Getting started
Stage 2. Creating a drum track
Create four additional MIDI tracks and assign them to a percussion or drum sound. Drum sounds are usually assigned to MIDI channel 10, so ensure each track is correctly routed. This gives you much better control when editing and quantizing individual sounds.
Fig. 6.1.8 – Additional MIDI tracks assigned to drum sounds.
Select one of the MIDI drum tracks and enable the record ready switch. If you now play your MIDI controller, you should find a different drum sound on each key of the keyboard. When using a GM drum kit you should find the bass drum on C1 and the snare drum on C2.
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When using a GM-compatible sound module, the drums will always be assigned to MIDI channel 10. This will always be the case if you have the unit set to GM or XG mode.n o t e
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If you’re using a non-GM sound source, make sure a drum or percussion set is chosen as the sound source.M I D I s e q u e n c i n g p r o j e c t s
Try playing different keys on the keyboard until you find a sound you like. For example, try starting with a hi hat or bass drum sound. You now need to develop a rhythm pattern that will work alongside the bass line, so press Play on the sequencer and play the sound you have chosen, along with the bass line, and try and develop a rhythm idea. In our example we started with a hi hat pattern then added a kick drum and finally overdubbed a snare drum.
If you are finding it difficult to come up with any ideas, you could always try listening to CDs of other people’s music. Sometimes this can give you inspiration to create your own music in a similar style.
Fig. 6.1.9 – Typical layout of drum sounds on a keyboard.
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When using a MIDI keyboard to enter information into a sequencer it is important to remember that what you play is exactly what is going to heard back, so always ensure that your performance is the best you can achieve.t i p
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It is also possible to create a drum track by using the pencil tool to enter notes directly into the Matrix or List edit windows. The Drum edit window can also be used.Once you’re clear in your mind what you’re going to do, stop the sequencer and return to the beginning of the song again. Make sure the loop function is not activated and then drop into Record. Wait for the pre-count before you start playing.
m u s i c t e c h n o l o g y w o r k b o o k
Fig. 6.1.10 – Drum pattern being recorded into a sequencer.
Play until you have recorded a good selection of ideas. Try not to stop recording if you make any mistakes. Just keep playing, as you can edit small mistakes out later.
Fig. 6.1.11 – Example hi hat pattern.
After 16 bars or when you feel like you have recorded something worth keeping, press Stop and locate to the beginning of your composition.
Press Play to listen back to what you have recorded. Is it in time? Are you happy with the rhythm? If not, delete the part and re-record it again. It is best to listen back while the metronome is switched off, as this will help you to decide if the drums and bass line fit together.
You could consider quantizing what you have just played, as this may help improve the timing of the notes you have played. You may also want to view the drum track in an edit window so you can see the timing of each note.
M I D I s e q u e n c i n g p r o j e c t s
Delete what you don’t want to keep from the sequencer then arrange what you want to keep into a continuous part or sequence and glue together. Then move this sequence so it plays back from bar 1.
Select the next MIDI track and find another drum sound you want to use, e.g. a kick or snare drum sound. Now build up several drum tracks to create a more complex rhythm. The example in Fig. 6.1.14 shows three MIDI tracks, each containing a different drum sound.
As you build up several drum tracks, the overall timing may start to drift and sound messy as each individual track effectively becomes slightly out of time with the next. We therefore recommend that you try quantizing the drum and bass tracks even if you are a very good keyboard player as this will automatically move the notes you have played exactly to the nearest selected gridline. This can be very effective in making your music sound more in time and can save hours of endless fiddling and tweaking. However, quantize does not always automatically put your music in time and selecting correct Quantize value is essential (see Exercise 5.6).
Fig. 6.1.13 – Editing a hi hat pattern.
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Once you have got a recording you are satisfied with or a section worth keep- ing, separate the sections you want to keep by cutting/trimming the data with the scissors.
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Remember, each drum sound can be placed on a different sequencer track, but all drum sounds usually share the same MIDI channel.m u s i c t e c h n o l o g y w o r k b o o k
Once you have recorded and edited several drum tracks, build up an arrange- ment by copying and pasting.Your composition should now last approximately 1–2 minutes. You can check this by moving the Song position marker to the end of the composition and looking at the time code display. For example, at 110 BPM, 45 bars of music lasts for 1 minute 36 seconds.
Fig. 6.1.15 – Transport bar showing a song’s duration at 45 bars.
You have now defined the style of the piece and crafted the foundation of your ground bass.You should now have a drum beat and bass line that plays to the end of the composition. Make sure that you have named any newly created MIDI tracks and then press Save to update your file.