Cubase - Stacked Recording Mode

Cubase 4 Audio Cycle Mode Recording - taken from HowAudio.com’s Cubase 4 tutorial, it demonstrates the power of Stacked Mode 2 Recording. This feature allows for recording on multiple tracks while playback can be taken from segments of each individual tracks.

Get more Cubase tricks and tips with the Fast Guide to Cubase (from Amazon).

June 30, 2008 | Filed Under Cubase, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Reason RPG-8

RPG-8 is the new arpegiator in Reason 4. This great tutorial shows you some of what it can do.

Reason version 4 ships with RPG-8, a brand new unit dedicated to the art of arpeggiation. Some arpeggiators are quite content with simply transforming chords into wandering rhythmic melody lines. The RPG-8 monophonic arpeggiator is not. With a wide range of on-panel controls and mode selectors, a pattern section for muting selected notes in an arpeggio and a large display showing values and positions, this device gives you full creative control over your arpeggios. Although very hands-on and user friendly, the RPG-8 boasts some very advanced features under the surface. Features that will change how you play Reason’s instruments.

The ‘Single Note Repeat’ function engages the arpeggiator only when two or more simultaneous notes are held down - letting you add sudden bursts of arpeggio to your melody lines. The ‘Manual’ mode will arpeggiate notes strictly in the order they were input, for realtime arpeggio control. The RPG-8 monophonic arpeggiator is a creative workhorse that can - and should - be used with all of Reason’s sound sources; try arpeggiating your breakbeats, your orchestra samples, or your ReCycled vocals.

Looking for more Reason tips and tricks? Click here to buy Reason Power 4 from Amazon.

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Reason, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Ableton Session Drums Tutorial

Session Drums from Ableton is a meticulously multisampled library of acoustic drums that reproduces the nuances of a recording session and puts you in the engineer’s seat. Session Drums gives you full control of the close mics for each drum as well as the overheads and room mics, so you can craft the perfect drum mix for your songs. Session Drums also includes stereo kits appropriate for various musical styles and a variety of MIDI grooves to speed up the production process.

Created in collaboration with ChocolateAudio, makers of the acclaimed Imperial Drums, Session Drums delivers great natural-sounding acoustic drums to Ableton Live users. Session Drums covers a wide range of styles and offers deep customization capabilities, all from within Live’s familiar workflow.

Session Drums puts you in complete control of the drum mix. Each instrument within Session Drums has been painstakingly multisampled, so you’ll have all the flexibility of a studio session drummer at your fingertips. Each drum has also been simultaneously recorded from different microphone positions - close, overhead and room - allowing you to dial in just the right amount of each. For added realism, each drum also includes “bleed” samples, which let you mix in the ambient resonance of the snare. You have a choice of playing with a variety of sticks, mallets or brushes. You can even choose different types of kick drum beaters. Each drum and microphone uses a separate channel, so you can conveniently mix, add effects and swap drums to customize your kit. With Session Drums you can load up a brush kit, replace the snare, play the ride cymbal with a mallet, drop the close mics out of the mix (leaving just the overhead and room mics), add a little bleed to the mix from the mic placed below the snare, tune the kick drum down a bit, or customize any other way you can imagine.

Click here to buy Ableton from Amazon

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Ableton, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Logic Studio - ES1 Synthesizer

Overview of Logic’s substractive synth, the ES1.

Great for Logic users, but also a good introduction to subtractive synthesis generally. Techniques from this video can be applied to lots of other synths.

Logic Studio delivers everything a musician needs to write, record, edit, mix, and perform in the studio and on the stage. With three applications, instruments, effects, and a massive sound library, Logic Studio puts powerful music creation and production tools in one comprehensive package.

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Logic, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Ableton Live Creating Beats

Great tutorial about creating beats in Ableton. Get the most from your rhythm inspirations using the quick workflow of Ableton.

Want to learn more about Ableton Live? Try Ableton Live 7 Power from Amazon.

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Ableton, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Reason 4 - Intro to Thor

Thor is a multi-synthesis synthesizer with six oscillator types, four different filters, a step sequencer and a modulation matrix. Fully routable. Fully automatable. Fully everything.

Propellerhead Reason 4 is a complete music system with all the tools and instruments you need to turn your ideas into music. The Propellerheads REASON 4 latest features are a new polyphonic Thor synth (with six different oscillator types), analog style step sequencer, RPG-8 arpeggiator with single note repeat (switches on the arpeggiator only when, at least, two notes are played together) and manual (real-time arpeggios) mode, ReGroove mixer (real-time groove fine-tuning) with up to 32 channels, signature patches and a new improved tool window to provide better access to all the huge quantity of program options. Making music should be as easy as powering up a computer, loading up a powerful piece of music software, and getting down to business. And it is. Reason version 4 is a virtual studio rack with all the tools and instruments you need to turn your ideas into music. And it’s more than just a set of excellent synths and effects. It’s a complete music system. Step into the age of Reason. Synthesizers, samplers, drum machine, REX file loop player, professional mastering tools, mixer, vocoder, world class effects, pattern sequencer and more. As many of each as your computer can handle. Reason is an infinitely expandable all-in-one music production environment, complete with its own realtime sequencer. For a Reason user, the journey from musical idea to full production is a short one. With an intuitive, self-expaining user interface and quick access to instruments and effects, Reason’s learning curve is anything but steep. Reason is so direct you’ll learn it in minutes. With Reason, picking up where you left off - be it last night or last month - is as simple as turning the power on. When you save your music, your whole studio setup is stored along with it. You can even include your samples, loops and drum kits in the Reason file, for easy web publishing or email collaboration with other Reason users.

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Reason, Tutorial | Leave a Comment 

Sidechaining in Cubase

Learn how to use sidechain compression in Cubase. This is a “must-know” technique - everything you need to create those pumping basslines.

Click here to get the Slim Slow Slider Side Chain Compressor

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Cubase, Tutorial | Leave a Comment