Apple II Music & Sound Conference Wednesday, January 10, 1990 10:00 ET Topic: Arranging Music for the GS with The Music Studio. Forum Leader: Tim Barwick AFL TimB We'll start up in a minute. Tonight's topic is ARRANGING MUSIC FOR THE GS with The Music Studio. We have a couple of experts on our staff who are going to help me with this one. Before the actual chat starts I have a couple of announcements to make. (1 - For those who don't know AppleFest is on for the Spring in New Jersey. May 4 - 6. This Forum will be represented by several of us. We're running a couple of seminars as well as doing a shorter GS music/sound demo. (2 - Check out Across The Boards. There are a couple of VERY interesting threads going on in there right now, one on New America Online software and another on GS SUggestions. I think that's it. AFL TimB Lets get on with the show. We have on the forum staff probably the two leading practitioners of this art in the country. Gene Koh - AFA Gene, Music Editor of Softdisk G-S; and, Greg Dib - ELECTMUSIC, Electronic Music Teacher. Let's let each of them BRIEFLY describe the process they go though when arranging music for the GS. Then we'll open up for questions/discussion. First Gene. AFA Gene Okay. Well first one might notice that in most of my MS songs, there is some sort of repeating pattern that I use as the basis of the song file. This may be done using the percussion instruments, a bass line, or whatnot. Music Studio is useful for writing songs with such a repeating pattern. AFL TimB Gene is currently doing three songs (with his arrangements) a month for Softdisk G - S, who will incidentally be our guests later on this month. KoolJoe How do you enter this repeating pattern and is it your base pattern? Do you merge into it later? AFA Gene Depends whether one is using MIDI input in the project, but I think we'd better save that til later in the chat. For songs written using mouse input, the most efficient method is to enter one measure of rhythm pattern, copy it, build on the copy, create variations in the melody, and so on. This is the basic structure for a "cleanly" written song file. Merging is necessary when one wants to, for instance, add a drum track to a song MIDI-ed in via a keyboard. KoolJoe As I have mentioned to Greg a while back, I have had problems merging. I can't get the timing right. Any suggestions? AFC JoyceM How does this merging work, Gene...easy? KoolJoe Greg's been a great help. I just like to try all of my sources. AFA Gene When one inputs via MIDI, the Music Studio converts the input into its own step-time format. You may have noticed various rests that MS automatically places above notes in the input. These rests can cause problems when merging, but can also be used to your advantage if used correctly. Yep, above the staff. KoolJoe How? AFA Gene If the timing for each measure is correct (i.e. 16 sixteenth rests above the staff in each measure for example), merging should work out fine. Are you sure that each measure is complete? (BTW, the song "Hotrays" on the MS disk is an example of using these "rests above the staff" to your advantage.) The fact is that each measure has to be perfect, because if one measure is even 1 32nd note off, the entire merging process will not work correctly. KoolJoe So, do you need to have every filled in with some kind of note?..a vertical column I mean. AFA Gene You have brought me to my next point. As done in the song Hotrays, one can begin a 4/4 song by entering 16 sixteenth rests at the top of the staff and ending this with a bar line. Then, one can simply "fill in" notes wherever needed in the measure. This can be done for one measure and then copied over many times (as for a rhythm pattern), and can be used as a "merge" file for your MIDI inputs. I hope this information helps. AFC JoyceM . ELECTMUSIC On Mstudio, I usually arrange songs from piano sheet music. I start by entering the notes being very careful to choose DIFFERENT instruments for the bass line and the melody line. After entering in all the in between notes. I then begin to choose some basic sound designs for each instrument. I then spend a great deal of time designing for each instrument. AFC JoyceM With MIDI input, Greg? ELECTMUSIC Joyce, it depends on the music whether I MIDI in or mouse in. I would like to mention that it takes me much longer to develop the sounds for the instruments then entering the actual musical information. AFC JoyceM If you MIDI in, using both hands on the keyboard, how do you get different sounds for each staff? KoolJoe Good question, Joyce. ELECTMUSIC Joyce, while Pyware's Musicwriter is capable of doing that, MStudio won't. KoolJoe I always get triplets, even when I don't want them. Is it me or the machine? AFL TimB Greg, Gene you have any ideas for Joe? ELECTMUSIC Kool, are you MIDI'ing In? KoolJoe Yes. AFA Gene Have you tried this method (developed by Greg in fact :) Set a metronome (real) to the same tempo as MS's onscreen metronome. Then activate MIDI input, and play with your ticking metronome as closely as possible. This should eliminate problems with incorrect notation. ELECTMUSIC You MUST choose a Note value (which is really a quantizing value) before MIDI'ing In. AFC JoyceM I use 16th notes for all input, so don't get triplets! KoolJoe Do I get the implication that a metronome would be helpful??? ELECTMUSIC YES! AFL TimB Greg can you explain Quantizing for us? ELECTMUSIC Quantizing is the computers way of correcting for timing mistakes. AFL TimB In what way does it do this? ELECTMUSIC Kool- The note value should be the shortest note value in your composition. KoolJoe 32nd? -or whatever--right? AFL TimB If that's the shortest note value, right. ELECTMUSIC For example - if you are working on a Drum part that is going to play every note on the beat, then choose a quarter note and if you cut short a note in your musical performance it will correct that timing mistake to a quarter note. KoolJoe Ok, thanks. AFL TimB OK. Now you've got the basic music in Gene, how do you extend the original piece with embellishments, etc? AFA Gene The FIRST embellishment, and almost a MUST to win the Forum Contest, is STEREO! Frankly, mono songs are boring. Sometimes, good stereo takes some planning. For example one may note that in my Creeping Death song (what a peaceful title) there are TWO "voices" allotted for Bass Drum R, L, Snare R, L, etc. However if the song is already done and you wish to make it stereophonic, the easiest thing to do is to move one of the lines that contrasts with the melody over to the other speaker. The bass line, or the drum line, for example. The SECOND big hint is to remember that the GS is multi-timbral. Songs which have a piano on the Left speaker and a horn on the Right speaker are more interesting than the same sound on both speakers. See our October 1989 Contest Winner, "Pressure," for an example of how this second hint can be used to a great extent. Over to Greg now. ELECTMUSIC I would like to add to what Gene said about stereo. There is some basic "Mixing" information in most recording studio technique books that also applies to Music Studio. AFL TimB Greg, once you've laid down the sheet music do you make any changes? ELECTMUSIC Tim, do you mean to the music itself? AFL TimB Right. ELECTMUSIC Yes, to some degree I will add additional parts, or change octaves eliminate parts. AFA Parik Sorta running away from MS, but me & Scott were playing with SoundSmith yesterday, AWESOME program. On par with the new sound tools (gasp!). It sounds really great. The only prob is no way to MIDI in songs yet but that's coming! (v1.0) I sent in my shareware fee. I'm gonna try uploading the disk this evening. It's written by the guy who wrote Laser Force & Jigsaw Puzzle, and comes with 4 disks of songs (axel f & blue monday are hot hot hot), real good stuff. It imports MIDI files .. sorta, it reads it in and sets up the stuff but doesn't actually change the track data. It supports 15 tracks, real nice! AFL TimB OK, back to arranging. ELECTMUSIC (sounds real nice if it supports the Midi file format). AFL TimB Gene, Greg, where do you think people often go wrong with arrangements? (apart from mono). ELECTMUSIC TIME! AFL TimB Can you explain? ELECTMUSIC These arrangements need much more creative time spent with designing every aspect of the performance. To use a musical example- Sgt Peppers by the Beatles took about a year to put together. AFC JoyceM Greg, you said you spent a lot of time designing - do you mean instruments? ELECTMUSIC Joyce, I mean all aspects. More time should be spent with musical embellishment, mixing and stereo placement, sound design, featured solo sections. AFC JoyceM Where would one get 'ideas' to embellish a song? AFL TimB Listen to Gene's Peanuts or Greg's St Elsewhere for good examples of time spent. ELECTMUSIC I would recommend experimentation on the part of all users. AFL TimB Gene, what do you see that people could improve? AFC JoyceM I would also think, listening to the radio and getting ideas too? ELECTMUSIC Think of yourselves as artists and your palettes and canvas are the MStudio tools provides on the GS. AFA Gene I agree with Greg that people should remember that QUALITY is more respected overall than QUANTITY. One must also remember that when doing arrangements on MS, many people are hearing the song for the first time, so making the "sound" and "feel" of the song as close as possible to the original is a plus. Also, I find that people get excited when they've come up with a great-sounding arrangement of the chorus of a popular song, so they do a slop-rush job on the rest of the song (or skip it altogether) just to get it uploaded as soon as they can. Remember, the contest is every month! My advice to a MS writer is to take your time, the patience will pay off. AFC JoyceM Creativity - we can become our own orchestra leader! AFL TimB My contribution to this is to be careful with your instruments, the GS can produce such great sounds, don't be limited by the ones that come with the disk. You'll be amazed what you discover, and maybe then find a song to go with the instrument. OK, final questions for our two resident experts, what is your favorite arrangement with The Music STudio? (Don't be shy, include your own in here too). AFC JoyceM Is it easier to input with MIDI or mouse? ELECTMUSIC Joyce, I really need both. AFC JoyceM Song - String of Pearls! AFA Gene Hmmm tough question as there are so many good ones out there... it is impossible to pick a "favorite." But I favor any MS song that shows the listener that the GS has more than just a run-of-the-mill sound chip under the hood. ELECTMUSIC I was really happy with my arrangement of St Elsewhere. It is a natural tune for the GS and works well within in its limitations. AFC JoyceM Great listening and creativity, Greg. ELECTMUSIC Agreed Gene, there have been MANY great arrangements for MStudio. AFL TimB Well, thanks to you 'all' for attending. I predict however that this is going to be a much downloaded log. The information in here has been invaluable and I'd like to thanks our two experts. AFC JoyceM I would like to see a follow-up to this chat. AFL TimB Thanks guys, great chat. We are having Ed Bogas on in March Joyce. Probably a good guy to discuss this as well. ELECTMUSIC I felt alot of great info was passed along tonight. AFC JoyceM This discussion was most helpful for me...thanks, Gene, Greg and Tim for the idea. (C)opyright 1990 Quantum Computer Services. Reprinted from America Online.