3/31_Song Structure (verse & chorus)/Song 3

Basic
Alright, so we have been working hard learning all the main functions of Reason and how to put together really good loops. Now it's time to take all this information to start creating really polished pieces of music, aka SONGS!!!

Before we can really create songs though, it is probably a good idea to take a minute to think about how songs are put together. If you've never thought about it before, songs can seem like these big mysterious things, but the truth is that 95% of what we listen to follows a very consistent structure and formula, which you already know just from being a music listener.

A song is basically like telling a story. It has to have a certain flow to keep the listener's interest. There are

The Core

The core of most songs is just two parts switching off. These parts are:

1. The Verse
2. The Chorus (aka "the Hook")

The verse is where the main part of the song gets sung or rapped; it's where the singer/MC tells a story or lays out what he/she is trying to say. Normally, there aren't very many instruments in this part because you don't want the singer for the listener's attention. In a typical song, there are about 3 verses. A verse is typically 16 bars long.

The chorus is the part that repeats several times throughout the song. It usually the most exciting part where people can sing along. Part of what usually makes a chorus exciting is that you have lots of instruments come in and everything gets louder. A chorus is typically 8 bars long.

So let's take a minute to analyze the song, "Heartless" by Kanye West. Pay attention to where the verse and chorus switch up, and what goes on with the beat when they switch.

Kanye Heartless by Messiah08

So, your assignment for the week is to make me a full song with a real structure. Today, I want you to focus on getting the verse down and, if you have time, start to develop the chorus. The song that you turn in on Friday should have all the following elements:

• Identifiable song structure: at least 2 Verses, 2 Choruses and an Intro.
• At least 6 instruments (maximum 2 Redrums, 1 Dr. Rex)
• Drums switch up between the verses and choruses.

Advanced

This week, you folks are going to be doing your third and final song for your portfolios. For this one, I want you to do a song in the style of one of your favorite artists. So, before you start, I want you to do the following:

1. Spend the first 10-15 minutes listening to a few songs from your favorite artist.
2. While you're listening, open Reason.
3. Go to File>Song Info.
4.  Where it says Text In Window Title, type the name of the artist you are working on.
   
5. Where it says More Information, please list 5 things that you notice about your artist's style that you are going to try to incorporate into your song. Examples would include things like Tempo, Instrument Choices, Emotion/Vibe, Major or Minor Scales, etc.
6. Start working on that song!

3/27_Dr REX remix2/2nd Songs DUE!!!

Basic

First priority for today is to finish yesterday's assignment (Good Life Remix). When you finish that, please go on to do the following assignment:

1. Go into the Pickupdropoff folder and find the Dr. Rex file called Dora.rx2. (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Pickup>Period 5>Dora.rx2). Drag a copy to the Documents folder on your hard drive.
   
2. Open Reason.
3. Create a Dr. Rex
4. Click on the "Folder" in the upper left hand corner.
5. Select the Dora sample from your folder.
6. Click "TO TRACK"
7. Now we want to adjust the PITCH and TIME of the sample.
8. To do this we need to change two things:  To change the Time, change your Tempo. Set it to anything except what it says on the Dr. Rex.
9. To change the Pitch, use the keyboard on the Dr. Rex to change the pitch of your sample up or down.
10. Now create a Redrum and make a 32 step drum pattern using a Clap/Snare, Bass Drum, Hi Hat, and Percussion. 
11. Create a Dr. Rex. Load a Percussion Loop and adjust the PITCH. Put it "TO TRACK."
12. Save your beat as your name_DoraRemix
13. Put a copy in the Dropoff folder to get credit!!! (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5)

Advanced

Your 2nd Full Songs are due by the end of today! Remember, I want it to have all of the following elements:

1. Structure (Intro, 2 Verses, 2 Choruses, Outro/Fade Out)
2. Some basic mixing (volume and panning).
3. I want it to sound completely different from your last beat (different emotion, different instruments).

Have a great weekend!

3/26_Dr. REX remix/2nd Song

Basic

Today we're going to continue working with the Dr. Rex to make a remix of a song that uses a famous sample. First, let's learn a new function available on the Dr. Rex: pitch change.

First of all, what is pitch? What happens when you you change the pitch of a sound? Why would you want to change the pitch of a sample that you're working with?

One of the cool things that the Dr. REX is able to do is to change the pitch of a sample without changing the length of the sample. This is very important feature for producers who use a lot of samples (Kanye, old school Dre, J Dilla, etc.) in their music because it gives them a lot of flexibility with how they can work with them.

Changing pitch in Dr. REX is pretty easy. You basically just change the note in this section, called the Transpose section:

What you will hear is the sample playing in a lower or higher pitch, but at the same speed. This means that you can take a sample and then adjust it so that it is in the same key as the rest of your song.

So today, you are going to make a remix that uses a sample from a famous Michael Jackson song, called PYT. Have you heard this sample used in any other songs?

Listen.

Assignment:

1. Copy the sample to your folder. Get it at: Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Pickup>Period5>PYT.rx2
2. Open Reason and Create a Dr REX loop player
3. Load PYT.rx2 into the Dr REX.
4. Lower the tempo to 100 BPMs.
5. Change the note on the Dr Rex to B-flat.
6. Put the L marker on Bar 1 and the R marker on Bar 5.
7. Click the To Track button on the Dr.Rex.
   
8. Create a Redrum and make a beat to go under it.
9. Create a Malstrom or Subtractor and load an instrument that sounds good with the sample.
   
10. Play notes until you find the one that matches up with the very first part of the sample. Now you know what key the song is in! Do you think this song uses the Major or Minor scale?
    
11. Find some notes that go along with the sample and record a melody.
12. Create another instrument of your choice (Subtractor/Malstrom/NN19/NNXT) and add a simple bassline (2-3 notes).
    
13. Copy the drums, melody and PYT loop so that they end on Bar 17.
14. If you still have some time, you can either add more instruments (suggestion: a Dr. REX percussion loop) or create a second section from Bars 17-25.
    
15. Save your file as "(your name)_GoodLife" and put a copy in the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).

If you are stuck on what to play, here are a few tips...

• Remember that the easiest way to figure out notes that work are to figure out the steps of the scale you're working with: Major Scale: W-W-H-W-W-W-H Minor Scale: W-H-W-W-H-W-W
• Listen to what Kanye is playing in the song...He is playing the same notes as the chipmunk singing part. The notes are: E-D-E-A-C-E-D.
• A good Subtractor patch to use is a Mono Synth patch called Detune Lead.zyp.

Advanced
Your 2nd Full Songs are due tomorrow at the end of class. Today you have a good long chunk of time to get them mostly done. Remember, you have to give me a song that sounds really different from the last song you did! - Use different instruments, change the tempo, play in a different type of scale (Major vs. Minor). Flip it.

3/24_Dr. REX pt.1/Song 2

Basic
Today we're going to start working with a new instrument called the Dr. REX loop player.

Basically, the Dr. REX is a sampler like the NN19 that you've been working with. Both of these instruments let you load sounds into them and play them back. There are some important differences that we'll get into next time, but for now you will see that the Dr. REX plays pre-made loops of music.

A loop is a short piece of music that is played over and over. Usually, the goal is to make your loop sound really smooth, meaning that it doesn't cut off or sound choppy. You actually have already been learning how to make your own loops in this class!

The Dr. REX comes with a whole bunch of loops that you can load into it the same way you load a sound into any of the other instrument. There are three main types of loops that you can load:

• Drum Loops
• Instrument Loops
• Percussion Loops

Once you've loaded a loop, there are two main buttons on the Dr. REX that you need to know so that you can work with it in an actual song. The first one is the Preview button, which lets you listen to the loop.

The second one is the To Track button, which will actually put the loop into the Sequencer Window. The To Track button is basically like Copy Pattern to Track in the Redrum. When you press this button, Reason will put the loop in between the L and R Markers as many times as will fit.

Assignment:

1. Open Reason and create a new file.
2. Set the Tempo to 100 BPMs.
3. Create a Dr. REX loop player.
4. Load the following loop: Reason Factory Sound Bank>Dr. REX Instrument Loops>Various Hip Hop Loops>Hhp_Basstarr_093_Chronic.rx2
5. Set the L marker to Bar 1 and the R marker to Bar 9.
6. Click the To Track button.
7. Hit Play and listen to the loop.
8. Create 2 more Dr. REX players .
9. While the first loop is still playing, go to one of the new Dr REXs and load a sound from the Dr Rex Drum Loops folder that sounds good with the melody.
10. Hit To Track and put it into your Sequencer Window.
    
11. Now in the last Dr. REX, look in the Dr Rex Percussion Loops folder and find a sound that adds more rhythm to the song.
12. Hit To Track and put it into your Sequencer Window.
13. Copy and paste the Dr. REX loops to extend your song out to at least 16 bars. Try having the Percussion loop only come in at certain parts (e.g. Bar 5-9, 13-17).
14. Save the file to your folder as your name_DrRex1 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.
15. If you have time, do the following:
    

• Add a Redrum and make your own drum beat from Bar 17-25.
• Try adding the Dr. REX Percussion Loop to your Redrum.
  
• Add a Subtractor/Malstrom/NN19/NNXT and come up with an original bassline or melody.
  

Advanced
Almost all you have turned in your full song  from last week. Today and for the rest of the week, I want you to start working on a new song. However, before you start, I want you to open up your last song and listen to it from beginning to end. As you are listening, keep these things in mind:

• What do you like/not like about it?
• What is the overall feel or emotion of this song.
• What kinds of instruments are you using?

So now, you're going to start a new song. I want it to have the following elements:

1. Structure (Intro, 2 Verses, 2 Choruses, Outro/Fade Out)
2. Some basic mixing (volume and panning).
3. I want it to sound completely different from your last beat (different emotion, different instruments).

3/19_Malstrom pt.2/Full Songs DUE!

Basic

Today I want you to get deeper into working with the Malstrom and finding the kinds of sounds that you like in it. I also want you to start looking for sounds in the NNXT Sampler.

For your assignment today, please do the following:

1. Look in the Pickup folder and find the file called Boulevard loop.rns and copy it to your folder. (It's a big file, so it might take a minute.
2. Open the file and hit SPACEBAR to listen to the loop I've given you.
3. Create a Redrum and make a 32-step drum beat that goes with this loop. Put it into your Sequencer Window.
4. Now Create a Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer.
5. Look in the Bass folder and find an instrument that you think goes with the loop.
6. Come up with a bassline and record it. HINT:  This loop is in the key of G Minor.  The main notes being played are G, Bb, F and C.
7. Once you've got something you like, use the Pencil Tool to draw a region from Bar 1 - Bar 5 of your Malstrom track.
8. Use Option-drag to copy the drums, the loop and the Malstrom so that they end on Bar 17.
9. Now move your loop markers so the the L is on Bar 9 and the R is on Bar 17.
10. Create an NNXT Sampler.
11. Browse through the sounds in the NNXT's folder and find one that you think goes with this loop (suggestions: strings, brass, etc.)
12.  Come up with a melody and play it in the section from Bar 9 - Bar 17.
13. Save this to your folder as your name_Boulevard and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

You folks have your assignment due at the end of the period. Please make sure you have all the necessary elements:

3/17_Malstrom/Full Songs (cont'd)

Basic

Today we're going to get acquainted with a new instrument, the Malstrom.

The Malstrom is another kind of synthesizer, like the Subtractor is. For our purposes it even works in the same way and has all the same categories of sounds - Bass, FX, Monosynths, Pads, Polysynths, plus an extra one called Rhythmic. The difference, I would say, is that the sounds are richer and more modern sounding. The Subtractor has more of an old school sound. They're both cool, it just depends on what kind of sound you are looking for.

Your Assignment:

Working with the file you started with last time ("Blow the Whistle"), add the following elements:

1. Create a Malstrom and copy (Option-drag) your Subtractor bass line to that track. Now load a sound from the Bass or Poly Synth folders that sounds good with the original bass.
2. Now create a second Malstrom. Look in the Pads folder to find a sound that sounds good when you hold down a note. Record yourself playing and holding this note right at the start of the loop. What note do you think you should play?
   
3. If you haven't done so already, create a Redrum and create a 32-step drum pattern.
   
4. Copy and paste the different parts you have recorded to make a song that is at least 24 bars long. Try having different parts come in and out at different times. Feel free to add more instruments!
5. Save this as your name_Blow the Whistle and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

You folks should be really getting pretty far into your songs today. By the end of today I want to see your song structure taking shape - at least a definite verse section (16 bars) and a chorus section (8 bars).

If you were mainly working on drums yesterday, please stop for a while and focus on keyboard instruments today.

Here again are all the things I will expect to see in your songs by the end of class on Thursday:

• Song structure (Intro, 2 Verses, 2 Choruses, fade out)
• A chord and a note about the name of the chord.
• Basic mixing (volume and panning).
• At least 6 instruments.

3/16_Bass Line/Full Songs

Basic

Last week we started to work on creating bass lines. Today we're going to practice some more so that we can have a really good understanding of what a bass line is doing in a song.

A bass line is the low sounding part of a song that works with the drums to create a rhythmic pulse.

Before people started using electronic instruments (like Reason) to make music, the bass line was usually played on a bass guitar:

It used to be that the bass line was just a supporting part of the song, not the main thing that people were listening to. But then in the 70's when music styles like soul, funk and reggae started becoming popular, the bass started to play a bigger role. Then by the time hip hop became really big in the 1980's, artists started putting a LOT of bass in their songs so that sometimes it was the main part of the music that people were listening to.

Let's listen to a couple of famous basslines:

• "Super Freak" by Rick James.
• "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang

So, to get a better understanding of what bass lines do and how we can use them in our own music, we are going to remake the bass line from Too Short's single "Blow the Whistle" then recreate the drum beat. Too Short- Blow The Whistle (instrumental) uploaded by beanycastillo

1. Create a new Reason file.
2. Set Tempo to 100 bpm.
3. Create a Subtractor Analog Synthesizer.
   
4. Go into the Subtractor's Bass folder and find the sound called "Dodger Bass". (Reason Factory Sound Bank>Subtractor Patches> Bass>Dodger Bass.zyp).
5. Move your R Marker to Bar 3.
6. Turn on the Click Track and hit play. Get a feel for the tempo.
   
7. On your keyboard, press the Octave Down button once.
8. I'll show you how to play the bass line. You will be playing the following keys: C, Eb , C, and Gb.
9. After you feel like you have the part under your fingers, record it and quantize it.
   
10. Create a Redrum.
11. Listen again to the Instrumental of Blow the Whistle.
    
12. What drum sounds do they use? What boxes do you think they go on?
13. Recreate the drum beat from Blow the Whistle and put it into the Sequencer Window using Copy Pattern To Track.
14. Save as (your name)_Blow the Whistle and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.
    

Advanced

Today I want you to start working on a new, full song that includes all of the following elements:

1. Song structure:  Intro, 2 Verses, 2 Choruses, a Fade Out
2. Use of a chord and write down the name of the chord (see below for how I want you to put this down).
3. Basic mixing (volume and panning).
4. At least 6 instruments.

This will be due by the end of class Thursday (3/19). 

Save it as your name_song3-16 and turn it into the Dropoff folder.

To make notes in Reason, do the following:

1. In the File menu, click on Song Information. 
2. In the window that pops up, type the name of your chord (example: A Minor) where it says "Text In Window Title".

3/13_Minor Bass/finsh 2nd Inversions

Today we're going to see how knowing the Minor Scale actually helps us in making our own music.

We're going to be working with a file that I created for you to work with. It has two things on it already: drums and some strings.

Your job today is to add two more elements to this song:
1) a bass line
2) a melody

Now before we even start to do anything, I'm going to tell you an important piece of information...this song is in the key of A Minor.

Now all that really means is that we are using a Minor Scale that starts on the key of A. So, if we figure out what notes are in A Minor, then we will already have a pretty good idea of what notes will sound good in this song.

How do we know what keys are in A Minor? I'm so glad you asked! Put your finger on A on your keyboard and follow the formula I gave you last time:

W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Now I'm going to give you the key information for completing the assignment below...

The notes you will be working with are the 1st, 4th and 5th keys of the A Minor scale.

What notes are they?

Your Assignment:

1. Go to the Pickupdropoff folder and copy the file called "Minor Bass.rns" to your folder.
2. Open the file and let the beat play.
3. To hear the strings, look on the Mixer and raise the fader next to where it says Orchestra. Raise it up to a level that you think sounds good with the drums.
4. Now you're going to add a bassline. Create a Subtractor /NN19/Malstrom/NNXT and find a Bass sound that goes well with the strings.
5. Practice playing the bass with the strings. The easiest thing to do is to just play the 1st, 4th and 5th notes in time with the strings. If you want to get fancier, then come up with your own rhythm for playing. When you are ready, hit Record and record your part.
6. When you feel good about the bass line, move on to making a making a melody: create another Subtractor /NN19/Malstrom/NNXT and find a instrument sound that goes good with the other sounds. Mess around with playing different notes from the A Minor scale that work well with the music. Record your part.
7. When you have both a bass line and a melody, start copying and pasting the parts to make a longer song.
8. If you have a solid song structure completed, make another drum part to switch things up, especially at the parts where the beat drops out.
9. Save the beat as "(your name)_Minor Bass.rns"

3/12_finish C Minor stuff/2nd Inversions

It seems like most folks need time to finish up their 2 C Minor assignments, so I'm giving you today to finish them both up. Remember, I need for you to turn in 2 separate Reason files:

1. your name_CMinorscale
2. your name_CMinorbeat

Please make sure you turn them both in to the Dropoff folder by the end of the period.

Assignment #2 - C Minor scale

1. Open a new Reason file.
2. Create a Subtractor Analog Synthesizer.
3. Load a sound from one of the four main categories (Bass, Monosynth, Pad, or Polysynth).
4. Set the L marker on Bar 1 and the R marker on Bar 5.
5. Turn on the Click (aka metronome) and set the tempo to something you can work with. Remember - the goal is to play one note on each click!
   
6. Practice playing the C Minor scale up and down in time with the metronome: (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-C-Bb-Ab-G-F-Eb-D-C)
   
7. When you've got it down, hit the Record button and record your performance.
8. Fix any off notes by quantizing.
9. Save the file to your folder as "(your name)_C Minor scale"
10. Have one of the instructors check it and then turn it in to the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).

Assignment #3 - C Minor beat

1. Start a new Reason file.
2. Create a Redrum and make a 32-step beat.
   
3. Put it into the Sequencer Window using Copy Pattern to Track.
   
4. Now create a keyboard instrument (Subtractor/Malstrom/NN19/NNXT/Combinator) and load a patch into it. Please make it something where you can hear actual notes (not FX or Drums or Percussion).
5. Using the C-Minor scale, find some notes that sound good with your beat. Record a melody over your drum beat. You can play the notes in any order, or any style that you want, but they have to ALL be from the C Minor scale.
   
6. Add some more instruments and play some parts that go along with the first melody you just put down.
7. Copy all your parts out so that they end on Bar 17.
8. Save this as your name_CMinor beat.
9. Turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

3/10_Minor Scale/2nd Inversion

Basic
Alright, so it's been a week or so since we worked on our keyboard knowledge, but I want to get back to it for a minute so that you can expand the range of sounds you have to use when you are making your own music.

I would like to introduce you to my friend, the Minor Scale.

First, lets quickly refresh our memory of the Major Scale. Here is the formula, in case you forgot:

W-W-H-W-W-W-H

Now, here is the formula for the Minor Scale:

W-H-W-W-H-W-W

What kind of mood or emotion would you say the Minor Scale has?

Now let's see how this formula looks on an actual keyboard. Here are the notes of the C Minor Scale...
So today, I have 3 things that I want you to do:

Assignment #1 - Worksheet

Fill out the worksheet that I'm handing out on the C Major/C Minor scales. You are going to be using this as reference for the other 2 assignments, so it makes sense to do it first.

Assignment #2 - C Minor

1. Open a new Reason file.
2. Create a Subtractor Analog Synthesizer.
3. Load a sound from one of the four main categories (Bass, Monosynth, Pad, or Polysynth).
4. Set the L marker on Bar 1 and the R marker on Bar 5.
5. Turn on the Click (aka metronome) and set the tempo to something you can work with. Remember - the goal is to play one note on each click!
   
6. Practice playing the C Minor scale up and down in time with the metronome: (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-C-Bb-Ab-G-F-Eb-D-C)
   
7. When you've got it down, hit the Record button and record your performance.
8. Fix any off notes by quantizing.
9. Save the file to your folder as "(your name)_C Minor scale"
10. Have one of the instructors check it and then turn it in to the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).

Assignment #3 - C Minor beat

1. Start a new Reason file.
2. Create a Redrum and make a 32-step beat.
   
3. Put it into the Sequencer Window using Copy Pattern to Track.
   
4. Now create a keyboard instrument (Subtractor/Malstrom/NN19/NNXT/Combinator) and load a patch into it. Please make it something where you can hear actual notes (not FX or Drums or Percussion).
5. Using the C-Minor scale, find some notes that sound good with your beat. Record a melody over your drum beat. You can play the notes in any order, or any style that you want, but they have to ALL be from the C Minor scale.
   
6. Add some more instruments and play some parts that go along with the first melody you just put down.
7. Copy all your parts out so that they end on Bar 17.
8. Save this as your name_CMinor beat.
9. Turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

Today you're going to be working on 2nd inversion chords. I will come around and show you exactly what this is in a second, but think about it - if the 1st inversion was taking a chord and shifting it up one note, then the 2nd inversion is just shifting up two notes. 

Please fill out the worksheet first. Then do the following assignment:

Create a 16 bar beat that features the A Major or A Minor chord (your choice). You are going to play the regular chord first, then the 1st inversion, then the 2nd inversion.  Over those chords, record a melody that is from the same scale (A Maj/A Min). Save this as your name_2ndinversion and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

3/9_Original Beats

Basic and Advanced

Today we're going to be playing our original beats in class and checking out each other's production styles. I want to start playing these at 1pm, so I want you to start turning them in at 12:55.  Please put them in the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).  Save this as:  your name_original 3-6.

You will be getting a grade on these, so be sure that your beat includes ALL of the following items:

Basic 

• Be at least 16 bars long (end on Bar 17)
  
• Include a Redrum with at least one 32-step drum beat. (I would prefer two)
• A melody using either the Subtractor or the NN19
• Another melody using either the Malstrom or NNXT
• All notes quantized.

Advanced 

• At least 2 verses, 2 choruses
• At least 5 instruments
• Some basic mixing (volume and panning)

3/6_Quantizing & Original Beats (Basic & Advanced)

Basic & Advanced

One of the biggest advantages to using a software program like Reason is the fact that you don't have to be a great keyboard player to make really polished sounding performances - the program can help you fix the notes that are a little off.

The function that lets you do this is called the Quantize function.

How do you use such a magical thing you ask? Very easy.

Here are the steps for quantizing:
1) Record yourself playing something with the keyboard
2) Go into the Edit View by pressing this button:

3) Now click and drag a box around all the notes you want to fix. The notes that are dark red/brown are the ones that are selected.

4) Click on the Quantize button:

5) Listen back to the performance. If certain notes sound weird, manually move them where they sound better by clicking and dragging them.

Assignment
OK, at this point you've all got enough experience to start developing your own styles of beats, so today I want you to work on an original beat. This needs to be turned in by the end of class today.

Basic folks - your beat should include all of the following elements:

• Be at least 16 bars long (end on Bar 17)
  
• Include a Redrum with at least one 32-step drum beat. (I would prefer two)
• A melody using either the Subtractor or the NN19
• Another melody using either the Malstrom or NNXT
• All notes quantized.

Save this as your name_original 3-6 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).

Advanced folks - I want the following:

• At least 2 verses, 2 choruses
• At least 5 instruments
• Some basic mixing (volume and panning)
  

You should also save this as your name_original 3-6 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Have a great weekend!!!

3/5_Exploring the Subtractor/1st inversion (DUE)

Basic
Today we are going to be taking a look at a new instrument in Reason: the Subtractor!

The Subtractor is a kind of instrument called a synthesizer. A synthesizer is an electronic instrument. It lets you make all kinds of original sounds by combining different frequencies together. In general, synthesizers don't sound like sounds you make with traditional instruments (guitars, pianos, trumpets, etc.). Instead, they have the ability to be shaped into lots of different sounds, from really cheesy ones to really deep and emotional-sounding ones.

Today we're going to get familiar with the different types of sounds that you can use with the Subtractor...

First of all, where do you think you click to load new sounds?

Once you've clicked on the folder, you will go into the usual file browser. To find the Subtractor sounds, go to: Reason Factory Soundbank>Subtractor Patches

The main categories of sounds that you can load into the Subtractor are:

• Bass*
• FX
• Mono Synths*
• Pads*
• Percussion
• Polysynths*

The ones with a star next to them are the ones that I consider to be the most important.

So here is your assignment for today:

1. Go to the Pickupdropoff folder and copy the file called Subtractor Practice.rns
   
2. Open the file and listen to the beat. I have created a Redrum and a Subtractor already to get you started.
3. Create a new Subtractors (Create>Subtractor Analog Synthesizer).
4. In this Subtractor, you are going to load a sound that you like from one of the four main categories (Bass, Mono, Pad, Poly).
5. Record yourself playing something that goes along with the part that I've already made. (Hint: if you really can't think of anything to play, try to figure out the notes that I played and just play the same thing with a different instrument).
6. Once you record two parts that you like, use the Pencil Tool to draw a region around the part and start copying those parts so that they end on Bar 9.
7. Now move the L and R markers so that the L is on Bar 9 and the R is on Bar 13.
8. Create a third Subtractor and load a sound from a different category (Bass, Mono, Pad, Poly) than the last one you used.
9. Come up with and record an original melody to go in this section. 
10. Use the Pencil Tool to draw a region around the notes you just played (from Bar 9 9-13).
11. Copy the region so that it ends on Bar 17.
12. Move the markers so that you have the whole song in your loop. Listen to it play back.
13. Save this file as "(your name)_Subtractor practice.rns"
14. If you have finished working with the Subtractors and still have some time left, Mute my Redrum and create a new one. Make a beat that you like better.
    
15. Put the new beat into the Sequencer Window using Copy Pattern to Track.
16. Save it and turn it in to the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Dropoff>Period 5).
    

Advanced
Please finish and turn in your 1st inversion assignment to the Dropoff folder by the end of class today. Call it your name_1st inversion.