Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Hey Ableton fans, here’s the second part of using Ableton Midi effect tutorial.  If you missed part one please click on the link below.

LINK

Now it’s time to show you how to combine these devices in various ways in order to write complex melodies. If we would like to know the real power of these tools we have to combine them together. Here are some effective combining tips you can keep in mind.

Tip 1

Let’s say you would like to use your keyboard to pick up some chords from a particular key. The best way to do that  is to drop a chord effect and program it as I mentioned previously. The beauty of this is that now you can play any chord on the chromatic scale. You can see in the picture that if you hit the C key, it will became a C major chord, but on the piano roll the C note will be the only one appearing.

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Now, using this effect to create some chords by holding down various individual notes on our keyboard, we may have played in some chords that won’t be in the scale of C (our original root note). To correct any problems, we can apply and use the scale effect. This will transpose or force the wrong notes to the nearest corresponding ones which are in  key.  Just apply the scale effect, setting your root chord (C major in this case) as the preset, and it  will modify your other chords that are not in the right scale so that everything fits.

Tip 2

But don’t stop now. We have more effects to use! For example if we use an arpeggiator after a chord effect and before a scale  effect it will arpeggiate the chord itself. Furthermore, all  arpeggiations will  remain on the scale.

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Therefore with this trick you can easily transfer your chords into an arpeggiated lead line. In this picture you can see  a simple C note evolving into an arpeggiated lead line. Right after you hit the C note it becomes a C major chord because of the Chord effect. Next is the Arpeggiator, which arpeggiates the chord into a sixteenth based pattern lead line. And finally the Scale device transposes any wrong notes.

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Tip 4

And what if you are working with a singer, and her voice can’t cope with the key of the song? Simply drag and drop a pitch effect to the beginning of the chain and start to transpose the song until her voice fits into your progression.In this case don’t forget to change the base key of the scale effect too, otherwise it won’t work properly. And if you are thinking of harmony, write a simple lead line, create an another MIDI channel with a different instrument copy and paste the melody what have you written before. Use the pitch effect on the new MIDI channel and transpose the melody up to seven semitones or negative five semitones (which means that you transpose the melody by fifth up or down). It will sounds bigger and fuller, and still remain in harmony with rest of the production.

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Last but not least, apply a note length device before the Arpeggiator. For example if you have a whole note chord which is arpeggiated and you set the note length to 1, the arpeggiator will stop after one note because it will ignore the original length of the notes.

Tip 5

As a final tip, if you want to see which effects you are using, create another MIDI track and use the I-O section. Set the MIDI From to the piano channel (or any kind of channels which are receiving your current MIDI data), and launch the recording. The MIDI notes will appear on the piano roll  exactly as the effects turn them into a predetermined MIDI pattern.

Ableton MIDI Effect Tutorial – Using Ableton’s MIDI Effects Part 2

Conclusion and Disadvantages

It is really good to know that there are many effects out there that can help us to create music. But we have to consider the fact that these effects can be disadvantageous in some cases. For example if you want to be a great a pianist, you have to ignore these little tricks because your hand skills won’t develop well. Also, these devices limit your chord selection or note selection because you have to program again and again if you want to use different chord inversions or want to use a note that is not in the scale. But as I mentioned before, I use these tools for inspiration to pick up some chords that I like, and quickly outline my progression. It can save lots of time.

Original source - http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/quick-tip-using-midi-effects-in-ableton-live-part-2/

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royalty free loops, samples and sounds from Loopmasters – the sample boutique.