Robot Shutdown

Posted on March 24, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

Today I had a student ask how to make old science fiction machinery sounds. The sound he wanted was for a robot starting up then slowly shutting down. We tried a few different things and finally settled on using Reason to create a random sequence of notes.

I started with a chromatic scale and then randomized it using the change events function. We played it back in Subtractor and messed with the patch until it sounded like what he was going for. The tricky part was pitch bending the sequence. Reason 3.5 does not support tempo automation, so although we could use the pitch bend wheel the notes were all at the same speed. To get around this we exported the audio and loaded it into NN-XT as a sample, then applied automation to the pitch wheel with a twenty four semitone range.

Robot Shutdown

Video of the Gestural Music Sequencer

Posted on March 19, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s a video of me playing with my Gestural Music Sequencer. I’ll upload a better version at some point, but I think you can a least get a sense of how you might use this kind of tool (I’m talking about the sequencer, not the performer). As you can see the video has been mirrored so it’s easier to follow your own movements.

To reiterate how the sequencer works, the X axis of the brightest pixel is used to determine the pitch, while the Y axis is the dynamics. The application outputs MIDI data that I’m routing to Reason. I’ve programmed the up and down arrows on the keyboard to increase or decrease a multiplier that along with the 15 fps frame rate determines the time between each note on event. I’ve also enabled a group of keys to adjust the transposition.

Three Phase Oscillator

Posted on December 8, 2008 by John C.S. Keston

Another Processing library that I have looked into is RWMidi Processing which is another relatively simple and easy to use set of MIDI tools. To illustrate how to use the library Wesen, from Ruin & Wesen, produced a screen cast on how to make a “Game of Life” sequencer. I decided to have a look at the sequencer to see if I could route the MIDI from Processing to other applications, like Ableton Live and Reason. I accomplished this using the IAC Driver found in the Audio MIDI Setup utility. I routed the MIDI data to Reason to have a listen to the results, then started manipulating some of the behavior of the sequencer. Later I decided to route the MIDI to Ableton Live. After that, one thing led to another and now I have the building blocks for a new track. Here’s a rendered snippet of the MIDI data that I captured and edited for the piece.

Sine of Life

Video Game Music Remixes: Tetris

Posted on December 2, 2008 by John C.S. Keston

As I have mentioned in previous entries I give an assignment in my audio production class on importing MIDI files and producing music using Propellerheads Reason. The goal of the assignment is to learn about MIDI as an interface, protocol, and file format, and to learn some of the basics of Reason.

Usually I demonstrate how to do this with a MIDI file from Classical Archives, but I also use popular music examples from mididb.com, and I always get an enthusiastic response when using a MIDI file from a video game. A great site for video game MIDI files is vgmusic.com.

Consequently, many of the projects turned in are remixes of video game music. This quarter I have a student who is planning on submitting his work to Overclocked Remix, a site dedicated entirely to remixes of video game music. Another talented student named Ben Siegel produced this excellent version of the theme from Tetris that starts out with piano and then builds into a disco classic.

Tetris Remix by Ben Siegel

Video Game Music Remixes

Posted on May 30, 2008 by John C.S. Keston

One of the projects that I assign in my audio production class is an exercise on how to import MIDI files into Reason and assign specific instruments to each track. I usually demonstrate this with a random classical MIDI file from classicalarchives.com and end up with a Tomita-esque rendition of Mussorgsky.

However, I do not limit the assignment to classical works. Sometimes, students make clever remixes of popular music, and frequently they choose music from classic video games like this remix of the Lost Woods theme from the Legend of Zelda – The Ocarina of Time by Brandon Sullivan. Brandon creatively chose some unique patches for this piece and then added a drum-n-bass beat to the end of the sequence that elevates the energy and takes the Lost Woods on a wayward yet intriguing new path.

Later I’ll add some more examples to this post. Also, if you have any interesting examples of video game music remixes and would like to share, please post a link in a comment below.

Lost Woods