Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

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Gps
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Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

After an fight of hours, because Its often a battle for me to find the right note length and were to put them.
Also after looking at a few synthesia vids, downloaded a midi file and getting quite confused.

Then found a vid of the original artist playing the bass line, which proved that at least one synthesia vid was close but not right.

I might have to slow down the original and listen some more, because at normal speed it nearly impossible to hear for me what is happening exactly.
I am getting very close though.


Googled the BPM and KEY. A minor 112 bpm

Part of me is shocked how close I am already to the original sound. Default LMMS sounds, no fine tuning or anything. :shock:
Need to check the chord progression, it's only a small start.

Now the quiz part, what am I covering? ( or butchering? ) :P

Bassline LMMS monstro synth, layered with zynaddsubfx.

Then zyaddsubfx for the strings. (jarre strings preset)

Kicker for the bassdrum.

https://soundcloud.com/user586365033/test1

This song seems to fit LMMS nicely, or did I just get extreemly lucky, by picking these presets? :lol:

I suspect most people to recognize it instantly ?
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by lilith »

Fade to Grey?
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

We have a winner :)

This is the vid that helped me getting close.

At 8.35 he does the bassline, and I noticed him hitting some keys twice :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmF_jeokUX8

This vid proofs my chord progression needs work too. :lol:
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

Found probably the right chord progression.

I had A, A, F, G

But now its A,A, C, E. Baby steps forward.

Right now having an out of scale issue when he starts to sing. :lol:
I imported the original track into LMMS to compare, and the shit hits the fan when he starts to sing.

If only I had perfect pitch, but at least my relative pitch is not that bad, so I can hear if I am in key with the original or not.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by jeanette_c »

I had the cover by Mark Oh somewhere and he play Am, C, Em, though that may just be him.
What I enjoyed most about your version is the bass sound. So powerful, crisp and still dirty around the edges.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

Interesting.

The bassline does not have chords, so no minor or mayor for those notes.

The scale is A minor though so you are probably right. :)

After allot of trying, I peeked at a midi file.

There is also a part were the bassline goes, C D C D.

I think everybody should try at least one thing for some fun.
Open up your daw and then start zynaddsubfx. Go to the brass presets and you have instantly that fade to grey bassline sound.
(around C3) This will probably work with more synths though.

The original is a brass preset on a polymoog (because the minimoog was missing :lol: ), sometimes I love you tube.

I am struggling but also having allot of fun.

I have some thinking to do on how to finish this. Go for an cover as close as I can get and insert the lyrics, or make a track like what the original started at, an instrumental, with maybe something of my own added. :)

I love the part I already have now in lmms. It has a simple percussion just a kick and a hihat in a disco pattern. ( boom clap boom clap)

Disco remix ? :mrgreen:
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

After some more studying of the midi file and listening to the mp3 I imported (as ogg file) in to LMMS.

I have to come to the conclusion, the midi file does match my mp3. Thats one reason why I got quite confused.

The C D C part is when he sings. The midi file does not have a note slight like the original, they put in just allot of notes going up.

I am now watching LMMS tutorials on how to do a note slight, because I know LMMS can do this.

This track might be very suited for replacing the singing with a synth. :D

That will be a fight because I never copy paste notes from a midi file, so I have to see if I can do it by ear, and knowing the lyrics.

Once tried to cover Deep Purple - Child in time and gave up when the singing starts. There is just no way to emulate that singing right.
With fade to grey it seems possible. Maybe zynaddsubfx choir ? :mrgreen:
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

Baby steps, I finally understand how to do note slide in LMMS.

Deleted the mp3(ogg), and inserted one that does has the weird intro, and then that note slide.

Only needed one chord, then automate the pitch. Count the number of semitones, and set the range accordingly.
Then in the automation editor draw a graph.

For now leaving the midi file in, which I am using as sheet music, I do not copy paste the notes.

My intro is in scale with the original, and the sounds are already damn close.

The kick seems to be an bassdrum acoustic, in LMMS.

I never had this little issues finding the right sounds. LMMS is very suited for covering Fade To Grey it seems. :lol:

ZynaddsubFX jarre strings layerd with a zasfx organ sound for the main strings.

The bassline a brass preset from zasfx, layered with the monstro synth to make it more dirty.

Seriously wondering, if this is me getting lucky, or is this proof of how much I have improved, since people asked if I was tone deaf.
Probably both.

Never give up never surrender. :)

Fun memories: I remember thinking , what do mean out of scale, it's made on a computer how can It be out of tune :lol:

Need to do some more fiddling though.
First attempt was a two octave slide, but listening to the original after this, the slide seems to far less big.

Maybe it goes up from A to D. Pretty sure it ends at D, but not having a perfect pitch I need to be careful with jumping to a conclusion. :)

Once again something totally getting out of hand, I was not planning on covering fade to grey, first only was interested in that bassline. :mrgreen:

To be continued.....
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

I did not understand what Chris Payne said about the strings, but after some googling found this.

Strings: Polymoog Vox Humana preset
Bass: Polymoog Brass preset

I googled voxhumada synth at first, because that was what I thought he said. :lol:

More synths were used, some rumours about the intro were a fairlight cmi was used.

Then there is the synth that does the violin sound, and some drumcomputers layered with real drums.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

I might have to do some studying on chords.

For days now struggling the get the right progression, when he start to sing.

Then by looking at a synthesia vid, and after trying and trying again, I end up with something that at least does not sound bad, and sounds like it could belong there.

I am kinda is shock though.
I made chords I did not know existed.

I now have this 4 bars , were it goes DFA, CFA, DFA, CFA
Quint and Tertz stay the same only the root changes. :shock:

This pattern does however fit a midi file I have, were the bass goes D,C,D,C.

Why part of me is in a total wtf stage, is because this progression seems to hold the tension, were my previous pattern, totally broke the tension.
My previous pattern, using default minor/major chords.


First question.
Is a chord any 3 notes in a scale ? ( or 4 or 5 notes ) So I can do what ever I want ?

Second question.
Any suggestions on a good chord tutorial, were they skip the basics. :mrgreen:

Third question.
Should I maybe forget totally the music theory behind this and just go by ear ? If it sounds right it is right ?

The part were I am having trouble start at 0.35 One man at a lonely platform
That chord progression. Any thoughts? :)
I am not convinced that what I have now is correct.
Until that part I am 100% in tune.

Edit:
The DFA seems to sound in tune with the mp3, the CFA does not.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

Small update, this is were I am at now.

Work in progress, but its a nice start.

https://soundcloud.com/user586365033/fade-to-grey

At 0.38 they start to sing, not sure yet what I will do with the lyrics, nor if this part is right yet.
The note slight clearly needs more trying, but for now happy with this.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

Minor update. I copied some notes from a midi file, which mimics the singing.

Had to adjust it a bit (timing wise), probably because that midi file is not exactly the same bpm as mine.
It's for now good enough, but needs some fine tuning still.

Very happy its in key. :D
This proofs my chord progression for this part does work.
As the people still reading this topic will know, I was worried about that. :mrgreen:

Need to find at least two more sounds from the top of my head.
Something like a violin and and high pluncky sound.
Find out what is happening with a certain sound, is it a filter opening or closing ?

Then want to see if I can add some of my own chord progression and melody wise.
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

The midi file I use for sheet music is 115 BPM, mine is 112.
Not really important, I even like that this makes it impossible to just copy paste the notes. :)

Today added another part, and this has 6 notes in a 4 count.

It has a progression of its own, the basslline however keeps doing what it does for most of the track.
C,E,A,A

This part has A,F,G,E, A,F,G,E, C,A,B,G ... A ... A :P

Having fun and learning stuff.

To be continued :)
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

After (as usual) getting quite frustrated, finally some progress.

Note slight is now good enough, it is not 100% the same but it ends at the same note as the original, and I am happy with it.

One thing going wrong was the position of the sliding note, because of this, it reached an A while the other parts of track were not playing an A.
So no unison as you can hear in the original. (I am hoping I am using this right word, for two instruments playing together in the same key)

Because I had kinda lost track of were I was going I imported the midi file, to see if I had all the basic parts.

I was missing one part, the part that mimics, them singing fade to grey.

A bit by accident , I already had what comes before this. AHHHH, AHHHH, (zadsfx choir)

To get this right though, omg. I think it took me 3 hours of fighting.

After two hours or so, I totally gave up on keeping the notes on the grid and then I finally succeeded.

Three hours of moving notes, ehh nope, again moving notes , ehh nope, and so on.

Sarcastic joke:
Next time I will just use the midi file, and replace the soundfonts with LMMS instrument.
It was a thought that popped up, mostly on how much time it would have saved me. :lol:
I am also pretty sure though, that I learning allot more the way I am doing it now.
(The midi file is my sheet music)

Added Calf stereo tools, for a wider stereo effect off the instruments, but not on the percussion. I think I am starting to understand this Calf plugin.
It messes with the sound in a way we don't want, but it has dials to compensate for this....

Maybe with LMMS 1.3, I can use the newer calf plugins, to see if they are better.
Was it LV2 support I am waiting for? :P
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Re: Having fun with LMMS, quiz time ?

Post by Gps »

This is were I am now. Not really happy about how it ends.

Although this is like the original it goes into a never ending loop. Sound like room for improvement there.
I am still thinking if I can't add more of my own.

For now quite happy though, I could live with this. :D


https://soundcloud.com/user586365033/fade-to-grey-1
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