Introduction to Pro Tools

Last week we worked on 2 different assignments to get us back into music making mode. This week we'll of course continue to work on music, however, we're going to introduce a new program. Welcome to Pro Tools. Pro Tools is a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), commonly used in the audio world. Quite popular in the music industry, it is also used in the world of sound design and audio post production. A DAW is a piece of software that gives you the main functions of a recording studio on your personal computer:

• It lets you record
• It lets you edit
• It lets you mix

Pro Tools is currently the most widely used DAW on the market. It is not the only one, though. Logic, Nuendo, Cubase and even Garageband are just a few examples of other DAWs that many people use and some prefer over Pro Tools. They generally all do the same things, they just have slightly different looks and feels.

 Today we're going to take a look at some of the different features of Pro Tools.

 Let's get started!

Tool Bar

 The Tool Bar in Pro Tools is located at the top of your Pro tools Session.  It enables you to select a variety of tools and modes for editing your song.  


Transport Window

 

  The Transport Window is where you find the record, play, and stop buttons. If you can't find your transport window go the the window menu and select transport to make the window appear. 

Edit Window

The Edit Window is your main work area. This is a kind of sequencer that displays all of your tracks and regions.

Mix Window

To display the Mix Window, go to the Window Menu and select Mix or hit command =.  This is the Mixer.  For Each Track you will find faders, solo, mute, record enable and panning.


Lets Watch a Few videos by Digidisign to see some of the capabilities you will have using this Digital Audio Workstation!

MuSiCaL cHaIrS!!

Today you and your classmates will be playing our version of Musical Chairs!  This is a fun way to creatively collaborate with your classmates while practicing your music composition and arrangement skills.

The Rules:

1. Starting at your computer begin creating a new song in Reason
2. When you hear music in the classroom, move to the chair to your right
3. Now work on the Reason song at that computer!  Add at least one new musical element to each song by....

• Adding instruments (Drums, Bass line, Chords, Melodies and Pads)
• Working on the Arrangement (Intro, verses, choruses and outro)
• Adding effects (Reverb, Delay, Distortion, etc..)

The time between chairs will vary, so work quickly get creative. At the end of class we will share our collaborations, yipee!

The Production Team

Welcome back from the Winter Break. We hope you all had a good time and are ready to jump right back into programming. We have a lot to learn in the coming months, as well as some cool projects. Let's get started with something a little different than what we normally do.

Today let's talk about the concept of the production team. What is a production team? Well, a group of producers who team up on projects. Some well known production teams in music include the Neptunes, KrucialKeys, Stargate and Espionage. However, it doesn't stop there. There are many record producers who actually have teams that work for them, constantly producing music. These producers include Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Missy Elliot and Diddy. That's not to say that these producers aren't the ones working. Many producers are responsible for writing the music that they have instrumentalists play. Examples of that include the likes of Isaac Hayes, Quincy Jones and Barry White.

Today we're going to be placed in pairs. Each duo will be given the remainder of class to complete a song (or as close as you can get) to present at the end of class. All of the pairs will be picked at random.

Remember: We are looking for Rhythm (Redrum & Dr. REX), Melody (synthesizers and samplers) and Arrangement. If you need to, be sure to check previous assignments.

Family Night

Family Night is right around the corner. What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that you have successfully completed the first phase of the program! After the winter break we'll be starting more new and exciting audio projects. BUT...before we get to that, let's use today to complete any unfinished work that you may have.

Here is a list of assignments that are to be turned in.

• First full beat
• And Still I Rise
• Michael Jackson Remix
• 1 extra remix OR 1 extra full beat

Let's take the time to make sure these 4 assignments are completed and turned in. If you have already completed these assignments, use today to start on new music. For those of you who are interested in having a visual representation of piano notes and scales, here is an excellent website you can use for reference: http://nfo.net/MFILE

Remix Continued

Hello all! We will be continuing working on the MJ remix.  I want to remind you of a few key tips to song arrangement and using melodic instruments.

lets think about song structure...
There is the Intro, Verses, Chorus', Bridge, and Outro
The majority of the song is made up of what...... Verses and Chorus'


What are Verses and chorus made up of?
They are often made up of 4 bar loops

So......
Work with 4 bars at a time!

• The songs that we work with have repeating 4 bar melodies and chords
  
• work hard to find notes that sound nice for four bars
  
• Add more instruments using the same notes but try different rhythms
• Now you can copy and paste and arrange these 4 bar loops creatively

If you are done with the Michael Jackson Remix there is a folder in the Yellow folder labeled acapella wav that has more acapella songs that you can remix.  If you would rather just work on your own song you can do that as well.

New songs to remix:

• Paparazzi, Lady Gaga Tempo 115
• My Love, Maria Carey and The Dream Tempo 85
• Rock the Boat, Aaliyah Tempo 93
• Honey, Erykah Badu Tempo 88

Remix!

 Hola! Today we will be starting a remix of Michael Jackson's song Rock My World.  We will be using an acapella version of the song and be adding our own instruments to it. Here is what we will be working with:

In order to start making a remix of this song we need to know a few things about the song. What do you think we would want to know about the song in order to make a remix in Reason???

You would want to know the Tempo and The Key.  I have figured that out for you so you can get started!

The Tempo is 95 BPM

This song is in the key of G Major and the key of G major looks like this:

G A B C D E F# G

These notes will work well for you when you are adding melodic instruments to your song.

Also, here are some chords that will work well with this song

1 chord- G Major

4 chord- C Major

5 chord- D Major

6 chord- E Minor

Just like last week, we will be using the NN19 to add this Micheal Jackson Wave file.

You will be able to find the file in the Yellow folder.  

Instructions:

1. Find the Michael Jackson-You Rock My World(Acapella Version).wav file in the yellow folder and transfer it into your own folder on your desktop.

2. Create a New Reason session

3. Create a Mixer 14:2

4. Change the Tempo to 95 BPM

5. Create an NN19 digital sampler

6. Load the Acapella You Rock My World in the blue folder icon

7. In the Sequencer you will need to draw a note on C3 that goes to bar 84

8. OK now here is the part that is TRICKY. The lyrics will be off beat if we don't move them to a very particular beginning point.  I have figured out the exact location that will be easiest for you to work with. You will need to go the edit view for the NN19 and make sure that you select the 1/16 next to the magnet icon.

Now you will need to have the note on C3 start slightly after the 3rd beat.  This may be confusing so please us help you find the exact starting place.  It should look like this:

To Start here is a basic outline of the first part of the song:

Intro 1-3

First Verse 3-10

Pre Chorus 10-19

Chorus 19-27

*And Still I Rise*

On Tuesday we started on the project of putting music to the poem "And Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. Today we will finish up that project and some of you can share with the class!

The vocals are what we want the listener to focus on, make sure it is the most prominent part of the song. All other instruments should compliment the poem.

For this assignment please:
1. Use at least 3 instruments besides the vocals(if you have time add more!)
2. Have an Intro and Outro that support the words in the poem
4. Put Reverb on vocals
5. Save As (yourname)_StilliRise

REMINDER
On Thursday December 16th we will be having family night! Invite Parents, family and friends to see what you have been doing in class so far. You have put a lot of time into this class and now you will have a chance to show what you have accomplished! There will be food!