spring break!

Here is some over the break knowledge. When you're done reading a a book watch this:

3.25 - Tutorials to Rough Draft

Warm-Up (10 min)

POTD

QOTD:

In making this theme song what is one thing that you are comfortable doing on your own, or even helping others do (loop, midi, sound effects)? What is something that you will need help with?

Work Period (65 min)

Today, in the interest of moving towards our rough draft, I will be leading a few tutorials. You may choose to work quietly or follow along while these tutorials take place, but please do not interrupt.

1. How to make a loop.

2. How to make a midi drum beat

3. Searching and saving from Findsounds.com

Please turn in an mp3 version of your theme song to the your class's drop box by the end of the day.

3.23.10 - Hero's Theme Song (Day 2)

Warm - up (10 min)
POTD
QOTD:
What is the easiest thing (so far) about using garageband? What has been your biggest challenge (so far)?
We can use our strengths to help others. Please help those who are around you, this will help everyone in the class keep their sanity!

VOTD:

write an example sentence for the word(s) below:

Dynamic: The volume of sound produced by an instrument, voice, or recording. An instrument demonstrating dynamics will have a great variety of volume on a single track.

Looking at the Project in Prezi, A Visual Guide (5 min)

Hero's Theme Song Flowchart on Prezi

Looking at the Rubric (10 min)
Let’s see what it takes to get to "proficient"

Work Time (65 min)
I hope you brought your own headphones because we don’t have many left!

Mini-Reflection (10 min)

How did you do today? Were you able to meet your goals? What slowed you down? What/who helped you be successful?

DUE TODAY:

DRAFT 1 of YOUR HERO'S THEME SONG. PLEASE SUBMIT THE MP3 VERSION TO MY DROP BOX BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY.

3.19.10 - Hero's Theme

Warm-Up (20 min)
POTD
QsOTD:

1. Name a person or thing has inspired or influenced and inspired you?
2. What did they do or say that makes them a good hero?
3. If you could tell them something what would it be?
4. What type of mood do you think represents them and their message?
5. What type of environment do you think they live around?
6. What color or colors represent your hero?
7. What are some other things that you associate with the hero?
8. Do you see them as more energetic or more contemplative?
9. If they were an instrument, what instrument would they be?

Announcements (5 min)

New posters around the class:

1. Help!

2. Now what?

Mini-Project Intro (5 min)
See an example of the project we will create.

Look over a brief explanation of the project.

Brainstorming Around Your Hero (30 min)
Use prezi or a paper and pencil to create a “mind-map” of the things that you associate with your hero. Include their environment, foods, sounds, colors, and what ever you associate with those elements as well. The more you come up with the more material you will have for your project!

Photoshopping your hero 

Part 1 - Finding an image of the hero
Use google image search to find a high quality image of your hero. The image should be a portrait of the hero’s face. There should not be anything int he background to distract from the hero.

Part 2 - Finding a quote of the hero
Use a search engine to find a quote from your hero. Make sure it is a quote that you believe in and is school appropriate.

Part 3 - Check for clearance with teacher

Part 4 - Photoshop the hero and the quote
Use the filter gallery to stylize your hero
Use the text tool to add your quote and the name of the hero
Save for Web and devices as JPG


Composing your song

Part 1 - Collect Sounds from Findsounds.com
Before you open Garageband and begin to compose your song, go back to your mind map and look for things that make sound or sounds that represent the things you wrote down. These can be instruments (saxophone, guitar, etc.) or it can be sound effects. Use findsounds.com to search for sound effects

Part 2 - Setting the Tempo
Based on what you think the mood of your hero and their quote is set your tempo accordingly. Typically, a song with a tempo of 100 bpm or more is considered “uptempo“ and may be associated with something happy or energetic. If your song is under 100 bpm it may be considered “downtempo” and more thoughtful or reflective. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule.

Part 3 - Composing your Drums
Use your midi drums to make a drums for your theme song. You may choose to use elements other than hi-hats, basses, snares but there should be some rhythmic elements in your theme song.
See our previous lesson on drum recording to review how to get your drums on beat!


Part 4 - Adding a Sample
If you are using a drum break (from the ultimate breaks and beats folder on the teacher server) you may choose to do this step before adding your midi drums. You may choose add either a music sample, like one we did a few weeks ago using the ultimate breaks and beats, or you may choose to sample your own voice. However, your beat needs to incorporate at least one sample.

Part 5 - Adding Sound Effects
Use the sound effects you downloaded in part 1 to create your own custom software instrument (just like we did last week).


Part 6 - Exporting
Export and turn in your file by going to Share > Export movie to Disk. Choose the “Full Quality” Setting.
Name your file “YOUR NAME _ Hero’s Theme Song”

3.17.10 - Adding You!

Warm Up (10 min)
POTD
QOTD:
Today, only write the answers to the following questions on your blog. This will be your recording script for later.
1. What is your name or nickname?
2. Do you have a catchphrase or something that you say a lot?3. What is your favorite animal?
4. What is your favorite food?
5. What is your favorite ____?


Server Audit (15 min)
Open your student server and organize your files. Organization will help you to find things that you are looking for when you need them.
You should have all of your files (your work), organized in a hierarchy from general to specific.
1. The year (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
2. The class (math, english, DMA, etc.)3. The project (transformation, music, photoshop, Fahrenheit 451, etc.)

Create Your Own Playable Instrument (75 min)
Using recorded sound (your voice!) and sound effects construct your own software instrument that you can play using musical typing

Setting up
1. Create a folder on your desktop for later, name it “NAME _ instrument”; we will put 3 files in it later.
2. Open a new project In Garageband. Choose loops. Name it “NAME _ instrument”

Recording + Slicing
1. Create a new REAL Instrument track (Track > New Track > Real Instrument)
2. Let’s record ourselves reading our script (our QOTD).
3. Now lets slice our words up.
4. Make sure Snap to Grid is NOT checked.
5. Use slice (cmmd + T) to create a slice BEFORE (to the left of) each word

Making a New Instrument1. Create a new software instrument track.
2. In your instrument browser choose Sound Effects > Radio Sounds as your instrument
3. Open your musical typing keyboard
4. Use “Z” to move your keyboard to the lowest (farthest left) octave.
5. One-by-one drag and drop your vocal samples onto the black and white keys.
6. You can now play your voice like any of your other percussion instruments!

Saving Your Instrument1. In your instrument browser, click on “save instrument.” Name it “YOUR NAME Instrument”
2. Use the following graphic to find the three files: .cst, .exs, and .aif

click on image to enlarge

3. Copy and paste each to your folder that you created on your desktop (you can save this to your server to use later).

Adding To Your Midi Beat
1. Drag your midi beat to your desktop and open it. (Save your current project to the desktop, and drag to your server after opening your midi beat.)
2. Now that your midi beat is open, create a New Software instrument track.
3. Using the loop/instrument browser, choose Sound Effects > YOUR NAME Instrument
4. Add your vocals to your track using any pattern you choose (single time, double time, triplet, 1/16th, etc.)
5. Quantize this track to make your words hit on beat

Extra Credit
1. Use the “Edit” tab in your instrument browser to add effects to your voice.
2. Try adding “Distortion” (there are a number of effects to choose from under this setting)
3. Try adding “Bitcrusher” (there are a number of effects to choose from under this setting)
4. Try adding “Vocal Transformer” (there are a number of effects to choose from under this setting)

Saving As MP3
1. Go to Share > Export song to Disk
2. Compress, MP3, Higher Quality
3. Name your MP3 “YOUR NAME _ VOCAL MIX”

3.12.10 - Remixing and Listening

Warm Up (15 min)
POTD
QOTD: What have you liked so far in working with garageband? Is there something specific about digital music production that you would like to learn or do? What has been challenging about making our beats? What have you felt successful at?

VOTD
Remix: A different version of the original.

Adding Your Loop (5 min)
1. Now what you have a midi drum track, we can add our loops from last week.
2. Drag your loop from your student server (or make a new one from the ultimate breaks and beats!) into your midi beat timeline.
If we were diligent in getting our loops on beat, we should hear our sample with some nice clean hi-hats, snares, bass drums and mystery sounds accompanying them.
Choose weather you want to use your regular time hi-hats or double time hats.
Do the same for your bass drums; regular or half time?


Extending the Beat (30 min)
Use the remaining time to extend the length of your beat to 24 measures.
1. Using copy and paste or pulling the upper right hand corner of your tracks extend the length of your tracks.
Don’t settle with having all the tracks play all the time. Experiment with removing your hi-hats and bass drum or switching between your two variations of hi hats and bass.

EXPORT AS AN MP3 AND DROP IN THE DROP BOX FOR CREDIT! WE WILL LISTEN TO THE BEATS AT THE END OF CLASS.

Movie (30 min)
Beat Diggin’ Documentary
What do these sampling experts look for in a sample?

Listening Session (25 min)
Let’s hear our remixes!

3.10.10 - Double Time & Extending

Warm-Up (10 min)

POTD
VOTD:

write an example sentence for each of the following vocabulary words.

double-time: A time twice as fast as an earlier section.

half-time: A time half the speed of an earlier section.

Adding Variation (20 min)

Setting Up

1. Open your Midi Beat
2. Create 2 new duplicate tracks
3. Rename the first track “double time hat”
4. Rename the second “half time bass”

Double-time hi-hats

1. Yesterday we played one hi-hat for each beat. Today we are going to play two hi-hats for each beat!
2. Make sure the red dot is on on your new double time hat track
3. Record your playing 2 hi hats per beat. That makes how many hi hats per measure? How many hi hats for 2 measures?
4. Use the editing window to quantize your hi-hats to 1/8th notes

Half-time bass dum

1. Yesterday we played our bass drum on the first and the third beat. Today we are going to half time the bass drum and only play on the first beat.
2. Make sure the red dot is on on your half time bass track
3. Record your bass drum on only the first beat of each measure
4. quantize your notes to 1/2 notes

Extending the Beat (10 min)
Use the remaining time to extend the length of your beat.Using copy and paste or pulling the upper right hand corner of your tracks extend the length of your tracks. Don’t settle for making all of the tracks play all the time. Experiment with removing your hi-hats and bass drum or switiching between your two variations of hi hats and bass.

Export > Save to Disk > compress, mp3, higher quality, export > YOUR NAME _ Extended Midi Beat

3.9.10 - The Midi Beat

Warm Up (15 min)
P.O.T.D.

V.O.T.D.

On your blog, write one example sentence of the vocabulary words below.
1. pitch bend: to slide between notes
2. octave: a set of 8 notes (do, rae, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do).
3. velocity: the force a note is played.
4. metronome: A beat keeping device. Every click of the metronome represents one beat.
5. count in: One measure of metronome clicking that takes place before recording begins.

Demo (10 min)
My beat. 4 + tracks.
Why are these sounds on different tracks? What would an advantage of that be?

Musical Typing (60 min)
Students will identify how to set up a midi drum kit in garageband and record a 2 measure polyphonic beat.

Setting Up (10 min)

1. Open garageband
2. New Project
3. Loops
4. Name it “YOUR NAME _ midi beat”
5. Turn On Metronome (Control > metronome)
6. Turn On Count In: (control > count-in)
7. Open your Musical Typing Keyboard (Window > Musical typing).
8. Identify the sections of musical typing. Listen to their effects.
9. New Track (Track > New Track > Software Instrument)
10. Open your Information window. Press the “i” on your control bar
11. Select a Drum Kit
12. Duplicate this track 3 times (Track > duplicate track). You should now have a total of 4 drum kit tracks.
13. Open Editing Window (click the scissors on the control bar).

Recording Your Tracks (40 min)

Track 1: hi-hat

1. Rename your first track “hi-hat”
2. Make sure the red dot is on on this track. That lets you know that you are going to record on that track.
3. Find a hi-hat sound in your drum kit. You may have to browse around the keyboard octaves to find a sound you like.
4. We are going to record a hi-hat on every beat (4 beats per measure). So every time we hear the metronome click, we will play one hi-hat. Press the record button to start recording and the spacebar to stop.
5. After recording. Find your midi notes in the editing window. Select all notes by clicking in the window and pressing command + a.
6. Let’s use enhance timing to quantize our notes. Quantize to 1/4 notes. All of your hi-hats should be perfectly on beat now.

Track 2: snare

1. Rename your second track “snare”
2. Make sure the red dot is on on this track. That lets you know that you are going to record on that track.
3. Find a snare or clapping sound that you like. Again, you may have to browse around to find one that suits you.
4. We are going to record our snare on every other note, 2nd and 4th.
5. After recording. Find your midi notes in the editing window. Select all notes by clicking in the window and pressing command + a.
6. Again, let’s use enhance timing to quantize our notes. Quantize to 1/4 notes. All of your snares or claps should be perfectly on beat now.

Track 3: bass drum

1. Rename your third track “bass”
2. Make sure the red dot is on on this track. That lets you know that you are going to record on that track.
3. Find a bass drum sound that you like. Again, you may have to browse around to find one that suits you.
4. We are going to record our bass on every other note, 1st and 3rd.
5. After recording. Find your midi notes in the editing window. Select all notes by clicking in the window and pressing command + a.
6. Again, let’s use enhance timing to quantize our notes. Quantize to 1/4 notes. All of your bass drums should be perfectly on beat now.

Track 4: players choice

1. Find a sound in your drum kit that you like. This can be any percussion sound. Browse around the keyboard to find something that suits your beat.
2. Make sure the red dot is on on this track. That lets you know that you are going to record on that track.
3. Record your new instrument in any pattern you like. After recording, try quantizing to 1/16 swing heavy. If you don’t like that, try quantizing to another setting (1/16 note, 1/32 note, etc.).
4. Rename this track whatever it is that you chose.

SAVE YOUR GARAGEBAND FILE TO YOUR STUDENT SERVER AND MY DROP BOX FOR CREDIT.

Extending the Beat (20 min)
Use the remaining time to extend the length of your beat.
Using copy and paste, bring the different elements of your beat in and out on your timeline.


Extra Credit - make it into a loop
1. Save your beat as an mp3 (share > export song to disk > compress > mp3 > higher quality > export). Save to your desktop for convenience.
2. Once your beat is now saved as a mp3, we can drag it back into garageband.
3. With your beat selected, let’s make it into a loop (edit > add to loop library).
4. Name it “YOUR NAME _ BEAT” and choose an tags you want to be associated with your loop.

Content Standard:
Compose, Arrange, and Improvise

2.6 Compose music in distinct styles.

2.7 Compose and arrange music for various combinations of voice and acoustic and digital/ electronic instruments,

3.5 - New Loops

Warm - Up (15min)
POTD
VOTD:
Write one example sentence for each of the following vocabulary words:
1. Sound: A traveling wave with varying frequencies and amplitude.
2. Frequency: How often something occurs. In this case, how often a vibration repeats.
3. Amplitude: The amount that a wave vibrates. the greater the amplitude, the louder the sound.
4. Percussion Instrument: A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration.
5. Quantize: In digital music processing technology, quantization is the process of aligning a set of musical notes to a precise setting.

Announcements: 5 min
Last Day to turn in work, 3.12.
WAASC in the class next week, be on point!

Make your own Samples (80 min)
Begin building a sample library.

Choose a different break from the “Ultimate Breaks and Beats” folder located on the teacher server. Use the same technique we used last class, transform your break into a loop.

Save your loop to your student server and drop a copy off in my server. Be sure your name is on it!

3.2.10 - Sampling and Looping

Warm-Up (15 min)

POTD

QOTD:
Do you have a favorite producer (the person who makes the beats, or makes the album, for the songs you listen to)? Think about a song that you like by them, what do you guess the tempo is? How do you think they made the beat? Include a photo of the producer on you blog.

VOTD:

Post on your blog a synonym and example sentence for each of the following words:

sample: A small piece of a larger thing.

playhead: The red line in our timeline.

split: To divide. In Garageband we can split audio using our playhead.

snap-to: Automatically aligns things to a larger system.

break: A point in a song when many of the instruments stop playing leaving only the drums. Also called a drum break.

Part 1: Sampling Brief History (15min)

Videos

GMF

BIz Mark v. Alone Again

Under Pressure

Part 3 - Making your own Samples (70 min)

I'll do one, we'll do one, you'll do one. The following was adapted from: http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/build_your_own_garageband_loops_any_music_file

Setting Up Garageband

1. open garageband
2. choose a loops file, name it “the breaks”, save to your desktop, leave the tempo, time and key signatures alone for now.
3. in garageband, go to “control”, turn off “snap-to grid” (it will be unchecked if it is off)
   
   Getting a Break
4. Log onto the teacher server using your name and password.
5. Choose a break from the teacher server (mjacobs > public > ultimate breaks and beats > click once and press the spacebar to preview)
6. drag that break to your desktop
7. drag that beat from the desktop to your garageband timeline
8. listen to the song for the drum break.
   Trimming the Sample
9. Line up the playhead with the beginning of the break. You should see a little black blob indicating the bass drum. Zoom in to get your playhead as close as possible to the left of the drum (the closer we can get the more exact our loop will be).
10. Go to “edit” > “split” to make your first incision. You should now have two pieces of audio, click on the audio piece on the left (before the drum break) and press delete.
11. Move your remaining audio to the beginning of your timeline.
12. listen again to your break. we are going to count to 8 beats for this drum break. Right before the 9th beat press the spacebar to pause. Zoom-in and get your playhead as close to the 9th beat as possible (again, you will see a black blob indicating the bass drum). Go to edit > split to create your second incision.
13. Again, you should now have 2 sections of audio. Click on the right hand one and delete it.
    
    Fine Tuning
14. We now have a 8 beat drum loop. It may not be exact but we are about to fix that.
15. Go back to “control” and turn on your snap to grid
16. Go to your project controls and turn on the cycle function
17. Set your cycle region to 2 measures.
18. Go to your LCD controls. Choose the project view.
19. Slide your tempo bar to fit your 8 beat loop to the 2 measure cycle region. Get your beat as close as possible WITHOUT GOING UNDER 2 MEASURES. (HINT: Impeach the president is 95 bpm)
20. Move your playhead to the beginning of the 3rd measure.
21. Click on your audio clip and split (edit > split). A little nub of audio should pop up at the end.
22. Delete the nub! Press play to hear your drum break!
    Saving
23. You are ready to make this into a break that you or your classmates can use.
24. With your drum break selected, go to Edit > “Add to Loop Library”
25. Name your loop “YOUR NAME _ SONG NAME”
26. If you have trimmed this perfectly, you will be able to add it as a “Loop”.
27. Choose any other descriptive tags and press “Create”
    
    Turning in
28. You can find this loop in the following folder: User > Library > Apple Loops > User Loops > SingleFiles
29. Find your loop and drop it in your student server for safe keeping
30. Also drop one of your loops in the Teacher Server Folder: Student Loops