Review and evaluation

What I set out to do.

My plan is to do a live set in which I will be triggering samples in Ableton with a common keyboard and a MIDI keyboard.

My overall plan:

I will like to do a pre organised DJ set in which all the loops, samples and drum patterns are pre arranged in Ableton, followed by triggering them throughout the 10 minute performance, so it will give body and change the tone of the music, I do not know yet which effects and possessors I will use but I definitely will have a master EQ attached so that I can kill the bass or mid if needed.

I will use Dance and house beats with gothic or rock samples, the performance will start with an intro and samples following in chronological order being triggered off with effects and processors added to them.

I am also going to base my expertise around the operator and use it solely to create bass lines with, also using it within my final project.

I will hopefully give my self until the 8^th of February to complete the collection of my samples I need and start to arrange to ones that I will use in a scene.

By the 15^th of Feb I will have the key samples arranged and added effects/ processors to them.

By the 22^nd I will have a fully planed structure to work with and start adding my operator baseline and samples for a fill structure.

By the 29^th I will have a completed project and will start to add a triggering point to each clip, I will also add extras to the music if needed.

And finally on the 7^th of March I will perform my final project at the media centre.

Equipment I will need:

MIDI key board I will use

Common keyboard I will use:

Review and evaluation of final project

What happen to my final project?

In my final project I had followed most of the goals that I had set out to accomplish with some major floors, I had added a master EQ and did what I set out to do with it, i.e. kill the base and mid if needed.

The processors and effects that I had ended up using in my final project were a ping pong delay, flanger and also a simple delay.

The samples that I had intended to use e.g. ‘I will use Dance and house beats with gothic or rock samples’ did not at all plan out as expected because they did not work together and flow in a chronological order.

I had used the operator as I had mentioned to create baselines for my project and also for my area of expertise, but when it came down to performing with the operator in my final project.

I hade taken the wrong completed set with me on the night…the one without the operator in my final peace of work…’dam’.

So as I planned previously to use it in my work, it did not work out and I did not use it in my final project but I had focused on it within the classroom.

If I was able to go back and redo this set I would take my final project that I had completed with the operator involved.

I had also planned for my set to last about 10 minutes but also that did not happen and I preformed around 5 minutes.

By the 15^th of Feb I will have the key samples arranged and added effects/ processors to them. This was done in time with one day to spare so I started the second part of my set which was to plan a structure to follow.

By the 22^nd I will have a fully planed structure to work with and start adding my operator baseline and samples for a fill structure. I had don the following and started to come up wit a guide to follow for my final project and also a sound that I was aiming to achieve from my live set.

By the 29^th I will have a completed project and will start to add a triggering point to each clip, I will also add extras to the music if needed. This target was not met and I hade problems occurring with my final project, were all samples were not falling in to time. This was then quickly rectified followed by me assigning all my control shortcuts to a keyboard on the day of the performance.

And finally on the 7^th of March I will perform my final project at the media centre. This part of the performance was not followed by all members in the class as I had arranged for the performance to be moved to the Cotton factory bar located at the bottom of town centre.

In my brief I had planned to use both a MIDI keyboard and also an ordinary QWERTY keyboard, I suddenly found no use for the ordinary keyboard as the MIDI keyboard did everything that I was aiming to do in my final project, i.e. control launch sections, control effect levels and also to mute channels.

 

So overall I was pleased with the outcome of my performance and what I had planned to do, but if I was able to redo the performance day I would take my correct project followed by spending a few minutes longer on my set and adding more variations so that it could last longer, also having more processors and effects.

MIDI Controller

Setting up MIDI:

 

My controller keyboard had an EQ (frequency low and hi) added to knobs, followed by scene up/down and play to individual keys. This was to be free with my hands so that i can do other things within my project.

 

I had also assigned one key to Mute all tracks except tracks 5 and 6. This can be seen on my screen grab bellow. I chose to do this so that I can achieve a chopping affect in my project without using the cross fader.

 

I also had Individual stop track keys and also kill high, low and mid. This was because I did not want to use the mouse in my performance, because I wanted both hands free to use the keyboard and not waist time.

 

There were also track volume levels and master effect level fader, I also had a fader that controlled the master volume so that I did not have any distorted sound playing through out my set.

Creating scenes

Creating scenes:

 

In my final project I had about 15 scenes which were triggered of by a MIDI keyboarded.

 

In my project I had an intro scene that was a single drum beat followed by my second scene witch was a four beat pattern with a simple delay.

 

My main scene had a reversed beat, a full beat with a ping pong delay, a trance vocal with a flanger and a trance beat and base.

 

Each clip and scene was warped and altered so that they play in time with each other.

 

I hade added clip envelopes, effects and also follow actions with legato added to them so that they can be triggered of by the MIDI keyboard and play continuously with no breaks or faults.

area of expertise

I have chosen the operator for my area of expirise, to use in my final project solely for baselines.

 

 

The operator has four individual operators that manipulate and create sound, but it all depends on the way they are used. For example there can be two oscillators and two modulators, oscillators to create sound and modulators to affect the sound made by the oscillators i.e. the modulator can affect the pitch or tone that might be created by the oscillator.

 

 

Each operator can affect each other, i.e. am oscillator is affected by a modulator and vies-versa. This will all depend on the way they are arranged within the algorithm or witch way they are arranged to affect each other. This means that the sound created by an oscillator can be dramatically changed, A will affect B and C will affect D, A and C being oscillators and Band D being modulators.

 

 

To use the operator you will have to select different wave forms for each individual operator.

 

The wave forms range from sine, saw, wave, noise, square and triangle. They can be used in both the modulator that will affect the pitch or tome depending on the type of wave that is used, also the waves can be used in the oscillator to create the sound or tone to be affected by the modulator.

 

I used the operator in my project for base to make the music sound more original.

1.5 – - 1.7 BY MUJ

1.5

Recording, quantising and editing MIDI clips:

 

There are two ways to record MIDI in to Ableton, through the standard QWERTY keyboard and through a USB MIDI controller keyboard.

 

An impulse and operator uses both methods to recording/ playback of MIDI, the only difference of using your computer keyboard to an external MIDI, is that there is touch sensitivity. This is because a computer keyboard is just buttons that turn on/off, and dose not have the versatility and velocity of a proper midi keyboard.

 

 

A impulse is often used with an external MIDI keyboard, as it allows the user to have a varied pitch range across the keyboard, deeper to high pitch.

 

 

Load a MIDI instrument from the file browser, in my case it will be an operator as I will be using it in my final project, you can either double click in the instrument or drag and drop it in to the session view.

 

 

The operator is a synthesiser, which you use to create a variety of sounds from baselines to synthesis.

 

To use this instrument you will have to select different mini wave samples and tweak them around with the use of the four times oscillators.

 

 

Once you have achieve a sound that you will want to record, go to the MIDI track and make sure that the record button is armed, but this should be set as default once you load the instrument.

 

 

To start recording just press record on the track then start to play the sound that you will want, once you have finished recording press the play button on the clip then it will loop the sample.

 

 

Once you have recorded the MIDI clip it will appear at the bottom of the window in the clip view section, the recording will appear in standard MIDI note format.

 

If you drag a box around the entire MIDI notes and pres control ‘U’ on your computer keyboard it will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to quantise.

 

 

The dialog box will have a variety setting tat allows you to keep the recording as original as you may what or to change the notes all together, bring the beginning and ends to fall in to time.

 

 

You can use the mouse to quantise manually by dragging the start and end of each note, this is only possible when this symbol appears neat the note( ] )

 

 

You can also use the pencil tool located at the top of the window to draw MIDI notes in to the time line.

 

 

1.6

 

Adding appropriate processor in insert mode:

 

Processors and effects are all stored in to the audio effects file.

 

A processor like a compressor or a gate, is dragged from the file browser straight on to the audio track so that it will dramatically alter the sound, hence insert mode.

 

A processor, like a gate will take a signal, gate it and then allow loud sounds through to be played out, not the original sample only the gated sound.

 

A processor is like a switch, when it is on it will effect the sound, and whaen it is off it will play the original sound.

 

 

The way that you can tell the difference between a processor and effects unit is that a processor will not have a dry and wet knob but an effects unit will.

 

An advantage of using a processor unit is that you do not have to mix the sample between the original and a processed one, you can just send it straight to the amplifier and play it out to speakers.

 

Disadvantage is that the sound is non adjustable.

 

1.7

 

Adding effects in send and return mode:

The way to add an effects unit in send and return mode, is to add it to the send cannel.

 

 

 

The return/ send channels are located to the right of the screen, near the screen; if they are not there then you can bring them up by right clicking in the session view and selecting a new send channel.

 

 

Once a return/ send channel has appeared go to the file browser, the same place the processor was located, processors and effects are all stored in to the audio effects file. the effect pannel is located at the left hand side of Ableton, this is where all the instroments and effects are kept.

 

To add an effect in return/ send and return mode, you will have to get an effect like a delay then drag it over to the send channel, do not double click as it will load it to the track that you may have selected.

 

Once the effect has been added to the return/ send channel, go back to the track that you may want to add the effect to and turn the appropriate knob up i.e. return A or return B.

 

Creating variations

Creating variations:

Dabble click on Ableton short cut on your desktop or start menu.

Dabble click a clip/audio file from the file browser section on the left of the screen, only when located clips in the appropriate folder.

Change the start point of an audio clip by dabble clicking on the clip then going to the clip overview located near the track view selector at the bottom left of the window. When the clip appears in the clip view section (bottom of the screen) drag in the start marker point to the desired location.

Changing the loop point – To change the loop points that are located above the start markers in the clip view. To change the loop points, do, as you will with the start marker point but use both start and end loop markers.

Launch quantisation settings – To change the launch setting you will have to go to the clip view and select, then click on the launch box witch is a round button with an ‘L’ in the center of it, then go to the box that appears, then go to the quantisation section of the launch box.

Reversing a clip is as simple as pressing a button, in the sample box there is a reverse button, if you press it will reverse any audio.

Pitch – Located in the sample box, in the clip view there is something called transpose, if you move it to the left it will reduce the pitch and if you move it to the right it will increase the pitch. However, also a master pitch is located at the top of the window that will affect the entire set.

Enveloping – If you load up the envelope box, you will get an options to alter volume, panning from speaker to speaker, to do this you will also have to select the pencil tool that is located at the top of the screen to draw the volume that you may want to get rid off.

Using Ableton Instruments

Ableton instruments – To load an Ableton instrument, you first have to go to the live device browser followed clicking on the instrument rack, this will open up a selection of instrument that you can use to make sounds with.

 

 

 

Operator – Typically, it is a musical synthesis, that makes use of pure sine, triangle, square and saw sound (mini sound forms) waves, creating waveforms that are complex via modulation and tweaking. However, it is excellent to create baselines with, and I will be using it in my final project as one of my live instruments.

 

 

This specific instrument has four oscillators that dramatically affect the sound produced by each individual oscillator, followed by a LFO that can also be described as a fifth oscillator, as it also effect the overall sound created.

 

The filter section can be used to modify the overall sound produces by the oscillator(s) to give a depth or texture, you can increase the length or tweak the frequency to match what you may be looking for.

 

Simpler – Is a sampler that allows you to chance the start point, loop point and the length of an individual track, with the ability to fade in and out. You also have the ability to play the sample across the keyboard at different speeds.

 

The simpler also allows you to change the frequency and LFO settings to alter the sound of the sample you may be working on.

Most of the information on this blog was gathered from class notes, but I also looked at the user manual to gather more information and a understanding.

Loading,Editing,Warping and saving

 

Warping – this is located in the bottom of the window, warping allows you to bring a clip in to time with all the other clips that you may have in your project.

To warp you will first have to press the warp button and then drag the first warp marker (in yellow with a number 1 on it) to the first kick drum or where you will want to warp from, then you will have to place individual warp markers to bring the entire clip in to place.

 

Loading, Editing, Warping and saving

Load a sample by finding the location of the sample that you what to use, this can be done by searching in the file browser in the file that you may have saved the sample in.

Secondly drag the sample in to a spare audio clip slot, or double click on the sample from the file browser and it will automatically load in to a new track.

To warp a sample you will have to go to the sample display section located at the bottom of the window.

The above sample is un warped.

Make sure that the warp tab and loop tab are activated, they will appear yellow if active and grey if inactive.

Then remove all the yellow warp markers that will appear followed zooming in and finding the correct first kick drum or the point in witch the sample may start to repeat.

Crop the sample by right clicking on the sample display followed by selecting the crop sample that will appear in the dialog box.

Then at every point that there is a kick add a warp marker and it will come in to time with every other clip in your set.

Saving a clip is easy, once you have cropped and warped the clip that you are working on, it will automatically save as the clip in the session view, all you have to do is drag that clip in to the file browser and to an appropriate location, making sure that you rename it too, then it will save as a clip file.

 

 

 

 

Using Ableton

Mujebur Rahman

1 – Using Ableton live software package to produce music:

1.1 – Identify and explain the purpose of Ableton live:

Clip – A musical building block that allows you to make a larger musical structure using individual sounds

I.e. drums, guitar riffs, snares or vocals even an entire song.

 

 

Scene – This is an arrangement of clips that have been placed horizontal so they can be triggered off as one or as individual sound clip i.e. a brake down or builds up.

 

Session view – This area of the window is used to create tracks by arranging clips so that they can be triggered of individually or as a scene. It contains a mixer, track title bar, clip slot, track volume, sends, delays and many other aspects. The workspace also allows you to create variations of an individual clip in the track pane.

Arrangement vies – Located by using the arrangement view selector at the right hand side of the window.

 

It is similar to using your session view except it allows you to record in to it so that you can export your mix as a song, this area arranges clips in a wave format so that it is easier to edit. ‘The Arrangement View displays the Arrangement, which contains music, laid out along a song time line, like a multi track tape.’

 

 

Clip view – Located at the bottom of the window, this is where clip properties can be adjusted to fit in time with a beat by warping, also you can rearrange the start end points and loop markers, also add audio effects. ‘The Clip View is where clip properties can be set. The Clip View is opened by clicking on an individual clip or double-clicking a clip in the Session View, clicking on a Track opens the Clip View for editing the clip that you may currently may be working on’.

 

Browser – Located on the left hand side of the window, allows you to locate clips or audio, even saved projects, you can also preview the clip before importing by having the headphones switched on.

 

 

 

Info view – Located at the bottom left of the window, it shows you the details of any aspects of Ableton, only wherever the cursor may hover.

 

A set is an arrangement of individual clips.

 

To save a clip that you may have edited, just drag the individual clip in to the file browser, then re name it.

 

 

 

ABOOUT MY PROJECT by Mujebur Rahman

Hello!!

My name is Mujebur Rahman, and I am currently studding towards the digital music certificate

I am a dance music fan, and will be basing my final project around this genre of music.

I am influenced by all types of music and DJ’s, I have a keen interest in music and wish to take it further.

Short lists of DJs that influence me are:

Tiesto

Paul van Dyke

Flip and Fill

Arman van Bure

And many others

My plan is to do a live set in which I will be triggering samples in Ableton with a common keyboard and a MIDI keyboard.

My overall plan.

I will like to do a pre organised DJ set in which all the loops, samples and drum patterns are pre arranged in Ableton, followed by triggering them throughout the 10 minute performance, so it will give body and change the tone of the music, I do not know yet which effects and possessors I will use but I definitely will have a master EQ attached so that I can kill the bass or mid if needed.

I will use Dance and house beats with gothic or rock samples, the performance will start with an intro and samples following in chronological order being triggered off with effects and processors added to them.

I am also going to base my expertise around the operator and use it solely to create bass lines with, also using it within my final project.

I will hopefully give my self until the 8^th of February to complete the collection of my samples I need and start to arrange to ones that I will use in a scene.

By the 15^th of Feb I will have the key samples arranged and added effects/ processors to them.

By the 22^nd I will have a fully planed structure to work with and start adding my operator baseline and samples for a fill structure.

By the 29^th I will have a completed project and will start to add a triggering point to each clip, I will also add extras to the music if needed.

And finally on the 7^th of March I will perform my final project at the media centre.

Equipment I will need:

MIDI key board I will use

Common keyboard I will use:

i will also usethe following in my final project