Creative Sequencing Techniques for Music Production, Second Edition: A Practical Guide to Pro Tools, Logic, Digital Performer, and Cubase

327 Pages·2011·25 MB·English

by  Andrea Pejrolo

Creative Sequencing
Techniques for Music
Production
A Practical Guide to Pro Tools, Logic,
Digital Performer, and Cubase
To my father.
Creative Sequencing
Techniques for Music
Production
A Practical Guide to Pro Tools, Logic,
Digital Performer, and Cubase
Second edition
Dr. Andrea Pejrolo
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
To my father.
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB
225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
First edition 2005
Second edition 2011
Copyright © 2011, 2005 Andrea Pejrolo. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
The right of Andrea Pejrolo to be identifed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the
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Library of Congress Number: 2011924207
ISBN: 978-0-240-52216-6
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Acknowledgments
I am extremely lucky to be able to write about my passions: composing, producing, and educating.
This new edition of Creative Sequencing Techniques is a combined effort by many people who for the
last year have been supportive, inspiring, and encouraging. First of all, my dear wife Irache and my
wonderful daughter Alessandra. Without them there would be no music in me. To my parents Rosalba
and Gianni, my brothers Luca and Marco, and my dear friend Nella, whose support, education, and con-
stant attention have always helped me to achieve my goals, thank you!
A special thank you goes to Catharine Steers and Carlin Reagan from Elsevier UK for the interest
they showed in the idea for this new edition and for their precious support.
And fnally a big thanks to my friends, students, and colleagues, a constant source of learning and
growing.
xi
Introduction
The main reason why I decided to update this book for a new second edition resides not only in the
need to update the original content for the new versions of the digital audio workstation (DAW) software
but also, and mainly, because new techniques, tools, and options have become available since the book
was frst published. Therefore, here you will fnd many new topics such as a brand new chapter dedi-
cated entirely to working with video, which has become a real must for any contemporary commercial
composer and producer, in addition to new studio setups, MIDI and audio hybrid production techniques,
and much more. You might also have noticed that the bundled CD has been removed from this edition.
A new website: www.CreativeSequencingTechniques.com now hosts all the audio examples and support-
ing fles. On the website you will fnd not only all the audio examples and supporting fles but also a
comprehensive list of video tutorials, articles, forums, and a live chat with me to discuss the techniques
presented in the book. Having the website as a companion to this book gives you the possibility of more
frequent updates and multimedia experience.
This book covers the four main DAWs used in professional production environments: Digital
Performer, Cubase, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro, and how to get the most out of them by explaining and
revealing advanced techniques such as groove quantization, sounds layering, tap tempo, creative meter
and tempo changes, advanced use of plug-ins automation, synchronization of linear and non-linear
machines, to mention a few. The subjects are approached from both a technical and a creative point
of view in order to provide the modern composer/producer with tools and inside views on how to treat
MIDI and DAWs as the orchestra and musicians of the twenty-frst century.
This new and updated edition not only flls in techniques and tools for the new revisions of the soft-
ware, but also adds several crucial new topics such as working with video and software synthesizers. The
main reason that inspired me to write this book was the incredible potential concealed in the modern
production tools and in the existing software applications that are available to contemporary composers
and producers. Unfortunately, most of the time, these tools are used in very mechanical and non-musical
ways, therefore reducing and limiting not only the potential of the technology involved but also (and
mainly) the potential of the composers who use these incredibly powerful tools for their productions. In
this book I bridge the two worlds, trying to return the term “music technology” to its original connota-
tion, meaning a way to produce music with the help of technology. I want to stress the “help” factor that
technology plays in the music production process since this is what technology is, a tool to help expand
and improve the creation process on which the composer relies. Technology applied to music is not the
goal of the production process but can be seen as the thread that guides and joins the inspirational proc-
ess with the fnal product. In this book you will learn sequencing techniques that always relate to practi-
cal aspects of music production and they are explained as much as possible in a simple yet thorough
way. Following this concept I will refer often to the MIDI/audio computer workstation as the “orches-
tra of the twenty-frst century”, since modern composers fnd themselves increasingly treating the MIDI
and audio setup as the virtual musicians for whom they are writing. The MIDI standard, along with
professional sequencing programs and software synthesizers/libraries, represent the modern score paper
and they provide an extremely fexible medium both for sketching ideas and for full-scale productions.
I don’t see this approach as limiting in terms of fexibility and sonorities, in fact I believe the opposite.
The use of new sounds, techniques, and tools can only expand and improve the palette of contemporary
composers, orchestrators, and producers. I decided to take on the four main sequencers at the same time
because these days both professional and beginner musicians need to be able to master and program all
xiii
xiv Introduction
of them in order to have an edge over the competition. It is not enough any more to be familiar with only
one or two applications. It is crucial to be comfortable with all of them, not only to expand one’s oppor-
tunities, but also to be able to take advantage of specifc features that are available only in certain appli-
cations. This approach will help you to enhance considerably your palette and tools when it comes to
sequencing and music production. Each technique explained in this book is presented frst on a general
level and then further developed with examples and practical applications for each sequencer.
This book was written with mainly four categories of readers in mind: the professional acoustic
composer, the professional MIDI composer, the college educator along with his or her students, and the
beginner. The professional acoustic composer who so far has been afraid to approach the digital MIDI
and audio workstation, or who has been using only basic sequencing techniques, will be able to greatly
improve his or her skills and will fnd a familiar environment reading this book since references are
made keeping in mind a musical approach to sequencing. Seasoned MIDI programmers and produc-
ers can take advantage of the multi-sequencer environment on which this book is based. Through the
examples and techniques for each of the four main DAWs used in the industry, they can quickly learn
the same tools with which they are already familiar within a certain sequencer for all the other applica-
tions, giving them an advantage over the competition. College educators and students can use this man-
ual not only as an introduction to intermediate MIDI and sequencing classes, but also for more advanced
MIDI orchestration and production courses. The summaries and the exercise sections at the end of each
chapter were specially designed for educational applications. The beginner readers will be amazed by
the improvement in their sequencing skills brought about by reading just few chapters and using the
included exercises to improve their techniques.
In Chapter 1, I will cover the needs and solutions for a problem-free project studio, to enhance the
creative fow involved in a production session. In Chapters 2, 3, and 4, I will guide the readers through
basic, intermediate, and advanced sequencing techniques targeted to improve the overall quality of their
productions. These chapters will help the reader to reach a professional level in terms of MIDI orches-
tration and programming using the leading and most advanced digital audio sequencers available on the
market.
Chapter 5 is dedicated to MIDI orchestration. Here you will learn how to orchestrate for the MIDI
ensemble and how to get the most out of your gear. This chapter covers not only the acoustic instruments
but also the synthesizers and some of the most common synthesis techniques available at the moment.
Chapter 6 focuses on the fnal mix and on the premastering process. Here you will learn mixing tech-
niques that take advantage of plug-in technology. Maximizing the use of effects such as reverb, compres-
sor, limiter, equalizer, and many others is crucial to bring your productions to the next level. Finally,
Chapter 7 focuses on dealing with projects that are based on video. Here you will learn the techniques
and tools for successfully writing music to video.
At the end of each chapter you will fnd a comprehensive summary of the concepts and techniques
explained within it and a series of exercises oriented to provide practical applications and to develop the
notions learned. These two sections are particularly helpful for both the professional and the student.
They provide the former with a quick reference for several techniques and ideas, while the latter can take
advantage of the concise layout to familiarize themselves with the concepts just learned.
The book is supported by several video tutorials, examples of arrangements, and sequencing tech-
niques accessible through the companion website. These examples demonstrate how to avoid common
mistakes and how to fx them. Here you can fnd loops, templates, and comprehensive audio/video
examples that you can use as a starting point for your productions.
Learn the technology in every detail but let always the creative fow guide your music! Now let’s
begin.