Help needed with beginner stuff

Official support for: impactsoundworks.com
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

OK, so I'm playing with Shreddage 2/Bass/Drums and Fl Studio 12 .. and I am seriously lost.

Bear with me, I'm a drummer and can't play guitar to save my life, actually I fail at electronics and software in general. I'm going through as many tutorials as I can find but there are a few things that seem to be too basic to warrant any. For instance, Learn Midi CC automation. Host auto is no problem but I have no idea what Learn Midi CC auto means or how to use it. I am trying to trigger tremolo in the middle of a riff but can only seem to trigger it manually and when I turn the key switch off the part I recorded is back to it's normal sound, the tremolo effect is lost.

The other thing is power chords, I am trying to find them on the piano roll. I want to reproduce a song but don't know where to get the chords the artist uses, for example a C power chord? If I sequence a chord it plays back different variations and repeat them, uh, so what is happening there? The chord changes 3 times even if the sequencing is exactly the same?

Any help will be much appreciated, I'm sure I will have more questions once I get past the basics :)

Post

Hey there! Happy to help (and I'm sure others here will want to chime in also).

To trigger tremolo, first let me ask how you WANT to trigger it. My own preference is to use a keyswitch. You can do this on the Articulations page. Just pick a key from the dropdown menu next to Tremolo, for example C0. Now when you press C0 on your MIDI controller (or in your host sequencer), the articulation will switch to Tremolo. You can then hit another keyswitch to stop using tremolo. This is typically the easiest way to switch articulations in the middle of a riff.

"Learn MIDI CC Automation" is something that is done by right-clicking on a KNOB or SLIDER in the interface, and then moving a physical knob on your MIDI controller. For example if you wanted to map a volume knob in the instrument to an actual knob on your MIDI controller. This doesn't have to do with articulations at all.

For power chords, you can either manually sequence the chord you want by writing 2 or more notes at the same time OR you can use the powerchord articulation which is constructed from prerecorded root - fifth - octave chords. There may be small, subtle differences in each recording but the notes should definitely not change.

If the chord IS changing 3 times please upload an MP3 so I can hear what you mean, and make sure to write whether that is using the powerchord articulation or whether you are writing individual notes.
Shreddage 3 Stratus: Next generation Kontakt Player guitar, now available!

Impact Soundworks - Cinematic sounds, world instruments, electric guitars, synths, percussion, plugins + more!

Post

Hi

Thanks, I understand the whole key switch thing, I do it on the controller or just click the key on the keyboard representation in Shreddage. Say I have 3 different riffs following on each other, I only want riff 2 to use tremolo. How can I automate that effect so that it triggers only on that riff? Or do I need a separate instance (guitar track) just for the tremolo parts? I guess the same would go for any of the other articulations.

"Learn MIDI CC Automation", ok so if I understand this correctly, I can do the same with host automation if I don't want to/can't use a controller?

The chords, I tested it again by drawing a basic chord repeating it 6 times. I started at C3 and moved it an octave up until I reached the end and moved it back down again. Funny enough the chord changed once at C6 and then not again, I moved it up and down, up and down but it didn't change the chord again, bug? Previously the chord change happened in a specific octave (whichever one that was) and continued to happen only in that particular octave.

If I want to use the the prerecorded power chords, uh, where are they on the piano roll? And which ones are they? I'd rather sequence the chord but want to do it in the right octaves (where the prerecorded power chords aren't)

**goes back to learning music theory

Post

Sinthetic wrote:I am trying to trigger tremolo in the middle of a riff but can only seem to trigger it manually and when I turn the key switch off the part I recorded is back to it's normal sound, the tremolo effect is lost.
On your piano roll, when your song starts, you want to make sure you have your articulation disabled, in this instance... the tremolo.
So on your piano roll you'd put in a note on G#1 (normally it's an empty keyswitch and that disables any articulation enabled.)
Then you go to your desired riff and you insert your keyswitch just before the start of it.
Here's a screenshot to help you understand what I'm talking about.
Screenshot 2016-10-19 06.06.11.png
In case you still have nothing, try disabling and re-enabling the articulation, that will purge and reload it.
I hope it helps! :)
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
One way or another, you can't deny death.
Simply said...
We're dead but we just don't know it yet.

Post

@ELECTRONICHAOS - thanks, that really helped a lot :)

Post

Sinthetic wrote:@ELECTRONICHAOS - thanks, that really helped a lot :)
Glad it helped! :D

EDIT: By the way, this method is also valid for every other articulations.
One way or another, you can't deny death.
Simply said...
We're dead but we just don't know it yet.

Post

Hi, a question about assigning key switches. My tremolo is at C2 on the piano roll, is there a way to customise the key switches?

Something that's been happening with my tremolo notes, every now-and-again it will just keep ringing so I end up with 10 tremolo notes all ringing at the same time, continuously. It stops when I press stop, reloading the project fixes this, why is this happening? I disabled and enabled everything I could think of but only reloading the project fixes it.

Post

Sinthetic wrote:Hi, a question about assigning key switches. My tremolo is at C2 on the piano roll, is there a way to customise the key switches?

Something that's been happening with my tremolo notes, every now-and-again it will just keep ringing so I end up with 10 tremolo notes all ringing at the same time, continuously. It stops when I press stop, reloading the project fixes this, why is this happening? I disabled and enabled everything I could think of but only reloading the project fixes it.
The "Let Ring" thing... I'm not entirely sure about, I know prior versions of S2X had a keyswitch to enable/disable that option but I can't seem to find it in the latest (3.21)
Depending on what version you're using... you might still have access to that specific keyswitch otherwise I have no clue how to fix that.
(In FL you can "kill the output" by pressing CTRL + H, if you have any undesired noise after pressing stop, do that. It's not really a fix but it'll kill the "Let Ring" issue for the time being.)

You can also bind the keyswitches to your liking by going to the articulation tab and click on the scrolling list.
Screenshot 2016-10-20 21.53.13.jpg
Be careful tho, FL has a strange way of doing things.
E-1 is actually E-2 in FL Studio.
Also, make sure you have no overlapping articulations.
You have a few things in the advanced tab which you can also map such as string selection & RR reset.

Again, I hope it helps.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
One way or another, you can't deny death.
Simply said...
We're dead but we just don't know it yet.

Post

I'm using the same version of Shreddage 2, it must be buggy though because the tremolo key switch would just stop working and I have to go set it to a different one, then the ringing (not the right word) starts again, basically the note is played until I press the stop button. Otherwise it's like an Eveready bunny, just keeps going and going and going. Be nice to hear the developer's comments on this.

Post Reply

Return to “Impact Soundworks”