Do melodies have to match up to the gridlines in order for everything to be in sync?

L

l3lackjax

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I suppose you could sync the drums up with it later if it wasn't on the gridlines as long as the notes are evenly spaced out? How do you avoid this when the notes just dont sound like they're in the right positions to your ear? In this case do I just adjust the tempo until it sounds right, then build the song from there?

I'm using FL Studio by the way. I have to click my melodies into existence lol, it sucks. I need $$ for some pads x.x
 
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two schools of thought on this; however the fact that you mouse you stuff in says you are not really interested in either of the arguments as you are not engaged in the direct playing of material into your daw

i.e. synching to the grid is more important to begin with even though it will not be organic

When you can play your material in in real time then you may revisit this idea
 
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two schools of thought on this; however the fact that you mouse you stuff in says you are not really interested in either of the arguments as you are not engaged in the direct playing of material into your daw

i.e. synching to the grid is more important to begin with even though it will not be organic

When yo ucan play your material in in real time then you may revisit this idea

i dont think being able to play my material in real time matters in this case. That being said, i am interested, because i will eventually learn how to play in real time. I just want to be able to properly have my drums play over a melody thats not completely on the grid without timing issues when im playing all the material back in song mode after its been arranged. If the notes i have were on the grid it'd sound boring. Or find a way that the two(drums & instruments) will sync and still have the character that the note distances empart on the melody. i.e. without changing the melody's note's current positions, i guess.
 
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i dont think being able to play my material in real time matters in this case. That being said, i am interested, because i will eventually learn how to play in real time. I just want to be able to properly have my drums play over a melody thats not completely on the grid without timing issues when im playing all the material back in song mode after its been arranged. If the notes i have were on the grid it'd sound boring. Or find a way that the two(drums & instruments) will sync and still have the character that the note distances empart on the melody. i.e. without changing the melody's note's current positions, i guess.

Even if you don't know how to play in real time, you'll find a MIDI keyboard will be a great investment even if you ONLY use it for 'trial and error' creating melodies. Cant really do that clicking all your notes in as it takes a hellll of a long time.. I used to do it that way when I started.
 
Even if you don't know how to play in real time, you'll find a MIDI keyboard will be a great investment even if you ONLY use it for 'trial and error' creating melodies. Cant really do that clicking all your notes in as it takes a hellll of a long time.. I used to do it that way when I started.

Yeah, I'm aware it sucks. I simply dont have money to go out and buy equipment. When I do, I will, until then im doing this shit ghetto.
 
First, its hard to pick a melody out of thin air by just clicking buttons. FL has a chord sequencer where you can just plug in your chords. I would start with finding chords you like first and grab your timing through your chords. Then go ahead and pick out your melody through those chords. That should help you without having a midi key board.

Secondly, no you absolutely do not want your melody snapped to grid. You want it to sound real and no real drummer, or pianist will hit every note at the exact perfect timing. If you snap everything to grid, your mix will be stiff and without a good groove, we dont want that.

So, next time you build a beat, work the chords first for the timing and then bring in the melody through the chords. Make sure you have ghost notes activated in fl so it will make it easier for you to see those chords. Hope this helped.
 
First, its hard to pick a melody out of thin air by just clicking buttons. FL has a chord sequencer where you can just plug in your chords. I would start with finding chords you like first and grab your timing through your chords. Then go ahead and pick out your melody through those chords. That should help you without having a midi key board.

Secondly, no you absolutely do not want your melody snapped to grid. You want it to sound real and no real drummer, or pianist will hit every note at the exact perfect timing. If you snap everything to grid, your mix will be stiff and without a good groove, we dont want that.

So, next time you build a beat, work the chords first for the timing and then bring in the melody through the chords. Make sure you have ghost notes activated in fl so it will make it easier for you to see those chords. Hope this helped.

This is helpful, yes. Another problem of mine is that sometimes the melodies that im hearing will not simply fit in a 12 or 16 step pattern, do i just use odd numbers of steps in that case? Would that throw other people off, being that it wouldnt be 4/4 anymore? Or am i just thinking about this too hard and making it more complex than it really is lol?
 
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This is helpful, yes. Another problem of mine is that sometimes the melodies that im hearing will not simply fit in a 12 or 16 step pattern, do i just use odd numbers of steps in that case? Would that throw other people off, being that it wouldnt be 4/4 anymore? Or am i just thinking about this too hard and making it more complex than it really is lol?

Glad to hear this helped!

When I first started off, I had the exact same problem. This gets better with doing and over time you won't have this problem anymore.

Do you use the metronome? Try to count out loud with the metronome and the ANDS are just as important as the 1 and 2s. 1 AND 2 AND 3 AND 4. Your melodys should always stem around that. So put your chord on a one and the next on a 3 beat. Build rhythm around that and melody. Also, you should either be making your melody around 8 or 16 bars at a time. Usually, mine are based within 8 bars.
It's hard to explain over internet, but do some melody research and look up some theory as well an that should help you.
Just with time it will get better, you just have to keep at it and keep pressing it without getting frustrated, you will eventually get it.
 
This is helpful, yes. Another problem of mine is that sometimes the melodies that im hearing will not simply fit in a 12 or 16 step pattern, do i just use odd numbers of steps in that case? Would that throw other people off, being that it wouldnt be 4/4 anymore? Or am i just thinking about this too hard and making it more complex than it really is lol?

I would keep it on 4/4 unless you creating jazz... LOL just extend the pattern to 8 or 16 or 32 and if you still need room, put it in the next pattern. Hip hop/R&B is usually an 8-16 bar loop. Keep it simple...

If you are mousing in your melodies and you don't want them robotic, mouse them in on the grid first and then bypass the grid and nudge the notes either a little before the grid or a little after the grid. You'll have to determine what sounds good for yourself. And when you get yourself a MIDI keyboard, play out your melodies and tighten them up manually (drag them yourself). Don't use auto quantize unless you're going for a real tight sound. Hope this helps.
 
as produce and learn wrote, quantising to the grid generally makes you music sound robotic, which may or may not be what you are looking for.

in most cases, the grid quantising does not reflect the swing or groove factor you have in your head for your music

whether it is what is causing your melodic problems is hard to say but it most likely reflects the issues you may well have with rhythm
 
It's not bad to quantize. Many times, quantizing every note to the grid makes the music sound robotic rather than realistic. It can take away the human "feel" to your music. Just think... a real guitarist or keyboard player would be on time but they wouldn't be perfect like a computer. The human "feel" can contribute a lot to what is called the "Groove" or staying within the pocket. Players either play behind the beat, before the beat or somewhere in the "pocket" of the rhythm. Sometimes quantizing is good but its a good rule of thumb not to over quantize.

Good tip: if the melody sounds rushed or lacks feeling to it, nudge the notes to the right. This lets them hang back a little rather than being right on beat. Sometimes you'll want to nudge them to the left to play before the beat. But you will determine what sounds good and what you want to hear. Don't be afraid to turn the grid off and slide the notes around.
 
It's not bad to quantize. Many times, quantizing every note to the grid makes the music sound robotic rather than realistic. It can take away the human "feel" to your music. Just think... a real guitarist or keyboard player would be on time but they wouldn't be perfect like a computer. The human "feel" can contribute a lot to what is called the "Groove" or staying within the pocket. Players either play behind the beat, before the beat or somewhere in the "pocket" of the rhythm. Sometimes quantizing is good but its a good rule of thumb not to over quantize.

Good tip: if the melody sounds rushed or lacks feeling to it, nudge the notes to the right. This lets them hang back a little rather than being right on beat. Sometimes you'll want to nudge them to the left to play before the beat. But you will determine what sounds good and what you want to hear. Don't be afraid to turn the grid off and slide the notes around.

The best answer your gonna get!
 
first, its hard to pick a melody out of thin air by just clicking buttons. Fl has a chord sequencer where you can just plug in your chords. I would start with finding chords you like first and grab your timing through your chords. Then go ahead and pick out your melody through those chords. That should help you without having a midi key board.

Secondly, no you absolutely do not want your melody snapped to grid. You want it to sound real and no real drummer, or pianist will hit every note at the exact perfect timing. If you snap everything to grid, your mix will be stiff and without a good groove, we dont want that.

So, next time you build a beat, work the chords first for the timing and then bring in the melody through the chords. Make sure you have ghost notes activated in fl so it will make it easier for you to see those chords. Hope this helped.
solid!
 
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