Self Generating music in Ableton, only with bundled instruments, plugins and effects.
A one minute example of music generated in Ableton with its built in midi effects. I’ve intentionally made it very random and glitchy in this example. There are ways to build effects racks that would allow for quick generation of melodic loops and chords with a more traditional musical structure.
In this example I’m gonna show you what I used to get this result as well as some simple explanations for what’s being used and why.
The Drums: the sound is a break I cut up myself. The first in the chain is a random midi effect. Default settings, chance set to 100%, this is followed by a chord with random notes. This is to feed the arpeggiator 7 notes at once. The arp is also playing random sequences with a modulated rate between 1/12 and 1/48. The final effect is a scale, this is just to limit what notes can be played. My drum rack only has 16 samples, so I’ve limited where the midi notes can fall. The drums also have several beat repeats on the end of the audio effects chain which add to the sound.
Drum chain
The Melody: again this chain starts with a random effect. Default settings again, chance at 100%. A chord playing a major 9th, this goes in to a note length effect, which I am using like a hold. So the notes toggle instead of having to be held down for the arp. Next the velocity is randomized, this feeds in to a midi rack I made where only above 89vel is the effect triggered, all the affect does is add a major chord to whatever note plays above 89vel. This is all fed in to a scale which is set to F minor.
Melody chain
The Chords: a random effect, in to a chord effect playing a major 9, the velocities of the notes are randomized and it’s fed in to a scale effect. All notes only play within F minor
The chords
Now you can generate some random music when the lack of creativity is an issue. Feel free to comment and post your music in the comments!
4-channel DJ controller for rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro Expand your creative potential and keep your audience in the groove with the new 4-channel DDJ-FLX6 DJ controller. Brand-new features let you easily mix songs from totally different genres, while pro-sounding scratch effects add extra spice. Plus, full-size jog wheels with track position display enable you to easily scratch and pitch bend. Explore Merge FX Add drama to your set and […]