Feature requests

[PeteInNeedOfABeat]

Hi everybody,

for my own songwriting, I've been (re-)discovering the power of the guitar-riff lately. I've been strumming chords for years, but I'm trying to tighten up my sound. I like how single-note-riffs leave space in the mix and create a lot of energy (although it's less notes, a miracle!).

I compose them mainly on my electric guitar, but for the last song I came up with a riff on Ableton Push (MIDI) and then played and recorded it with my guitar. Some guitar-plugins like Ample Sound AGG are really good, but I just like to hear all that human dirt when it comes to (electric) guitar.

So here's my vague idea: A (single-note) guitar-riff generator (of course you could also use it for any other plugin or sample-library you have).

To set it apart from the Melody Generator it has only one option: "style". Create a riff in Rage against the machine-style. Or Gang Of Four-style, Black Sabbath-style and so on. Jazzy stuff, latin stuff, you name it.

Maybe styles can also be created by the user. By feeding RC a couple of MIDI-Tracks and let it analyse timing and harmonic content and then save that as a "style"?

As most songs are available in MIDI-format on the internet for free, it shouldn't be a problem to find a lot of material from which we could create "styles"?

It's just a vague idea, but I came up with it because for me RC works well when it comes to creating chord-progressions and complex arrangements but whenever I tried to start with a riff (created by the available generators) and then build everything around it, it just didn't work for me.

Sunny greetings,
Pete

[magicmusic]

@PeteInNeedOfABea I like too make lead guitar in RC. to get more human feeling you can use phrase variation swing. but to get good lead riffs you need add bendings full or half. As far i remember controller and pitch should currently come 3.4

I did not know if this come. Now that RC can use 2 articulations in 1 note, maybe it is possible to choose some articulations as bend full, bend half, vibrato slow vibrato fast in same way it should done when it stand on guitar tabs. RC can create such articulations, by use of a midi file which contain pitch bend movement. its also possible that a articulation play midi file is add. so use can add all he wish as articulation, filter sweep cutoff resonance setting etc. and the good thing is, when such a note is quantize, the bends stay correct too.

[musicdevelopments]

Hello Pete,

this is one of the features that will definitely be implemented. I am very interested in using neural networks for analysing riffs and melodies. There is a very kind RapidComposer user who helps me with that. We'll see what we can come up with.

Thanks!
Attila

[Dewdman42]

Similar to the Extension capability found in many of the phrase generators, I would like to see another option in all of the (applicable) phrase generators that alters the chord notes available to be used by the phrase generator.

Does this make sense, Attila?

Yes, Tony, this is a very logical and reasonable request.
I was thinking about a universal way of adding/removing allowed notes, but unlike Extension this should happen before phrase generation. It is sometimes desired to add a 7th to a chord even if the chord on the master track does not contain that note, or remove the 2nd, 3rd whatever notes you want to avoid. Similarly for scales, you could specify which degrees you want to use, or not use. So this is a good idea, thank you! I will do my best to add this soon.

Thanks,
Attila

In addition to that there are often avoid notes based upon bad harmonization with other notes in the chord, which might require altering the note in order to avoid the bad intervals...more applicable to 9ths, 11ths and 13ths where the notes are basic colorations and not the foundation of the chord itself as is the case with 3rd, 5th and 7th.

[PeteInNeedOfABeat]

@magicmusic: That's cool! Would you mind telling me which kind of generator you use for creating riffs? I played around with Melody- and Bass-Generator but couldn't get the results I was looking for.

And do you start with a riff and then harmonize it or do you start with chords and then find a riff "inside" these chords?

When I compose on my guitar, I start with single notes and don't even think about chords. I guess with RC (since it's based on chord progressions) you have to find a different approach?

@Attila: Great, thanks a lot! I friend just told me yesterday that Ample Sound has updated their Basses to 2.5 and they include a new module: The Riffer.

It looks pretty much like what I had in mind, only lacks the option to create "styles" by the user.

I will test-drive the demo but I think, combined with the power of RC, you could come up with something that's even more helpful.

Here's a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E1wMeiczdk

Sunny greetings,
Pete

[musicdevelopments]

Hello Pete,

I would try the Generic Generator for riffs. It is the most versatile and has lots of controls.
For riffs it would be important to limit the usable notes, a feature that Tony suggested. I do hope that can be implemented soon, in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Attila

[magicmusic]

Hello Pete

with the sentence "I like too make lead guitar in RC" i mean that i like do it, when RC have vibrato and bend support. see the video. this is algorithmic compose and with the bend and the vibrato it sound good, later you can hear part without bend and vibrato.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbY2tQ64OMQ

I have ample AME. currently I do in the strummer chords i like and i use the play on string commands for AME and i do not so much songs. i add only notes to say play string 4 4 3 2 2 2 3 3 5 5 on reaper.
when a note have repetition and is larger as 1/8 i add a bend on second note. and longer notes as 1/4 get vibrato. the random generator with high repetition setting get too good riffs for me. i try generic generator now, this allow too good repetition settings. and the melody generator have too enhanced larger repetition. It is also good in riffs when you add rests, by edit the rythm manuly or use the rest function. since 3.2 this work ok and not crash RC. but have in RC bend and vibrato features possible gibe lots better solo riffs

[magicmusic]

Hello Pete,

I would try the Generic Generator for riffs. It is the most versatile and has lots of controls.
For riffs it would be important to limit the usable notes, a feature that Tony suggested. I do hope that can be implemented soon, in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Attila

Hi Attila the generic generator too have redraw problems(overwrite numbers) with large GUI setting on sliders Full Polyphony and Monophonic Notes

[magicmusic]

Attach is an example how usefull the swing feature as track parameter is. there is track slider add too. i set swing to 12 and 1/16. repetition notes sound not boring. swing slider can set to 0 to hear how boring it sound without swing. also highr swing sound good. but its matter of taste. when use 1/8 or 1/4 swing 5 sound good, more sound not good

[lulukom]

Hi Attila !
I would like to recall my old proposal ...
Create a drop-down menu where you can simply select the tracks that will be visible in the composition (But nevertheless they are audible)
Simply sometimes there are too many of them and want to work with two or three tracks!
And further...
Often the long notes in the phrase cover the color of notes scale or chord.
  Is it possible to make the adjustment of the transparency of notes to see through the note the color of the scale or chord ?
Maybe I just did not find this opportunity?
Thanks

[musicdevelopments]

Hi lulukom,

this is not forgotten and is on my to-do list.
At the moment my hands are full, so I can't promise this will be added in v3.3.

Thanks,
Attila

[lulukom]

I understand . Thank you !

[BlackWinny]

To you all, friends !

[yellukhan]

Happy Easter!

[musicdevelopments]

Thank you, BlackWinny, yellukhan!

Happy Easter!