MMM15: What Key is it in?

Clevo wrote on 10/3/2009, 10:20 PM

Have had a decent read of the Manual. I'm using Magix Music Maker 15 Pro. It's running well under Vista 64 OS and the Auzentech Forte Sound card (Creative drivers).

When creating music how do I establish what "key" the music is in using the Soundpools that come with MM15Pro?

Is it possible to change the Key?

I can change the Key to recorded vocals using the Elastic Audio function but I am lost in how to match it to the music sounds Key I have created.

If someone can point me in the right direction please....Ta

Comments

Procyon wrote on 10/7/2009, 12:17 PM

I believe the answer would be yes...to a point.

The "point" being you can't alter the note sequences within the basic soundpool samples themselves. You can sometimes edit these to suit your needs with some effort (cut, trim, copy, paste, etc.) or you can create your own MIDI object instead.

The key of your arrangement will be determined by the soundpool sample(s) you are using. The first sample(s) in the arrangement generally set the tone (key) for the entire arrangement, althought it can be changed at any point.

For the samples that have a definite "key", the first note in the sample generally tells you what the key is. However, not all sample groups start out on the same note. Also, some samples, such as some sequences, do not seem to have a clearly defined "key".

On the screen above the soundpool samples, there are bars numbered 1 thru 7. These generally represent the samples in the notes (tones) of a basic major scale. They follow this sequence of tones:

1-whole-2-whole-3-half-4-whole-5-whole-6-whole-7-half-1

Choosing one of these will allow you to determine the key of your composition if used at the beginning of your arrangement. They also allow you create "progressions" and changes of key in the rest of the piece.

Here comes the tricky part. To create chord progressions or changes of key other than the major scale provided, the pitch of some samples may need to be altered. For example, if you need something in B-flat, you would have to raise an 'A' sample a half tone or lower a 'B' sample a half tone.

The pitch of individual arrangement objects (soundpool samples, etc.) can be changed using the Time Processor in the object effects rack. Use the Tones knob to alter the pitch by semitones (half-tones), ie 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0...
Other fractions of a tone are available for changing the pitch of objects that are "a little off". Examples of this can be vocals that are consistantly sharp/flat or imported objects from CD or tape players that run a little fast/slow.

Some soundpool sample groups are not the same sample in major scale sequences but are groups of various samples of the same instrument with different phrasings. For these you may have to alter the pitch by as many whole and/or half tones as necessary to get the "key" you want.

As far as recorded vocals go....
If you cannot do the vocals in the same key as your arrangement, I'd recommend recording in a key you can sing in (to a simple, temporary reference track) and then pitch shift your vocal object to match the rest of the arrangement.
Never having done this myself, I don't know if this will create any undesirable distortion to your vocal track. I imagine the less pitch shifting you have to do the better.

It should be said that an arrangement can sound "good" in any key. However, the key of the arrangement can have a profound effect on the feel and mood of the piece, whether one is aware of it or not.