adding random dynamics, tips?

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cordura21

cordura21

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Hi guys. I have a sequencer running a drum machine and I want to add some random dynamics to the snare so it changes subtly the volume.
From what I know, you can do that via midi or via audio.

a) Midi: the trick will be to add midi noise to the velocities of the notes. Do you know any way of doing that?

b) Audio: I guess you should feed a compressor with a random noise signal as a sidechain. I have Protools LE, so I have a compressor with sidechain. What do you think it's good: a sine wave, a squared, pink or white noise, maybe a mod-delayed signal of the original?

c) Any other technique to do this that you know?

Cheers, Andrés
 
Most sequencers will let you randomize or humanize within a set of parameters. You just tell it how much velocity, pitch, or time it is allowed to shift and it will randomize within the parameters you define.

The audio trick sounds pretty tough. If I was going to use audio I would record a loop with the right feel and some programs let you convert the feel (timing and velocity) into a midi file.
 
But the audio trick has 2 advantages. One is that the resolution is far more than the 127 numbers you have on midi velocity. The other is that on audio you can randomly act on not only the attack, but also the sustain and decay of the sound. Maybe you can do that also on midi if you set the velocity to modulate something like a filter, right?
 
No matter how you trigger the changes you are still gonna be stuck with the resolution limit of midi. You would still be triggering a midi device right?

If you are going to do it to the audio track I'm sure you will change it up but it will probably sound more weird than realistic (not neccessarily a bad thing).

You've got some pretty complicated and whacky ideas. Let me know if you can make some of that stuff work, sounds cool.
 
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