Extending short notes

[Martin Gifford]

I often get this problem...

I have a staccato sound or arp sound - either sampled or synth based - and I get to the end of a section, but want the melody from the previous section to have a sustained finishing note trailing into the start of the next section. How do you extend/sustain a staccato or arp instrument sound into one smooth long note?

1. Reverb is one way, but I don't get great results.

2. Repeating the note and smoothing it out using an audio editor to remove clicks is another way, but again, I don't get great results.

3. Replacing the sound with something similar is another way, but it can be hard to find something suitable.

4. Adjusting the arp can work if it's just an arp on an instrument, but sometimes the arp is produced using more complex methods, and when you tinker with them, you spoil the sound.

Any ideas?

[H20nly]

i'm not sure there is a one size fits all solution...

how about duplicating and then reversing the new copy?? depending on the length of your source material, if you crop it short this could be a way to get a few more seconds out of your last note(s).

[Martin Gifford]

I'll try it. Normally, you want a nice steady decay on the last note. Could use the utility envelope to smooth it out, or consolidate the clips and edit the volume in an audio editor.

This should be a common problem right? I have it on nearly every song. Do others have this problem?

[H20nly]

it seems like this is the kind of thing you fix in the piano roll/MIDI note editor. play/re-play the last note on a keyboard or some other note triggering device and make sure it carries you to where you want to be.

[outsidesys]

Maybe I'm not understanding the problem, but couldn't you just duplicate the track (and instrument), and then alternate the "sections" between the two tracks?

[Martin Gifford]

The problem: Say you have a woodblock hit, which usually has no sustain - lasts about a 16th note with a very fast fade. How do you extend it to last about a bar, i.e. how do you change it from a 16th not staccato hit to a nice sustained one bar note? I don't see how having two tracks will help. Maybe a nice long reverb tail, but then it will alter the original tone too much.

[outsidesys]

I understand now. Use Live's Sampler or Simpler to create loop points within the sample, and then adjust the volume envelope to suite your needs.

[Martin Gifford]

Oh, Great idea. Just hope there's no clicks with each repeat. I remember struggling with clicks when adjusting samples before. I think you use zero crossover or fades but never worked for me. Oh, you could have two tracks of the same sample repeating but just slightly offset to cover any microgaps or clics. Or record the looping and then edit it. Anyway, I'll play around this weekend.