1/2 Beats+Music

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Make a Beat

4.00 PM - 4.30 PM 
  • Start a new, blank Project (File - New)
  • Turn the Master level to -12 to avoid clipping
  • Increase your computer's main volume level if necessary

A. What are the parts of a beat?

1. Kick drum 
2. Snare 
3. Low tom
4. Mid tom
5. High tom
6. High Hat
7. Crash
8. Ride

B. Try making your own beat

1. Drag of one the Drums onto a blank MIDI Track
(Tip: use 909 Core Kit for dance music, 808 Core Kit for hip hop, LD Core Kit for pop) 
2. In this MIDI Track, click and drag to select one bar/measure
3. Right click and Insert MIDI Clip
4. In the Device View, right click on the bottom right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th



5. Use your mouse to draw in any of these patterns below. Click on the image to see it full size. Set your Tempo according to the BPM recommended. 

Hip Hop, 90 bpm, use 808 kit


Indie Disco, 124 bpm, use 909 kit

Major Lazer, 98 bpm, use 909 kit

Rock Beat, 120 bpm, use LD kit


Trap Beat, 140 bpm, use 808 kit

6. Once you have created this MIDI clip which is one bar/measure long, you can extend it by stretching the clip. You can also make copies of the clip, and create variations.

Add Music

4.30 PM - 5.00 PM 

C. Try adding a melody

1. Drag of one the Sounds from 'Synth Keys' or 'Synth Lead' onto a new MIDI Track
2. In this new MIDI Track, select four bars/measures
3. Right click and Insert MIDI Clip
4. In the Device View, right click on the bottom right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th
5. Enter your own melody, or use this melody below as an example (tap on the image to see in full size)
6. Try dragging different Sounds onto this MIDI Track and hearing how the same melody feels when played by different instruments


Melody

D. Try adding a bassline

"Basslines are patterns of low-pitched notes. They often serve to reinforce a song's chords, while also using interesting rhythmic patterns that relate to or contrast with the drums" - Ableton, Learning Music

1. Insert a new MIDI Track and drag of one the Sounds from Bass onto it
2. In this new MIDI Track, select four bars/measures
3. Right click and Insert MIDI Clip
4. In the Device View, right click on the bottom right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th
5. Enter your own bassline, or use the guides below as an example (they are compatible with the Melody in the example above) - you can either double click in the grid, or change your cursor to Pencil to use single click
6. Try dragging different Sounds onto this MIDI Track and hearing how the same melody feels when played by different instruments
Sustained Bassline example 1 (A, E, F, C) - suitable for hip hop or pop at 90 BPM


Bouncy Bassline example 2 (A, E, F, C) - suitable for EDM or dance at 128 BPM

More ideas and examples for Basslines

We've collected some good articles on this topic on our blog

E. Try adding other instruments

If you are using the chord progression from the examples above (Am, Em, F, C), you can try adding these instruments.

You can try adding this Pad sequence, using the same chords, as another instrument track
1. Insert a new MIDI Track and drag of one the Sounds from Synth Pads onto it. Pads are sustained notes.
2. In this new MIDI Track, select four bars/measures
3. Right click and Insert MIDI Clip
4. In the Device View, right click on the bottom right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th
5. Enter your own notes, or use the guides below as an example (they are compatible with Melody example 1 above) - you can either double click in the grid, or change your cursor to Pencil to use single click
6. Try dragging different Sounds onto this MIDI Track and hearing how the same melody feels when played by different instruments - warning: not all Synth Pad sounds will be compatible, because some have too many special effects built in

Tap to see it full size

This is an Arpeggio 
1. Insert a new MIDI Track and drag of one the Sounds from Synth Keys onto it
2. In this new MIDI Track, select four bars/measures
3. Right click and Insert MIDI Clip
4. In the Device View, right click on the bottom right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th
5. Enter your own bassline, or use the guides below as an example (they are compatible with Melody example 1 above) - you can either double click in the grid, or change your cursor to Pencil to use single click
6. Try dragging different Sounds onto this MIDI Track and hearing how the same melody feels when played by different instruments

Arpeggio

Hands On Task

Create a piece of music that is at least 4 bars long, containing
- Drums
- Melody 
- Bass
- Pad
You can create your own, or you can use the examples above
Export your music into an MP3 and upload it to Discord

How to export to MP3 


A final audio file can be exported by selecting the Export Audio/Video option from the File menu
  •  [CMD]+[Shift]+[R] (Mac), or 
  • [CTRL]+[Shift]+[R] (PC).



Render Length

One thing to note is the Render Length, under the Selection heading, which is how long the rendered file will go for, measured in bars and beats.


Normalize

Normalize will ensure that audio levels are not peaking.


Encode Audio

Audio files can be rendered in different formats including WAV, AIF and MP3.


Export Audio

Pressing the Export button will bring up a dialog box asking you where you want to save and what you want to call your audio file.



Recap Video: MIDI Sequencing Part 1

Recap Video: MIDI Sequencing Part 2


Try this on your own

Ableton's Learning Music website is an excellent resource for self-learning
 https://learningmusic.ableton.com/index.html 







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