Drum and bass patterns

Programming drum and bass patterns may seem daunting especially to new programmers and producers. I spent some time researching this and so hear are some of my thoughts and links. Hope they are useful

Computer music man has a couple of useful tips (20 in all)

Simon V has examples fop patterns for programming drums, as well as starter patterns to down load and embellish. There is also a reason file there for your tryout! There are some good patterns there. and the midi is probably worth getting. Alternatively programming patterns into a Redrum instrument, could be the first step in building  a more sophisticated drum and bass combinator, allowing you to set up filter controls and additional effects to twist those loops.

I will add more links as I get the time, and some files to download. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cha!

Random composition part II

Apart from the randomize patterns in redrum the same applies to the matrix processor.

After creating an instrument add a matrix processor (this should be automatically connected) and then using the right click menu select randomise pattern. (see screenshot) If you hit play this will play a usually fairly random pattern across the octave range of the matrix processor.

If you are using matrix to control parameter on other instruments, the randomized pattern can create some amazing gate effects as well as randomised patterns for other instrument parameters.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment - keep what you like and dial up a blank pattern to start over and create more (the dialler is highlighted in red above)

Running Reason on a tablet?

I wondered whether reason would run on a high spec windows 7 tablet. My mate Grant who runs A plus pc repair had a go at installing it on one of his high spec tablets. Processor wise it might just about have done the trick but memory was too low and there were a number of problems getting the audio to work. Windows 7 tablets are just not built for producing the kind audio needed for Reason to work. However as you can see from the window the software is running in the tablet, and is controlled with a USB mouse The only thing not happening is the audio, mostly due to resource limitations on the tablet I should guess.

Here is the video:

Thanks Grant!

Running it on a tablet would be amazing especially for use in live situations. Some of my performance combinators would be 100% crying out for a tablet. Please Propellerhead create full reason installations for tablets.

By the way you can now get the Propellerhead Figure app on an Ipad and iphone. Figure is a very well put together music app by the Propellerheads. Great for jotting down an idea and recording it straight into reason as well.

http://www.propellerheads.se/products/figure/

plus an article in the guardian here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2012/apr/05/figure-app-propellerheads-iphone

If any of you out there managed to get Reason to run on a tablet, let me know!

PS: Grant's company is aplus pc repair http://aplus-pcrepair.co.uk

Random composition part I

Random composition is a great way to generate ideas for tracks. Several instruments and tools have randomisation capabilities already in the instrument, but randomisation can be done on midi tracks using the reason tools, which I will blog about.

Was just playing with a Re-drum instrument. Here is what I did:

1. Create a redrum instrument
2. Initialise the drum instrument by right clicking on the redrum in the rack and selecting initialise patch (see below), This clears all patch information.
3. I then add percussion instruments to three or four of the slots (not too many as it will get too busy) 
4. Using the Randomise Drum option from the redrums' right click menu I create drum lines for each percussion sound at random. You can also randomise the entire pattern, but that can be unpredictable at times, and give you less control. Use the Shift drums left and right and alter to adjust the patterns. Alter just changes a couple of notes, rather than the whole pattern.
5. Once I am happy with a pattern I create as many patterns as I like in each of the re-drums storage slots.This will make it easy later to change patterns in a pattern track.

Add a bit of the mixers plate Reverb to the Redrum track and you get something that sounds quite authentic, perhaps even more so if you use groove template. Most of all play and have fun. Don't forget to save!

Here is a track I made using the above method: I also changed the pattern length to 9 notes rather than default 16:

9pattern

Next time I will talk about the Matrix processor (without Keanu).

My journey into Reason 6

Several years ago I got a version of Reason Adapted 2.5 which was bundled with a USB sound module. I tried it and upgraded to reason 3 in a short space after, but house moves and time resulted in me sticking with FL studio and Cubase. I only recently rediscovered reason, after I received an email telling me about Propellerhead Record. Learning a new DAW especially one with the crisp instrumentation offered by Reason seemed like a no brainer. So I ended up buying the reason record bundle as an upgrade to my reason 3 (or was it 4?). I have never looked back! Amazingly 2 or 3 months after buying record and getting into mixing audio plus Reason instruments Reason 6 came out and this had a special offer to Reason 5 and Record users. J.  If you have only reason 5 or earlier, I would say upgrade to Reason 6. If you have Record upgrade to reason 6. 

Why? Simple:

•  Reason 6 is one platform rather than two (if you have the reason and record solution) and you get Reason instruments + Audio in one package.
• There are plenty of fixes and new instruments, features.
• Waiting for Reason 6.5 (which is a free upgrade for Reason 6 users) you get rack extensions (which is a new feature allowing third party developers to develop instruments for the reason platform – Yeh!)

If you have never used Reason should you buy it, or spend your dosh on another DAW (Digital audio workstation)?

To some extent it is a matter of choice. To be quite honest many producers song writers use more than one depending on what they are trying to do.

Here is what I think: Reason is an excellent all round solution in my humble opinion. I have recorded everything from dance music to classic and film score music, plus you can use reason as a rewire slave if you have another DAW, so you can play instruments/audio in Reason at the same time and synced with Ableton, Cubase, FL studio and any other DAW that supports rewire. What really appeals is that reason feels more like a real set of studio rack (Figure 1 and 2)

Close up of the default effects section of a new reason song 

 The back of the rack, where you can recable instruments

Plus there is an amazing emulation of an SSL 9000 K mixer the size of which only major studios (including the famous Abbey Road) would own. (See this entry in Wikipedia for more info on SSL mixer technology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_State_Logic ) Well with Reason 6 you can ‘own’ one of these babies on your Audio PC.

SSL 9000K Mixer emulation

As a result of this faithful emulation of pro gear, reason is a much better platform than other DAWs for learning sound design and engineering. I didn’t study music but music technology. It all started as a hobby and now I am doing this at a level that certainly borders on what I have seen engineers do in commercial studios. So as a result I have the benefit of a career in education as well as the benefit of some very enjoyable alternative career as a song writer and producer. I will post up some of my compositions sooner or later, so watch this spot. The point is if you want to learn about music technology and sound then Reason is your solution. Out of the box the results you can achieve in Reason sound a million dollars, which can’t be bad!

Having mastered about 5 DAWS I am fairly well qualified to comment on them and teach others to get into the wonderful world of professional home recording. I made my journey into Reason with the help of others and this blog is about putting something back. I intend to stick up some of my reason files, patches and tutorials on how to use reason for different jobs. Also I am going to put up some stuff on songwriting, including Lyrics and composition over time.

Hope you find this blog useful. Any requests for info let me know.

Peace and Harmony, my brothers and sisters!

Vox