Okay maybe this is even a question before '101' but I notice some drum patterns and beats seem to flow with the melody/bassline/chords and are hitting on the same pattern and other beats are completely different then the melody but both versions seem to sound good. I've noticed this especially with 808 beats. Some just hit one note with the beat and others are tuned with either a specific bassline or with the melody. I know there's probably no wrong way or right way, but how can knowing this midi sequencing drum stuff help my productions out, what do I need to know about this? I watched a video saying something about the snare hitting on your 'weak' notes or something like that? It's in the middle part of the moziac auto theory beats video..

 

Compose horizontally, and then adjust the vertical plane? It works for basslines and melody, probably harmony too.

 

Last edited: Jan 29, 2016

come on man

 

I'm not on here trying to find yoda i'm trying to get better and get questions answered (yes I know they are newbie ones).

 

Simple Answer:
Expressiveness vs constant loudness is the comparison here. What you want your tracks to sound like is entirely up to you.

Advanced Answer:
If you are making something where you need the dynamic range then modifying Midi levels is one of the many contributors to achieving this. But keep in mind some libraries or 3 party sampletanks hold different information at different midi values. As an example in addictive drums, the kick plays an actual different sample in the sample engine when playing a kick at a low velocity. Some library manufacturers have even mapped how the sound comes out. For example you may hear the beater hitting the material of the kick more clearly at a low velocity, but hear more of air pushed out sound of the kick at a higher velocity, as well as overall sound. So in this case you may want the beater sound so you have to use lower velocity, but this comes at the price of a quieter sound, so you'll have to compress or louden the sound to get it the same volume as you would normally hear, obviously paying attention to the fletcher munson curve to achieve better equality amongst the frequency spectrum.

If you are talking about midi pattern for drums then its a separate question, its kinda unclear of what you are specifically asking for, because the precursor paragraph makes the main question lose a bit of context.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncopation

Try playing drums on a keyboard

Keep trying to compose

try to make a beat and a bassline with your mouth

 

^^ I just paid for the dance production manual lol..

 

Not always?

I'm talking about starting with the drums and then adding the bass and melody lines rhythmically on the horizontal axis (using a single pitch), and then fine-tuning the various note values. It works well to get a vibe going.

You even recommended a book to Steve Faoki that has this advice! ... "it is generally easiest to compose the rhythmical content first using a single pitch and then move onto introducing pitch changes between phrases at a later stage. "

I would also suggest using Geist (or similar) to play around with the beats in real-time.

 

Last edited: Jan 30, 2016

geist looks cool how do you make the playlist bigger though, what is that only 4 bars on the screen?

 

As pointed out already, it depends upon what you are going for.
In pop funk and groove based music, you will find emphasis on the One and Three or
syncopation (up 8th or 16th).

Disco and pop-rock usually but not always hit the one and two strong.

Then there is the notion of pushing or dragging the beat (playing slightly ahead or behind the beat).

Also check Youtube for Geist and drum programming videos. Some good knowledge there.

 

Last edited: Jan 29, 2016

interesting, will do! I see the stepper button there I was looking at it from the picture.

 

You can have up to 1024 steps, 24 paterns, 8 engines.

 

No one can answer this question for you. And if they did, they should get a producer credit on the tracks lol. Play around and see what works best for the track in question. Listen to songs that achieve what you're going for--and use that as inspiration. But mostly, play drums with a pad/keyboard controller. This will help you develop your own organic grooves. You can make perfectly great drums with a piano roll. It's more about the rhythm and feel. Remember, people may hum the melody, but it's the rhythm they dance to.