Reason and Groove Quantizing

I just listened to some tracks over at the Propellerhead Music Forum.

Some tracks lacked a cohesive "vibe" to them. This can happen and often does when using REX loops.

This happens as loops are performances. Depending on how a player plays or what the sequencer was set to or sometimes just plain old bad editing, or anything in between, the vibe can be very different from what you might get when quantizing. I will not go into the quantizing debates !!! LOL.

If you have a loop with it's feel kicking away in your track and then you sequence along with it, you may notice that the feel/vibe isn't there. Quantizing may not fix it as the vibe in the loop may not be quantized. Playing it over and over until you get it right may not be helping. What to do? Groove Quantize !!!

Here's the steps:

1. Set the L and R in the Reason sequencer. 4 bars should be fine unless the loop is a different length. Set L and R accordingly.
2. Click on REX player.
3. Go to: Edit>Copy REX Loop to Track (or Right-Click).
4. Highlight the REX loop and go to: Edit>Get User Groove (or Right-Click).

Now when you quantize you can use the loops vibe by using "User" in the Quantize drop down menu. This will help things to gel better timing wise.

I also do this with Redrum and Matrix Patterns. And other REX loops copied to track !!!

Thanks.

Dirty Ork...

This track started in Reason...
Dirty Ork

I loaded some drum sounds from the "Finger Juice" library from Sweetwater Sound. I had converted it from EMU to NNXT format using cdXtract. Then loaded the individual samples into ReDrum. Also used were a TB303 sound loaded into NNXT and a doom kick in another ReDrum.

I then "Copied to Track" the Redrum sequences and added more hits and stuff and used groove files created from an old MPC60 in Digital Performer and then ported those to Reason via MIDI files to give the tracks some vibe. Lots of mixing and processing in Reason.

I then opened up Pro Tools 8 and ReWired the tracks in.

I added strings, brass, etc. with Structure and the UVI Worksation. In Structure I used a mix of the Goliath sound library and a bunch of stuff ported from EXS format including some strings from AKAI S1100. In UVI I used some UVI patches and some patches from MOTU Symphonic Instrument (MSI). Also two arps using MOTU MX4.

I used DIGI EQIII and BombFactory BF2-A for eq and dynamics on all tracks along with Pluggo Nebula on a creepy pad sound ReWired from Reason.

Most FX were in the patches or from Reason but for a delay and verb in PT. Mastered with BombFactory Pultec EQP-1A, Fairchild 660 and... believe it or not... Maxim !!!

Maxim is tricky to figure out, but does a good job after ya figure it out. LOL.

Thanks.

RTGS-X: Real-Time Granular Synthesizer X

Having stoopid fun mangling sounds with RTGS-X.

Very cool software. Very reasonably priced. Damn, it's gnarly !!!

That is all.

PT User Blog

Another kewl and gnarly blog:

PT User Blog

Go check it out !!!

Thanks.

ScrewMaker at Audio Geek Zine

ScrewMaker has contributed an article at another really kewl and gnarly online resource, Audio Geek Zine, here.

That is all.

Thanks.

Re:Best University to do audio engineering

I posted this on protoolsusers.org. I thought it maybe useful here also.

Thanks.

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Re:Best University to do audio engineering

I'd taught at a school, which will remain nameless... LOL.

All these schools mentioned so far have stellar reputations and that is important. Schools with less than stellar reputations have earned their less than stellar reputations, just as those with stellar reputations have earned their stellar reputations. Again, that is important.

I'd suggest a few criteria:

Placements. If their idea of placements is the local bar, music store, or "studios", run, don't walk in the other direction.

How much money. Talk with students and alumni and find out if the money was worth it. Your going to be paying a lot of money.

Everyone is a freakin' school now. Bullshit they are. They are just trying to get your money and prey on your dreams. Good schools have good reputations. See above.

Find out how often the gear is actually properly functioning, and by that I don't mean that some of the lights come on. The gear works or it doesn't. End of story. Accept no bullshit stories about, "Well, you know blah-blah-blah". The second you hear that, run, don't walk in the other direction.

How often can you actually get on the gear. Ask students and alumni. Your paying good money and if you only get to touch the gear, especially on your own on your own time, is in your last or next to last semester, after you signed out time, if there was time available, if the gear was working, if the school was open, etc. run, don't walk in the opposite direction.

I tell you this as I feel terrible for many of my former students who were burned by such stories as above. These stories were and are repeatedly and frighteningly true.

The education at a good school is worth it as you will be with like minded folks who you will be dealing with for the rest of your career. A good school will weed out those students that should not be there. Good schools will have experienced staff, not yo-yo's who have only worked the local bar, music store, or "studio". They will have done stuff where their asses were truly on the line.

Caveat. We have all worked the local bars, music stores and "studios". But don't stop there. You need the experience and the trials of the bigger leagues. I keep putting "studios" in quotes cause again, everybody and his brother, aunt, uncle and mother is or has a studio. Again, bullshit. Because I have a car doesn't make me an Indy 500 race car driver who has every chance to win it in May. Delusional. Again, just because their local doesn't mean they are full of shit, it just means chances are that they are full of shit and lack real world experience. You'll figure it out soon enough. Just keep your eyes and ears open.

Get on the local crew of the local venues so that you can meet and see the national touring acts. Those guys work and get payed. They do real work, with real deadlines and real expectations. It's a hell of an experience. It's something you will most likely not see anytime soon in a studio career until you've moved up the food chain awhile and that will most likely take years. Not one or two years, more like many years. They may even hire and steal you right there if you do a really good job, keep your nose clean and listen. LOL. I've seen it happen. And road dogs get payed. Very good money. Way more than a studio will pay you any time soon, if ever.

So do your homework and accept no bullshit. This is your future. Hope this helps !!!

ScrewMaker
Ex: Road Dog, Music Technology Instructor and Trainer, Studio Engineer, etc. blah-blah-blah. LOL.

The Aliens Have Returned Pad

Hey All,

ScrewMaker has contributed to the latest collection of patches from the Air Users Blog, Structure Sounds Set 7, with the patch "The Aliens Have Returned Pad".

Thanks.