MUSIC Creation

[147 crew]

YOI! Thanks for more sample ideas, as I put earlier on I have all the samples used for my tracks in my video descriptions, using lots of new ones..FUN!!

POWER sample is in Guitar-Distorted notes..Very deep!

Writing a newer version of Sting of Tellus, it has 11 melody samples including BASS, but think I will try to incorporate some of these new ideas..still need to find that killer string

[147 crew]

Still searching for really good strings, 1 thing I can't seem to crack 

More fave samples :

Beat - Philter,Huge,Mean stuff,click
Snare - pitzz,tight shorts,jazz,jazz dry,909 snare 2
percussion- super tight,shaking,tams
bass - fazer,sizzler,tellus,warm note/synth,triangle,thudder,synth fm,soft three
Melody - sizzpad,reverberance,techno synth,tinker bell,borge square. Anything with sizzle or sizz... 

MUSIC2000 samples these are, any more..stick 'em up

[Not a Number]

Strings usually work best when they're played as a chord, usually 3 or 4 played at once. Look at the string riffs in HARD (Music 2000)
I always use the "C5" string when needed.

[147 crew]

excellent will check that out later, cheers bud

[DJ_Omnimaga]

true they sounds weird when played alone. Even when I use syn brass, synth pad and alternate as strings I try to combine them so it sounds better

[147 crew]

listening to HARD, gonna use some of those samples..syn string c3 sounds cool also I think the beat n snare would work well in me tunes.cheers for the heads up

[147 crew]

The beat n snare sound great, but still the strings sound a little dodgy. I think a NEW topic needs to be started on string construction, checked out HARD,(one of the loaded tunes on the MUSIC2000 disc.) the strings on there sound good but the way they r made I don't understand where to put the dual notes. It has one continual note then some others around it, I have noticed this on other tunes but I just don't get it 
2 chords played on different scales that sound good together, dual effect is great. STUCK!

[DJ_Omnimaga]

Yeah, it would be a nice idea. I can do some good stuff with strings sometimes, but I wish I was as good as Pillagemyvillage for that x.x

[147 crew]

i find for the best trancey uplifting breakdowns...


sweep reversed which is great for a more synthy sound

stupid question, what d'ya mean reversed? Part from the obvious

[DJ_Omnimaga]

i think he means through sample editor. You edit the sample so it's backwards. However it won't be very reliable in Music 2000 because by doing so you will most likely fill up the entire memory only with that sample and the song will not even fit on a memory card, even if it's empty

[pillagemyvillage]

ok strings...
i always always use a string sequence in my tunes because of my trance roots....
here are my fav strings and how i constuct them...

first and formost i always set reverb to space 40+ but maybe no higher than 60/70. this will give string breakdowns/intros a more dreamy sound (essential in trance).
i sometimes have a track with space reverb set at around 30/40 so any reverb on percussion and bass will not be too overpowering... then when i get to the breakdown when the strings/melody come in i increase the reverb gradually from 30/40 to 60/70 over 8 bars.
then before the tune kicks back in i gradually decrease the reverb from 60/70 back to 30/40 over 8 bars.
in order to not notice to much of a change in sound a drumroll/snare roll with cymbals and percussion helps...
i use this technique in breaks (when melody/strings come in) and breakdowns...
using reverb like this gives the breaks and breakdowns alot more emotion and a more dream like sound.

syn string 4
always my fav... i load at 44.
i place the notes on or around the middle c (depending on what key your track is in, mine are usually c).
i then copy and paste those notes an octave below. i now have 2 sets of the same notes, 1 set on middle c and the other in c below.
i then usually change the note pan envelope. i put top set of notes through the left speaker at 50% and the bottom set through the right speaker at 50% to gain a balance.
most importantly i change all the of the notes, note volume envelope.
i increase the x axis to 1 or 2 seconds. this is because if a note plays at its default value of 1/4 second the string cuts of too soon when changing to the next note.
if you have a string note placed in c, then the next note placed in b the change from c to b is to short and cuts of too soon.
if you increase the note volume envelope to 1 second the c note plays on for 1 second when the note has finished.
so if you play strings c to b with a increased x axis of 1 second the c note fades into the b note giving a much better more natural sound.
ok so you have 2 sets of the same notes 1 on middle c and then the other on the c below.
you have changed the note pan envelope of each set (left and right).
you have increased the x axis of the note volume envelope to 1/2 seconds.
now the strings should have alot more depth.
finally if required i change the offset of each note to the fuller part of the string. doing this means you hear the string from the start of each note rather than fading in which is what happens with syn string (just check the offset!) particually when played on a lower key.
to combat the sharpness of each note you can chance the note volume envelope to slightly fade in (only slightly otherwise it would be pointless changing the offset). like long release but with a slight fade at the start.
my god i hope all of that made sense!?
so basically with all of this above i, for example, have string notes c, a, f. i copy and paste these 3 notes an octave below... 6 notes in all... should sound fuller and more emotional...

for string bass you can use syn string c4 played very low or my fav static synth...
this note played low is awesome...
if you apply all of the above it sounds awesome.
i usually have 2 notes for this. for example 1 in c played really low and then 1 an octave above played slightly higher.
this way the string is not too low and has a better balance along with a more powerful sound.

sweep reversed has a more synthy sound which is great for string layers.
you reverse in the sample editior and then change the offset until you get the required starting sound.
then apply all of the above.
to maintain a consistant synthy sound you may want to have the note play over 2 notes and then copy and past over the next 2 notes to make 1 bar. so you have 2 notes one after the other to make up 1 bar.
this way you dont have the note evolve over its entire sound and lose its synthiness.
so youre repeating the start of the note over and over to maintain its sound.
so for all strings i pretty much use the techniques as described above...

other compliments to strings are...
twilight
sci fi
choral
alternate
sizzlelead

maybe soon i will post a tutorial, if i can work out how to do it with sound... 

[147 crew]

 

just saw the size of the post 

making a tune later probly, will have this as my guide 

EDIT- cheers DJ Omnimaga, is that where you load a sample and then press R1 or edit sample (o) and it goes to the cut/trim etc screen

[DJ_Omnimaga]

wow awesome tutorial, It might be helpful since I started messing around with MTVMG2 again (and alerady did a song in 7 hours). Thanks a lot for posting this

EDIT: @147 Crew: Yeah that's what I mean. With inverting samples it works well actually. With the high pass and low pass filters it didn't worked too well if I remember though, but it could have been because of my emulator or limited sound RAM

[DJ_Omnimaga]

I like Alternate played at octave 2 (or 3 if loaded at 44 KHz) with space reverb at at least 40, it creates a rather hard bass string

[Not a Number]

I never use the reverb settings at the Song Creator screen; the sound quality never seems to change for me, no matter what I change the values to.

[DJ_Omnimaga]

well if you are using the PC Music 2000 reverb is shit on it. Sound is mono, like in Music 3000 on the PS2. Even the upgraded version I got with purple screen still produce mono reverb effect. I guess back then sound cards didn't handled complex sounds effects well. In the Playstation version of Music 2000 sound quality is much better (except if you use a small Playstation 2 model, on which, for some reasons notes get missed during playback if there's too many playing at once and reverb doesn,t works at all until you play song, go back to riff editor, play, exit and repeat process until it works fine for good), and in MTVMG2 it's about the same, altough maybe slightly better.

[147 crew]

Creating a tune Trance V Dnb and tryin' to make a cool string part. i.e Pillage 'Sunset Chasers' & 'Another Chance' Reading the guide but what the hell is middle c 

I'm looking at loads of squares with numbers, no letters 

I sort of understand but not at the same time, would really sound good in me tune 'cos right now it stinks.

using syn string c4, twilight & scifi. Might upload what I have then maybe someone can remix for me 

[JCW]

Drums

Hardcore 3
Nineteen
Kickdrum 4
Techno
Bodybaggertk

Snare

909 Snare 1
Edgehitter2

Hi-Hat

Bright
1980 Closed
Good Snick
Dribble
Pbend Close

Toms

Deluded Tom

Bass

Pulse Width
Otonebas1 e
Acrostring
Warmchord 2

Melody

Acid Two
Chordals
Ambikorder1
Breath Bell
Breath Pulse
Fullmonty
Majestic

Vocals

Ooooh 011
Ahhhh 001

I'll add more another time

[147 crew]

Nice1! don't recognize some of those, which programme you on again 

String attempt is complete, upload once I listen proper. 3 styles, added some breakbeat at the end. HUGE sub 

Make sure it doesn't distort violently first

More MELODY/BASS samples-

bowow
dancer- string part
low string
twilight- string part
scifi- string part
sizzlead
low sweep
syn string c4- string part
sub square
sawtooth

Really hard dnb into soft melodic trance,(hopefully.) finishing with breakbeat. Fun. 

Tried to follow the tutorial best I could. 

[JCW]

Music 3000, occasionally 2000/Generator 1