by Robert Finley
| On this page I will describe an alternative to step recording which is very simple and works well. It is invaluable for making orchestral introductions to concertos and tuttis where the orchestra is playing on it's own. |
| In this method, I calculate the note timing and duration rather than applying each note one at a time as in step recording. I developed this method while sequencing the 1st movement of Chopin's 2nd piano concerto and needed a quick method of generating the orchestral introduction. I found that playing the melody in real time and then adding the other orchestral lines resulted in rhythmical and tempo errors, but this method provides the strict tempo and rhythm that is required. I used Cakewalk 3.0 but other sequencing programs should work as well. |
| Each midi note is specified by three groups of numbers: the measure number, beat number and tick number which is the finer division of each beat into small time intervals. For example this could be 120, 384 etc. |
| The time a note is played is shown in the midi events list, eg 12:2:100 means that this note is in measure 12, it is the second beat of the bar, and occurs at tick value 100. |
| I set the sequencing program to operate at a nominal speed of 100. It is important to have this middle value of tempo because I can easily speed the music up to 240 or as slow it down as much as I want. It is not necessary to insert any time signature for this method. The notes in each measure may not necessarily match up with the bar lines in the correct places, but this does not matter. What is important is for the notes to sound at the correct times. |
| Having done that, I then decide the spacing of the beats in the bar and the speed by entering a number of notes of short duration, say middle C5, duration 50 ticks, equally spaced. For example I may put the first beat at 1:1:00, the second at 1:2:00, the third at 1:3:00 and so on. I listen to these note to determine if the tempo is right. I make sure that the duration between them is an easy number for the mathematics. For example, if the resolution is 120 ticks per beat it is easy to divide 120 by two to give half notes, divide by 4 for quarter notes etc. (If I find that the tempo is too slow, I may try a spacing of say 100 ticks per beat, and then the notes would occur at 1:1:00, 1:1:100, 1:2:80, 1:3:60 etc, assuming 120 ticks equal one beat). If I chose a resolution of 384 ticks per beat the mathematics would be different but the principle would be the same. |
| Having decided on the spacing of the beats for the correct tempo, I then work on the melodic line. I calculate the duration of the notes based on 120 ticks per beat. For half notes, I just divide by two, so a bar full of them would occur at 1:1:00, 1:1:60; 1:2:00 etc. For shorter or longer notes I use the same procedure. |
| For dotted rhythms, eg a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver, the dotted quaver will sound on the beat and the semiquaver will sound 90 ticks later. I figure this out by dividing the 120 ticks by 4 = 30, and the dotted quaver is 90 ticks long and the semiquaver therefore occurs 90 ticks afterwards. It is easy to calculate the time any note is played by this method. Triplets would be figured out by dividing the total number of ticks, ie 120 by 3, ie 40, so that the 1st note occurs on the main beat, the second is 40 ticks after this and the third one another 40 ticks later. A triplet in midi time starting on measure 12, beat 1 would have notes sounding at 12:1:00, 12:1:40 and 12:1:80. |
| I use this method to work out the times that all notes are played. Having determined the times that they sound, I then calculate their durations. If the triplet mentioned before is played legato, the note durations would be just over 40 ticks each, ie 45 or 50 so they slightly overlap. The exception is for the same note played repeatedly. It is important to include a short time space in between the note otherwise the note will not sound the second time. |
| The next stage is to adjust the velocity values so that the melodic line has some shape to it, and to arrange the phrasing. Phrasing can be achieved by making small pauses in between legato groups of notes. I also insert midi expression controller 11 values to shape dynamics of the line. |
| After I have arranged the melodic line I cut, copy or paste the line into the respective lines of orchestral instruments. I change the channel numbers, alter pitch (sometimes transposing entire lines up or down). While I am doing this I listen carefully to each line to make sure it sounds as I intended. I also listen to it played with other lines to ensure the harmony and balance are correct. |
| (to be continued) |
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Created: August 27, 1998 - Last Update: January 25, 2003 This site is owned, designed and produced by Les Gorven dba Business Technologies & MIDI-Studio Publishing |