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How do you approach nonquantized music? - Printable Version

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How do you approach nonquantized music? - Viktor - 10-29-2017

I recently came to the conclustion that I really can increas the emotional impact of my music by ignoring the metronom. I'm pretty sure, I'm not the frist one with that idea in that forum and so I wanted to ask you guys how you approach recording music without the metronom. I think my music defintly sounds better right now and gets more space to breath at approprate places, like slowing down or speeding up a bit, but everything also sounds kinda fucked up, especially unisono passages.

Did anyone run into the same problem and has an idea how to approach it the most effective way?


RE: How do you approach nonquantized music? - Paul Battersby - 10-30-2017

If you're using MIDI, you could record with the metronome anyway and after everything is recorded, use tempo automation (assuming your DAW supports that) to dynamically alter the tempo whenever you want.


RE: How do you approach nonquantized music? - Samulis - 10-30-2017

The benefits of using MIDI/a sequencer/a DAW is that you can always "tighten" things up after recording.

Using a metronome is handy if you are fumbly on the keys like me, but it's perfectly possible to work without one if you have a good internal sense of rhythm, have low latency set up correctly on your system, and perhaps don't mind doing some tweaking later on.

I've also found it's easier if you're working live with multiple musicians in person too.

Here's a track I did without a metronome, all "free improv" (no specific rules, or pre-written material)-
https://instaud.io/private/d6de98a22fb645c8e5f9436f66a0a95bdc7d4ad4


RE: How do you approach nonquantized music? - Viktor - 10-30-2017

(10-30-2017, 02:30 AM)Paul Battersby Wrote: If you're using MIDI, you could record with the metronome anyway and after everything is recorded, use tempo automation (assuming your DAW supports that) to dynamically alter the tempo whenever you want.

Hmm I originally rejected that idea kind of, for being still to mechanical....buuut, maybe I should try mapping out some classical recordings with tempo maps and see how they behave and use that in my own music.

(10-30-2017, 04:49 AM)Samulis Wrote: I've also found it's easier if you're working live with multiple musicians in person too.

Here's a track I did without a metronome, all "free improv" (no specific rules, or pre-written material)-
https://instaud.io/private/d6de98a22fb645c8e5f9436f66a0a95bdc7d4ad4

The emulating of the live feel is excactly what I'm going for. I feel like there, people also use a lot of visual cues, especially for interwoven melodies, can only do so much of that in DAW. You're piece actually kind of showcases the advantges of music without a metronome, the pulse is just way more varied, free and relaxes. It doesn't feel as "caged" and everything gets as much time as it needs, hard to express that in strict metronom counts.


RE: How do you approach nonquantized music? - Mattias Westlund - 10-30-2017

I sometimes record things rubato when there is not a whole lot going on... like for maybe a brief solo part with very sparse accompaniment. But the more instruments you want to add, the more of a nightmare it becomes editing things afterwards when you don't have a static point of reference (i.e. the piano roll grid). I've found that for the most part you can get 99% there with liberal yet careful use of gradual tempo changes. Make sure to have the part down pat, then record it to a fixed tempo (it will feel weird, I know), and THEN tweak it to your heart's content with tempo changes. If you can really hear and feel what you want it to sound like, you will know when and by how much the tempo should change, andĀ faking it this way will take a lot less time than doing it completely off the grid so to speak.


RE: How do you approach nonquantized music? - Chris Spyratos - 10-30-2017

Personally, I like to employ strict quantization when I am writing for a virtual full orchestra. Then I play with Reaper's rate control automation (for the lack of a decent tempo track) to blow some life into my phrases.

On a compositional level, I also like to mix types of n-tuplets in my phrases and I recommend you to try it if you haven't. For example, a melody based on a triplet followed by a quintuplet.