Easy Quantizing for Jazz Swing MIDI Instruments

Quanitizing:  Making the music right on the beat.
Usually good.  But not in jazz.

For jazz notes, you can't just select notes and then "quantize to 1/8 notes" in a recording program like GarageBand or Logic or Protools.  You have two choices:

1. Play the song perfectly.    Note to self:  THAT ain't happening. 

2. Quantize each & every Count 1 note one at a time, and then go into MIDI editor and slide all the other notes that aren't perfectly timed.  
   Note to self:  Don't WANT that happening!

Here's a better Option 3:

3. Write and Record the music as 3/4 time. 
When you quantize, you'll still have the swing - but the timing will be perfect

DETAILS at my website, on the OTEN tab.

DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com                  LINK 

Audio Example (free),  Click on link:             LINK 
  2014 song    "ALL OF MY TROUBLES"  
Music Sheet Example for same song:             LINK  

Much joy to you creating EASY steady timing music!

©2014 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Easy Tempo or Signature Switch from 4/4 to 3/4 in GB

I have written a number of songs like "Christmas with the Birthday Boy" that begin in a 4/4 rock "angst" mood -- and then switch to a comforting 3/4 swing to portray peace.
SAMPLE AUDIO (free to hear):      Click on this LINK.  

But simple (cheap:) studio programs like Garageband do not have the built-in capability to do this. I figured out an

            EASY WORKAROUND  to share with you:            

1. Set your signature info (tempo, 4/4 or 3/4 e.g.) for Part 1.

2.  Create all the tracks for the first part of the song. 
In the track name include original info. Example:

PIANO 4-4 at 120

3.  "Bounce out" (like sending to iTunes) the Part 1 song.

4.  In the Project info box, change the signature info to what you need for Part 2. You will see the tracks for Part 1 SHIFT - that's ok; they'll go back if you later revert to the original settings.

5.  Now -- important, NOT UNTIL you do step #4 --
IMPORT the bounced out song of Part 1 into a new track.


6. Starting where Part 1 ends (which you visually see from the Step #5 imported track):  
Create all the tracks for the 2nd part of the song. 

HINT:  If needed, create some interim music to switch the timing.   For example, I often use the following interlude:

---- 2 measures in 4/4 time of drums and a bit of piano, then 
---- 2 measures in 3/4 which lead to the switch. 
And the transition is easily completed.  

Other examples can be found at my main Music website
http://dianadeeosbornesongs.com/Songs-2013.php

Much joy to you creating new dramatic and comforting music!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Customizing Sounds of Drum Loops, by DianaDee Osborne

Drum loops are an easy way to get an "approximate sound" as you create your song, before hiring a professional drummer. Problem is -- often they end "abruptly" because loops end on the last count of a measure: 

      Easy fix so you can    sound more realistic:    

1.  Under your drum loop track, pull in a MIDI loop of drum beats -- does not matter what it sounds like.  
2.  Begin the track at count 1 and extend past to where your loop ended abruptly.
3.  Do NOT delete all MIDI notes (yet); in GarageBand, a track with no notes often causes a problem.
4.  At the place where the original drum loop track ends abruptly, add a MIDI sound on the MIDI track.  I like to use crashes or other 'ending' sounds that will blend with the sound of the original. This MIDI sound will extend the drum sound to be more natural, tapering off as live drums do.
5.  Now delete the unwanted imported MIDI notes.
6.  Remember to adjust the volume of the MIDI note(s) 
to match the sound of the original loop.  

This easy customizing of canned loops works for any type of loop! --

Much joy to you creating new music with good sounding drums 'til you get live drummin'!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Editing Multiple Draft Guitar Tracks

It's so exciting that the new LOGIC program has incorporated many of the advantages of GarageBand !!! --
especially EASY FADERS for fast volume control!
But GB still has both LOGIC and ProTOOLS beat when it comes to super-fast access to the menu for quantizing notes to 1/8ths or 1/4ths.  I'm still 'blown away" by someone thinking to put 1/32nd notes as the top menu choice in the old LOGIC program!

Here's an easy way to take several draft guitar tracks and work them into your song:  

SETUP:
1.  As the complete or almost-complete project is played, play a guitar track that "fits" in timing, chords, notes.... like "comping", playing "anything" for fun.  If this is a lead guitar (mostly single notes), name the track "Lead GTR 1 draft".
2.   Create another "comp for fun" track.... obviously named "2"!
3.   Now create a few "comp for fun" tracks using rhythm guitar chords, and name these "Rhy GTR 1 draft" (2,3, etc).

Now you're ready for lots of fun!
First decide for each kind of guitar (Lead and Rhy), decide which is your favorite.  Put these 2 tracks on top.   Group the other guitars under those 2 (easier to see). 

4.  Adjust the volume of EACH track to be consistent with the project.

5. Mute all guitar tracks except the first lead one.  Play the project and.... as you find parts of the track you do not like, split around the parts and delete them.  It's easiest if you can find a "space" between note, using the Notation editor's wave form.

NOTE:  At this point, it doesn't matter if there are large gaps!

6. Mute that track, un-mute the 2nd lead guitar track, and repeat Step 5.  Then do the same for each Rhythm GTR track.

7.  Visually look at the tracks.... Where both lead guitar parts are playing, decide which of the 2 you prefer and delete the other part.  Then do the same for the rhythm guitar tracks.

8.   Finally.... and then of course check at the end! ...
A.  DELETE SOUND:  Decide where you want sonic space" -- no guitar at all -- and delete those sections.  
B.  ADD SOUND:  Copy-paste favorite guitar riffs from one part of the track to another part of the same track.  (I do this a lot for copying verse 1's special riff into verse 2 for that same music.)
 

Much joy to you creating fast initial edits from multiple drafts of instruments!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Super Fast Piano Intros..... by DianaDee Osborne

Here's a super-fast way to create a piano intro for a song where you've already created the piano track for the body of the song (such as verses or chorus): 

1.  Create a DUPLICATE track of the piano.  In GarageBand, you'll get an empty track that contains the exact sound (piano type, reverb, etc), of the original.  Other programs copy the piano notes as well;  for those, simply delete all music.
 

2.  Prepare this new INTRO track:   Record a couple of notes -- any notes. In the staff music window, extend the length of the recorded track out about 12 measures.  Then delete the recorded notes.   They were just placeholders.

***** ENSURE THAT "SNAP TO GRID"  IS ON  *****
3.  Go to the main piano track and DECIDE ON your favorite PASSAGE to begin your song.  It's easiest to select an odd number of measures, leaving a final even measure to hold a note before "the singing begins."
 
4.  COPY those notes-- including the pedal marks that look like fancy L's at the bottom.   Then put the playhead line exactly on Count 1 where the intro will begin, and PASTE the notes  into the INTRO track.  HINT:  Sometimes it's nice to leave a couple of measures at the beginning for the drums or flute to bring the song in before the piano starts.
 
5.  SELECT ALL NOTES BUT *NOT* the pedal marks.  Then put the cursor on a note that's on count 1, hold down the note firmly, and slide up that note exactly one octave;  all other notes will follow if they have stayed selected (green highlight in GarageBand).
 

Now comes the fast original composition part:  Listen to the ending measures, how they blend into the main piano track.  You probably want to adjust the length of the last notes, maybe the actual notes to give the singer both the pitch and time to hear it before singing.  Also check the volume:   Higher pitched piano may sound quieter.

ANSWER this QUESTION:  Do you want to merge the piano tracks?   Completely depends on your preference for a fast way to print the STAFF (versus creating a separate track called SCORE) or to have a "clean" looking piano track.
ADVANTAGE of separate tracks: 
a.   Fast flexibility in sound... for example, you may 
      want  a more "ethereal" sound with a slight echo.   
b.  ALSO -- during the initial recording, both the producer and vocalist have a visual clue of when to begin singing:)

Much joy to you creating new music!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Panning for Orchestrated Tracks.... by DianaDee Osborne

In March, I provided some hints for avoiding panning problems. 
Today's hint uses panning to create effects that mimic an orchestra,

             where instruments are organized across a stage.

The same hints can, of course, be used for rock music, to pan
      guitars and drums and keyboard and.......

The great advantage of panning is to provide more 
"sonic space".  Instead of each track coming out of each speaker at 100% of its volume per side,  the sound varies.
That gives other tracks "space" to be heard.  Every musician of course has a personal preference.  I've found pairing these instrument tracks to work well:

LEFT at "10:00"  and RIGHT at "2:00"
Flute .................................  Oboe 
Clarinet ............................ Bassoon

LEFT at "8:00"  and RIGHT at "4:00"
Violins ....................... Cello (the "bass" sound)

If I use guitars & bass in the same song, I often pan them
LEFT  at  "11:00"   and  RIGHT at "1:00"  for the slight offset
that lets each be heard a bit more.

DRUMS are a bit trickier.  My drummer-studio-producer says
   the main parts of the drum kit always    

             should be     centered...                  

          but some of the percussion is panned
               left, and others to the right.      
         I'll get the details for a future blog!    

Much peace to you in swelling layered tracks to exciting conclusions!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Balancing Volume for Layered Tracks (orchestration).... by DianaDee Osborne

A really fun way to built up the music to a powerful song is to use LAYERS of tracks:

- Begin quietly with a few tracks.

- Start adding tracks one by one. 

- Have a center section that powerfully combines all tracks, 

- and then slowly starts dropping out tracks to the end of the song,

             with a quiet and simple ending.

This is especially effective with "orchestrated" tracks,

    such as using oboe and flute tracks; violins and cellos; organ and tenor sax.

Here is an example of "LAYERED ORCHESTRATED TRACKS",

          from my original song "Ninth of Av Warns Us."  

                         CLICK HERE FOR FREE AUDIO. (The accompaniment track that provides a better example is still being mastered:)

As you add tracks, however, the overall VOLUME BALANCE will change.

Mathematically, this is obvious:  Each new track adds volume.

       You must choose:  Do you want the song's volume to go up?

IF NOT,  gradually lower the older tracks' volume so the new track can be heard.

Much joy to you experimenting with layered tracks volumes for your new songs for The World!

©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved