arpeggiators and DAWs

Ever need to export an MIDI arpeggiator’s output?  Each piece of software does this in their own special way.  In Reason, right-click the RPG-8 device in order to print “Arpeggiator Notes to Track” which is very clear, fast and simple.  In Abelton Live, route the output of the arpeggiated MIDI track into a new MIDI track via a virtual MIDI bus, thus recording the processed MIDI information into the timeline.  In Logic this is also possible, but it requires routing the MIDI outs to the sequencer input in the Environment window and requires recording the information in real-time (see video below).  If you have many minutes or hours of arpeggiation to print, try a quick work-around and temporarily increase the session’s tempo to something extreme such as 1000bpm to speed up the internal MIDI recording.

Below is a quick video demonstrating Logic’s routing in Environment.  Sadly, I wish Pro Tools had a MIDI plugin for arpeggiation.

Hat Tip to Jeremy Viner for the Logic demo.

Also be sure to check out Hypercyclic, a AU, VST and standalone LFO MIDI arpeggiator with some additional functionality not commonly found within DAWs.

nancarrow improvisation II

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

After a long hiatus, I’ve delved into more of Conlon Nancarrow‘s work for player piano.  Inspired by an excerpt from Study No. 33, I’ve programmed a drum set improvisation to its rhythm.  Consider this track a long awaited sequel to this one which prompted Nancarrow expert Kyle Gann to post about it here.  The drum sounds are from my personal collection and seem to compliment the rawness of Nancarrow’s piano quite nicely.

For years, evidently, he [Conlon Nancarrow] lived on practically nothing but coffee… It’s silly, I know, but sometimes when his music takes on a particular nervousness or intensity, I can’t help thinking of Conlon diligently roasting, grinding and drinking his coffee. Perhaps Nancarrow’s stomach is as “rugged” as his music! Now, despite being on doctor’s orders, he remains unrepentant: “I have no regrets. Do it while you’re young, and can!”
-Peter Garland, 1979

Read more about this work at the Greenleaf Music Blog.

modern day software & compositional workflow

Ever since the birth of MIDI in the early 80′s creating music has taken a wild turn in the digital age.  Suddenly the need of writing music by pen and paper turned into the need of learning computer software.  Today, when it seems like there are too many programs to work with, music composers find themselves in a never-ending quest searching for what works best for their creative work flow.

Screen shot incorporating Nodal with Numerology

Music Notation Software

Music notation software such as the popular Finale and Sibelius have tremendous tools for creating professional scores, parts and leadsheets.  There are also a number of open-source notation alternatives rapidly emerging.  Composers today generally find themselves using their penmanship less, and their technical skills more, since the computer can generate perfect edges and complete profound editing capabilities.  Yet since each application has many unique processes, some of the simplest of tasks are the most confounding that often come as stumbling blocks and major sources of frustration for composers who, like so many of us, choose to do our own copy work.  This is especially challenging when one starts a composition directly in notation software.  Often composers do not realize that the driving force behind all notation software engines is a simple MIDI sequencer, albeit hidden from the user interface.

Notation Software Alternatives

One of the biggest advantages of working with notation software is the ability to playback and instantly hear your work.  If you already know what the music sounds like, it might be a good chance to look to other avenues to better convey your written material on paper.  Software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop helps many modern composers ultimately gain unique drawing and text writing abilities generally not possible in notation programs.  Photoshop is great for images, and Illustrator is great for drawing and working text.  Many have experimented with Illustrator for the right chord notation when notation software simply wasn’t able to go the extra mile.  Moreover, all notation software comes with a bundle of specialty music fonts that can called up in any application that uses fonts providing you know where the characters lie on the keyboard.  In essence, it is possible to start typing your composition away in Microsoft Word, although I wouldn’t recommend it.  Utilities such as PopChar can greatly aid in helping you find the desired font character, and where it’s mapped to on the keyboard.

Sequencing & Programming

Sometimes building compositions from raw, MIDI information is a powerful way of developing material.  In a sequencer, a composer can record in MIDI notes and rhythms, and then tweak his performance as desired.  Alternatively, clicking in MIDI notes directly on the piano roll is commonly used for those lacking functional piano chops.  It may be a  slower form of data entry, but it also comes with its advantages.  Working in this environment offers flexibility beyond conventional notation techniques.  It is easy to radically experiment with form, pitch and duration and still hear a playback.  Then, after happy with your work, export the sequence as a MIDI file and import it into your notation software of choice.  After a few hours of copyist work, out prints a chart worthy of reading.

MIDI, Audio and DAWs

DAW‘s are becoming more and more powerful by the month.  Entire compositions can live within a single session of DP, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase – you name it.  They even have built-in notation viewing although it is pretty limited.  Say your composition exists as MIDI in Logic, notated in Sibelius and then recorded into Pro Tools.  The writing process doesn’t have to stop there!  Advances in digital audio are making things just as easy to manipulate audio as it is MIDI, while still retaining excellent audio quality.  It is worthy to note that every genre of music is using the fullest of what today’s technology has to offer.  In this approach, the composer is slowly (or perhaps rapidly) becoming their own audio engineer and programmer, and vice versa.

Max/MSP and PD

Software like Max/MSP and open source cousin Pure Data (PD) are another way of delving into composition from square one.  Anything is possible providing users are able to build it in a real-time, graphical programming environment.  If a DAW’s flexibility is not enough for your composition, I guarantee that Max or PD is!  A somewhat unknown fact is that Ableton Live was originally conceived from a Max Patch.  Synthesis, signal processing, audio to MIDI, mathematical calculations, video implementation, controllerism, along with a thousand other possibilities are at your disposal.

There are many more work-flow choices out there…

programmed drums & piano II

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Composer Darren Miller recently wrote a series of several short pieces for the digital player piano – in fact, for the very same instrument I wrote something for last fall – (see previous post here).  I asked Darren to give me the audio he recorded from the player piano so that I could layer in some drums and other sound bites to the piece.  After many wakeful nights tucked away behind samplers, constructed constructed this collage.

There are hundreds of samples used in this piece, some of which originated from the drums of Nasheet Waits, Eric MacPherson and Jim Black.  (see previous post “Nancarrow Arrangement” and This Mention on Post Classic).  I took it further this time, asking drummer Max Goldman to visit the studio one afternoon.  I recorded him performing all sorts of improvisations spread over 2 drum kits and percussion sets.   His sound is who you are listening to for most of this little experiment.

cmac produces JB3

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I like seeing my old friends from school take necessary initiative and elevate their music to the next level.  Ever since graduation, I have been impressed with how much of a following my colleague,  RnB artist Jesse Boykins III has generated for himself.  He’s been busy all over the U.S. showcasing his music, touring with one of my best friends and outstanding drummer, Adam Jackson, has been featured on numerous blogs and rose to the near summit of the BETJ charts; not to mention fostering several noteworthy collaborations with producers such as JMost, who is also a hugely notable school chum.

Jesse and I have always talked about doing a track together but this summer we finally made it happen.  He gave me a scratch a capella vocal track and then I proceeded to mix in the rest.  Hopefully this will just be the beginning of a very warm series of collaborations.  You can follow Jesse on twitter: @Jb3Music

DOWNLOAD the entire remix album Here.