DianaDee Osborne GARAGEBand Hints: DUPLICATE TRACKS TRICK, Part 1

DUPLICATE TRACKS TRICK, Part 1 SUBSCRIBE

DATE of posting: 8 January 2018

https://dianadeegarageband.blogspot.com -

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

How to get EFFICIENCY for grouped-
notes Library tracks like "Nature Sounds":

CREATE DUPLICATE TRACKS... Goal will be to have ONLY ONE DIFFERENT NOTE
    Per Track, such as the note for RAIN & for THUNDER on two different tracks,
or for individual notes used in DRUM KITS.
This gives you FULL control over volume of each INSTRUMENT or Sound, including fade-out.
This works for MIDI DRUM LOOPS that you import....
       for example, that clinky bell might get on your nerves at the imported volume,
   but you can lower its volume in places to rest the ears IF it has its own track.

Another example:
I found some REALLY cool thunderstorm effects under Software Instruments at
Track > Show Track Info > Sound Effects >Nature Sounds ....
Thunder, lightening, pouring rain.... and all are MIDI notes, so I could select exactly what sound I wanted for Power songs like IN GOD'S EYE (DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com).

The problem?
Rain & earthquake & crashing waves would end too abruptly--
             the moment the MIDI note stopped --
but if I tried just EXTENDING (continuing that MIDI note),
the rain etc. lasted too long. Same for thunderclaps, etc.
You can create a fade-out of a GarageBand track,
     but not of a   single    note within that track.

Here's the fun trick I figured out which might help you.
Warning: This can get tediooouuussss for long songs.   THUS -- IMPORTANT! >>
It's easier if you PLAN AHEAD >>
Do these with Verse 1 BEFORE you copy it to add verses 2,3, etc.   that lengthen your song.

1. Click on the track name to highlight your MIDI track.
Every region of the track itself should turn rich green...
IMPORTANT: This is NOT selecting individual notes in the track.

2. Select Track > Duplicate Track.
You now have a new track with an identical name.
Notice that GarageBand in early versions does NOT duplicate the information (notes and volume) within that track as some other recording programs do.... BUT DOES DUPLICATE EFFECTS...
a huge time saver!

3. Repeat Step 2 for each note that you have in your original tracks. Example from my simpler HOPE THRU DARK RAIN:   I created 3 duplicate tracks for EACH sound in the Library's Nature Sounds rainstorm.

4. As a safety measure, re-name your original track (THE LIBRARY TRACK WITH ALL NOTES) to include a word like ORIG & MUTE IT to "archive" it -- in case your experimenting messed up and you want to try again "from scratch". (I also slide muted tracks to bottom of project tracks.)
      Example from HOPE: Storm ORIG

5. Then re-name each duplicated track --in order from top note's sound to the bottom -- to include the sound in the name.
       3 Examples from HOPE THRU DARK RAIN:
Thunderclap   RainHard    LtThunder RainLIGHT.

6. Now you need the data in each track. It's easiest to first slide the button under your last trackname as far to the left as it will go, to compress your screen more.

a. Drag the first MIDI region to begin at measure 1.1.001. If you don't, the copy will start in the wrong place. (Or you'd have to move the red marker to begin *exactly* where the ORIG track begins.)

b. Put your Cursor at the end of the ORIG track (gray space), hold down the right mouse button, and then move the cursor all the way to the front of the ORIG track.

c. Go to Edit > Copy. [Note that you could not use Edit>Select all because that selects every track.) Apple-C is the short-cut key.

FIRST DUPLICATE:
d. Select that track by clicking on the track name. Press the HOME key to ensure that the red line marker is at count 1.1.001. Select Edit>Paste. Apple-V is the short-cut key. (If for some reason PASTE isn't an option, no problem... you just did something else that's in the program memory now. Just repeat 6b and 6c.)

REPEAT 6d for each duplicate track.

7. NOW YOU'RE READY FOR CONTROL! ....
see NEXT BLOG (January 9)

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

(An earlier version published in this blog 8.1.2011)

Monday, January 8, 2018

DUPLICATE TRACKS TRICK, Part 1