Scale question

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:05 pm

I love the idea of playing a keyboard through a midi scale filter. I play keys like a two fingered typist. Nice to not have wrong notes.

I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate the midi scale effect into a dummy clip maybe, so that I can create a dummy clip for every key, every scale.

My goal would be to have the clips available in the library, and kind of build a song in arrange view by dropping/dragging to cover the chord changes, so that whatever I play, I automatically follow the changes.

I cant wrap my head around this to make it work. Any gurus?

Matt

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:09 pm

you can have a rack with many layers

each layer has a different scale plug with its own unique scale

i think from memory macro 8 on the racks defaults to switching thru the layers

have a dummy clip control macro 8

Spiralgroove · Post by **Spiralgroove** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:09 pm

its just a midi clip

make a pattern, name it according to its key...

whats the problem?

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:19 pm

Spiralgroove wrote:its just a midi clip

make a pattern, name it according to its key...

whats the problem?

Thanks, I think I've been over thinking this.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:30 pm

put all 'n' number of scale plug ins into the same FX chain, then use 'n' number of buttons to turn them on/off one at a time.

or use racks... maybe each octave on your keyboard is a different scale plug-in.

or...

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:30 pm

Tone Deft wrote:put all 'n' number of scale plug ins into the same FX chain, then use 'n' number of buttons to turn them on/off one at a time.

or use racks... maybe each octave on your keyboard is a different scale plug-in.

or...

Just to clarify what I am trying to do...

Take a simple 12 bar blues for example. I'd like to set up clips that host the midi scale effect and an instrument but no actual recorded notes.

The idea is that you would start the song, and there would be silence, but if you played a note in the first 4 bars you'd be forced to play notes in the I scale, second 4 bars in the IV scale, etc. So no matter where in the song you were improvising, you would not hit a wrong note relative to the chord progression.

See, I'd rather not be pushing buttons, I'd want it automated relative to where I was in the song. Hope that makes sense.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:37 pm

totally, sounds like fun!!!

get midi yoke, free straightforward program that acts as a virtual midi device.

assign an encoder to the scale's key knob (just to get it to recognise ccs instead of notes).

make a blank midi clip, send it out midi yoke.

in the midi clip draw in the cc values that correspond to the key changes.

OR
assign note values to turn different scales on/off (a bunch of scales in the same fx chain)

use a dummy clip to send those note values, probably more straight forward.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:38 pm

Spiralgroove wrote:its just a midi clip

make a pattern, name it according to its key...

whats the problem?

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:44 pm

Don't kill me for stating the obvious but this could be an interesting way to reinforce learning how to improvise over changes.

Like if you set it up so wrong notes didn't sound at all vs. being forced into right notes.

I know, there are no such things as wrong notes.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:48 pm

no, I totally dig it, want to try it when I get home. skipping over the theory would let you work on feel and phrasing, not to mention it lets just about anyone PLAY and PLAY and PLAY, noodle for hours.

good idea!!

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:52 pm

I just don't have time to learn a new instrument!

Spiralgroove · Post by **Spiralgroove** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:55 pm

you could automate a series of scales or chords to be in a certain key during a certain measure by automating which is active using the chain feature

youd still have to play notes but it would follow whatever your chord pattern or key changes were...

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:58 pm

You could set up some really nasty up tempo changes like "Giant Steps" and freak out your friends, just don't let them see your hands as you are banging away randomly.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:58 pm

mdifazio wrote:I just don't have time to learn a new instrument!

with this you can spend time playing, in time you'll have learned a new instrument without even knowing it. doesn't it always feel like you haven't learned an instrument, even after playing it for 15 years?

mdifazio · Post by **mdifazio** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:03 am

Tone Deft wrote:totally, sounds like fun!!!

get midi yoke, free straightforward program that acts as a virtual midi device.

assign an encoder to the scale's key knob (just to get it to recognise ccs instead of notes).

make a blank midi clip, send it out midi yoke.

in the midi clip draw in the cc values that correspond to the key changes.

OR
assign note values to turn different scales on/off (a bunch of scales in the same fx chain)

use a dummy clip to send those note values, probably more straight forward.

OK, I think I am getting closer on this. Please don't kill me 'cause I'm thinking out loud here.

Looks like I can create a midi clip containing no notes but containing envelopes that apply to the midi scale effect.

The available parameters for the scale effect include base, transpose, range, lowest, and Map 0 thru Map 11.

I guess that "base" = 0 would be the key of C? I don't see a reference to the Maps 0 thru 11 in the documentation.

Anyone know if these are preset scale types or user definable?

So I'd like to create a noteless dummy midi clip with envelopes set to give me a C maj scale no matter what note I hit on my board. Then I'd label it Cmaj and throw it in the library, and repeat for all keys, all scales.

Then, when I'm writing in Arrangement view, I drag in the appropriate dummy clip, drag it to the appropriate duration, and bang away to see how the song sounds.

I still think there is something wrong with this...

Maybe you have to set the clip length and follow parameters in session view.