Question 1: Dubstep Bass Piano Roll

[Kes-Es]

Sometimes I forget that people get into this and don't have an ear for notes.

and then I want to kill myself

[pesky]

this thread makes me laugh

why?
alot of people probably experience this problem...

[dude3032]

this thread makes me laugh

haha...if u know so much then why dont u help, jackass.
forum is supposed to help every1, its not here so u can talk shit.

[Kes-Es]

this thread makes me laugh

haha...if u know so much then why dont u help, jackass.
forum is supposed to help every1, its not here so u can talk shit.

Yes, it is.

[Ldizzy]

this thread makes me laugh

haha...if u know so much then why dont u help, jackass.
forum is supposed to help every1, its not here so u can talk shit.

Yes, it is.

well yeah... its kinda there for both..

[colbydenn]

its called "riff machine", in the piano roll, click on the wrench (tools), then riff machine. you can click on each tab and click randomize, or at the bottom of the window hit roll the dice. randomize will change settings in the current tab, and roll the dice will change settings in all tabs simultaneously. i just found that out today, hope it helps!

[Ldizzy]

Sometimes I forget that people get into this and don't have an ear for notes.

and then I want to kill myself

i often go back to similar thoughts man... especially the ear part...

[JBE]

its called "riff machine", in the piano roll, click on the wrench (tools), then riff machine. you can click on each tab and click randomize, or at the bottom of the window hit roll the dice. randomize will change settings in the current tab, and roll the dice will change settings in all tabs simultaneously. i just found that out today, hope it helps!

Forget the riff machine. The shit it comes up with is rather bland and not very interesting. If you don't know chords or scales, there is in fact a chord/scale option in the piano roll that will automatically place notes on the piano roll when you paint that show you exactly which notes are used in each chord/scale. If notes are your problem, this can help you immensely as you'll know exactly what notes you need to stay in key.

I suggest investing in some music theory material. There's a lot of really basic music theory stuff online for free, and just knowing a few basics can help you quite a bit. I also suggest picking up a book called "Music Theory for Computer Musicians". It's not the greatest book available, but it's geared towards beginners, and it puts everything in DAW terms so it's somewhat more familiar. It's also pretty cheap if I remember correctly, so it shouldn't put you back too much. When I bought it I think it was like 15 dollars.

[hifi]

i think this man worded his question wrong. and people are answering the wrong question. he says he can make good sounds in massive but is having trouble putting it into a bassline? please reword that OP then we can answer it correctly

[Filthzilla]

this thread makes me laugh

Why?...

[Edit: Just realised after reading page 2 that I'm not the only one who feels that the OP asked a fine question.]

[RandoRando]

Try using the bass roll.

[TieN]

I haven't read the entire thread, though I doubt I missed much when I scanned past "jackass" and ended on a facepalm picture I'm not sure if anybody has said this, but why work on the bassline first? You don't necessarily need to focus on a certain element first, second, third, etc. Take a step back and look at where your song is going. Some songs I might be inspired by the drums first, some I may be focusing on a huge melody/pad combo. Generally, if you're stuck on one piece of a song and it's getting to be REALLY frustrating, work on another part! Maybe you'll come up with a nice, dark melody using bells, then you might think to yourself, "It would sound so good if the bassline accompanied the melody like this!"

Everything usually falls into place with a little bit of experimentation and keeping your mind open and active to work on other parts of songs you might not usually start out with. Just gotta break out of that box! I really hope this helped in some way, I'm just waking up, so I may not have gotten my point across clearly.

[Ldizzy]

^ ! (good advice TieN)

besides, if i were a noob.. id spend a couple days just JAMMING with my presets on a midi controller..

just that is gonna give you an idea of how u should program ur bassline, if u cant play it in... and then correct it (or just play it synced if ur good)

im always amazed at how people who begin put such little time in PLAYING the sounds..

i remember i used to play midi drumlines, live.. for days.. when i started producing

it might help also..

[craic_addict]

A technique which I used to use (dunno why I forgot about it though) is using "flatten groove" in FL Slicer.

Here's the craic with it.

Let's assume you've got your drums rolling n grooving the way you like, they don't need to sound pretty just that yer groove is on. OK then, highlight all yer sampler channels and export that baby as a wav. If yer using a break in FL Slicer already then skip this step.

Open this bad boy groove of truth in a new slicer channel from your browser ie right click >open in new slicer channel.

Left click the Slicer in the step seq to open the Slicer settings. Click the box on the right, just above the waveform. (It's got a wee piano on it) and hit "flatten groove". In basic terms, this sets up the rhythm of yer drums. Open up a new instrument of your choice and copy this flattened groove into the Piano Roll of yer bass machine. If you hit play now, you'll hear it follow the rhythm of your beat because it IS your beat.
Play about and get a tune out of it (or smoke a bifter and find yourself tinkering for hours as you amaze yourself with your new found badass skillz) take notes out, play with synth settings, whatever but it will now be locked to your beat.

Result?

Save it as a groove template and impose it on breaks or anything else that goes into your Slicer in the future.

All the best with it.

[Kes-Es]

I haven't read the entire thread, though I doubt I missed much when I scanned past "jackass" and ended on a facepalm picture I'm not sure if anybody has said this, but why work on the bassline first? You don't necessarily need to focus on a certain element first, second, third, etc. Take a step back and look at where your song is going. Some songs I might be inspired by the drums first, some I may be focusing on a huge melody/pad combo. Generally, if you're stuck on one piece of a song and it's getting to be REALLY frustrating, work on another part! Maybe you'll come up with a nice, dark melody using bells, then you might think to yourself, "It would sound so good if the bassline accompanied the melody like this!"

Everything usually falls into place with a little bit of experimentation and keeping your mind open and active to work on other parts of songs you might not usually start out with. Just gotta break out of that box! I really hope this helped in some way, I'm just waking up, so I may not have gotten my point across clearly.

Great advice, however irrelevant.

[Lectric]

why cant we all just get along

[Electric_Head]

Start with a simple bass melody, alter notes up or down the keys.
But don`t forget to check the length of your notes as well.
Short notes with naturally sound like more of a picked bass.
Longer notes will create longer drawn out bass tones.

Adjust velocity and pitch to suite.

Experiment with the above

[jrisreal]

Try using the bass roll.

yeah op, theres your problem. usin piano roll when your makin bass not piano

[colbydenn]

Try using the bass roll.

yeah op, theres your problem. usin piano roll when your makin bass not piano

LOL thats great! oh, and if youre using massive, then go to an lfo, and change the settings on the right from lfo to step sequencer or the other option, and if you just use a note the entire length of your bar, then you can create a good bassline in that. or link the channel to a new spot, and use gross beat

[Dystinkt]

Work on your sound design, so that your tune is more forgiving of a slightly weak melody.