From QUantized to Arpeggiated (Rolled) Chords

[Shooshie]

Yeah, I wish there was an "arp" tool that let you anchor one note and drag the rest, distributing them up, down, or randomly as you go. I wonder if there's some quick way one could use the arpeggiator, then grab the ends and control-drag them to the length you want. Of course, if the chord has even the slightest roll to it, you can increase that by Control-Dragging.

[Tim]

Of course, if the chord has even the slightest roll to it, you can increase that by Control-Dragging.

That's what I do, or use scale time (then maybe a little Humanize).
With the Arpeggiator I set all durations the same, and choose 64th notes with all buttons off, which places them around 30 ticks apart (iirc).
With the way I found, and I don't know why it works, all the selected cords need to have the same amount of notes in them, then set all durations at 30 x the amount of notes in a cord, eg. 4 notes -120 ticks, 6 notes - 180, 8 notes - 240, etc. I don't do the operation that often (it's been a while), but it seems to work most of the time, with perhaps an occasional note going awhack (or gone -watch for that!). I think also that it leaves all the cords a certain amount of ticks late (30 ?).

[grouse]

It's always interesting to see how other people work. I certainly learned a few things from that movie. Thanks, Shooshie.
Incidentally, I did have some issues viewing the clip. It crashed Safari after about 30 seconds several times and, when I downloaded it, Quicktime crashed too. I dragged it onto a Netscape page and it worked there.

[Shooshie]

It's always interesting to see how other people work. I certainly learned a few things from that movie. Thanks, Shooshie.
Incidentally, I did have some issues viewing the clip. It crashed Safari after about 30 seconds several times and, when I downloaded it, Quicktime crashed too. I dragged it onto a Netscape page and it worked there.

Umm... Netscape? What version of OSX, Safari and Quicktime are you using? It's never crashed mine, but we already know that doesn't mean much. If it crashes for anyone else, let me know.

Shoosh

[grouse]

Safari 3.2.1, QT 7.6 and OSX 10.4.11
Could be just me!

[tommymandel]

The very same combination works for me (Safari 3.2.1, OSX 10.4.11, QT 7.6 ( Although there were no responses to my slightly OT request in this thread for info on QT 7.6's heartiness, I found another thread here that said QT 7.6 was okay, so I went with it a few days ago.) Shooshie, with that voice, you could be in the Movies! oh you are. . .I just watched one best regards, and well wishes for your maturing progeny as well. My 1st one just finished college and 2nd one is set to start in September.

[grouse]

I'm not particularly au fait with these formats but I seem to recall having more issues with .mov files than any other. Is it an uncompressed format?

[monkey man]

MonkeyMan, where can I get one of those StompBoxes like the one in your Avatar? Do they sell them up here in the N.Hemisphere?

We ship to all corners of the globe, Tommy, but I must warn you - you'll need to operate it 180º out of phase, meaning that you'll likely opt to wear the included rear-vision specs whilst operating it.

Grouse, do you use VLC? I've found that it plays all sorts of formats that my OS struggles with quite nicely, and it's free.

[SixStringGeek]

I just wanted to thank Shooshie for this great little tutorial - I used it on that little piece I put up in the showcase forum to soften the first and third chords of the intro piano part and it was just the thing. I don't think I'd have thought of it on my own.

[Shooshie]

Was that the Imogen Heap song? Very nice sound, though I'm not much at judging remixes, since I don't know what you were working with to begin with. Hmm... that comes out wrong, but I hope you'll not take it wrong. Let me just reiterate that I thought it sounded very nice. I'm a happenstance fan of hers, meaning I don't collect her music, but when I come across it, I always listen, and if it's on YouTube, I listen to all of them!

As for the tutorial, the sad part of it is that it's even necessary. There should be a tool that allows for arpeggiation by dragging, choosing starting points (or multiple starting points which act as anchors) and ending point(s) then dragging the endpoint. All notes in between should just space themselves out equally and nicely. Then humanize, perhaps. The Arpeggiation Tool works for one chord, or for a few chords that have exactly the same number of notes, as Tim pointed out, but it's too limited. I use two or three different ways to do it, but I thought I'd show the "deluxe" way, using the note splitter, and all that. It works so fast and easy that it's really no extra trouble to use, but often I'll select the chords, then go up the line, deselecting the last row each time. It's just easier to do it with the note splitter, especially if you make a mistake. Once they're separated at all, the CONTROL-DRAG will do the rest.

Oh well... always happy to provide some clues.

Shoosh

[SixStringGeek]

Was that the Imogen Heap song? Very nice sound, though I'm not much at judging remixes, since I don't know what you were working with to begin with.

She just provided raw vocals - about ten tracks of them. I made some extra vocal parts from pieces using melodyne and did all the instrumentation.

[Shooshie]

The very same combination works for me (Safari 3.2.1, OSX 10.4.11, QT 7.6 ( Although there were no responses to my slightly OT request in this thread for info on QT 7.6's heartiness, I found another thread here that said QT 7.6 was okay, so I went with it a few days ago.) Shooshie, with that voice, you could be in the Movies! oh you are. . .I just watched one best regards, and well wishes for your maturing progeny as well. My 1st one just finished college and 2nd one is set to start in September.

Tommy, my older one finished last June, got a job in Colorado and left in August. I miss him, but that's the way things go. My daughter is in school in France, and hopefully will be back in New Haven this fall. I just loaned myself from my studio "cash drawer" over a thousand bucks to put in her account yesterday. She's killing me! I can't buy VI's and plugins! Just joking, of course. I don't mind as long as she's getting some good life experience out of it, and it's all for the best. The funny thing about being in France is that they're always going on strike. Plan a trip somewhere? The transportation workers go on strike that weekend. But the funny part is the professors. They struck until Spring Break; came back and went on spring break, then went on strike again. She fortunately got transferred to another department or something; I'm not clear on all that. Worried, she asked Yale what would happen if this continued. They wrote back something to the effect of "don't worry. This is par for the course in France. Just bring us grades to show that you took the courses, and we'll give you credit for your semester abroad." It's funny because years ago when I was in France, the same things were happening. This week the subway. Next week the air traffic controllers. Then the busses and trains. Then the sanitation workers. Man, why don't they just give 'em regular holidays? Oh... they do. If we worked like that here in the states, we'd get fired, fast. Well, I guess I work for myself. But I'd fire me if I ever missed a gig because I went on strike.

Good luck with yours. Is your 1st one still at home? I have an open door policy. Any time they need a place, they can come back here; just don't wreck our cars or get arrested for anything. Or they can go to the ranch and live, but there's no work out there except cattle and hay. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Well, I guess I've gone off-topic enough. But this thread has served its usefulness. I guess it doesn't matter.

Shoosh

[Shooshie]

Was that the Imogen Heap song? Very nice sound, though I'm not much at judging remixes, since I don't know what you were working with to begin with.

She just provided raw vocals - about ten tracks of them. I made some extra vocal parts from pieces using melodyne and did all the instrumentation.

Well, that was VERY good! I liked the drums a lot. Liked the sizzle of the cymbals. Good stuff!

Shoosh

[SixStringGeek]

Well, that was VERY good! I liked the drums a lot. Liked the sizzle of the cymbals. Good stuff!

Thanks! That means a lot coming from you. My first completed DP song (of many I hope). I agonize over drums because they're kind of the only thing I don't actually know how to play so I always think they're probably the weakest part of everything I do so having people notice them in a positive way is really gratifying.

I'm with you on Imogen Heap - she seems to have figured out the whole self promotion thing with the youtube channel, video blog, twitter presence, and whole host of social networking sites all echoing her content. She's a one woman industry. Lots to learn watching her.