th or so measure.

3. Look at then length of the notes -- 
especially the last note in a measure.
THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR SAX, HORN, and other "harsh" loud instruments.

4. If you see a note that has extended past the measure line,
click on it and shorten its length.

5. A previous blog Hint provided more details about "quantizing" (the timing)
and ensuring all notes are short enough to not "bleed" or extend into the next note --
 the next note will not be heard if the earlier note lasts too long.

These SIMPLE STEPS get rid of 
a LOT of buzz -- especially for loud songs like rock and funk.
Finally:
6. If a review shows a specific measure where buzzing still happens,
 check each individual track that is playing at that point. 
TWO STEPS:
__a.   Most likely, you hit the controller keyboard a little harder for a note
and need to lower its Velocity (also in the music notation section;
 if in the MIDI view, loud notes will be in a brighter green in GarageBand).
__b.  If STILL Louder,  see my blog about GHOST NOTES:  You probably
got a HIDDEN note behind another when you quantized.  LINK to steps
to FIND IT if you cannot right away:
FINDING GHOST NOTES  >>    LINK
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com/2018/01/fixing-ghost-notes.html

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 2 January 2012)

Friday, April 27, 2018

SCORE Sheet Length Control - by DianaDee Osborne

SCORE SHEET LENGTH CONTROL  
DATE of posting:       27 April 2018   SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

Have you ever highlighted a GarageBand music track in 
its "Score" mode  clicked on File > Print > Preview
and watched a DOZEN pages 
of music sheets pop up on your screen?

Before you waste all that paper (and confuse anyone who might try to read your score), 
here are TWO SIMPLE METHODS for shortening the length of your score:

(1 - The QUICK easy one).  
While the Score for the music track you want to print is in the window, 
adjust the width of the music measures you see 
with the slider at the   bottom left right below "Auto Align to".

HINT: The SCORE will include the Track's Name under the Project Title; you can change it to be longer, more descriptive, if desired.

__ a. Slide it MORE to the left (not all the way) to make your measures more narrow.
__ b. Return to  File > Print > Preview.
__ c. If there are only a few lines of music notes on one page,  
              repeat steps 1a and 1b   to tighten them.
If you cannot make the score any tighter, make it wider to be easier to read & fill a page more. 

__ d. Return to File > Print > Preview   AND set the print range to
pages 1 through the last page that has music notes on it.

Then when you print, whether to a printer or to a PDF file, 
you'll get a shorter SCORE!

(2 - Still easy but more time consuming). 
If your song has multiple verses, the method above will 
print EVERY verse. Here's how to get just 1 verse,  
for a  much SHORTER SCORE!

Let's assume you want to print the PIANO score.
Ensure SNAP TO GRID is on.
a. Highlight your piano track (not the notes in the Score view) -- 
both the MIDI track and the NAME of the track (for example "Grand Piano on Stage" - my fav).

b. Go to Track > Duplicate Track. A new UN-populated (in GB, not other programs) track 
appears. 
RE-NAME this track, such as SCORE PIANO. 
 [All files in your computer's file list are grouped under "Score" if you put the instrument name last.] **THIS IS THE NAME THAT APPEARS on GarageBand SCORE printouts. You ARE allowed odd characters like & or +).

c. Hit the HOME key to move the red line (playhead) to Measure 1.1.001.

d. Return to the piano track and copy its MIDI notes onto the new track (Ensure still at 1.1.001).

e. Play your music, and then STOP and 
SPLIT the track at the end of the first Verse+Chorus (etc.) -- in front of music that repeats.
(See other blogs for hints on how to SPLIT TRACKS).
 
f. If you have a special ending such as a Tag, do a SPLIT in front of that also.

g. Delete the MIDI region (if any) in between the main region and the Tag region.

h.  (SNAP TO GRID is still on - via Control Menu). 
Then slide the Tag region to begin after the main region, with at least 3 empty measures 
so musicians can see the break.

i. IMPORTANT --- now MUTE the new SCORE track!  
Otherwise you'll get an 'interesting' result when you play your project!

THAT'S IT! An easy way to shorten your score!

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/

©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 23 December 2011)

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

MUSIC BOX CREATION - by DianaDee Osborne

MUSIC BOX CREATION 
DATE of posting:       24 April 2018    SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 


THIS IS  FUN  TO KNOW!!! --
Easy way to create a music box sound without recording someone's
probably-copyrighted music off a purchased music box:

1. Create a music track that uses the
CLEAN GUITAR  or  STEEL STRING ACOUSTIC,
or some similar guitar.... By the way, if played as a regular piano, it sounds like harpsichord.

2. Play the melody you want for the music box.

How to get that cool unique HARMONY of a music box:

You might notice that music boxes often have a low note that continues
frequently through the song. This is called a "pedal tone."

3. Select a lower note that often fits with the melody note.
EASY music creation that combines steps 2 and 3:
Select chord progressions that have a common note,
and   keep that note on the bottom.

Example:
Dm > G/D > Bm7/D (has a slight clash-y sound like music boxes) > Am7/G > resolve to Dm.
The D note stays on the bottom for 3 of the 4 chords.

"English" definition of that example which is easy for guitarists but not all other musicians:
1.  D minor chord
2.  G (major) chord with a D on the bottom  (D G B)
3.  B minor chords with a D on bottom-- a slight clash (D F# B)
4.  A minor chord with a 7th - the G - on the bottom  (G A C E)
5.  D minor chord.

For a music box example fitting into a classical OR rock OR hip hop sound,
check out my song PSALM 134 ASCENDING at my main website, DiDoReflections.com

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 2 December 2011)

Friday, April 20, 2018

Why Doesn't MIDI Hit on Beat? - by DianaDee Osborne

WHY DOESN'T MIDI  NOTE HIT  ON BEAT?
DATE of posting:       20 April 201   SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

Let's say you've quantized your MIDI instrument such as violin synth or bass synth.
That is, you've selected notes, gone into the GarageBand SCORE region, and selected
Auto Align to
for all the quarter and eight notes.... but 
the instrument sometimes still is not "hitting" on Count 1
of the measure. Why not? How do you fix this?

Here's an Easy fix --
There's a huge chance that your MIDI notes are too long.
1. Go into the Piano Roll view of the notation section.
2. Look at MIDI notes near the end of each measure.
    Are some of them so long that they cross into the next measure?

3. If so, it's an easy fix: Just shorten the long notes so they don't cross the measure bar.

MAYBE STEP 4:  Just trying to shorten them a BIT may take TOO MUCH.
Another easy fix:
__ 4a.  Go up into the menu and TURN OFF   SNAP TO GRID.
__ 4b.  Spread out the notes section view.... That gives you more control.
__ 4c.  NOW shorten the notes a bit...
__ 4d.  TURN ON    SNAP TO GRID.


NOTE: This is most important for COUNT 1. The ear doesn't notice other counts so much.
REASON for the problem:
The last MIDI note of a measure will usually continue to be heard if it
extends into the next measure...
and THEREFORE note which you had quantized for count 1 of the next measure
often can't be heard in time.  Until you did this easy fix!

Much joy to you fixing regular beats in music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 6 November 2011)

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Easy Flute and Sax Synth Hints

EASY FLUTE & SAX SYNTH HINTS 
DATE of posting:       17 April 2018     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

It's hard & expensive to find instrument players.
Synth flute and sax played on a keyboard (controller) obviously
will not sound "real" to ACTUAL  flute and sax players...
but my easy hints help you get closer.

1. Remember that wind instrument players have to breathe!
Deliberately add breaks, even if they're short.
Think of where *you* would have to breathe if you were actually playing the instrument.
Logical places for songs with words are at the ends of sentences or phrases.

2. Don't accidentally create di-tones or chords.
That is, go into the "Piano Roll" (notation) section and
ensure that the MIDI notes barely touch into each other. 
You don't want 2 or 3 MIDI notes in the same space 
for wind synth instruments. 
In fact, staccato (very short MIDI notes) such as for flute 
especially gives a playful or joyful sound.

(Actual violins are played with one note blending more into the other, so the MIDI notes can overlap a little... not too much.)

Easy but important fix: 
If you look at the MIDI notes and see overlap,
you can often do a better edit shortening those notes if your first
turn OFF "Snap to Grid". That enables you to have
quarter notes that smoothly extend a bit into the next quarter notes
but without the di-tone -- defined as 2 full notes being played simultaneously.

3. If there's a "muddy" sound or the meter is running 'hot,'
even after you shortened the note lengths, check (in GB) the
"brighteness" of the green MIDI note which indicates VOLUME level generally:
See if you accidentally played some notes louder than others.
If so, select those notes, go to Velocity, and lower the volume number.

4. "Quantize" notes easily (so they hit on the metronome count):
a. In the SCORE section, highlight one note, go to Edit > Select All.
b. Go to Align To (under the Piano Roll button) and select 1/8 Note.
That gives a quick quantizing.
c. Then in the SCORE section, highlight all actual 1/4 notes PLUS the first note of a pair
of 1/8th notes. Go to Align To and select 1/4 note.

d. Check the MIDI section... for faster music, some of the notes will be one above the other after quantizing.  IMPT: TURN ON  SNAP TO GRID
d. Finally:  Slide the 2nd note over to be in its place.  Hit SAVE after all that work!

Much joy to you "playing" wind instruments
realistically!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 30 October 2011)

Friday, April 13, 2018

Out-of-Phase Drum Loops - by DianaDee Osborne

OUT-OF-PHASE DRUM LOOPS   
DATE of posting:       13 April 2018     SUBSCRIBE 
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 


FUN GRUNGE!! --
Here's a fun experiment to create a "thick" grungy sound for different drum mood:

1. Create a standard MIDI drum loop, anything you like. Not TOO busy is best while experimenting. The "out of phase" will add a lot of double-hits.

You can copy as many loops as you like (steps 2 & 3):

2. Go to Track >Duplicate Track and create another drum track.

3. The "Duplicate Track" command in GarageBand doesn't do what the command does
in some other programs... you get an empty track!
Fix: copy your populated (original) drum regions onto new track.
___ 4a.   Hit "home" to place the marker on the very first count.
___ 4b   Paste the copy of the drum track on the new 2nd track.
___ 4c   If the track NOTES REGION does not being on Count 1, just
extend the front to add empty space back to Count 1.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as many times as you'd like. More = More grunge
(so you'll have to watch Volume levels to be sure you don't kill your speakers!).

Here's where the FUN comes!!

7. IMPORTANT: Turn OFF   Snap To Grid   (under Control).
8. Open the region editor of the 2nd, duplicated,  drum track.
9. Widen the view to SPREAD OUT NOTES: That gives more control in Step 10.

10. Grab the 2nd track and very slightly drag it about  1/16th   or at most 1/8th 
of a count into the first measure.  REPEAT STEPS 8-10 FOR EACH TRACK.

The result? 
You get an "off kilter" or "out of phase" sound
when you play the drum tracks together.
Add a grungy guitar and heavy bass to begin a power packed new song!

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 29 October 2011)

Friday, April 6, 2018

SPLITTING PROBLEMS Fix - by DianaDee Osborne

SPLITTING PROBLEMS Fix     SUBSCRIBE  
DATE of posting:       6 April 201morning  

https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

"Why won't that stupid track split right?" was my 26 January 2018 blog hint... 
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com/2018/01/making-stupid-track-split-right.html
LINK  HERE

This is "part 2." Let's say you've auto-aligned ("quantized") every note around
where you want to split the track. (See February 6, 2018 for hints there, too)  >> LINK 
Yet every time you try to split the track, 
you get a 1/32nd note or worse 
on one side of the split.
It feels like the thing is bragging   "eewww, you were SO close, tough luck!"

Here's how to "win" when GarageBand is stubborn.
1. Be sure you've selected Control > Snap to Grid. Then try again.
If that doesn't work?
2. Put the red place marker right on top of the note flag of the "after" measure. Somehow GB thinks the tiny bit of space in front means you want that space in the earlier region when you do the split.
If that doesn't work? Hey, I've tried a lot... usually something does!

3. If this is a PIANO track where you used the sustain pedal,
then this is probably "The" hint for you:
When you quantize, you **must include the Ped. marks below the bottom staff.**
Except perhaps to some music-purist, that really doesn't change the sound.
But it (1) makes your printed score look more professional, and
(2) cures a lot of track-splitting problems.

Finally -- and this is where you really "win" the battle:

If nothing else works,
go to the first chord in the measure
that you want to be Measure 1 of the 2nd region after your split is done.
1. Again quantize all of that chord "just to be sure" -- including the Ped. mark if there.
2. Go to Control > Snap to Grid and be sure it is OFF.

3. Select all the notes in the chord. Be sure to catch all -- look high & low literally!
Some piano notes are widespread in chords.

4. Go to Piano Roll in the Notation View. The selected notes are a different color.

5. Move the entire set of notes slightly to the right.

6. Do the split again, and check the Score view of the notation.
There shouldn't be any 1/32nd notes ending Region 1 this time.

7. Re-select that chord. Auto-align to 1/4 notes (no matter what kind of notes they are or what your signature type is).

You should now have two neatly split tracks, 
despite  the recording program's challenges!

Much joy to you creating new music despite probs!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 13 September 2011)

Friday, March 30, 2018

FAST Synth Bass in GarageBand - by DianaDee Osborne

FAST SYNTH BASS 
DATE of posting:       30 March 2018     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

If you've already recorded a piano track for your song in GarageBand -- and other programs --
here's a quick way to get a synth bass to fill in your sound until a bass player
adds live bass. 

REMINDER: YOU NEED TO QUANTIZE PIANO before these steps,
or you'll have double the work quantizing both two tracks later.
It's also MUCH EASIER if you can join all piano regions into one track first....
     but Step 5 includes way to create bass without joining the regions if desired.

GETTING READY
A. PREPARATION
1. Create a new track for bass.
2. Record one note, any note, to "populate" your track. This KEEPS track name as "Bass".
3. Extend the track to match the length of your piano track.
4. Delete your temporary note.

5. SKIP TO STEP 6 if your piano track contains only one region,
since the next steps are easier if the piano is all in one track.Do Step 5 here if you have separate regions and want to keep them separate,
__5a. Select and join all piano regions.
__5b. Hit the home key to put the marker on   Measure 1 Count 1.
__5c. Do steps 6 and 7 below. Do NOT do step 8 yet.
__5d. Choose Edit > Undo. Your copied notes are still on the clipboard.
__5e. SKIP TO STEP 8 (you've done 6 and 7)

6. Open the Notation view for the piano track, and  to go to home >>
             Measure 1, Count 1.
Then select the bottom-most notes of the piano. (If you get some higher notes, they're
                 easy to delete later.) 
7. Choose Edit > Copy.
8. Go into the Notation view for the new bass track.
Hit your home key to put the marker on Measure 1, Count 1.

9. Choose Edit > Paste.

NOW YOU'RE READY FOR THE FUN!
B. CREATING THE BASS.
Here's where the work comes in -- but it's quick and fun:
1. In some places, you will have picked up a double-note bass for a count. Go to these and delete one note, usually the higher note.
2. Piano has a wider range than bass.
Ensure that no notes go below a low low B (13 steps below middle C) 
that can be played by 5- or 6-string basses. 
And, since it's bass, you probably don't want notes going too high
into the sonic range of other instruments including guitars and flutes.
3. Turn the piano volume down some and the bass volume up. Then play the 2 tracks.
4. Adjust notes here and there to the sound you like.

HINT FOR FINDING PIANO CHORD'S ROOT (BASS) NOTE:
*If you're "stumped" and can't figure out what the bass note should be,
it's easy to put the marker on the measure in question, then go into the piano track
to look at the chord for that measure.
 If there are 3 or more half-steps between the two bottom piano notes,
this is the guitar equivalent of a slash chord.
The root is the bottom one with no space above, usually.

ALMOST FINISHED!
C. POLISHING THE BASS SOUND
Piano tends to be "busier" than bass.
So you should go into the bass track to polish the final sound:

1. For measures that copied in multiple notes from the piano track,
    delete bass notes after count #1 and extend the remaining bass note
    to extend through the measure.
2. Bass doesn't *have* to be the root note... it's your song. Use harmony notes if you like!
3. In some places the piano held a chord where a nice bass walkdown etc. would fill in....

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 12 September 2011)

Friday, March 23, 2018

Aligning Imported MP3s Easily

ALIGNING IMPORTED MP3s EASILY
DATE of posting:       23 March 201morning     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 


THIS IS  *so* IRRITATING...
Have you ever dragged an MP3 file into your GB project to create a new track?
It's a great way to add flute or "atmosphere" or other enhancements
to an older version of one of your songs if you don't have a BAND file for it.
BUT  what often happens: a STRUGGLE
to make it the IMPORTED track align in timing with your GB click track. 
Here are a couple of easy hints to try before you fret too much over the attempt:

1. First, you'll probably need to PUT SOME SPACE in front of the MP3 track.  
So slide the track to the right,   to add at least one measure of room.

2. Turn OFF the Snap to Grid feature (under Control menu item).

3. Now play the metronome with the track: Keep sliding the imported MP3 region
until it's as close as possible to the first count of the music hitting the first count of GB's metronome (also under Control).

Here's the TRICK for the Annoying Part that sometimes happens:
4. If it still is not quite "on" but you're having trouble hearing where count one comes in to match the MP3 and metronome, here's a cool hint:

--a-- Open the Notation View (the "snowflake" at the bottom left).
--b-- Click on the new MP3 track's NAME to select it. The WAV files of the MP3 will now be showing in the Notation view.
--c-- WithOUT the metronome on, play the MP3 track solo, and watch the peaks
After a bit of time, you should be able to hear the timing of the music's first counts
and  slide the track until the peak in the WAV file matches count 1,

This doesn't always work, but it usually does  ...
or gets you much closer before trying something else in Garageband.
Note that the BIG PROGRAMS like ProTools & LOGIC have a SLIP feature that's more exact..

FINAL STEP   for FINISHING UP:
STEP 5 finally: You have to get rid of that space in front of the audio track if you want to clean up your project. There are two main ways:

(1) split the region on a count 1 just before the music starts,
delete the unnecessary front region, and slide the 2nd region to the front of the track.
Ensure that Count 1 of the track lands with Count 1 of the metronome...
usually a bigger WAV peak there.

(2) Solo the audio track and send it to iTunes, bounce it, or whatever.  
Then bring back the now-filled-in full track with the extra front space
 into your project. Delete the old audio after you ensure everything is working right.

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
 (An earlier version published 2 September 2011)

Friday, March 16, 2018

Easy Counter-Melodies Making - by DianaDee Osborne

EASY COUNTER-MELODIES MAKING
DATE of posting:       16 March 201morning     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

Annoying feature we CAN work around!
One of the annoying features of GarageBand & some other
oftware recording programs is that
you can see the Notation View (the music notes on the staff) of
only one track at a time.
So if you want to add a synth bassline or a simple 
counter-melody in flute or sax, for example, you must either hope
you've memorized the chord progression, or
you must waste paper printing a multi-page music score you need for only a few minutes.

A FUN  EASY FIX !!! --
1. Select by highlighting the track name of the track that is your main instrument (already recorded); for me it is usually grand Piano. In this case, if you select just a note within the notation view, this hint also works.

2. Select  File > Print.... but don't print. Shows the score (notes).

3. Click on Preview and  
then slide the preview window over to the side of your monitor scrren
where you can see both it and the GarageBand main window.

4. I GarageBand, just click on the new track where you want to record the
counter-melody or bass (etc.) track, and begin recording,
using the Preview window as your guide, like a SCORE SHEET.

A fun wisdom hint I love sharing with you! Saves $$$ too!
then threw in the trash before I realized I could easily play from the Preview window.

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved

(An earlier version published 25 August 2011)

Friday, March 9, 2018

Deliberate Percussion Mistakes - by DianaDee Osborne

DELIBERATE PERCUSSION MISTAKES
DATE of posting:       9 March 201morning     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

Your music does NOT have to be perfect.... Perfect notes, perfect timing, etc.
In fact there's a PHRASE  for what you've probably heard in classical music:

FLEXIBLE  TIMING.
Drums & percussion can add deeply to your song's mood... 
including to reflect angst & sorrow with
DELIBERATE  "mistakes"
EXAMPLE:   the ear rather expects the kick drum to always 
fall first on either count 1 or 2 depending on the song, 
and then to stay there through the song. 

Deliberate Mistakes can IMPROVE music!

Suppose you keep alternating where that kick falls?
You create an off-kilter, "something's not right" feel is added to your song.
And if your LYRICS  have the message that Life is off-kilter 
and just not right.... well, your percussion mood 
punches fantastic emphasis into your song.

EXAMPLE OF DELIBERATE DRUM MISTAKES:
In my song COMFORT IN MISTAKES,
I used a standard jazz 4/4 drum loop that had the quiet, sad feel of the words.  
BUT... the song is written in 3/4.
RESULT: The kick & high hat & everything else "feels" off-kilter when you really listen.
What's really cool though is that people generally don't focus on the percussion at first
unless that's "their instrument."
So the song gives an off-kilter "MISTAKE" feeling that
                       can't be explained from the main instruments.

You'll find this example song at www.DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com >>
      COMFORT WITHIN MISTAKES (SONG AUDIO)
LINK TO DOWNLOAD MUSIC SHEETS AND LYRICS:  >>    LINK
 
Other songwriting hints are at another of my blogs, 
DianaDee Easy Songwriting Hints for Song Writers >>
http://dianadeeosborne.blogspot.com/

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 23 August 2011)

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Extending Live Guitar Decay Time - by DianaDee Osborne

EXTENDING LIVE GUITAR DECAY TIME
DATE of posting:       27 February 201morning     SUBSCRIBE  
https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

Easy TRICK  TO GIVE MORE DRAMA to last guitar note:

When you tune your guitar, your hit of the string ("attack") sets the tuner's needle "right on" when the string is in tune. But you notice that needle hold for a few seconds and then slowly drift downward as the sound dies out, called "decay".

It's easy to control decay length with guitar pedals or even amp settings. But we often record live guitar straight into the computer as a "clean" guitar, to give us full control for later changes.

Hint for Live playing works, too --
Here's an easy way to lengthen your final live guitar note 
(or notes) even in a clean recording: 
  
1. Leave yourself "headroom" on your guitar to move the instrument volume knob upward.
2. After you hit the final note, as the note's sound begins to decay, gradually turn your volume knob up until the note is as long as you want.
3. Then just lower the volume control knob at whatever speed gives you the sound you want.

That's all there is to it...
an easy way to let your guitar "cry" or "scream" or whatever much longer 
than the note(s) would last with a single hit and nothing else. 

Much joy to you in making your guitar sing... or scream :) !
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/

©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved
(An earlier version published 20 August 2011)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

HOW TO CHANGE KEY AFTER RECORDING - by DianaDee Osborne

HOW TO CHANGE KEY AFTER RECORDING    SUBSCRIBE  
DATE of posting:       20 February 201morning  

https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com - 

RECORDING HINTS -- written about using  GarageBand -- BUT
these Hints help increase your skills in ProTools, Logic, etc. 

You CANNOT CHANGE Music Score KEY 
after recording music without a TriCK (MIDI ONLY info)
Have you ever selected NEW to create a studio project in Garageband,
focused on typing the correct song filename,
played a fantastic track....  
and THEN realized that you FORGOT to change the DEFAULT KEY?
If you try to CORRECT the key now so the SCORE will be correct, 
your already recorded music will change in sound.....
Result: Your music score may have so many sharps or flats in it 
that only a college music major would want to try it. 
This hint shows --    You DON'T have to re-do music!.... 

....even though the GarageBand program makes you think  you do. 
After you've created a beautiful music track, if you look at the score (fancy GB wording: in the Notation View), you CANNOT simply change the GB key. 
Changing the tempo or bottom half of signature (1/4 or 1/8 ntoes, e.g.)  is FINE --  all notes stay the same, 
but if you change the key, GarageBand transposes all your music to that key.

For projects with only MIDI tracks (hence ability to create score):
EASY FIX so that the score's signature shows the key you want 
but your recorded music won't change:

1. SAVE your project. Just in case you want to revert to the existing file :)
2. TIGHTEN your view  (the slider under the top window) so you can see 
all or most of your track. (It also helps to do a Track > Hide Track Info for long tracks. 
If in the Loop Browser, first Track > Show Track Info.... 
another of those weird hints not in all instruction guides.)

EASY - But be sure you're at TOP of project: 

3. Hit HOME  (to be in Measure 1, Count 1). Click on first track name to be sure you're at top.

4. In MENU, choose Select all tracks (dark green... the track, NOT the notes in the track).
     Then   CUT.   Hey, now you understand that suggestion to first Save!

4. Select Control > Show Tempo (if you're not already there).

5. Change the Key to whatever you like.

6. GO BACK to be sure Track 1, Measure 1 is where you are. Just select   Edit > Paste.


YOUR KEY CHANGE FIX IS NOW DONE -  THE SCORE MATCHES KEY YOU WANT.
Your original tracks... all of them.... are now pasted in exactly as they were.... 
NO transposition done after you changed the key. 
Now when you check the score, it most likely looks a lot easier to play!

Much joy to you creating new music!
Lots of Examples to hear free at http://www.DianaDeeOsbornesongs.com/
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne;  all publication rights reserved

An earlier version published 19 August 2011.