Ask Your Questions Here.

[Infyuthsion]

If anyone is having any (nontechnical) trouble with audiotool, or if
you have any questions you would like to ask, I will try to answer
you. Please post below.

( P.S. Did you install the latest Flash Player? )

[theorganist]

what do the loop buttons underneath the decay knobs on the
pulverasatuer do? i just cant figure it out lol

[Infyuthsion]

The loop buttons repeat the according envelope over and over again, as
opposed to a single time. So normally you would have Attack (Note Fade-
In), Decay (Note Fade-Out [While Holding Note]), Sustain (Note Hold
Volume While Holding Note) and, Release (Note Fade-Out After Releasing
Key). Envelopes trigger on note press/hold. With loop, it goes through
Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release over and over again (Until you let
go of the key). If you don't understand the concept of ADSR envelope
this probably won't make sense to you, in which case just google it.
If you do, i hope this makes sense to you and helps.

[theorganist]

yes that helped alot! thanks

[TopHat]

I have a few questions about mastering

so exactly what is to be accomplished when it comes to
mastering...right now i use 2 p.equalizers and my ears, but i have no
idea what they do as far as sound science goes....what does it mean by
bandwidth (i know what the gain/frequency is) and is there a universal
setting that is good for all songs, or does it just depend on the song
and our ears?

[ET-47]

I have a question. Does a compressor do anything if nothing is being
side chained to it?

[rnzr]

et-47: it sure does! try some radical settings (ratio max / threshhold
min) to instantly hear an effect.

[Joshua Kasper]

A more subtle, but nice setting I've used is threashold of 6db, ratio of 1:2 and a attack of between 1-5ms. It helps give a normal 8th note bassline a little more punchy. I also like to use it in my aux on the Centroid and have the drums go through it to help get a subtle extra kick from them. 

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[Infyuthsion]

Mastering and Mixing is a complex topic. There is no simple settings
or quick fix to make a song sound amazing. As well, you won't have to
worry about "Mastering" because that's handled by professional
studios, usually. As an artist, you will want to worry more about your
mix. There is more to a good mix then just using Equalizers to filter
sound. You want to use the right instruments, plan your different
parts to play together, and use effects carefully.

This is a pretty rough guide, but hopefully you can get something out
of it: http://hlecktro.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/mixing-tips-and-tricks/

As for your question about bandwidth, its like on your home stereo
where you have all the little faders for frequency. Except, with a
parametric eq, you can change what it affects ( Bass, Mid, Treble ).
The frequency number is the point along the sound "spectrum" where you
are raising or lowering volume (the gain knob). Lower numbers like
60hz are for (bass), and the higher you go up in number, the higher
frequency you affect (treble). It really helps first to understand how
filters work, as parametic eq is just essentially a programmable notch/
bandpass filter. (not gonna get too much into this)

If you are kind of new, then perhaps leave the P.Eq alone and just use
the built in centroid low/mid/hi eq knobs. They are essentially the
same thing except with fixed frequency and bandwidth values. if you
want a more visual reference as to how a p eq affects the sound, then
I suggest taking a look at Fruityloops Parametric Eq plugin as it
shows what effect turning the knobs does as opposed to the audiotool
p.eq where it really doesn't show you anything.

[Infyuthsion]

Basically, while in sidechain mode, the compressor "effect" is
activating whenever sound goes into the sidechain input at a high
enough volume (this is configurable with the threshold setting). While
running normally, the effect triggers instead from the main input.
Either ways, your threshold determines when the compressor kicks in.

[r4c7]

Well what I'm wondering is after you've set up your basic setup, where
do you go from there? I make a basic tune and then I just feel like I
just keep repeating it, over and over again, with some variation. I
just feel like I'm forcing songs to come out, and that they are just a
repetitive mess.

[Joshua Kasper]

Composition is an art that often requires fighting a lot of writers block. This is also where patience comes in. It's sometimes helpful to get away from the track, think about other things and then come back with new inspiration. You'll find that you can get another varied section done. Don't worry about whether they fit together yet. That's what transitions are about. Sometimes it's really fun to transition immediately into something completely different other times you want to build up to the transition. 

I'm not the best at variety, but I hear you when it comes to trying to get things to not just be loops. 

[Joel Caffey]

That helped alot, thank you!

[r4c7]

Thanks for the response. I understand that it takes time, but I just
think, how do people say they finish a song in 5 hours. I usually
spend a couple days (I probably can do it in less time, but I get
distracted).

Also, another question. I kinda understand some of the effects, but
the descriptions don't really give a hint to beginners what the
effects exactly do. Is there a guide that could help explain this
stuff? The guide doesn't even need to relate directly to audiotool,
just to defining what the effects do.
Some of the effects I don't really get: Slope, S. Detune, p. EQ, Gate,
etc.

[Joshua Kasper]

I don't know about others, but although I can finish some tracks very quickly (some not so quickly) it typically comes from the fact that I spend a lot of time writing junk drafts experimenting with sounds/effect combos. I'm not an expert on many of the effects, but by experimenting in drafts where I had no intention of making a published track, I've been able to learn a lot about what I can do. 

Because of this, when I get ideas, I can usually remember back to drafts I worked on (some saved some just left unsaved) and pull out a quick bag of tricks to work with. From there, I personally will begin working on other sounds in the track to see if there's anything else I can do with the effects/sounds. 

Undo is my best friend. I highly recommend the slope (high pass automate frequency from high to low can help bring in a new synth/loop) and the S. Detune (this adds so much to the synths that I nearly detune everything). 

--

[r4c7]

Thanks for the reply, but I don't think you understand exactly what
I'm asking. I understand that they change the song, but I don't know
how. I don't know what detuning means, or highpass, or a bunch of the
other vocabulary used for this type of music. What I want would be a
guide to tell me exactly what all this means, maybe in-depth or a lot
of reading, but something to make understand what all these words
mean.

[Joshua Kasper]

It's tough to get some info on the web without it getting really technical. I did, however, google some of the items to learn more about them. Wikipedia has some fairly decent starting points on the compressor and I think if you look up filter frequency or high pass frequency, you may find some more info. 

Hopefully someone on here can help with better resources to review. I only started with this stuff at the end of last year and didn't know anything, so I learned a lot by just paying attention to what people did on the site with their tracks and using google a lot :).

[Infyuthsion]

@r4c7

The best advice I can give to you, is to forget about all the terms,
and simply start experimenting with effects, and the pulverisatuer.
There is a few devices that will be a little difficult to understand
this way, like the compressor, but essentially you can just learn what
moving certain knobs sounds like. When I started using audiotool a
year ago, I had very limited understanding of synthesizing your own
sounds. I learned everything I know in music through brute force trial
and error. Especially in sysnthesis, it pays to experiment. Sometimes
I sit there for hours not even making a song and just exploring the
pulverisatuer.

It's not so important to understand what different settings mean, so
much as how they sound. Even if you describe what a setting does, it's
not the same as hearing it yourself and learning. This goes for both
synthesis and effects. Just playing around with effects and signal
pathing, you can figure a lot out on your own. The only devices I
would recommend to stay away from if you don't know what you are doing
is the P.Eq and the Comp, as there is specific reasons to be using
those in certain ways.

As for song structure,

Try listening to some songs you like of the genre and try to interpret
the structure they use for their songs. Usually a basic song will
consist of drums, bass, lead, and pad. You can build a whole song just
based on having four patterns, one of each of those instruments. You
just have to bring them in and drop them out every 32, 64 bars. You
can also make additional sections of a song that use the "same notes"
with maybe a couple different instruments. The best thing to change
for variation is the lead sound. Sorry if this is a little vague, but
it's a fairly extensive topic.

The main thing is to make "sections" of music that sound like they
"match up" with each other and take out or bring in elements along the
way in multiples of four.

[Joel Caffey]

I can help u with detuning but not many of the others im just as clueless xD. Detuning creates a two tone sound, like how the pulve has 3 oscillators that can have 3 different octaves. Detune  sets u 2 simaltaneous sounds: one is in normal pitch while the other is sliiiiightly off pitch, giving it a beautiful colorful sound. Also highpass refers to the treble of a song, like for the slope, it allows u to smoothly transfer from high treble/no bass to full bass no treble. Im not 200% accurate but I hope it helped in some way..

[r4c7]

Thanks Inythusion, Joel, and Joshua. Your advice is valuable to me.
Like you said joshua, I looked up some things and I understand more
what things do and I tried expirementing with some of the effects I
understand most of them to a degree (I didn't really fiddle with the
settings much, but I can probably figure that out). I still don't
really get slope, P. EQ, or the compressor. I understand how the P. EQ
is used to make certain frequencies louder or quieter (or I'm
completely wrong), but don't know exactly how to use it. I might be
able to figure out the compressor on my own. Just reading the
audiotool wiki has just helped me learn what the slope does.

On Aug 15, 3:08 pm, Joel Caffey <moejojoj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I can help u with detuning but not many of the others im just as clueless
> xD. Detuning creates a two tone sound, like how the pulve has 3 oscillators
> that can have 3 different octaves. Detune  sets u 2 simaltaneous sounds: one
> is in normal pitch while the other is sliiiiightly off pitch, giving it a
> beautiful colorful sound. Also highpass refers to the treble of a song, like
> for the slope, it allows u to smoothly transfer from high treble/no bass to
> full bass no treble. Im not 200% accurate but I hope it helped in some way..

[Joshua Kasper]

Don't forget to open up other people's tracks. I learned a lot about the compressor and many other devices that way.

[oedipax]

I have no idea how any of those work. I think I've only used the
compressor a couple of times and the p. eq a few times too trying to
figure out how it worked, but to no avail, so they are in some of my
tracks, but it didn't seem to make a difference when I stuck them in
there probably because I wasn't using any of them right. lol.

[Joshua Kasper]

I only knew about some of the devices because they look like guitar pedals, and my older brother played guitar when he was in high school. I used to mess around with his flanger, envelope filter, gate, distortion, etc... Of course he didn't have as much expensive equipment. 

Learning how a guitarist uses these can help because they are very much standard for guitarists. Plus the fact that everything is an object (looks like  a real life pedal) makes things nicer. I like turning knobs rather than typing values :). 

Another way to learn what each pedal does is when you open someone's track that uses the effect (in the old site, they used to show the list of devices which I miss greatly, so now you have to hunt for them) and isolate synth/sample whatever that's going through the chain. Then turn off the one pedal to see what effect it has or change the knob settings. You'll get a feel for why the person put it there (even if you find that it's not necessary because you can't hear any change). 

I started to learn to consolidate a few pedals by doing this. I found that some pedals/effects were being used just to be used and I couldn't tell the difference or I could get similar effect that I wanted using a different combo. Some of the synths that people like the most from me only have 2-3 effects on them, but each with the settings I want. 

Lastly, I can't blame anyone for wanting to know more. I always want to eat up info. I need to now hit up my uncle for mixing help because he's worked with all types of real world mixers (I've only seen maybe 2 in my life LOL). But I've been concentrating more on my note tracks more lately. Right now I care more about pushing myself in the realm of music theory than just effects. 

[r4c7]

Well, one more question for now, which is a bit technical, so it might
not belong here. I also feel a bit bad because half of the discussion
seems to be about me, but thats why this was created.

Audiotool seems to be pretty slow and to crash for big projects for me
(even things with four pulvisateurs and some effects crash when I hit
play), so I was wondering if there was a way to make the program run
better, like a different browser or a special program. I use Firefox,
i'm on a laptop (Can't change this), and I already use gamebooster
(helpful program). Thanks in advance.

[Joel Caffey]

I use google chrome as my browser, and audiotool has a app that works within the browser..basically a faster way to open it. I use a macbook pro and I used to crash often when I used 10+ imported samples. I just think the fact that sooo many people use the software has some affect on it too. But for any speed/smooth operation enhancement its also helpful to get an external hard drive with some decent space

[candallred]

Are there any plans to fix the latency issue with MIDI devices? I
have an axiom 25 that I'd really love to use with audiotool...

On Aug 17, 1:05 am, Joel Caffey <moejojoj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I use google chrome as my browser, and audiotool has a app that works within
> the browser..basically a faster way to open it. I use a macbook pro and I
> used to crash often when I used 10+ imported samples. I just think the fact
> that sooo many people use the software has some affect on it too. But for
> any speed/smooth operation enhancement its also helpful to get an external
> hard drive with some decent space

[Eric Theobald]

Yes, i've totally started using it in my music.  I had no clue how much cleaner it makes my music sound.  

[Virtuous]

If it help's anyone.....

1. Most of you seem to be confused by the pEq. The best way to use
this device is to try and think about which parts of your track you
want hear at different frequencies. For example, if you have a lead
part in your track then you will really want it be heard at the mid-
range level as the center of the track so you could use the pEq to
boost it's mid-range frequencies while reducing the mid-range
frequencies on any pad you have in the track so that it stays in the
background, subtley adding depth to the track. You can also use the
pEq to remove any unwanted noises from an instrument. In particular,
when using a large amount of resonance on a filter there can be some
jarring noises when the frequency of the filter matches the frequency
of the note being played through it (I won't go into more detail as it
will turn into a physics lesson) so the pEq can be used to reduce this
frequency when used after the filter.

2. For anybody who is new to audiotool, try to avoid using too many
pedals and try to avoid just using loops. The best thing you can do is
learn to use the pulverisateur as it can produce such a variety of
sounds and once you've learnt a bit about it the pedals should come to
you easily. If you right-click on it and select 'init preset' it will
be programmed to it's simplest settings and you can fiddle with each
dial and button till you understand what it does (trying to work out
how everything works at once may be a bit too much information to take
in at once).

3. If you hear an sound created with the pulv in someone else's track
then it can be useful to open the track and note down what every dial
is set to and what the lfo is controlling and whether the sync button
is active, etc. I used to have a piece of paper and a pen to copy
peoples sounds and would then experiment with the copied synth.
.
4. Not everything needs to be de-tuned or stereo de-tuned. With some
of my recent dub-step tracks the various wobbles and stabs are done
with one oscillator with various chorus pedals, crushers, reverb and
pEq's to create some weird sounds (with chorus and reverb pedals put
in at various mix-levels with an aux channel). What it really takes to
get the best sound is something that I think Infyuthsion has mentioned
which is finding the sweet-spot with a filter frequency, applying a
large amount of resonance and experimenting with modulatinfg whatever
you can from there (modulating further filters, pulse-width-
modiulation depth (pwm on the pulve) and even the volume levels of
seperate oscillators if there is more than one being used). .

I hope this has been helpful. If not.... Then forget I ever posted it.

[arche]

I will not forget that you posted!

I found researching ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) in general
was very helpful. Once I understood this, I was able to better
understand what I was doing with the pulverisateur.

[r4c7]

Well, I'm back with yet another question. I feel that my songs are
lacking on major thing, which is good notetracks. I understand how
they work, I just don't think I pick the right notes and structure. If
there is a guide on how to write note patterns, or if you could
explain it to me, that would help a lot.

[r4c7]

If it isn't easy to tell what I mean, here is a diagram of something I
use commonly in songs:

b= Quarter note
-------------
----b-------
-b----------
-------b----
----------b-

That is something that I would commonly use in songs, and doesn't
sound too interesting.

[arche]

The best thing here is to pick up more music (sheet music or look at
what other people are doing with their note tracks).

Also change up the rhythm of your notes (use 8ths, 16ths, etc...)

[r4c7]

Thanks. I've been trying to look at other people's note tracks, but
most crash whilst opening. If their is any sheet music you think I
should look into, tell me.
I think I have just had a sudden breakthrough by finally understanding
how the ADSR filters work, so I think I'll be able to come up with
MUCH better songs, with already on on the way with good note tracks so
far.

[arche]

I rip off a lot of classical (Liszt is good for fast riffs), but
really just look at anything you can. If you like the music to
something see if there's sheet music or perhaps a tab of it (typically
there are more of these online on fan sites).

The typical riff is based on minor pentatonic scales. These can get
boring if you over use them, but they are easy to play and learn and
there aren't any "bad" tones technically.

C minor pent = C, Eb, F, (F# blues), G, Bb, C

Plays any of these notes in any combo and you can't mess up. Eb minor
pent (or F# Major) is just all the black keys on the piano.

For more fun, try using the tones of a chord like a C Maj 7 (C,E,G,B).
And my personal favorite C7b9#11: C,E,G,Bb,Db,F#. You can use these as
a basis for note tracks by re-arranging the order and messing around
with the rhythm.

[Infyuthsion]

I was in the process of writing a guide to this... but it's mostly for
4/4 standard progression songs. I'm not done writing yet either, it's
been kind of sitting on the backburner.

[Infyuthsion]

But, to MASSIVELY generalize, my method is basically, you want to make
chords that go well together, find your "base" note (usually the
lowest note in the chord), and then draw in notes for other
instruments that use the same keys as the chord. This is my trick for
100% harmonic music. Add variation to your main sound with small
volume changes, changes in note length ( You can turn off
Quantinize ), and good trick for instant variation in sound is using
the keyboard tracking knob underneath the filter. Basically what it
does is modify the filter position according to how high or low the
notes being played are.

[Infyuthsion]

Also keep in mind, a well-programmed pulverisatuer with thoughtful
effects goes a long way to making your notes sound better.

[arche]

This is an important point because some note tracks work better with
different synth sounds than others.

It might be nice to start a new thread on this since there are a lot
of areas you could go. I think a general guide would be great,
Infyuthsion, but I also like the idea of getting into some nuances
like off-color/non-traditional combinations.

From the online book: http://www.scribd.com/doc/5220863/Ravenspiral-Guide-to-Music-Theory-06

"bIII-bVII-Imi. A technoey sort of progression, Blue Monday, anyone"
In the key of C, this would be Eb, Bb, Cm

A nice online jazz book can be found here:
http://www.cs.uml.edu/~stu/JazzTheory.pdf

Really it comes down to what you like and what sounds good to you, but
there are traditional concepts that are worth learning (tri-tone beg
for resolution (G7 to C) or you can substitute (G7 to Am - a bit over-
done, but can work really well if not overdone in a single song). You
can even substitute the dominant 7 (instead of G7, you can use Db7 and
resolve to C - in the key of C).

Whether formally or informally, you'll study this the rest of your
life.

[r4c7]

Thanks guys for all of the help. I've tried to take it all into
consideration with my new song.
I really think this is my best song yet, although I haven't made that
many yet, but I would really like to know if there is anything I
should change or add to make it better, so I would appreciate your
help in helping me to finalize it. If you want to listen, here is the
link; http://www.audiotool.com/track/life_is_but_a_dream/

[Joa Ebert]

Sometimes you may want to stick with a certain tonality. D-minor is
great for love songs for instance.

Most trance music is also written in a minor scale.

If you have a scale you would like to use simply start playing around
with some notes that fit together.

For instance we choose B-minor as our scale. I usually start with a Pulv
and choose "Init Preset" in the Context Menu to reset its state.

Now notes you could use are:

Bb, C, C#, D#, F, G, G#, Bb

If you put them all together in a Note region you can start removing
some notes and move others around. For instance I like to stick with:

----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
C#--
C-------
Bb------ G#--
G---
F---
----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----

Assuming that "-" is a 1/16th so this makes a total of 2 bars.
This could already be your bass. So now put a pad on top of it.
I would use Bb, C, G and F as choords.

Remember you can always shuffle the notes in a choord around as you
with. So C, E, G can simply occur as G-E-C. Often you can also add the
7th note of your scale to the chord so Bb7 is Bb with the 7th note played.

I shuffeled the choords a little bit around and spiced it up a little
bit so it does not sound too boring.

As for the melody you could use anything in the range of
Bb, C, C#, D#, F, G, G# and you are good to go. Simply improvise a
little bit.

Because it got a little bit complicated I made a sample of what I did so
you can have a look on your own. It is pretty cheesy and I am not very
good at arranging notes and creating melodies. So I just know a little
bit ab out the theory and those would be the most basic steps to create
something that sounds harmonic.

Here is the temnplate:

http://audiotool.com/app/ikym1j0vr62rmjh4gmdfp4otdg4/0

Have fun!

Joa

[arche]

I don't know how to upload (or if we can upload) on here, but this is
something I wrote a couple weeks ago that I'll never use. Short, but
can be used with some adjustments split up on a few synths.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=183310345071077&set=a.164282923640486.38515.149065921828853&type=1&theater

[Infyuthsion]

By the way, I still have little clue what I am doing technically when
it comes to music in an academic sense. It's my weakest category when
it comes to making music. I just like know what I want to hear in my
head, and fumble around notes randomly until it makes the sound I
hear. I am amused; I had a pianist over once and he was all baffled
when I pointed out what notes/chords to use without even knowing what
they were called... lol

[arche]

I've been getting like that too. I actually have been writing some
note tracks without thinking about how they connect. I then go back to
figure out how to best harmonize or vis versa make a melody. But in
the end for me some music is easier to do on sheet music staff, some
is easier to figure out just by ear and some is easiest feel alone
(how my hands hit the keyboard). Doesn't really matter how you do it
as long as you're making music.

[r4c7]

Well I think I understand the basics of writing notes, and how
experimentation can help the most sometimes. I'm now interested in how
to remix songs well. I understand the basics of it, but I was
wondering, what do you do?
Do you alter the sounds? Do you just rearrange and add more sounds? Do
you you bring it back down to the basics and create a whole new song?
Etc.?

I really hate to bother you people with all these questions, but if
there was a guide I could use, I would, like infyuthusion's great
tutorials. I really wish there were more guides like those, or at
least were linked to on the website.

[Joel Caffey]

U must know that there are somethings in music that simply can't be put into a text book definition. You have to develop and learn at your own expense. However to answer your question, remixing is your chance to add something in a song u want it to have. I'm sure u have listened to a doing and thought of ideas that you thought would sound nice in that song... Its a wsy to show your style through some one elses idea and experiment. Dont be afraid to experiment! There is no wrong way in music, unless u simply change the drums and nothing else...thats just laziness -.-

On Aug 27, 2011 10:47 PM, "r4c7" <darkbo...@aol.com> wrote:

[Slapstick]

The two effects that I just can't seem to figure out are the exciter and the stereo enhancer. What do they do? How are they used? Help plz!

[20j...@otsegoknights.org]

when you export a song from audio tool does that song stay on your tracks?  

[Oscar Cabrera]

How can I upload a track(it's my own) onto audiotool? I want to modify it but can't seem to upload it as a sample. It's a little over 2 min long, please help. I have a chromebook acer. https://www.audiotool.com/app/chrome thank you

[Ralf Noetzel]

You have to cut it in 30 second pieces

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[Idontknow123]

How?

[Mark Valleley]

Use Audacity - its freeware and perfect for this task. There is a good tutorial on Editing an existing file in the Quick Help menu. 

[dawk...@gmail.com]

How do I add another track after posting A1 to time line?