Performance Emulation: Music Theory Basics Episode 2: The Bass Clef

Monday, April 2, 2012

Music Theory Basics Episode 2: The Bass Clef

Not too much to say about this one. It is just another short video, this time explaining the notes of the bass clef. I used screen in screen this time for clarity among some other more subtle video editing tricks that I picked up.

I have very little time for making videos unfortunately, but I will keep producing them when I can.

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GENERAL FAQ

Q: What did you use to make these videos?

I start off by choosing a piece of music and entering it into my sequencer. Currently I am using Reaper. Even though MIDI files are available for many pieces, I get a better feel for the music if I input everything myself. The next step is to shape the phrasing by adjusting the lengths of some of the notes. Finally I mix and master the music as well as I am able.

The next step is exporting a MIDI file of the piece, which I feed into the MAM player or some other visualization program. I record the output, sync the previously generated audio to the video, and upload the result to YOUTUBE. This is a very simplified explanation of the process, see individual project notes for more details. The MAM player, as well as some other interesting resources can be found here: http://www.musanim.com/player/ Thanks to Mr. Malinowski for making this great software publicly available.

Tips on getting good results with the MAM player:
1. First off, every system is different so if you want good results be prepared to try out many different settings.
2. For my system, win 7 64, I use these compatibility settings to get the MAM player to work: run in compatibility with Win xp SP 2, under settings check the 'disable desktop composition' box, all other boxes unchecked. TBH I have no idea what these settings really do, but after trial and error this worked the best for me. If someone has better settings, please let me know.
3. Running video capture software uses system resources heavily, so disable any and all processes that you can, including anti virus software to free things up.
4. Record the video to a second HD which is not running your OS (or anything else). Hypercam is an excellent and free program to use for this.

Q: The music sounds like real instruments, but you made it on your computer. How is this possible?

I use a variety of vsti and a sampler. The sampler plays back actual recordings of instruments, so what you are hearing is real recorded instrument sounds. They just play back in the order that I tell them to. Right now most of the sounds I use are from NI Komplete 6, an excellent and reasonably priced bundle of software. You have to look pretty hard to find a sound that is not included.

Q: Why do you make these videos?

I saw a video of the MAM player on t.v. once, and thought it was just about the coolest thing ever. I did not catch the name of the program or artist who made the video. I did random google searches, but never found anything. I stumbled across the Little Fugue video by accident, and to my great surprise not only were there many videos available, but the software was too. Someone made a comment on that video that they would like to see a version of the fugue using organ, and thus my first project with MAM was born.

Q: Can I request a video be made of a specific performance?

Yes, of course! However, I will only do something that is in the public domain. I will do a video of a non-public domain work on the condition that the copyright holder gives me permission to do so. Also I have to like the piece.

Q: How long does it take to make these videos?

It depends on the project, some take just a few hours while others take many weeks. See individual project notes for more information.

Coming soon!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Music Theory Basics Episode 2: The Bass Clef

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