# Full Run-of-Show: 51b Workshop 1
PART I: Intro (5-10 minutes)
* Ask about journey here and experience with DAWs
* We are going to focus on composition using Logic Pro, but it can be a useful tool for analysis as well.
* can make the task of composition easier by giving you greater tools, including artificial intelligence tools that can make things seem less intimidating
* in some ways, that effect can be achieved by Logic’s analysis tools as well. allow us to understand something about how the music is “put together” in ways that did not used to be possible.
* What did you all learn about microtimings?
* Show you some really cool tools up front, with prompts: How would I figure out the microtiming of Jamerson’s basslines? Walk through splitting stems, converting to MIDI
CONCEPT REVIEW and introduction to Logic Pro: (5 minutes)
* layering and iterating
* we thought about GB as not just a tool for composition, but another kind of notation — a visual representation of musical ideas, simplifying into layers
* workshop 1: chopping up, adding layers, looping, experimenting with their settings
* workshop 2: adding a MIDI instrument, experimenting with musical typing and digital keyboards, adjusting via score notation and via bar notation, brief nod toward quantizing
* if you need some refreshers on GarageBand along the way, please don’t hesitate to ask me or Blue while you’re working.
TODAY:
* We will be exploring how to create a composition in Logic Pro by thinking in layers, but with more rhythmic, metric, and modal complexity and adaptability than we did before — which is what you’ve been talking about in class. Thinking about how these digital tools can simplify a lot of things at first, but they can also help you recover the complexity.
* much of what we’re talking about has an analogue in GarageBand
* some of the differences between GB and Logic Pro
* a big one is the mixer — this is not so useful to us today, but becomes hugely important once you want to add different effects like reverb, EQ, distortion, etc. to a large number of tracks.
* we won’t get much into automation, but if you want each of your tracks to change a parameter over time, like fading your volume, Logic has some really cool and easy tools to help you do that and you can ask me about that if you’re interested.
* in general, it gives you a much greater degree of detail and control — and we will get into some examples of that later on.
PART I: RECORDING WITH MUSICAL TYPING (10 minutes)
* a quick review of where we left off with typing
* the basics (see Resource 2)
* For those with DAW experience: what does your process look like? which order do you find yourself composing different layers in?
* take 5 minutes to come up with a melody you feel good about. we will work with the melody to start
* ADD SOFTWARE INSTRUMENT, CHOOSE INSTRUMENT
* Determine number of bars
* You can change tempo to whatever you want to play along to — want it to be with the metronome for when we add drums
* reminder that you can highlight a cycle to loop it continuously
* takes and comping
* Record — overlapping MIDI recordings
* this is a great way to give yourself multiple options without having to delete each time, then you can compare
[when you record audio directly into Logic, you can actually do very cool things with combining the best parts of different tracks.
PART II: ADD A BASSLINE (5 minutes)
PART III: QUANTIZING (10 minutes)
* Opening up editor and manipulating in piano roll and score
* Adding swing on different timescales.
* And quantizing.
* Why do this?
* You might find that you were off by far enough in just one part that you want to snap everything back.
* quantizing could also be a tool of contrast in a composition — suddenly things are more “strict”
* Why not do this?
* Things start to feel more robotic. Luckily you can adjust manually in the piano roll
- Students experiment with quantizing
[Ignoring the key signature at the top for now — this controls the key of loops that you add in]
PART IV: DRUMS PART I: PATTERN Sequencer (5-10 mins)
* add pattern
* walk through different options in value segment
PART V: DRUMS PART II: Drummer (5-10 mins)
* add drummer
* exploring the different controls — it will generate a slightly different result every time
* there is even a sequencer within the drummer function
* snapping to different instruments in the track — try snapping to your bassline versus your melody
* Should give more than enough tools to come up with something really cool and complicated for your assignment — please let us know if you want to go deeper in any of these areas.
* Next time we will lean even more into choosing harmonies, melodies, and countermelodies through collaborative composition