How is techno made?

[casualtyfigure]

ok, so I was wondering if I could put a midid track on acid xpress through my crap Casio. If so how? How would a mic hook to my computer? Do I need any special connectors? and do you do shows by yourself casualtyfigure? how do they come across? I was asking this because I want to start doing shows and not only can I not find anybody willing to help with a live show, quite frankly, I'd rather not have to mess with having other people. I know I can write all the music and sing it, so I see no need to try and include other people for no reason. thank you you so much for everything so far, you've been a tremendous help.

i dont know if the Xpress version has midi enabled. i use acid pro 4.
Before sony bought it from sonic foundry...opening acid right now
to tell you step by step...

For midi...youd need a midi interface. its midi ins and outs..that connect to your pc. Either by USB, PCI slot, firewire..its the device that allows the sequenced part, on the PC, to the device. All it sends is information.
No audio at all. I use an Emagic MT4...its not too big...not too small.
Pretty cheap. Not sure if their for sale any more.

Um...midi in acid...

r-click the box on the left side of the screen, where the samples are.
click "insert midi track"
Ill set it up like a soft synth...theyre free...
(hooking up an external k.board.. is the same way...)
click the little symbol it looks like a TINY keyboard...with a 1 under it...
that lets you select which device/softsynth youd like to use.
Ill select soft synth 1 (DLS soft synth)

then r-click the track, the select properties...(loop - one-shot)
It will be a bit different, you'll see ...

General
Piano Roll Properties
List Editor

Click "Piano Roll Properties"
Thats where you do the actual notes, and sequencing.
Piano roll is like aplayer piano..place a note, where you want a note.
If your sequencing drums..the drum sounds are between c3 - c4...usually.
if you look at the bottom, you'll see something that says "velocity"
That determines how hard you want the "Keys" hit/pressed.
Think of the lines as...the bigger the line, the higher your hand is.
If the line is fully colored/marked...thats the hardest...
the smaller the softer.

to change the sound...
WHile in properties / list editor / r-click alomost anywhere on the graph...
then look for "Event Type" then select "patch" then type in a number
under the "patch" section. There should be a list of what sounds match
which number... but, subtract 1...because according to midi... 00 = 01
01 = 02 so, its a numbers game. Then close the window..and thats that.

At somepoint, you;ll have to select a midi channel per device...
Just select Omni...or zero...

thats just a quick outline of how to. Play with it...its pretty easy once
you get it. Everyonce ina while...there will be a bug in it..then again..
im always fucking up my system. so..

but the signal chain goes...

PC/Midi Interface/ keyboard-device
The midi cables go......

in's to out's
Outs to Ins

i havent even messed with midi through.
It expands the usage of a single midi port.
(maximum of 16 midi channels per in-out)

to hook up a mic...the really simple way...
Just buy a cheap mic, and hook it up through the mic input
on the sound card.
See a mic, needs a pre amp...the mic jack on the pc, has a suficent "preamp"
But i suggest, throwing down some cash for an external one.

To record electric instrument...hook it up through the line-in.
NOT mic in. It has to do with maintaing line level.

I personally dont believe in spending a massive amount of cash
on stuff...most of what i use, is well...used. everything you buy
could easily be destroyed...so why waste cash. I dont give 2 fucks about the quality of my recordings...their just projects anyways.

shit im tired...

ive performed live...
alone. It isnt a normal performance though..
I improvise my sets. So its pretty stressful.
I cant work with others...so i have to do it all myself.
if you want it done right...youve got to do it yourself!

I dont really know how they come across..
Thats the difference in the whole creation process.
The way the artist sees it...will ALWAYS be different than
how someone not involved will see it. So im not sure.

Honestly, half of the battle is just showing up.

I keep my gear really simple, the basics.

Im too tired to really explain anything right now...

I hope i helped though.

if you ot any more questions...
ask away...
or send an email to casualtyfigure@yahoo.com
Either way.

 

[thebigcheese]

If you want a cheap upgrade to a fuller version of Acid, look for Acid Music Studio, especially if you're a student (I bought it for like $45). Acid has been my software of choice for techno/trance stuff, but mostly because I just make the songs when I have nothing better to do and want to throw together some samples in a cool way. If you want full featured things, definitely get Reason, but you'll want to understand how everything works, first. Techno can get pretty repetitive (Rockafeller Skank?), so if you want to be original, you need to know how to tweak settings to make unique sounds, and to do that you need to understand what they do. I can only work in Reason because I took a class on it, so I wouldn't recommend it as your first foray. Acid is very easy to work with, especially if you've got samples (and Music Studio comes with 3 full CDs of them).

Speaking of live, the only techno show I ever saw was a group (I wouldn't really say band) opening for the Roots. It was basically some sort of video projected onto a big screen with two guys working turn tables. I think there were only like two people (me being one of them) that liked the performance out of a packed crowd, so either that style wasn't very effective or my school just doesn't like techno...

 

[noisewreck]

I think the more important question is, "Why is techno made?"

Very simple... So that other genre's will borrow and use the watered down versions of the techniques developed by the techno/electronica world This includes pop, rock, hip-hop, raggae... etc.

 

[casualtyfigure]

yah...that was my point! Learn what does what before really taking on too
much at once..too much is a good way to get over your head, say..."this is too hard"...and quit. kudos to you! Everyone was telling him..
midi this, midi that...im thinking thats step three.

Techno = repetitive

Step 1, getting used to the lingo, and learn the basics of patterns, filters, envelopes, lfo, what effect does what, bpm's, maybe VST etc.

Step 2, Learn your working environment, and its implementation.
(arrangement, mixing, tracking, export, saving mixed files...blah blah blah)

Step 3...midi. lol

thats how ive always seen it atleast.



I like turntables, they take some work.
One of the coolest things i had ever seen...
I was at ozzfest, and the DJ guy from Incubus,
did this whole scratching thing...i think it was incubus.
Everyone one was all booing and shit. I was in complete awe.
That made me respect that kind of djing.
But average dj's, just playing records, dont cut it. But when they use
turntables as an real instrument instead of a crutch...yah...sign me up.

Im a dick when it comes to live performance.ill admit it!

The Roots performed with BT for "The Tao of the Machine".
Look up the performance on YouTube...it was on Carson Daly.
I was like..."holy shit." It was damn good. Prominant backing track...
but knowing BT..
he probably had midi controller hair implanted into his fucking skull.

 

[TragikRemix]

hey casualty, i like your stuff alot.

the experimental stuff is real cool too.

i'd love to have all sorts of real gear, but for now, i have the software, which honestly, does the same thing (you're right, minus the performance).

eventually, i'll build my analog heaven...

btw, what sampler and/or synths do you use?

what i really love to use is an speaker testing signal generator. you know, the crappy analog one with just a digital readout and maybe 3 knobs, that if you leave it on, it starts to go down in pitch slowwwwllyy

 

[casualtyfigure]

hey casualty, i like your stuff alot.

the experimental stuff is real cool too.

i'd love to have all sorts of real gear, but for now, i have the software, which honestly, does the same thing (you're right, minus the performance).

eventually, i'll build my analog heaven...

btw, what sampler and/or synths do you use?

what i really love to use is an speaker testing signal generator. you know, the crappy analog one with just a digital readout and maybe 3 knobs, that if you leave it on, it starts to go down in pitch slowwwwllyy

I always buy used gear...so its relatively cheap.
I dont have money to really spend, unlike some more fortunate souls.
Besides i dont really see much point in spending tons of cash on shit
that will either get stolen, or destroyed. Plus if i get the urge to modify something. i can. without saying...i spent $800 on this...
SOOOO i cant add this, or change this...

The synth sounds, mostly Electribe EA-1, Redsound Darkstar XP2,
I modified my drummachine...when triggered on the right kit,
by hitting one of the 5 voice glitch triggers thingys, it sometimes makes
synth type sounds.(zoom mrt-3b) My samplers, Zoom Sampletrak, And a Gemini Dj sampler...For sampling on the fly. Like i said...i like cheap stuff,
that anyone can buy. I dont think it matters what gear,
as much as what you do with it. I seriously prefer hardware though.
If i had more to spend, id spend it. Also, i like to keep my "gear" set
for live performances. So, its all fairly simple stuff.
(playing with the circuits inside toys i buy fo $1, usually gets some good
one of a kind results.)

Theres a program i think youd like...called "Drumsyn" Its basically what you
said, its a tester...it can do anything if you do it right. You can save what you make to *.wav files. You can find it at
http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead
Theres a link to it on that site...just unzip the download file,
then run it...and have fun.