My grandfather once told me when I was a kid, in my bedroom when I was sit on my bed and lean to the headboards, “Do everything with hard work, buddy. There is nothing instant in this world. Something great like city of Rome didn’t built in just one night.” Well, I bet Grandpa knew nothing about how Rome was built, but he was right; there is nothing instant for everything including to mastery on musical recording instruments like memory drum (read: drum machines).

drum machines

We are not talking about the memory drum tutorial in this article but anyone who name their profession as sound specialist or musicians should know about memory drum since it’s one of the most important components in music recording since a long time ago.

What do you know about this instrument? The only thing that I know, memory drum is a device to keep and store music in the computer system. Memory drum used as the music recorded when we use paper tape. So, I was surprised when a friend of mine showed me the shape of the former memory drum. The shape was big, made of metal cylinder. He said people since 1950s used it to help record things in computer. First it was invented to keep a memory in computer, then after 1970s, people back then used it as music recorded. People who wanted to record music with memory drum need to turn on the punch cards. It has to be done because it is only able to do storage when the things loaded. Unlike the modern storage disk, memory drum work one by one. I said to my friend that it was so complicated and difficult to just keep one file of music with this memory drum then. He laughed and agreed. Then he said that even though it was complicated for producers and the crews, the music result was better and more powerful since it was keep in semiconductor.

The time goes by and technology became modern. But memory drum at the past had given a big influence in music industry, especially in the method of music storage in computer. After many developments, memory drum has become much modern and efficient to storage music and now known as drum machines. Thanks God then, I can’t imagine to record music in months!

I guess there isn’t any limited to learn more and more in anything. Including to learn about how to recorded music. Last week I went to my old friend house whose have a music studio.  I was not surprised when he said now he had new music software for his studio, named Reaktor 5. I heard about Reaktor long time ago since I also used it to recording the song. Reaktor become famous since it has high quality software.

native-instruments

As everybody knew, music software is able to make instrument that we want. We can make sounds from our own or ready to use instruments, change it, remake it, and save it in our computer. The best thing that we got from Reaktor is that it help us examined the result of the music we’ve made. Reaktor which use synthesis technique, it also helps us suggest what part should be changed and then customized it. Honestly, Reaktor help my band and I a lot, since we are newbie in music recording. This music software produced by Native Instrument which is produces various types of high quality music stuff. My band usually used Reaktor 3, so what’s the difference with the new Reaktor 5? My friend told me that basically, reaktor 5 work the same way as the other series of Reaktor. It use synthesis program. The difference is, it more generic than the last series. That’s why the result became smoother.

It is said that we can get the free version of Reaktor player in the internet, which is able to used play music made by Reaktor. Yes it’s right but this free software can’t be used to remake or edit the music. So, are you ready to upgrade the reaktor software you have now and ready to learn something new on recording music?

Slicing Music Beat and Tempo by Beat Slicer

Technology is one of the interesting things in this world. It is because with technology, everyone can do some wonderful things. It is because technology can manipulate something from irrational to become rational. One of the things that can attract you, a person who fall in love with computer programs, is Beat Slicer. Beat Slicer is a computer program that can separate any waveform in smaller component ‘slices’. Its process is beat slicing. The process is to slice and audio file of a drum-loop in a smaller sections and separate different drum-hits. After that, it will be rearranged to become flowing beat.

music-sequencer

Beat Slicer is designed for drum-loop manipulation. It will make the beat become has different tempo in music sequencer. It can be increased or decreased. The most famous genres that always feel this process is IDM, glitch, hip-hop and bass and drum. The four of them are important parts that are always rearranged to become a new music. Besides that, glitch and IDM are famous to be rearranged in exciting ways. Even though beat slicing is a process to rearrange the beat and sometimes change particular parts, but the originality of the music is still held out.  It is just to adjust pitch, envelope, and a range of FX parameters.

The main concept of Beat Slicer is only to manipulate drum-loop, but sometimes another part has to rearrange in order to get a good harmonization and creation. Sometimes, if you need several parts to be lost, then you can delete it. You can make it in slow beat or in faster beat. To make a good harmonization and creation, there is usually a person who can hear a tone very well. It is because in order that your harmonization and creation become spectacular.

Beat slicer tutorial from FLStudio

Even though the thing that can be sliced is an audio file, but it helps many people so much, especially music director to make a good harmonization in the music. If there is part that is not suitable, it cannot be deleted or rearranged without disturbing another parts. Beat Slicer will do its job to slice a waveform very well so that it can produce a good music in different tone. There are some samples that can be triggered for example MIDI Key. In MIDI Key, you can assign a sample to a MIDI Key range. Besides that, there is MIDI Controller. It is a sample that can be caused envelope by any regulator value (including pitchbend, aftertouch, etc.) can be caused by attack and release.

Host BPM can be triggered according to the tempo of your scheme. It helps so much in making your project become more interesting. To make different samples play, you can use Velocity. By using it, you can play samples depending on how hard you hit the keys. Nowadays, many people use Beat Slicer because it is make their job more easily. Besides that, it is not too difficult to do. However, if you want to be an expert in doing the process of beat slicing, then you have to take a course or learn it from book seriously.