Audiotuts+

How to Use Arpeggiators in Logic Pro 9′s Environment

Adrian Try — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:26:28 +0000

Paul Nolan has recently put together an insightful screencast series on using arpeggiators in the Logic 9 environment. He has given us permission to use them on Audiotuts+. Enjoy!

Tutorial: Logic Pro 9 Environment – Arpeggiators Part 1 from Paul Nolan on Vimeo.

Paul Nolan Sound Quicktip: Selective Import / Individual Track Exporting for Audio In Logic Pro 9 from Paul Nolan on Vimeo.

35 Audio Tutorial Sites That Will Keep You Learning

Adrian Try — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:03:39 +0000

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series The Monster List of Audio Sites

The reason you’re here on our site is because you’re interested in audio tutorials. I think we do a great job: we have a huge number of excellent tuts – both free and premium. But we know we haven’t cornered the market. There are an amazing number of audio tut sites out there, and the number seems to grow every year. Here are 35 of the best.

And the list is growing. We’ve taken lists from previous articles, added the ones you’ve suggested in the comments and Open Mics, and discovered a few more. But we know we haven’t listed them all. Please let us know all the ones we’ve forgotten in the comments, so our next update will be even more complete.

Most audio tutorial sites are general in nature. They cover a range of digital audio workstation software, and they also teach you the audio production terminology and techniques that you need to know. We’ve covered those sites under “General” – 25 sites out of the 35 total.

But some sites are much more focused – they’re dedicated to their favorite DAW. Think of them as “fan” sites. We listed them under separate headings after the general sites. We’ve found much fewer of these, but we’re probably missing quite a few. Please help us track down as many as possible for our next update.

Finally, we’ve removed a few sites that we previously had on the list. Some have gone “missing in action” – or at least were down on the day we went checking. Others brought up security warnings that they contained spyware. We didn’t feel it was responsible to include those sites until the issues have been resolved.

So, here they are – 35 tutorial sites that will teach you almost everything you need to know about audio production. Most are free, though some require payment to see some of their content. And because this is a list of resources and not a review, the descriptions in most cases come directly from the sites’ “About” pages. Have fun exploring!

General

1. Audiotuts+

Well, we have to mention ourselves, so let’s get it over with. You’re here, so you probably already know a bit about us. Check out our About page for the details, and also check out our Premium tutorial site if you’re willing to invest a bit of money into your education.

2. YouTube

I think you can search for just about anything on YouTube and find good tutorials on it – as long as you’re willing to work your way through the good and the bad. The same applies for audio. There’s a lot there. Some are great, some are not.

In future revisions of this article we’re planning to highlight some particularly good YouTube channels. If you have some favorites, let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to include them in next year’s version.

3. macProVideo

“macProVideo.com is an online education community featuring Tutorial-Videos & Training for popular Audio & Video Applications including Adobe CS, Logic Studio, Final Cut Studio, and more.”

4. Bobby Owsinski’s “The Big Picture” Blog

“This is Bobby’s production-oriented blog where he discusses everything you ever wanted to know about recording and music production. A popular feature is his breakdown and analysis of isolated tracks of popular songs.”

5. Audio Issues

“If you are just starting out doing some home recording or have been engineering for a while, these quick and easy audio tips are guaranteed to be of interest and use to you.”

6. Sonic Academy

“Whether you are a DJ, producer or a singer/songwriter, we have all the core online training material for you to learn from and gain that competitive edge! ”

7. The Serious Sounds Network

“When I’m recording, mixing or mastering, I have only one goal in mind: I want people’s jaws to drop. I want them to look at me, thunderstruck, and say – “This sounds incredible!” My guess is that if you’re reading this, you feel the same way. If so, then this is the site for you – because I want to help you make people’s jaws drop. I’m lucky enough that this has happened to me numerous times in my career, and I know I can help you achieve it, too.”

8. Key of Grey

“As the technical barriers of creating music are lowered, what was once only the domain of technical wizards has become accessible to everyone, everywhere, at anytime. With the abundance of new computer software that makes music easy and fun to create, a whole new group of enthusiasts is able to do in minutes what would have taken an expert days to do only a few years ago. “Key of Grey” is a resource for new songwriters and producers who want to learn how to produce a quality product with a minimum of technical jargon.”

9. Home Studio Corner

“Home Studio Corner (HSC) gives you LOTS of ways to expand your recording knowledge, hone your recording skills, and make better recordings.

Articles – I’ve written a TON of articles here on HSC. They cover a wide range of topics, everything from acoustic treatment to recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. You’ll find a wealth of information hidden in the HSC archives.
Videos – There are few things better than a nice tutorial video, where you watch someone else work on something, then you have that magical “ah-ha” moment. My goal with all of the free videos is to give you little “ah-ha” moments that make you a better engineer.
Training Products – I’m constantly creating new training products for HSC readers, everything from standalone tutorial video series to live online training courses. You can check them on the products page. If you’re not into paying for training material, no worries. I welcome you to peruse all of the free content here on HSC. It’s here for you.”

10. Electronic Musician

“Electronic Musician is not merely a recording magazine but covers all aspects of music production—performance, recording and technology, from studio to stage. With in-depth coverage on today’s most influential music makers, reviews and analysis of the latest music technology and hands-on production techniques, the new Electronic Musician delivers editorial quality and audience reach like no other media brand does.”

11. Wire to the Ear

The popular pro-audio weblog with daily articles on creating music with computers, sequencers, plug-ins, synthesizers, microphones and more. On going discussions about song writing, the music business, promotion, live performances, publishing, royalties and great music recommendations.

12. Audio Geek Zine

“AGZ was started in 2007 by recent recording school grad Jon Tidey. Originally the intention was to publish several articles all at once each week, similar to a zine. As schedules got busier and contributing writer interest waned it started to make sense to publish new content immediately rather than weekly. That’s when the blog started to grow into the format you see today.
On this site you will find articles; videos; tutorials; and interviews relating to recording; mixing; mastering; sound design; and music production.”

13. BPB (Bedroom Producers Blog)

“This blog is dedicated to the community of home music producers, as well as all the developers, sound designers, and acclaimed companies that release some or all of their products for free.”

14. Bedroom-Recording.com

“You might think that a website with the name Bedroom-Recording.com would teach you how to set up a bare bones studio in your bedroom, but there’s so much more than that here! You need to start somewhere (a bedroom or living room is a great place to get your feet wet), but you are on your way to better results no matter where you record!

“I want this website to be a guide, a booster. Together we can cover the important steps in making a recording you’ll be proud of. You have to be willing to learn, spend a few dollars (stuff ain’t free!), and take the time to work with it, and I know good things will happen!”

15. Mixing Tips.org

“Useful tips – easily explained.”

16. Hiphop Makers

“Hip Hop Makers was launched in 2008 to help up & coming music makers like myself by providing helpful articles, resources, and more.”

17. The Musician’s Guide

“The Musician’s Guide is a website full of music promotion and marketing resources to help musicians succeed in the new music industry. The website launched in 2009, and has since become the #1 portal for musicians to find music contracts, contact lists, video courses, music promotion books, and a wealth of other information on promoting and marketing music.

“The aim of this website is to provide musicians with the best information and tools to help them succeed in the music business. The website is ran by a number of contributors and partners with various specialities including music law, touring, online marketing, artist management and much more.”

18. TweakHeadz Lab

“The #1 site for learning about home and project studios.”

19. WinkSound

“WinkSounds is your source for free music and audio technology videos. Featuring: Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reason, Cubase and more.”

20. The Recording Revolution

“My goal for this blog is to educate and empower a new generation of musicians and songwriters to make outstanding music with their home studio. I hope to break through the hype and marketing that tells people they need to spend more money if they want better results. I want to eliminate any and all excuses prohibiting great talent from making great recordings.”

21. Record, Mix & Master

“An essential reference site for beginners and intermediates in pro audio recording.”

22. techMUZE!

“As the podcast progressed and the TechMuze community began to develop I found that most of the questions I received from listeners focused on the topic of mixing (probably because I talk about it a lot!). So, I decided to try my hand at taking everything I’ve learned about modern mixing (in the past 18 years or so) and create a course that folks could join to get all of their questions answered and to avoid a lot of the time sucking mistakes that I’ve made along the way.”

23. Pensado’s Place

Part of the This Week In web TV network, this site offers video interviews of well-known music producers.

24. War Beats

“Yes you will learn how to make better beats and improve your skills here, but Warbeats is more of a community or club, not a school.

You come through and learn and grow by being an equal member to everyone else. Your hard work and dedication are key and that’s something we can’t give you, but we will let you in the clubhouse!”

25. Production Advice

Logic Pro

26. Logic-Courses.com

“If you want to get the most out of your Logic software suite and learn all the latest tips, tricks and workflow methods then this brand new online training course provides the perfect solution for you.

“Logic Courses provides both a basic/intermediate and advanced level course to support all levels of users, and the courses are delivered through a series of online video tutorials which you can access at any time, from wherever you are.”

Propellerhead Reason

27. ReasonCourses.com

“If you want to get the most out of your Reason software suite and learn all the latest tips, tricks and workflow methods then this brand new online training course provides the perfect solution for you.

“Reason Courses provides both a basic/intermediate and advanced level course to support all levels of users, and the courses are delivered through a series of online video tutorials which you can access at any time, from wherever you are.”

28. Reason4Tutorial.com

“This website brings to you a new and exciting way to learn how to use Propellerheads Reason 4 software.

“Each tutorial covers a different topic, and once you have watched them all, you will have a good understanding of how to use Reason 4 to its full potential.”

Ableton Live

29. Nick’s Tutorials

“I originally started this site in October of 2008 for the purpose of doing video tutorials on music production and sound design. Since then this goal has been met with many tutorial packages and more planned for the future, making this site a comprehensive Ableton Live tutorial resource.”

30. Music Software Training.com

“Here you should find a wealth of resources for Ableton Live. If you are in a band or are an aspiring Remixer, Producer or DJ, you’ve found the right place! I want to go further than just showing you every new production trick to get “that” sound. That’s not really my thing. I’d prefer to instilled in you the habits & processes of creative people. You’ll discover it’s less about the tools they are using & more about what’s happening in their heads. Of course you can also expect a wealth of useful Ableton tips that leave you open to explore your own musical path.”

31. Live-Courses.com

“If you want to get the most out of your Ableton Live software suite and learn all the latest tips, tricks and workflow methods then this brand new online training course provides the perfect solution for you.

“Live-Courses.com provides both a basic/intermediate and advanced level course to support all levels of users, and the courses are delivered through a series of online video tutorials which you can access at any time, from wherever you are.”

32. Tom Cosm

“Well this is me and this is my website. It started as a place to share my music, which then extended to sharing my knowledge, which then extended to people joining up and having a nice place to swap ideas…. and now it’s a buzzing little community of likeminded people, what fun!”

GarageBand

33. GarageBand & Beyond

A YouTube channel dedicated to GarageBand and home recording.

REAPER

34. The REAPER Blog

“The aim of this website is to be an indispensable resource for the REAPER user community, providing news, reviews, tips & tricks, and detailed tutorials on music production using the REAPER software.”

NI Maschine

35. Maschine Tutorials.com

“This site was started by Maschine users for Maschine users. For those wanting to learn Maschine, or wanting a place to improve their current skills and share their own tips and advice. It is also intended as a general place to explore and discuss various aspects of Maschine and music production in general, in a controlled and friendly environment. One free from trolling, internet stalking, e-bullying, and all other nonsense we usually encounter in public forums. We feel the small price of admission weeds out the troublemakers and those who are only interested in causing conflict, this allows those who really want to discuss their craft seriously, to have a place to do so.

“We felt it was time to consolidate the information and knowledge on hand, and put it into a resource that people can tap into whenever they need to. The internet allows things to operate 24 hours a day, and sometimes We get a question while we are sleep, but for the person asking it’s a question they could really use help with because they are actually in a studio session on the other side of the world!”

Quick Tip: Creating Skrillex Style Tech Basslines in NI Massive

Jack Wiles — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:42:38 +0000

This series of quick tips will outline how you can use the ever powerful NI Massive synth to create techy basslines used by artists such as Skrillex. In this example I have used Cubase but the same principles will translate to pretty much any other DAW. Here is an example of the kind of sound you can expect to end up with at the end of this series:

Download audio file (Audio Example 1.mp3)

In this first installment we will look at the basic parameters you will need to set up to build your synth patch in massive.

Step 1 - Oscillators

Once you’ve got an instrument track set up and opened massive you will need to start a new blank patch. Change the waveform for Oscillator 1 to digigrain II from the ‘digital’ sub menu. This oscillator will provide the main character of our synth. You can scan the WT position knob back and forth to hear the different tones within this waveform.

In addition to this oscillator we will add another one below it to fill out the sound, adding body. For Oscillator 2 select the sine/square waveshape, leave the WT position turned up to 100% and lower the pitch by 12 semitones. You may wish to turn the amp on osc2 down a little to get a better balance.

Here is an example of the two oscillators together, played at C2 with a little manual movement on the WT position for osc1.

Download audio file (Audio Example 2.mp3)

Step 2 - Adding an LFO

We are now going to apply an LFO to the osc1 WT Position. Drag the icon from the first LFO modulator, found in slot 5 over to the relevant slot on the osc1 panel, and turn up the modulation amount about half way as shown below:

On the LFO panel slide the mix fader all the way up to the top so that we are just working with a sine waveshape, and turn on the sync with a setting of 8/16 or half a bar. This will help us to achieve a nice synchronised ramp up every time we play a note. Make sure the LFO is set to restart its waveshape every time a new note is played.

You should also drag the sine waveshape left or right to make sure the waveshape starts at the bottom each time. Setting the shape to start slightly before it’s lowest point can add a nice ‘kick’ to the start of each note. Here’s how your LFO panel should look:

Here’s how the patch sounds so far, alongide a beat at 133 bpm (I’m just playing some 2 beat long notes at the beginning of each bar):

Download audio file (Audio Example 3.mp3)

Step 3 - Applying a Filter

The next stage is to filter our oscillators. Make sure that each oscillator is set to send to filter 1 only, and choose the Low-Pass 24 dB/octave filter (lowpass 4). Turn up the resonance a little, and then apply some modulation from the same LFO that you used to modulate the WT Position in osc1.

Here’s how your filter panel should look:

Here’s how the patch sounds with the filter added – the combination of two parameters both moving to the same LFO is already starting to add some nice dynamic to the sound:

Download audio file (Audio Example 4.mp3)

Step 4 - A Little Onboard EQ

Usually at this stage I like to add a little EQ using the EQ provided in the effects section of Massive. A simple boost to the high and low shelves should suffice to add some attitude to the sound. The sound will no doubt be EQed much more precisely during the mixing stage but I feel like some rough adjustments here can be an easy way to get closer to the sound we are working towards.

Download audio file (Audio Example 5.mp3)

As a final reference, here’s how the entire synth panel should look at this stage:

In the next part in this series we will be adding some effects and processing to the patch to really help it come to life.

Quick Tip: Reaper Rendering for High Quality Mixdown

Emerson Maningo — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:25 +0000

In this quick tip, you will learn how to do rendering in Reaper. This is written for new Reaper users. The objective is to have a high quality resolution rendering suitable for audio mastering. This will be useful if you like to submit your Reaper mix for mastering.

Step 1

Complete your mix first and make sure it is final before doing the rendering. Leave some headroom for mastering somewhere around -6 dB to -3 dB maximum peak. You can observe this in the Reaper master level meters such as shown below. In the screenshot a peak level of around -6 dB has been shown. Take note that this is the maximum peak from the start to the end of the song. You are going to confirm this in Step 9.

Step 2

Select the portion of the mix you would like to mix down (from the start to the end of the song). To do this, you need to left click – hold and drag with your mouse (at the time area section which is above the first waveform) to the last part of the song. By dragging, it will highlight the selection.

Step 3

Check what sample rate and bit depth you used during recording. This assumes you are using Reaper to record your tracks. You can see this in the upper right-hand of your screen in Reaper. For example, in the screenshot below it shows that it is set to 24-bit / 48 kHz.

Step 4

Go to File – Render. You will then see the ‘Render to File’ menu. First, set the following:

Render:
Master Mix
Render bounds:
Time Selection
File name: The desired file name of your mix down. Make it descriptive such as
‘SongTitle-Mixdown’
Directory – this is where the rendered file will be saved. Take note of this.

Step 5

Next in the ‘Render to file’, you need to define the sample rate, bit depth, etc required for the mix down. Set the following:

Sample rate =
’48000′
(this should be same with the sample rate used in recording as determined in Step3)
Channels:
‘Stereo’
(this is usually stereo since most audio for commercial music production are in stereo format).
Output format:
‘WAV’
(this is a common format)
Bit depth: Set this to
’24 bit PCM’
(the same with the recorded files as confirmed in Step3).
Leave other settings at default (e.g. setting to
‘Full-speed offline’
and Resample mode to
‘Better’

The purpose of doing the above settings is to leave sample rate conversion, noise shaping and dithering to the mastering engineer for best results.

Step 6

Close all running programs in your computer except Reaper. Click the button ‘Render 1 file’. This will start rendering the file into a single waveform. You can locate this file in the output directory you have set in Step 4.

Step 7

Save your mix with the changes and then go to File – Close all projects. Load the rendered file in Reaper by going to Insert – Media File.

Step 8

Re-confirm the waveform statistics in Reaper by clicking FX button then go to
‘JS: schwa/audio_statistics’
and then click OK. The values are still zero because the audio is not played.

Step 9

Play the mix down/rendered file from start to end. You will get the statistics. Some mastering engineers do require peak levels (left and right) to be within -6 dB to -3 dB, so make sure the rendered file stats is OK.

Step 10

You do not need to apply further compression, reverb, EQ and other effects to the rendered/mix down. Leave this to the mastering engineer. You can zip the final wav file and send that to your mastering engineer. Zipped file is convenient and easy to transport.

Open Mic: Which Country Do You Live in?

Adrian Try — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:03 +0000

Each week we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance.

Which country do you live in? What do you love about it?

How to Mix a Dense Folk Pop Mix – Tuts+ Premium

Björgvin Benediktsson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:33:58 +0000

In this week’s Audio Premium content, Björgvin Benediktsson takes you in detail of the mixing process, using a folk song as an example.

To learn more about what you get as part of Audio Premium, read this. To take a peek inside this tutorial, hit the jump!

Dense mixes can be tough to work out. There’s a lot of instruments, vocals and stuff that needs to be heard. A lot of times it’s about creating space, but there are a lot of different ways you can go about it. In the following Premium tutorial I’m going to walk you through a folky pop that has a lot of things going on. At the end you will see how you can use EQ, compression, routing, A.D.T. And a plethora of other processors to make everything in the mix play nicely together.

Listen to the difference he makes to the song:

Download audio file (Flatmix.mp3)
Before.
Download audio file (finalmix.mp3)
After.

Get the Full Tutorial!

Didn’t hear about Audio Premium? It’s an additional, in-depth tutorial, published each week just for our Premium subscribers (on top of all our regular free content!)

Tuts+ Premium gives you access to your very own library of courses, tutorials and eBooks, available whenever you need them. Join a community of over 15,000 members and start getting better at the skills you care about.

Join Today!

View the tutorial on the Tuts+ Premium site.
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Join Premium and Expand Your Audio Knowledge!

For those unfamiliar, the family of Tuts+ sites runs a premium membership service. For $9 per month, you gain access to exclusive premium tutorials, screencasts, and freebies from Nettuts+, Psdtuts+, Cgtuts+,Activetuts+, Phototuts+, Aetuts+, and Vectortuts+! For the price of a pizza, you’ll learn from some of the best minds in the business.

Become a Premium member and have full access to this tutorial today!

What Do You Want to See on Premium?

Is there a specific technical aspect of audio production that you really want to learn more about? How about a very advanced technique that you could never quite grasp fully?

We really want to make our Premium content as relevant and useful to you as possible, so do send through your comments and requests to audio@tutsplus.com. Let us know what you want to see, and we’ll commission top-notch audio experts to teach you!

Encyclopedia of Home Recording: Auxiliary Send

Mark Garrison — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:47:50 +0000

The auxiliary send is an important and versatile part of a mixing board. This post is a clear explanation and helpful overview of the topic from Mark Garrison’s book Encyclopedia of Home Recording.

“The Encyclopedia of Home Recording puts those answers at your fingertips quickly and easily by explaining the tools, techniques, and terminology of the home studio in an easy-to-understand manner.” This post is an extract from that book. If you enjoyed the post, you might like to consider purchasing the book.

An auxiliary send allows us to take a signal from a channel on the mixing board and send it out of the mixer to an external destination. The two most common uses for an auxiliary send are for external effects and for creating multiple mixes (such as monitor mixes for a live performance). The number of auxiliary sends per channel will vary from mixer to mixer.

While the auxiliary send and the insert are both methods of sending a signal to an external device, they do so in different ways. The insert takes the entire signal out of the channel strip, sends it to an external device, then returns the processed signal to the channel strip at the same point from which it was taken. Auxiliary sends, on the other hand, maintain the original signal path through the channel strip but also send a copy of that signal to the aux output. The signal from the auxiliary is then sent to the external device, and the processed signal is returned to the mixing board to be blended with the original signal.

An effect placed on an insert is called a serial effect because the path moves through the devices in a series: first part of channel strip, external device, then second part of channel strip. Routing in this manner is used for processors that require the entire signal to be processed, such as compressors and equalizers. An effect used via an auxiliary send is called a parallel effect because it creates two copies of the signal (one processed, one unprocessed) that take parallel paths through the mixing board (see Fig. 7 below). Parallel routing is used for effects where the original and processed signals are to be blended together, such as reverb or delay. Running effects through an auxiliary send has the added benefit that multiple channels can be routed to the same processor (for example, all channels can use the same reverb).

In the signal path, the auxiliary send usually comes after the insert point and before the equalizer. On the channel strip it will be controlled by a knob or fader usually marked “Aux” or “Aux Send” (see Fig. 6). The mixer will also have an output to match each aux send. Each auxilary send will be accessible on every
channel, meaning that more than one channel can be sent to the same auxiliary output. Turning up the aux send on a channel will increase the amount of signal from that channel that will be sent to the aux output. The auxiliary output can then be plugged into the input of an effect processor or amplifier (for a monitor mix).

In the case of using an auxiliary for effects, the “wet” signal (with effect) needs to be returned to the mixing board to mix with the “dry” signal (without effect). This is achieved by plugging the output of the effect processor in to the auxiliary return (see Fig. 7). The aux return will also have a volume control to dictate how much of the wet signal is blended back into the mix. So, the aux send knobs control how much of each channel goes into the effect, and the aux return knob controls how much of the wet signal is added back into the mix.

Pre- and Post-Fader Sends

One factor that makes the aux send more versatile, but also a little more confusing, is the ability to make a send “pre-fader” or “post-fader”. If a send is pre-fader, then the volume fader on the channel will have no effect on the output of the send. That is to say that even if the volume on the channel is all the way down, or the channel is muted, signal will still be sent out of the aux send. If the send is post-fader, then any changes to the channel’s volume will change the send’s volume.

It is important, if you are using a send to create a separate mix, to have your send pre-fader because otherwise any changes to the main mix would also change the aux mix. By using a pre-fader send, the output of the send is not affected by the main mix.

If a send is being used for an effect, it is generally best to use a post-fader send so that the send does not have to be adjusted every time the channel volume is changed. Having a send set as pre-fader when using effects can be a problem because turning a channel down will still leave the processed version of the signal in the mix at the same volume.

Workshop #226: Slavery by DLux

Adrian Try — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:56 +0000

This track has been submitted for your friendly, constructive criticism. What useful feedback can you give the artist? The floor is yours to talk about the track and how they can fix problems in and improve upon the mix and the song.

Download audio file (slavery_dlux.mp3)

Description of the track:

I tried to make a hip hop beat that was on the lines of a slavery aspect.

Have a listen to the track and offer your constructive criticism for this Workshop in the comments section.

Do you enjoy the song or track itself? Does it have potential?
Can the arrangement be improved?
How did you find the mix? What would you do differently?
What do you enjoy about the rhythm track? What can be done to improve it?
Is the choice of instruments relevant and effective for the style/song?
Are the lyrics (if any) effective? Does the style, arrangement and genre of the song suit them?
Can you suggest any specific techniques that might improve the track?
Do you have any other constructive feedback?

Need constructive criticism on your own tracks? Submit them for a workshop using this form (new link). Most but not all submissions are published. There may be a wait of up to two months.

How to Make Arpeggiated Lead Sounds in Logic

West Latta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:01 +0000

The use of arpeggiators in modern electronic music is as popular as ever. Hardware synthesizers such as the Access Virus, Nord Lead, Waldorf Q, and Novation Nova have long been popular in electronic music for their unique sound, extensive programming matrices and step-sequencing and arpeggiation functionality. While several third-party soft-synths have robust arpeggiation and step-sequencing functionality, none of the synthesizers in Logic Studio have this feature.

March of 2009

However, with a little dive into Logic’s environment and Piano Roll editors, you can make sophisticated, arpeggiated lead lines (hereafter: arp line) just like the pros.

Step 1

At the heart of any arp line is a great synth patch. Logic hosts a number of synths that would make excellent sources, but we’ll use the oft-overlooked, yet powerful ES1 synthesizer for its punchiness and simplicity.

Load one instance of the ES1 synthesizer in a new instrument track in Logic Pro. From the drop-down menu of presets, select 06 Sequence Elements – Saw Sequence. Set the octave to 8, select Wave 2 for the Sub-Osc waveform, and add a slight amount of Glide to the patch. Your final patch will look something like this:

ES1 Patch

Step 2

Now that we have a sound, we can hop into the dreaded Environment window. The Logic Environment is feared by many, but the truth is that once you have a basic understanding of it, you can accomplish some powerful things.

Open the Environment window by pressing Command + 8. In the upper left corner, click the down arrow to expand the drop-down menu of Environment layers. Select Clicks & Ports. You should see a set of connections similar to those in the image below.

Clicks and Ports

This window essentially shows the MIDI I/O of your keyboard controller or interface. You’ll notice that at the end of the chain is the ‘Sequencer Input’. This is the last item in the line where Logic receives and routes MIDI input to your tracks.

Step 3

While there are several ways of connecting an Arpeggiator Object, I’ve found this method to be quick, reliable, and relatively straightforward. It has the additional benefit of allowing you to record the arpeggiated MIDI signal, which helps if you wish to edit the notes later on.

From the ‘New’ menu, we’ll select Arpeggiator, and the result should be an Arpeggiator object in the window. Drag the cable output from your ‘Input Notes’ object to the input of the Arpeggiator object. Likewise, drag the cable output of the Arpeggiator to the input of the Sequencer Input object. The result will look something like this.

Arpeggiator object layout

Step 4

After completing the steps above, select the Arpeggiator object and note the panel to the left of the main Environment window, which displays the properties of the Arpeggiator object. Here is where we can begin to tune the way in which the object will affect our incoming MIDI signal.

Have some fun experimenting with the effects of each parameter. For this tutorial, I’m going to use the following settings:

Arpeggiator settings

Step 5

Now that we have our basic setup, we’ll begin recording a few arp lines! Select a tempo that’s appropriate for your tune – I’m going with 110bpm here.

By putting your transport into PLAY or RECORD mode, your incoming MIDI data will now be modulated by the Arpeggiator object. Experiment with this for awhile to get a feel for how it works, then record a few variations using simple chords and intervals. You’ll find that while using this Arpeggiator is an imperfect art (occasional missed notes and late changes), a few short moments in the piano editor to move a few things around will help clean things up to perfect sync.

Download audio file (1.mp3)

First arp line of ES1

Step 6

Now that we have a few variations of our arpeggios, let’s liven them up a bit using a couple of simple techniques. First, we’ll add in some variations to the arpeggios in the Piano Roll editor.

For the first arpeggio, I have a simple alternating octave of 16th notes. I’ll select all the notes in this section and use the Transform – Fixed Note Length function. This will shorten the duration of the notes and give them a bit more punch. I set mine to 120 ticks.

Next, I’ll add in a few third and fourth octave variations to some of the notes, resulting in something like this.

Octave variations

I’ll use a similar process on the second arpeggiated section, adding in some octave variations and adjusting the note duration.

For a closer look at creating cool ostinato effects, check out this tutorial by Ryan Leach.

Download audio file (2.mp3)

Adding more detail to the arpeggios

Step 7

Now that we’ve tuned our arp lines, we’ll add some simple effects to them using Logic’s delay plugins. For this particular style, I really like Logic’s Tape Delay, so we’ll insert one instance of the Tape Delay plugin into the insert track of the Arpeggio arrange track.

We don’t want the delay to overpower the punchiness of the arp line, so here are the parameters I’ve used for this plugin.

Tape Delay

Here’s the final result of our arpeggios using Logic’s ES1, Tape Delay, and the Arpeggiator Object from the Environment window.

Download audio file (3.mp3)

Final arp lines

And for good measure, here’s the whole lot, blended together with a nice dance beat. Enjoy!

Download audio file (4.mp3)

Final mix!

Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (33KB)

Contents

Logic Pro Source Files

Quick Tip: Have A Backup Plan

Hector Lee — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:33:03 +0000

There is one major fear when it comes to working with computers, a hard drive failure. Hard drives will fail and they always occur when we least expect it. And when the drive with all your session files crash, it is a disaster. I’m always told “If the file does not have two copies, it doesn’t exist.”

It does not take much to formulate a backup plan and it isn’t that difficult to keep to it. Especially if you have encountered a case of data loss before, you will certainly motivate yourself to stick to it.

What To Backup

There are primarily two data pools that you will need to backup, your project data and system drive. It is clear why you need to backup your project data, simply because it is your work and it is probably what gets you paid.

It is also important to backup your system drive so as to minimise the downtime should your system drive fails. Having a clone of your system drive allows you to quickly replace your failed system drive and get back to where you were again.

You can also backup your sample libraries but quite often you can recover those from your installers if you do not want to use more backup space. That would fall under personal preferences.

Getting Started

Using an automated backup system takes the pain out from remembering to backup your data. It runs on a scheduled time and knows what backup source and destination. There are many software solutions out there that allow you create such a backup system.

Depending on your choice of a PC or a Mac, the software and method that you would use will defer. Being a Mac user, I will be able to recommend some specific choices for the Mac but it will not be difficult to find a piece of software that does the same job for the PC.

My choice of software for the Mac is Carbon Copy Cloner. It allows me to schedule a backup task and choosing my source folder and destination folder. These are just basic functions that most backup software will have.

Choose a good time for the backup task to run. Obviously, the computer will need to be running at that point of time. If you chose to do an incremental backup, the task will not take long unless you constantly make huge file changes to your drive. I am only working on individual projects at a time so my backups usually take a minute or less.

You can also choose to run the backup manually when you wish to. This could be after a large amount of work and you’re playing it safe.

Choose a Backup Type

There are slight differences in the type of backup that you can choose from. The differences are how the program handles data that have changed.

Firstly, there is the clone option. The program just ensures that there is an exact clone of the backup source. Files that no longer exist on the source are deleted. This type of backup will help when you have a drive failure but does not help if you need to recover a file that you had deleted.

Secondly, there is the backup and archive method. Files that have been changed or deleted are moved to another folder and archived. This takes up more space on your backup drive but provides the possibility of recovering a file that you have deleted.

Backup Your System Drive

Besides backing up your data, it is also good to keep a backup of your system drive in case that it fails. Having a backup of your system drive minimises downtime by allowing you to replace the failed drive and clone your system to exactly the way it was before.

For Mac users, Time Machine which ships with OS X was designed to help recover from such a disaster. However, it still takes a few hours for your drive to be restored using a Time Machine backup. You can use a backup software like Carbon Copy Cloner to perform an exact clone of your system drive to reduce the time needed.

For Windows users, the backup methods mentioned above would work well too. However, a backup and archive method would require a lot of backup space since files changes are much more common on the system drive. A standard clone should suffice for most users.

Its Not That Complicated

Building a backup plan might sound complicated but it is rather easy if you take it a step at a time. Know what is most important to you and make sure you have an extra copy.

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How to Use Arpeggiators in Logic Pro 9′s Environment

35 Audio Tutorial Sites That Will Keep You Learning

General

1. Audiotuts+

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4. Bobby Owsinski’s “The Big Picture” Blog

5. Audio Issues

6. Sonic Academy

7. The Serious Sounds Network

8. Key of Grey

9. Home Studio Corner

10. Electronic Musician

11. Wire to the Ear

12. Audio Geek Zine

13. BPB (Bedroom Producers Blog)

14. Bedroom-Recording.com

15. Mixing Tips.org

16. Hiphop Makers

17. The Musician’s Guide

18. TweakHeadz Lab

19. WinkSound

20. The Recording Revolution

21. Record, Mix & Master

22. techMUZE!

23. Pensado’s Place

24. War Beats

25. Production Advice

Logic Pro

26. Logic-Courses.com

Propellerhead Reason

27. ReasonCourses.com

28. Reason4Tutorial.com

Ableton Live

29. Nick’s Tutorials

30. Music Software Training.com

31. Live-Courses.com

32. Tom Cosm

GarageBand

33. GarageBand & Beyond

REAPER

34. The REAPER Blog

NI Maschine

35. Maschine Tutorials.com

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Quick Tip: Reaper Rendering for High Quality Mixdown

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Open Mic: Which Country Do You Live in?

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Quick Tip: Have A Backup Plan

What To Backup

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Non-members see a generous preview.