Sounds, instruments and sample selection
- Select specific sounds that begin to convey their intention
When using pre-recorded loops found in many DAWs, ask learners to choose loops that reflect their intention from a menu of pre-set samples (e.g. EMD, Hip-Hop, Dubstep). They can further edit specific samples from within these templates and also add new samples from the loops menu.
When using virtual instruments (VSTi) in a DAW, learners can typically choose from a menu of pre-set instrument sounds (e.g. piano, guitar, marimba) or synthesis models (e.g. analogue, FM, granular, wavetable) which reflect their intention. They can further edit specific parameters from within these pre-sets to further shape the sounds.
When using the sequencer in a DAW, encourage learners to select loops and instruments that reflect their intention.
Ask learners to choose either pitched instruments (keyboard, strings, bass, guitar, sitar) or unpitched instruments (acoustic or electronic drum kits) from the available virtual instruments in their DAW and explore the sounds that each creates.
Terminology
Encourage use of correct Music Technology terminology. This may differ from terms used in traditional music but will ensure consistency with Further Education courses and professional Music Technology. Encourage learners to describe their intentions and decisions using these terms:
- Audio – a recording of a real-world voice or instrument
- Clip/Region – the blocks of audio/MIDI that contain musical information; the term ‘clip’ is typically used in DAWs like Ableton Live or similar.
- DAW – Digital Audio Workstation, the software used to produce music
- FX – abbreviation of ‘effects’, which are creative enhancements to a sound that change its characteristics in some way. Some common effects are:
- Delay – adds time-delayed versions of a sound, creating distinct echoes, e.g. ping pong, slapback, plate, spring
- Reverb – creates a sense of space by adding multiple, simultaneous time-delayed instances of the affected sound to replicate an acoustic environment, e.g. hall, small room, church
- Loop – a short clip/region that can be played repeatedly without break to create a seamless section of music
- MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a binary language used to communicate between electronic musical devices. The most common usage of MIDI within a DAW would be the use of MIDI data to create regions to trigger virtual instrument sounds. MIDI keyboards or pads are used to send MIDI data to a DAW and are used to capture live performance.
- Quantising – ability to snap MIDI notes to a defined note duration grid, often called the ‘piano roll’ (because the notes of the grid are in line with their positions on a piano keyboard). Learners used to the British system should be advised that the quantise function often uses the international duration definitions of:
- Crotchet is a ‘Quarter Note’ or ‘1/4’
- Quaver is an ‘Eighth Note’ or ‘1/8’
- Semiquaver is a ‘Sixteenth Note or ‘1/16’
- Sequencer – the arrangement window of a DAW
- Track – horizontal lane upon which MIDI/audio information is recorded. The playhead will move from left to right, scrolling through the track or tracks, playing the music held within.
- Velocity – how hard a MIDI note is pressed, often generating a change in timbre. The term ‘dynamics’ would be an equivalence in traditional music.
- VSTi – Virtual Studio Technology instruments: software emulations of instruments (orchestral, rock/pop, electronic, etc.)
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