FAST Note Selection for Synth Timing Fixes, by DianaDee Osborne

In earlier blogs, I've taught an easy way to quickly fix the lagging feel for synth instruments like violin.   For example,  click on this link to see "Quick Fix for Lagging Horns and Violins".

Sometimes if you click on a single note,
then do a Select All command --
You find all the notes are selected but you cannot move the notes forward that bit  (explained in the other blog).
Here is why:

If the First NOTE in the region is on COUNT 1, 

then there is NOWHERE  FOR IT TO GO.

Because all notes are selected,  NONE of them will shift forward.

      Easy  fix:  

1.  Move your playhead (red line, etc) to the first measure of the region.  Of course, you need the Piano Roll window open to shift MIDI notes.
2.  Select all notes the usual way.
3.  While holding down the keyboard SHIFT key,  move the cursor to and touch the MIDI note for the first note of the first measure.  This DE-selects it.
4.  While all the other notes are still selected (highlighted green),  shift them slightly to the left of the measure lines so that the notes begin playing a moment before the click would hit....

In this way, the full sound of the SYNTH note is playing with the click track on Count 1.
MUCH JOY TO YOU as you keep your MIDI instruments from lagging!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Carry PEDAL TONES Through Arpeggios

  Do you want a music line that MOVES but has a sort of       COHESION... a  LOGIC  to it?    Pedal Tones provide one enjoyable method to accomplish this -- and they are easy with ANY  MIDI track for an instrument that can play chords, in any studio program.  Obviously this blog is about GarageBand. But the hint works for ProTools, LOGIC, Audacity, and other programs.

Here's an easy DEFINITION of Pedal Tone:    A music note that stays playing the same while other notes continue to move with changes.   The word "Pedal" obviously indicates that this is the LOW note... the word comes from "foot" in Latin.    But if you don't care about pleasing the THEORY  TEACHERs,  it's easy to CREATE YOUR OWN RULES for your own music....
            If you like,  let the highest or the middle note in your chord be the one that stays the same. EXAMPLEs:   Listen to BACH's music sometime.  Or, if you suffered through it as I did, HANON provides great examples of the same -- that one note that is repeatedly played while other notes move on.

METHOD in your studio program -- very easy.

For this example, we'll assume you are using    FLUTE   as the MIDI track, with the HIGHEST  note being your "pedal tone."  In fact,  I like to use   SYNTH PAD - FUTURE FLUTE  in GarageBand.
        Music theorists will cringe.... "pedal tone" is defined as lowest.  But hey, it's our music to create and enjoy our own way. 
1.    Create your FLUTE track as usual with broken chords ("ARPEGGIOs").  But have the SAME NOTE start at COUNT 1  for each measure,  OR  on Count 1 of every other measure.
2.    Quantize the notes (unless jazz or swing, of course) in the SCORE bar;  see previous blogs for hints.  In the following example,   the A note is the Pedal Tone repeated through the music.  These are not typical Root-3-5 chords, but sus and 6 and etc chords (which is NOT important unless you think only R-3-5 chords can be played in arpeggio style, one note at a time!)

3.    Change from the SCORE bar to the Piano Roll (MIDI) bar.  Highlight each note and SHORTEN NOTES that overlap each other EXCEPT  for the high PEDAL TONE  note  you selected.

4.  NOW  highlight each PEDAL TONE note and ensure that it continues through 3 of the 4 counts in a measure  (for 4/4 time;  or 2 counts of 3/4 time).

5.  CHECK THE LOUDNESS ("Velocity" in GarageBand) of each Pedal Tone note and ADJUST as needed so that they are all about the same.  In the example, the 3rd note is lighter green (when all notes are selected), meaning that it needs to be a bit louder to match the other HIGH Pedal Tones.

HERE IS THE PEDAL TONES  FLUTE  for this example:    Click For AUDIO 

THAT'S  ALL  THERE IS  to having fun creating a 
COHESIVE  SOUND    with a pedal tone in your song!

Much joy to you in creating your own music --- and ignoring standard music theory when desired!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne; all rights reserved

Better Note Copying

Here's an easy way to compose music with an important hint: 
      You can't just "copy and paste" music notes and 
sound professional.  You must adjust the volume of EACH note to match the accent  it should have, depending on its place within a measure.  

 Easy composition method:  

1.   First play any MIDI instrument using the controller keyboard.  GarageBand calls MIDI instruments "Software Instrument",  as opposed to "Real Instrument" like guitar you play into the system.
2.  Pull up the Score panel and listen to your recording.  Adjust any existing notes if needed. See earlier blogs about fixing muddy sounds (adjust note length in Piano Roll panel) and trills, for example.
3.  Quantize (make the notes land exactly on their correct beat);  See earlier blogs for easy hints.

4.  Start copying and pasting and adjusting on the music staff to create added music notes you like. 
THIS IS  FUN  TO KNOW!!! --
Knowing the scale, or the notes in a specific chord, can provide a guideline, but I've found that "breaking the rules" creates some fascinating music lines!  The key is the end of the above sentence -- paste notes and move them to the place on the score line where you like the sound!
5.  AS  YOU  COPY-AND-PASTE NOTES   you need to watch and adjust the following things about "velocity" (loudness of the note).  WHY?  Because you are ALSO copying the characteristics (attributes) of that note, including LENGTH (earlier blogs) and LOUDNESS (velocity).

A.  Be sure the note's velocity is approximately the same as notes around it, like 65 if other notes are in the 60s. 
B.  If it is the first count in a measure (first note usually), it needs to be a somewhat louder than the next notes for "accent on count 1."
C.  If this note is the 3rd count in a 4/4 time measure, it needs to be a bit louder than the 4th count (but not as much as count 1 usually, depending on the feel you're going for).
D.  Hint 5C fits for the 4th count in a 6/8 measure.
QUICK ACCENT CHART:  (drum books explain more)
3/4 TIME =   LOUD  SOFT  SOFT
6/8 TIME =   LOUD  SOFT  SOFT  MEDIUM  SOFT  SOFT
4/4 TIME =   LOUD  SOFT  MEDIUM  SOFT

The less common time signatures -- also fun to play with, though!
2/2  TIME =  LOUD  MEDIUM -- sometimes even played so every note is pounding
7/8  TIME =  LOUD  SOFT  SOFT  MEDIUM  SOFT  SOFT  SOFT
            This is a combo of 3/4 and 4/4;  you can shift the other way by making MEDIUM later.
5/4  TIME =  LOUD  SOFT  SOFT  MEDIUM  SOFT

Much joy to you experimenting with composing music right into your computer without playing every note on a controller-keyboard!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Cheap (and FREE) Studio Programs are GREAT!

I keep hearing sarcastic remarks about how GarageBand and some of the other cheap or even FREE studio programs are weak.
How they can't do much.
How the really expensive programs are so much better.

OK.  Anyone knows there are huge programs that can do more, do better, do faster.

But -- Suppose you don't have the $$$ for them.

Suppose you don't have hours to LEARN them?

Because the more simple studio programs like GarageBand are EASY to learn!
I usually need someone to show me how to use new computer programs --
But I learned GB even without reading any online instructions.

Simple programs are often intuitive -- "point and shoot."
Have you ever tried searching through dozens of menus and dropdown boxes in ProLogic
      before you found out how to turn off SNAP TO GRID?  It's one menu level down in GB.

The greatest advantage of cheap and free studio programs is this:
You can save HUNDREDS of dollars creating your own simple music tracks in your home studio, and save HOURS of time taking your project to a professional studio.

Check out my website

DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com

for an example.  I've created, copyrighted, and 

published over 250 songs on the Web  in just under 3 years.  Over 80 songs per year.  

And I am assuredly not rich.

I just take my piano tracks -- already quantized by me instead of during expensive studio time -- 
and all other music tracks to be mastered at one of my two professional studios.  I lay professional vocal and bass and guitar tracks there,  and Claxton Wilson does live drums (and slap bass) for me in one studio while Johnny Kyle does lead guitar for me in another studio.

But I've saved thousands of dollars and weeks of studio time by using GarageBand.   Anyone can.

Perhaps you too can find the joy of GOING SIMPLE  to have fun creating your own music!
Much joy to you in music!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved.
WEBSITE -- If slow loading, hit X to stop, then the Reload button 

Avoid 4 Handed Drummers :)

Since few drummers have 4 hands, this could be a quite useful hint!  Thanks to home studio programs with loops, we  can record drums even if we can't play drums.  But it's very helpful to know at least a LITTLE about "real drumming" when you create your music tracks. One of my 2 recording studios'  producer happens to be an excellent drummer -- and he would have shaken his chair with laughter if I hadn't caught this mistake in my home studio right before sending out my tracks:
1.   I had found a really driving Paradiddle drum loop (fast beats that alternate left and right stick drumming often on a snare drum).
2.   But even with compression, the drum track was not "thick" enough for the music -- I needed more presence.
3.   So I found a perfect group of loops that added depth from hits on toms.

     The beat was full, fit the music, gave it character....

     And then as I was doing my final review, I suddenly realized:

Paradiddles take     two hands.   
The drum loops I was using were quickly going from tom to tom --   two more hands. 

So unless I could find a 4 handed drummer for this song, I'd be out of luck.

But I WAS in luck -->  Claxton never got to crack up laughing at me for needing a 4 handed drummer!   Hint summary:  

        Analyze your loops to make sure they're possible  

in real life.  Although I'm sure real drummers would enjoy the humor 
of your "drumming"  more if you don't!
      
Much HUMOR in your music mistakes.... have fun with laughing at yourself!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Fast New Instrument Sounds

Here's a quick fun hint if you don't have many instrument sounds in your program.  For example, GarageBand installs with only about 8 piano sounds, including wimpy plain Piano,  a deep Grand Piano on Stage, and a swirling piano.  Pretty limiting even though of course you can edit the sound effects for each of the programmed instruments for a track.

A fast way to get pre-programmed effects:

1.    Go into your loops library to look for loops for that instrument (such as bass guitar).
2.    Find a MIDI loop whose sound you like.
3.    Import that loop into your Song Project.  It DOES NOT MATTER what the notes are.
4.    Grab the end of the loop region and extend it out about 8 measures, to give you space.
5.    SOLO this track.
6.    Skip the loop's notes and put your playhead in any measure after it.
7.    Using the Metronome, play the introduction to your song.  A few measures are fine.
8.    Quantize your introduction (including 1 measure before it).  The first note -- no matter what it is -- should be quantized to 1/4 note.  (See earlier blogs.)
9.     Click on the region if it is not already highlighted (Green in GarageBand).  Then click on the region if it is not also highlighted.
10.   Place the playhead just in front of the first note of your introduction's first measure.
11.   Select Edit --  Split.
12.   DELETE the first part of the track -- with the original loop.
13.   Slide your introduction's region into place.

You can now record anything with the new instrument sound that the original loop had.
Much joy to you looking for NEW sounds!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved 

Handling Long Texture Notes

What do you do when your background texture gorgeously grows in sound as the note continues -- but your chord is changing.  And the new chord clashes with the texture?   

There's an EASY SOLUTION:

1.  Find a  common note between the two chords.

Easy example:  F  to D.  Both  chords contain A, so use that note for the long texture.

2.  Find a  color chord that shares a note between the two chords.

Harder examples:  Em  to D.  The Em7 chord's D note gives a nice sound to a texture and rolls right into the new D chord.   Bm  to C.  The Cmaj7 chord with its top  B note is extremely useful for blending from one chord into another in any progression.  This is one perfect place to use it.
Hardest example:  C  to D.  I was using a swirl type background for a slow, somber song, beginning with a C chord.  But the next chord was a D,  and the extended C texture note in the background gave an unwelcome clash.  Since the song had a minor feel,  I pretended the C chord was its minor -- A minor -- and used an  A  for the texture.  The sound built up into the D chord with no clashing.

Sometimes studio recording programs have awkward problems that need a workaround.  (That's the basis for this blog!)  Often I comment to my computer, "I  AM going to win, so you may as well do what I want."  There's a sense of satisfaction when we figure out the workarounds. 
May you have much joy doing so especially in your world of music!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne; all rights reserved