Most of the songs I do are not just beats, but basically backing tracks with drums and bass. To minimize the interaction, and thus train-wreck style mistakes, you have to get creative with how you choose the loop.
I have posted 30-40 “with bass” songs, I think, and I have about 70 more in various stages of completion. Many of them are completely done except for the dreaded “500 note limit”. I wrote a program to analyze midi files, and found that for many of those files, the real notes are well under the 500 note limit, and that it’s zero velocity notes that are putting me over.
So, the song I just posted - Tommy James Draggin the Line - was one that had that exact issue. So I figured out a way to convert all the zero note-ons to note-offs, which the BB doesn’t count. The song seems to play just fine! The nature of the continuing bass means it doesn’t really need the note offs.
Side note: just deleting the zero velocity ones made Reapers display freak out, I suppose thinking that every note continued forever! Replacing with note-offs made it look better.
I think i have posted this elsewere but this thread seems appropriate. Im not sure what reaper does but normally I import my files direct from reaper midi’s but sometimes when a part goes over the 500 note limit but I’m pretty sure its under I will open the midi in “Free midi editor” and save with no alterations to the midi and the file is then right to import.
I haven’t actually used it to modify or create any beats with it so I have no Idea how to use it. The only other thing I have used it for is to correct the time signiture after reaper saves the midi with just a 4/4 time if it is say 3/4.
As I am experimenting with using java to parse midi, i’ll probably end up with a complete midi filter/converter that fixes all the issues we have with our tools!
I am not sure what songs “with Bass” mean. But here is a stab- if I connect the midi out on Beat Buddy to a midi keyboard on the same channels then the midi keyboard with play the bass notes in time with Beat Buddy? thnx in advance, Kimbo
Ahhhh, I get that, thanks Dennis… So I see a drum kit with bass I think posted by Guitar Stu. (is this the only one?) So I just need to load this drumset into BB? Is there selectable bass sounds? Thanks
Sorry for Hijacking this thread, Ill post a new question next time. I loaded brushes with bass and got everything rocking. One more question. Is Beat Buddy going to incorporate more bass into the pedal in the future?
I would say probably not–this was a user hack. What might end up happening though is the ability for the BB to trigger an outside source for other instruments.
You might check out my brushes with bass… i added tambourine and cowbell to it, and i’m looking into adding back a couple more. It’s in my Resources section.