Exploring the Subtractor

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 cheezy 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 to your folder.

2. Open the file and listen to the beat. I have created a Redrum and a Subtractor already to get you started.

3. Create two new Subtractors (Create>Subtractor Analog Synthesizer).

4. In each of these Subtractors, 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, you can 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, start copying those parts to make the song longer.

7. Save this file as "(your name)_Subtractor practice.rns"

Note: Anyone who turns in this beat to Mr. Runde will get extra credit on the next quiz:

- If you make the two Subtractors and just play the same part on everything: 1 point

- If you make the two Subtractors and play some original parts: 2 points

- If you make the two Subtractors with original parts and extend it out for the whole song: 3 points.

FYI.

Music Production feat. MC Do D.A.T.

Today's and Friday's classes will feature a special workshop on lyric writing and artistic perspective by Davin "Do D.A.T." Thompson. Dat is a performer, educator, and veteran of the Bay Area hip hop community. He is a member of the Oakland-based group, The Attik, and has shared stages with a number of hip hop legends, including Dead Prez, E-40, and KRS-One. He is BAVC's resident Lyric Coach.

Fixing your performance (Quantize function)

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 and 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.

Exploring the NN19

After you finish today's quiz, I want you to make a beat that uses at least 2 NN19 samplers with different instruments loaded into them.

For example, you could create one NN19 that has some strings, and another with a synthesizer sound. Try to pick instruments that sound different from each other, maybe one low-pitched and another high pitched.

Mr. Runde's Hot Tip of the Day: if you have a sound that you like, but just want to make it sound lower or higher, hit the button called Octave on your Oxygen 8 keyboard.

Your beat should...

• Be at least 24 bars long.
• Have a Redrum with at least one 32-step drum pattern
• Have two separate NN19s, each with a different sound

Friday Quiz 9/19/08

Click on the picture below to see a larger version:

Keyboard Basics (part 3) - the Major Scale

Recap: how many possible notes are there?

Right, 12. But just because you have all these possible notes to work with, doesn't mean that they will all sound good with each other.

A scale is a set of notes that sound good with each other.

The two most common scales are the Major and Minor scales. Generally speaking...

• the Major scale sounds happy/upbeat. You hear it a lot in pop music.
• the Minor scale sounds more sad or intense. You hear it a lot in hip hop and other harder styles of music.

What you should know about scales is that they are created by the way the notes are spaced out by the amount of space between each note. Take a look at the keyboard:


When two notes are right next to each other, it is called a half step (for example C to C#).
When two notes have a note in between them, it is called a whole step (for example, C to D).

How much space is in between E and F?

OK, so now that we know about whole steps and half steps, I'm going to reveal to you the formula that will let you make a Major scales from any key on your keyboard...

Major scale formula:

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

Once you know the formula for a scale, it doesn't really matter what key you start on. You can always make the kind of scale that you want. Today, we are only focusing on the Major scale, so let's hear for ourselves what I'm talking about...

For today's assignment, please do the following:

1. Copy the file called "Major scales.rns" to your folder from the Pickupdropoff.
2.Open the file.
3. Create an NN19 Digital Sampler. (There will already be an NN19 in your rack. Don't worry about this.)
4. Load a piano patch into the NN19. For example: Reason Factory Sound Bank>NN19 Sampler Patches>Pianos and Keyboards>BRIGHT PIANO.smp
5. Hit the Play button (spacebar) to listen to the tempo of the metronome.
6. Now practice playing the C Major scale up and down in time with the metronome - play a note in time with each click. If the tempo is too fast, slow it down.

This is the order of the notes you will play: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-C-B-A-G-F-E-D-C

7. When you are confident about being able to play this, go ahead and hit the Record button and then Play to start recording. When you are done, hit Stop.
8. Hit Play to listen to your performance. If you like it, move on to the next step, if not, then delete your performance and start again.
9. Now move your markers so that L = 5 and R= 9.
10. Pick another white key (I recommend G or D) and figure out the keys of the Major scale starting from this note. When you've got the notes figured out, record yourself playing this scale and show the instructor.
11. Save the file as "(your name)_Major scale.rns"

Remember the formula!

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

Keyboard basics (part 2) - Black Keys

Yesterday we took some time to learn about the keys of the keyboard.

How many different notes are there?

Which ones have we learned so far?

So, today, we're going to talk a little bit about the remaining notes - the ones on the black keys.

The black keys don't have their own letters like the white keys do (ABCDEFG). Instead, the black keys are named by where they are in relation to the white keys.

A black key that is to the right of a white key is called a sharp.

A black key that is to the left of a white key is called a flat.

Here are the symbols of sharps and flats:
Here is what they look like on an actual keyboard:
What do you notice about each of the black keys?

OK, here is the important thing about black keys:

Black keys each have two names because they are always to the right of one white key and to the left of another.

Confused? It's actually not so tricky. Think about it...

There is black key in between F and G. If you're going up from F, then it is called F sharp. If you're going down from G, then it is called G flat.

Simple right? Prepare yourself Thursday for the Major Scale!