MIDI Pattern for Complex Basslines

[bassalchemists]

Hey Everyone,

So I have been producing with a variety of different workflow techniques/procedures, and I just wanted to get your guys' take on fundamental approaches to creating the chorus/thick part of a track - really any part of a track that involves rapid switching of synths, sample sounds, etc.

Right now, my technique has been to create a simple baseline with one of the many bass synths that I had create beforehand, and then dragging individual notes of the clip onto the different synths and tweaking them to sound good after that. I was just wondering if you guys had any other good ideas for how to go about creating the thick parts of songs that change between synths rapidly. I've heard about the method of just using one single MIDI note all the way across, but I am sure there is other techniques out there.

Cheers,
BA

[Shum]

Have a search around for the many threads on resampling.

[ehbes]

Automation

[mikeyp]

Have a search around for the many threads on resampling.

thisssssssssssssssss

[sunny_b_uk]

Automation

definitely, also crossfading between different sounds.. simple as it sounds i find this one technique powerful

[stevemac]

A trick I use:
Bounce out the notes that you want to use / have used for your bass line. Do this for each synth sound you want.

Load up your sampler and assign each sample to their appropriate key, but each octave is for the different synth sound. Now you can jam away with 4 or 5 synths without having to break to change the instrument assigned to you midi keyboard.

In Ableton it's even easier to do this and you don;t need to bounce out - you can simply 'rack' multiple instruments and use the key selector tool to map each instrument to a different octave. They still retain their own FX processing chains etc. I also will add into this an acapella chopped into 16ths or something so that one octave triggers some cool vocal hits, same for an FX octave sometimes.

[Skrew]

IMO those complex lines like Skrillex are a bunch of patterns resampled together. It's not just one pattern in FL Studio.

[MassAphekt]

A trick I use:
Bounce out the notes that you want to use / have used for your bass line. Do this for each synth sound you want.

Load up your sampler and assign each sample to their appropriate key, but each octave is for the different synth sound. Now you can jam away with 4 or 5 synths without having to break to change the instrument assigned to you midi keyboard.

In Ableton it's even easier to do this and you don;t need to bounce out - you can simply 'rack' multiple instruments and use the key selector tool to map each instrument to a different octave. They still retain their own FX processing chains etc. I also will add into this an acapella chopped into 16ths or something so that one octave triggers some cool vocal hits, same for an FX octave sometimes.

dope tip im definitely gonna mess around with this

[blinx]

you could build a synth 128 and use one midi bassline, but switching the active synth by using a macro knob.
http://glitchhopforum.com/glitch-hop-pr ... t6827.html
Thats the guide to do drums/hits in 128s but the concept is about the same jsut use synths instead of different samplers.

[bassalchemists]

IMO those complex lines like Skrillex are a bunch of patterns resampled together. It's not just one pattern in FL Studio.

Skrew what do you mean exactly? Resampling MIDI bass is a technique I use as well, but mainly just to split frequencies and beef up certain parts of the synth. Can you explain more clearly what you mean? Sorry if that is straightforward I am just having trouble imaging what you mean by that.

BA

[ehbes]

Bounce multiple basslines - cut up - rearrange