Here’s a link to a tutorial on transposing the bass notes in a MIDI file exported from the BeatBuddy Manager (BBM). Here’s some suggestions on how to get the most bang for your learning buck:
Download and unzip the file;
Before viewing the video, read the summary notes in the accompanying text file;
I’ve included 2 practice files for the two most commonly used bass ranges in one-press songs with bass. The Practice 63-91.mid is the one used in the video. You can transpose (raise or lower) the notes in the 0-31 practice file using the same general principles as I used in the video. Just keep in mind to double-check so that no bass notes extend above or below the range of 0-31;
Also included is the results file Test.mid so you can compare your outcome to mine;
Reaper is not my digital audio workstation (DAW) of choice (it’s Logic Pro X) but I still remember enough to be dangerous;
In my opinion, the hardest part for me to master in Reaper was selecting all of the lines in the MIDI Editor for an instrument (bass, keys, strings) using my Mac trackpad. I click on the line of notes and then with two fingers pressing down on my trackpad, I drag through the range of notes I want to select. I expect the process with a mouse or a PC trackpad to be different;
Please, before you tell me that you use different methods for performing each of the actions in your digital audio workstation (DAW), I tried to make this tutorial as simple as possible. Yes, there are lots of shortcuts I could have used but but maybe they’re not the best way for a user new to Reaper to learn so I just tried to stick to the basics.
Thanks for this. I’m in my 4th (or so) week of BB ownership, have other DAW experience, was drawn to Reaper because of its price and intuitive functionality, have been running the (Reaper) MIDI instructional videos, and was looking forward to using it on BB drum MIDI (and maybe bass) parts. So, this zip also gets my attention!
-Ken-
Nice approach. For instructional purposes, I think Reaper’s transposition tool provides a clearer approach than Logic’s Option+Down Arrow.
I was wondering, if you are using a 0-31 kit, when you transpose down and drop below zero, does the Reaper window keyboard on the left side show negative values for the notes below zero, (which, of course, you can then fix by transposing up), or does it jam everything up at zero and not let you go below?
I don’t believe it will display values below zero and I don’t know if there’s any Reaper configuration to adjust this. They appear to bunch up at the bottom.
When I know that notes are going to transpose below zero (or conversely, above 127), I usually add (or subtract) one octave to those particular notes before I transpose lower.
I found much the same - not surprising having learned from Persist. I use a free sound kit like Kontakt from Native Instruments for bass. Often unless I have only a few adjustments to make I’ll make separate parts from a BB file to reassemble later. For instance, from the MIDI file exported from BB delete all but the bass part and save. I create a .txt file (tedious but necessary - again I learned from Persist’s tutorial) open it in REAPER (File>Note/CC Names>Load Note/CC Names from file) so I can see where the bass notes are and adjust with the Edit>Transpose function. If for the chosen kit some bass notes are out of range I just transpose within range unless that sounds bad. In that case I might just eliminate them.
I used the same idea to clear up a song (Keep On Smilin’) using Phil Flood’s Santana&Piano kit - distributing notes between organ and piano to try to open up the sound.
