Fast Timing Fixes for 8-note Chords and Triplets

Most people wouldn't notice that little "hiccup" in your timing of triplets or shuffle beat. Here's an easy hint I also use for pounding-out chords for heavy rock.... The pounding that hits notes together is far more forceful,  and even quiet jazz shuffles are painful to people who do notice the timing problems.

As true for all hints on this blog,  the below steps assume a GarageBand menu -- but the technique works for ProTools and ProLogic and other studio programs.

Step 1.  Do  NOT (do not do not!) "quantize" your song the usual way.  (See earlier blogs for other how-to-fix  timing hints.) 
2.  Go to Control.  Un-check  "Snap to Grid".
3.  Pull up the Notation View (snowflake, bottom left) as Piano Roll.
4.  Place your playhead (red line) at the very front of the MIDI bars for your chord to quantize.  They will not be together.  (That's why the timing needs fixing!)  So decide which of the notes is where you want the chord to hit;  usually at least 2 begin together, which is why you like the chord enough to keep it:)
5.  Put your cursor below the bottom-most note and, holding the mouse button or pad, go straight up to mark every note in that chord.  All should be highlighted (selected).
6.  KEEPING the playhead there on top of the front of at lease one highlighted note,  go to the left menu and select "Auto Align to"  as "1/8 Note".

Now you will see that your MIDI bars for each chord note has moved -- and perhaps a lot.  No matter. 
7.  Click and hold on one of the still-highlighted notes.  (The whole chord set should stay highlighted.)
8.  Slide that note until its very beginning is right where the playhead is.  Your chord is now aligned with "comfortable" timing.
9.  As always,  the final step after timing moves like this is to return to CONTROL and turn "Snap to Grid"  back on.
Much joy to you in creating your own personally enjoyable music timing!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne; all rights reserved

Quick Fixes for Slight Timing Problems

This Recording Hint reminds me of the Volcano Cake that I made for my child's birthday some years back.... everyone thought the lumps of red frosting on top of the piled up chocolate cake crumbles was a fantastic creative idea. In actuality, the cake fell apart when I took it out of the pan.... Sometimes our greatest creations start with mistakes. So here's a fun idea for fixing one kind:

Most of us have done it... feeling very pleased with a song recording, only to realize several months later that our timing "slipped" in a few places. Especially with vocals, where we focus so much on clearly singing the words (enunciating) that we might not notice that we're a tad off beat.

What to do? Trying to patch vocals later is very hard... must match the mic settings and your tone. Plus there's $$$ issues for recording the fix. It's quite tempting to say "Maybe no one will notice."

But here's a quick fix to try. It did "miracles" for my early 2010 song "Creator Joy" when I planned 3 distinct tempos within the song to match the mood.... but ended up with probably 7 or 8 tempos!

Just add a "flexible" background.... I used a Whirly Piano instrument background track for my song:
1. I doubled the instrument's pre-set reverb setting,
2. plus added more echo. These 2 changes really made the notes ring out long enough to distract from timing issues. Sure, musicians might notice. But the extra track also makes your timing appear intentional!
3. Pull in your FULL song track that you already have, into the project. Solo that track with your new track that you will create.
4. After selecting your background instrument, create the notes to play against the FULL mix. Then the only mixing needed is balancing the new track with the mix you already liked.
5. If your original notes are mid-range, play the flexible instrument at a higher note range. And in reverse, for "contrary motion."  Mid-range and higher usually stays out of the sonic range of existing bass and piano tracks.
6. Save, and Turn OFF "Control -- Snap to Grid".
7. Then play the FULL plus NEW track together with the MIDI track in your Notation view. As you hear new track notes come in a bit sooner or later than the original music, just stop the recording, shift the MIDI note a bit (extending length if needed), and try again.

The hardest part of this hint is that it's so much fun to do that you just might end up needing more time so you can add some other instruments and texture tracks!....
Much joy to you, enjoying even old mistakes for the game they can provide!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne, all rights reserved

Fix Lagging Synth Instruments

When you press the controller key for some MIDI (synth) instruments -- like bass, horns, and especially violin -- the notes often seem to be lagging.  Even after you have Quantized every note on the track (see previous blogs).  

HERE's WHY and a super-easy HOW TO FIX not only for Garageband but for any home recording studio.

WHY:   Some MIDI instruments have a "faster attack" than others. That's a fancy way of saying when you hit the controller key for a flute or oboe or guitar,   hey it's right there.  BUT MIDI instruments like organ  &  horns & strings & even synth textures are designed like the ACTUAL INSTRUMENT plays --- to "build into" the sound.  Thus, the note is quieter when it first hits and "solid" a fraction later.  Most people will never notice.  But if you are bugged by this LAGGING,  I can from my experience share a proven method for an

EASY FIX:

Reminder -- also in a previous blog:  It's easier to make changes if all regions have been joined.  Otherwise you will need to do these steps for every region on the track.
1.  Quantize the notes as described in previous blogs, such as August 2011.
2.  Save your project.  (a "duh" I know... but "how to" instructions should include everything!)
3.  Turn OFF   "SNAP TO GRID" (under CONTROL in GarageBand).
4.  Go into the Notation View (snowflake at bottom left in GB) and select "PIANO ROLL."
5.  Highlight at least one music note, then select all notes (Control-A).
6.  Decide on ANY single note that is Count 1 in a measure.  If that note is not "bumped" right up to the measure line, re-check your quantizing.
7.  With all notes still selected on the track, CLICK AND HOLD on the note from Step 6.  Very slowly move the note a SPECK to the left.  A fraction, a bit, a hiccup  to the left... whatever wording you'd like!  Now the "quiet" part of the note does come "early" -- but what you hear is the solid hit right on the measure bar.

8.  Turn ON   "SNAP TO GRID" and
MUCH JOY TO YOU as you continue to develop your song -- with MIDI instruments that no longer sound lagging!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved

Easy Fixes to SHUFFLE timing

Here's an easy way to fix the little "hiccups" in timing for the shuffle song you've played.
Obviously you can't "quantize" songs written as shuffles (see previous blogs). ... If you do, then all your great swing time will become a straight 1-2-3-4.

Shuffle timing is 1__e and _ah 2__e and _ah
(see... it's even hard to just type). Here are some easy SHUFFLE TIMING tricks I've learned and used in songs on my websites DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com (index site to the main site:) and DiDoReflections.com.

Menus below are for GarageBand, but the process works in any studio program:

You want your bass line to be steady. Most of that can be quantized easily... Techniques are in an earlier blog but the basic process is this:
1. Go to your piano (or rhythm instrument) track's Notation panel that shows the SCORE (traditional notes).
2. Highlight ONLY the quarter notes in the bass clef, working no more than 2 measures at a time. Select Align to >> 1/4 note.
3. Listen to those measures focusing on only those low notes to be sure you didn't lose an important swing time you really wanted to keep.
4. Now listen to the higher notes. When you hear a slight "off-ness", put the playhead (red marker line) there.
5. Go to the Piano Roll view and look at the high MIDI notes. You most likely want to quantize the notes at count 1 and 3 to be 1/4 notes. Try to see if that aligns them with the bass notes without losing the swing.
6. Go to Control and turn OFF "Snap to Grid." Here's the harder but almost final step:

7. Listen to the swing notes in between (counts 2 and 4). Where needed, do this:

A. Put the playhead exactly where the notes begin (front of the MIDI bar for the note).
B. Highlight these higher notes and Align to 1/8 notes. This gives the set an exact "hit" together.
C.If needed,  put the column of aligned notes back where the playhead is.
D. Finally, gradually slide the column of swing notes to the exact place where you want them. Often this is just before count 1 or 3 begins (the measure bar).

8.The Best SWING feel comes from a strong Count 1 and an almost-as-strong Count 3. So if you're aiming for the best, this tedious task will get you closer:  For each of the BASS's set of 4 MIDI quarter-notes in a measure for 4/4 swing,  ensure that the Velocity for each is set with numbers like this example:
70  60  65  60
ALWAYS A FINAL STEP: Go to Control and turn back ON "Snap to Grid." You'll save a lot of later time if you try moving or pasting notes before remembering this step!
Much joy to you as you swing your music!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne

Super-QUICK Preview for GARAGEBand Projects

THIS IS SO COOL!
Have you ever had a really long GARAGEBAND project with so many tracks that it takes a few moments to load even on a super-fast computer?

Here's a fast way to remember what your project sounds like WITHOUT opening the .BAND file or looking for the matching .MP3 (and hoping it hadn't changed since your last file-save):

I have about 230 songs on my websites, and about 80 Draft BAND files for future songs, some with only 2 tracks some with about 10. I couldn't remember if I had added Claxton's scripture reading for Prayer Without Asking MP3 track from his studio's ProTools project to my GarageBand project. But I didn't want to bother loading the BAND file to check.

So I decided to see if Quick Look shows the picture like GB's iLIFE preview window....

HERE'S HOW TO QUICKLY HEAR YOUR PROJECT:

In Finder,
1. single click to highlight the .BAND file name,
2. right click on it,
3. select Quick Look --- and

Not only will you see what your .BAND file window looks like (the iLIFE preview),
but Quick Look will PLAY your project.... even a huge project with many tracks.

THERE'S ONE CONDITION --- You must have had "bounced" the project (In GarageBand: "Send Song to iTunes") in order to hear the associated .MP3 file when you click on Quick Look.

This is far faster than waiting to open the project! Cool!
May you find MUCH joy in using and finding shortcuts to efficiently record your music!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne
www.DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com
www.DiDoReflections.com (Die to Self, Do for Christ,
Reflect God, all with the help of the Holy Spirit)

Great Deliberate MIDI Mistakes

DELIBERATE MISTAKES? SURELY NOT! you might protest....
But in truth, sometimes you will get your best sound by choosing to NOT let a note hit exactly upon the beat. The best example is Violins:

In my 13 August 2011 blog, I told how to get "realistic" violins -- even if you have a production program like GarageBand that does not have instruments which automatically swell and reduce volume to sound like the natural instrument. Here is an easy next-step for you:

Often a violin will slightly "slide" into a count, like a quick 1/16th grace note. I call this a "flexible" instrument.... not a "clean hit" for your note like sax or piano have, where grace notes are 1/8ths. (You don't need to know the math, by the way!).

To get this slide-in realistic effect:
1. Record your violin as usual. I recommend one violin line per GarageBand (etc) recording track so you can control volumes easier if there's a second "counterpoint" violin. NEXT BLOG will tell how to easily record two lines and then split them into two tracks.
2. Select all notes: Go into the MIDI view for your track. Put cursor on any note(s), then use Apple-all to
3. In the left column, select AUTO ALIGN TO and the drop-down box choice of 1/8th note. This is better described in my blogs for July 27 and 28 in 2011.... if you want more of a "perfect" timing.
4. Go to Control and the DE-select "Snap to Grid".
5. Still in MIDI view for your track, press the space bar to start playing your music. You can play all tracks, or mute some so that you can better hear the Violin (or other instrument) your are editing. As the music plays, just stop it when you hear a place where the "correct" violin seems to be heard too soon. Slide the MIDI note slightly to the left, deliberately off the beat. Then check....
Sometimes this works, sometimes the original might seem better. Either way -- Much joy to you in the fun of having full control over your music's sound!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne

DianaDee Osborne Library Building in GarageBand etc

Have you created a great MIDI track with a repeating section of notes?
You can get multi-use out of all your work AND make future song development faster by saving that section to the Loop Library. Other sites give you technical instructions... This one offers quick hints. My examples are 2 piano circus beats: (1) a 16-beat section with rather steady beat in A minor and (2) a 16-beat section with 'fancy' grace notes and runs in C major.
EASY LIBRARY BUILDING Hints:
NOTE: When later using loops, plan to copy-and-paste each loop region rather than drag it "loopstyle"... a future blog will describe the advantage. For now, just note that this method is required for odd loops described in Step 1.
1. Loops do NOT have to be 2, 4, or 8 measures as usual. You can build into your loop with a grace note or glissando in the first measure that will slide into an additional 4 measures. THEN when you later import the loop from the library, you just copy-and-paste those introductory odd notes into the last measure before your loop, delete that first measure IN your loop, and slide the loop up against the previous measure.
2. Obviously you would quantize your loop measures before building the actual loop (see earlier hints on making this easier).
3. SAVE YOUR PROJECT before moving on! Step 7 can be "dangerous"!
4. In your original (source) track, split at the beginning of measure you want to create as a loop and and the beginning of the measure AFTER the loop-to-be.
5. Create a DUPLICATE track, and copy the newly split region (the loop-to-be) onto the duplicate track. **Be sure it begins at measure 1.1.1.001 (or whatever your program's name for Project Count 1).
6. Re-join the track you split in Step 4.
.
HINTS you might NOT FIND ELSEWHERE..... and they are really useful.
7. CHANGE YOUR PROJECT KEY to the key of your loop. This is DANGEROUS -- it will change EVERY other track also.... However it's the only way for the Loop Library to record the actual key of your loop. Example: In your project of G major, your loop often will be in E minor (the minor for that key); your loop will save as G major if you skip this Step (7).
8. Check the LENGTH of every MIDI note VISUALLY. Using the Piano Roll view, ensure that NO NOTES OVERLAP into the next note... REASON: (a) Over-long notes: Even if the next note is quantized, it often cannot be heard until the previous note ends. (b) Over-short notes may be what you DO want for staccato (choppy) sound, but check in step 9. (c) Consistent length in a chord: If 2 notes are long, are you getting the full sound you want from the shortest note? OR, if 2 of the 3 notes are short, is the longest note obnoxious? :)
9. Check the LENGTH of every MIDI note by LISTENING to the SOLO track. Can you hear every note you want to hear?
10. Check the Velocity (loudness) of each note by clicking on it and ensuring it is about the same as surrounding notes (unless planned otherwise, of course).
ADDING your region loop to the Loop Library.
Just follow the program's instructions. In Garageband:
1. Highlight the region you want to loop.
2. Go to Edit >Add to Loop Library.
3-A. Type in a name for your loop.... LOOP NAMING HINTS are in another blog.
3-B. Select the Instrument Description. Suggestion: for MIDI drums, use the Kits category so you can always quickly find them at the top level of Kits in the Loop Library.
3-C. IMPORTANT: SET YOUR LOOP TO Scale-Any. That puts it at the top level under your instrument...It will show up whatever your project's key. You might also want Genre-None.
4. Enter your computer password when asked.... and the loop should show up immediately in your loop library, showing the key you selected. It will also show 16 beats for 4 measures, or a time for odd-measures-loops. You don't care about the tempo... that's just a guideline for design, since MIDI notes will adapt to the tempo of any project when you import them.
5. MUTE the loop track if you want to save it for future changes..... like a QUICK change to another key for another loop.
6. CHANGE THE KEY BACK!
7. PLAY your project to check that it's still ok.. and Save if so. If there's any problem, just use File> Revert to Saved Project. And that's it! Another loop for faster song development in the future!
May you absolutely love working to create new music for The World!
©2012 DianaDee Osborne