Strictly Sample Based Chopper goes Komplete 8 Ultimate

[DJPAS]

Hy Chopperinos

As strictly sample based producer I didnt thought that Ill spend some money on instrument software but as NI have done a crossgrade price drop I couldnt resist.
So Im startin to collaborate my sampling skills with instrumentation soon.
Its less of a question than searchin for tips how YOU do it as a non sample producer
How you get your chords together?

I remember times that i tried to play the keys
(I had 4 yrs Key education as a child) for producin but most of the time its sounded for me like a childish gibberish toy melody, you digg?
How you get your shit together on a pro melody (Keys, Strings, Horns...)?

Thanx for tips n tricks how you get your non sample music groovin

Peace from VIe

P.S.: And for you non sample based producers who want to start sampling, look my beatmaking process thread
http://www.beattips2.com/vb3/showthr...s-in-my-Studio

[Castro Beats]

Hy Chopperinos

As strictly sample based producer I didnt thought that Ill spend some money on instrument software but as NI have done a crossgrade price drop I couldnt resist.
So Im startin to collaborate my sampling skills with instrumentation soon.
Its less of a question than searchin for tips how YOU do it as a non sample producer
How you get your chords together?

I remember times that i tried to play the keys
(I had 4 yrs Key education as a child) for producin but most of the time its sounded for me like a childish gibberish toy melody, you digg?
How you get your shit together on a pro melody (Keys, Strings, Horns...)?

Thanx for tips n tricks how you get your non sample music groovin

Peace from VIe

P.S.: And for you non sample based producers who want to start sampling, look my beatmaking process thread
http://www.beattips2.com/vb3/showthr...s-in-my-Studio

What Up Pas,

Right out the gate I can truly appreciate what you're doing, furthering your means for which music can be created. What NI products are you looking into?

If I'm not mistaken, I believe what you're asking is how to arrange instrumentation as well as playing chords. As far as arrangement goes, that's entirely up to you. (It should be noted however that this is by far one of the most difficult things to do in music. It's one thing to play an instrument, it's another thing to know where and when it fits into compositions.) Strictly speaking, listening to artists like Queen, who were able to make a song into this rock opera style, is really impressive. The arrangements of songs like Bohemian Rhapsody are a testament to true musicianship. Listen to artists who do more than loop phrases, even a song like Ronnie Spector's Be My Baby is a good example of a perfect arrangement. Knowing where and when to make transitions is just as important as knowing how to create the actual sounds.

With Chords, it's a little less ambiguous than arrangements. http://www.8notes.com/piano_chord_chart/ That's a website for learning chords, use it. Most people who start playing stuff out on keyboards are generally limited by not being ambidextrous, which is natural, as it takes time to build up muscle in your "weak" hand. There are finger exercises to do in order to increase elasticity as well as speed across keys. Practicing with a metronome is advisable as well in order to learn how to stay with the time signature.

Here's a trick I learned regarding chords: Take a scale from any note, pick out a couple of notes from that scale and play it in a chord like fashion below C 0 (or down 1 octave). Then take some of the remaining notes from the scale you haven't triggered in the lower octave, and play them one or two octaves above. This is a kind of "cluster" chord or scale chord that tends to have real full and pleasing tone.

Piano notes are measured in halves, so a white key to a white key is full step. In other words, if you go from C to D, that's a full step, but if you go from C to C#, that's a half step. So in order to figure out the Major Scale for any given note, here is the formula: 1 w(hole) 2 w 3 h(alf) 4 w 5 w 6 w 7 h. This means if you start on C, the next note in the scale is D, then D#, then F and so on. For a minor scale, the formula is: 1 w 2 h 3 w 4 w h 6 w 7 w. The 8th note will always be the note you started on in the octave beneath it.

There are also some VSTi's, as well as hardware, that have a "Chorder" option, like the Fantom X. You can create and program your own chords and then trigger them by touching just one key. The only problem is that most chorders only allow a single chord at a time, (not just that you can only press key at a time, monophonic, which is true in most cases), but you can't put two or more different chords across the keys at once. It acts as more of a "hit" than actual piano playing.

[DJPAS]

Hy Castro

Thanx for the love bro, I really appreciate your understanding what Iv doing with my really strictly sample based music...

I have got my Komplete 8 Ultimate today delivered to may day job
My basic understanding of music theory (quarter-half steps... C C# and so on..)
is a lil rusty but still there

My question was mo like how is your process of finding chords?
Howd you Do the arrangement with the chords and so on?
My last experiences with me playin melodies (except MPC-Style) back in the days was mo soundin like childish toy box melos, you feel me?

Maybe you and everybody else can give me a lil insight in your process of building melodies/chords on synth software based form, like I did the thread with me talkin bout my sample based approach

Btw thanx fr that chord learning link, will check it out after day job

Peace from VIE

PAS

[Castro Beats]

Hy Castro

Thanx for the love bro, I really appreciate your understanding what Iv doing with my really strictly sample based music...

I have got my Komplete 8 Ultimate today delivered to may day job
My basic understanding of music theory (quarter-half steps... C C# and so on..)
is a lil rusty but still there

My question was mo like how is your process of finding chords?
Howd you Do the arrangement with the chords and so on?
My last experiences with me playin melodies (except MPC-Style) back in the days was mo soundin like childish toy box melos, you feel me?

Maybe you and everybody else can give me a lil insight in your process of building melodies/chords on synth software based form, like I did the thread with me talkin bout my sample based approach

Btw thanx fr that chord learning link, will check it out after day job

Peace from VIE

PAS

I hear good things about Komplete 8, let me know your thoughts on it after you've had some time to explore it.

I must admit, I'm still somewhat confused by what you mean as far as "process of finding chords". I can't say that I've personally gone into a beat with the mentality of let me start in the key of C or play a diminished chord etc etc, I just go with what feels right. Sometimes I create my own chords, a combination of keys that just sounds pleasing to my ear that I run with, might not even be a "real" (major, minor etc) chord sometimes. I will say however that once I've found that initial chord, depending on its complexity, finding the next appropriate chord in the progression can be tricky, sometimes I even have to play it out key by key. It's in doing this though that you start to understand how one chord moves to the next, and it becomes simpler to do with other chords.

Again, arrangement is entirely up to you. There is no "right" way, there may be some templates for certain genres, like hip-hop having an 8 bar hook and a 16 bar verse with a 4 bar breakdown or bridge occasionally. Arrangement should compliment the sounds/instruments that comprise it and vice-versa. Sometimes you might have a dope patch, something totally unique or just dope for whatever reason, but rather than obliterating the track with the same noise in a repetitive fashion, maybe you just throw in a pinch here and there. Think of arrangement like cooking, you don't have to over-do it on the spices in order to get flavor, they just have to be balanced.

If you are not a trained pianist, then you should not expect yourself to perform as such. You know how to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! It might sound "childish" to you right now, but that could be more than just your ability to play. Sometimes, even the simplest melodies/notation, are brought to life by how they sound and not how they are played. (Interestingly enough, the counter argument, that it's how you play it, is just as important, so it's quite the paradox) Consider adding reverb, adjusting the Cutoff or Resonance, ADSR etc etc.

What might be most beneficial to you at this juncture would be to learn more about sound design. The more you know about wave shapes and what goes into creating a "voice", the deeper you will be able to edit and modify sounds according to your specifications. I would recommend the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, technical read, but worth it. There's also the tried and true method of just messing around as well, even though if you wind up making something dope, you might want to know how you did what you did (of course you could always work backwards but hey).

[DJPAS]

Hy Castro

thanx for the reply bro
Well I just tried to get mo info about how everybody find there melodies/chords
cause as strict sample based beatmaker its a lil ruff to start with synth melos and all that, you digg?
Sampling, even if for many difficult, is for me much easier cause I got used to hear what i need on records and chop/arrange them (adsr, eq, and so on...)
but now that I will dip in the komplete 8 universe I get a lil nervous to play my own melodies (since a got my childish-melody-trauma)
Well after the weekend Ill tell you whats up with komplete (still in offer on NI´s page) and how I proceed
Maybe I should start out with sample choppin and then accompany melodies out of komplete.., we will see
Thanx again

P.S.: And if I can help on some some, just holla

Peace from VIE

[Kregan]

Yo I only read the first post, however...

I experimented with synths and such a couple years ago after I had been sampling for a year or so. When I did, I didn't even really stress about melodies, I made a handful of beats that were right there in quality with my sample based beats very quickly.

However I wasn't using traditional sounds like pianos, I was using more atmospheric sounds, tweaking the patches, then laying other random sounds over the top and that sort of thing.

If you want to learn how to play melodies and such that's cool, more power to you, but don't think it's required or even necessary especially since we are talking about hip hop music.

There's so much flexibility and customization with a good synthesizer that being able to play a melody won't even come up, unless of course that's what your aiming for which is also cool

[Castro Beats]

If you want to learn how to play melodies and such that's cool, more power to you, but don't think it's required or even necessary especially since we are talking about hip hop music.

What's Up Kregan, I was hoping you could elaborate further about the end of that statement, the "especially since we are talking about hip hop music" part.

[Kregan]

What's Up Kregan, I was hoping you could elaborate further about the end of that statement, the "especially since we are talking about hip hop music" part.

Hey Cas

I was referring to how in hip hop music rhythm is the main priority, and melody and harmony play a secondary role to the rhythm.

I learnt this from the beattips manual and have made it a focus in my own practice.

Out of curiosity what is your compositional style? I would guess your either sample based or you take the hybrid approach.

[Castro Beats]

Hey Cas

I was referring to how in hip hop music rhythm is the main priority, and melody and harmony play a secondary role to the rhythm.

I learnt this from the beattips manual and have made it a focus in my own practice.

Out of curiosity what is your compositional style? I would guess your either sample based or you take the hybrid approach.

A part of me agrees with that initial statement about rhythm but it seems somewhat quixotic or somewhat of a paradox. I don't wish to derail this thread by going into it, but I'm not sure if it's as simple as rhythm>melody>harmony.

I try to cover all sides of the spectrum when it comes to my style, a little bit of sampling a little bit of keyboards etc etc. For the most part I do not sample anymore, unless it's just one of those "have-to-flip" scenarios. It's been more rewarding creating my own material by far. As of late my interest is in playing the actual instruments, because the one thing that synth's don't replicate is the "air" and "warmth" from certain recording processes. Aiming to be a one man band, so one day someone will want to sample my material.

[DJPAS]

A part of me agrees with that initial statement about rhythm but it seems somewhat quixotic or somewhat of a paradox. I don't wish to derail this thread by going into it, but I'm not sure if it's as simple as rhythm>melody>harmony.

I try to cover all sides of the spectrum when it comes to my style, a little bit of sampling a little bit of keyboards etc etc. For the most part I do not sample anymore, unless it's just one of those "have-to-flip" scenarios. It's been more rewarding creating my own material by far. As of late my interest is in playing the actual instruments, because the one thing that synth's don't replicate is the "air" and "warmth" from certain recording processes. Aiming to be a one man band, so one day someone will want to sample my material.

Hy Choppers

So after 3 months with Komplete 8 ultimate I can say that Im happy with it.
Never the less my piano-playing-melodies style didnt improved yet
but honestly I wasnt really practising much on it... :-/
Well I ordered yesterday the-idiots-guide-on-music-theory, maybe that will help me out a bit..
Question for you guys:
Any tips on a book on Rap-based Piano melodies and chords (like structure of the modern songs ...)???

Thx for helpin a fellow chopper out

Peace from VIE