Diving straight into the fray, Subdivisions 1.0 boldly carves its niche as the vanguard of MIDI transformation tools, applying its sophisticated attribution to Ableton Live 12. It offers an extensive control suite to change note properties, including pitch, velocity, position, duration, chance, and velocity deviation – a palette ripe for the experimental musician or precise producer.
Highlighting this, it exercises the ability to manipulate notes based on their grid positions, adhering to specific subdivisions like 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. This unique feature incubates rhythmic inventiveness orchestrated around specific beat positionings – on-beats, off-beats, or both. Herein lies the charm of Subdivisions – its flexibility in rhythmic sculpting. For instance, impeccably timed swings, accentuated beats, a delightful step ahead or behind, and clip grooves can be achieved with minimal effort.
A noteworthy offering is the three-in-one application otherwise known as Relative, Absolute, or Randomize modes. If you're out to inject relative change keeping the context intact, the relative mode does the magic; if you seek definite changes regardless of the context, the absolute mode is your beacon; and if you crave unexpected, haphazard variations, the randomize mode strikes gold.
Certainly, Subdivisions does not shy away from exercising authority over notes and beats. With features allowing selection and subsequent deletion or muting, unmuting, and chance-based variation to notes, it certainly empowers the user with an irresistible control over their sound's rhythmic dynamics.
But complexity is not the enemy here. Despite its intricate workings, the user-friendly interface of Subdivisions remains accessible and intuitive. Its efficient structuring ensures that the users find their way around the device with ease – an appreciable feat considering its vast arsenal of attributes.
Going beyond the surface, Subdivisions serves as a harmony cultivator for MIDI clips. Equipped with features like quantizing starting and ending times of notes separately and making two MIDI clips “play in the pocket”, it ensures seamless interweaving and synchronization of multiple elements within one’s music setup.
For synth savants and beat buffs out there, Subdivisions is a tool devised to heed your rhythmic call. Its innovation and precision promise an avenue for musical exploration and variants previously unexplored. It's on its debut, available via GoldenFrog's website and can be downloaded at https://maxforlive.com/library/device/10942/subdivisions.
In sum, Subdivisions is the robot genie of MIDI transformation, capable of executing your wildest rhythmic commands while retaining musicality. It's a worthwhile addition for every Ableton Live 12 user who craves the thrill of sculpting sound in novel paths. Its arrival heralds the dawn of a new era where control and creativity reign indisputable in the kingdom of electronic music production. So, go ahead and dive into the ocean of rhythmic possibilities that await with Subdivisions 1.0!
Example Usage
Let's get you started with 'Subdivisions' by GoldenFrog, a powerful Max for Live device that can take your simple MIDI patterns and inject them with a new life. Here's a beginner-friendly guide to adding some groove to your track using 'Subdivisions'.
Imagine you have a basic drum pattern in Ableton Live that's sounding a bit too rigid, and you want to add some swing to make it groove better. Here’s how you can achieve that using 'Subdivisions 1.0':
- Start by dragging the 'Subdivisions' device onto your MIDI track containing the drum pattern you want to edit.
- To add swing, focus on the grid subdivision where you want the swing to occur. For this example, let's use 1/16 notes. This means, we will be influencing every second 1/16 note to create a shuffle.
- In the 'Subdivisions' device, set your subdivision to 1/16 by selecting it from the dropdown menu.
- Now, let's apply the swing. Under 'Timing Changes', you'll find the 'Position' parameter. Set it to 'Relative' mode. In this mode, you can nudge the timing of the notes either forward or backward from their original position without completely altering their place on the grid.
- Next, adjust the 'Position' knob to slightly delay the even-numbered 1/16 notes (which are the off-beats). Try a subtle amount to start with—let’s say 5-10ms— as a slight delay can make a substantial difference.
- Listen back to your drum pattern. You should now hear a noticeable swing that gives it a more human feel, as the off-beats are no longer perfectly aligned with the grid, which is exactly what gives the pattern a groovy shuffle.
Remember, the beauty of 'Subdivisions' lies in the experimentation. So, tweak the settings, adjust the velocity, and maybe play with the 'Chance' parameter to introduce some unexpected accents or ghost notes into your pattern. With 'Subdivisions', you have a powerful tool at your fingertips to transform the feel and dynamics of your MIDI clips in Ableton Live. Enjoy making music that grooves!
Let's delve into an intermediate-style application of the Subdivisions 1.0 device to introduce groove and dynamic variation to a MIDI drum pattern in Ableton Live 12.
Imagine you've programmed a basic 4/4 drum groove consisting of a kick on the 1 and 3, snare on the 2 and 4, and hi-hats playing 1/8th notes. Your groove sounds steady, but lacks a human feel—the hi-hats are too robotic, and the backbeat lacks punch. Subdivisions 1.0 can be used to remedy this and inject life into the groove.
First, drag Subdivisions onto the hi-hat MIDI track. Start by picking the 1/16th note as the chosen subdivision value, since we want to target notes that fit into the smaller gaps between the 1/8th notes to introduce swing. Set the device to affect only the even 1/16th notes to change the properties of off-beat hi-hat hits. In the Chance parameter, set a subtle value to make random hi-hat hits slightly less predictable, thus bringing a more humanistic feel into play.
Next, for the snare drum track—used to punch through on the 2 and 4—we want them to snap tighter and with more velocity. Load another instance of Subdivisions on the snare track. This time, set the subdivision value to 1/4 note since the snares hit on each quarter note. Now adjust the Velocity parameter to an Absolute value that's slightly higher than the original, ensuring the backbeat cuts through the mix with additional force. Optionally, introduce a minimal amount of Position deviation to pull the snare hits slightly ahead of the beat, to give your groove a sense of urgency.
By cleverly using Subdivisions, you're able to add swagger to the hi-hat and beef up your snare hits, all the while retaining the core of your original groove. Experiment further with different subdivisions, chance operations, and velocity deviations to create complex, dynamic rhythms that capture the intricacies of human play.
Remember, the key to using Subdivisions effectively is to start with subtle adjustments, and then build upon them as you become more comfortable with the tool's capacity to transform MIDI notes according to your creative vision.
Further Thoughts
Imagine you've created a tight drum loop in Ableton Live and you're aiming for a funky, off-kilter groove to really make it pop. You want to add shuffle and humanize the dynamics without losing the core rhythm. Subdivisions 1.0 by GoldenFrog is your go-to tool for this task.
Here is a step-by-step example showcasing how you can transform a straightforward 4/4 drum loop into a groove-laden masterpiece with Subdivisions 1.0:
- Initial Setup: - Start with creating a simple MIDI drum clip with kicks on the quarter notes, snares on the 2 and 4, and hi-hats on the eighth notes. - Load Subdivisions 1.0 onto a new MIDI track and route your drum clip's output to this track.
- Applying Swing: - Set the grid to 1/16 notes in Subdivisions. - Activate the 'Position' parameter and select 'Relative Mode'. - Dial in a slight delay (+3 to +5 ticks) on every second 1/16 note (off-beats) to apply swing. This immediately instills a lazy feel to the hi-hats.
- Dynamics Adjustment: - To accentuate the groove, adjust the 'Velocity' of your on-beat snares (1 and 3) by increasing their relative value (+15 velocity), while slightly decreasing the off-beat snares (2 and 4). - For even more variation, apply a 'Velocity Deviation' of +/- 7 to your hi-hats to give them a more humanized touch.
- Chance and Variation: - Utilize the 'Chance' parameter to selectively apply randomness to the hi-hats. Set a 70% chance on the off-beats hi-hats to change velocity or position, bringing an element of unpredictability to the loop. - This randomization will not affect the core kick and snare pattern, retaining its integrity.
- Micro-Timing Adjustments: - For a further laid-back or rushed feel in parts of the loop, you can manually move the second snare ahead (-5 ticks) or behind (+5 ticks) the beat. - Do this in 'Absolute Mode' to ensure that the snare hits exactly where you want it to.
- Deleting and Muting Notes: - As a creative twist, use Subdivisions to mute every third hi-hat hit, which opens up space in the groove and adds an extra bounce to the rhythm. - Alternatively, experiment with deleting selected notes to simplify the pattern and focus on the groove.
- Fine-tuning the Loop: - Listen back to your loop and make small adjustments. Does it swing enough? Is the dynamics variation making the groove breathe? Modify the settings in Subdivisions until you get the perfect balance.
- Application to Other Clips: - You can now apply these settings to other MIDI clips for a consistent groove across your track. - Remember that each clip may require slight tweaks to sit right in the context of the whole arrangement.
Through these detailed steps, you can see how Subdivisions 1.0 transforms a basic drum pattern into a groove-heavy foundation for your track. The ability to strategically apply deviations in timing and dynamics only to the notes close to a chosen subdivision value makes this tool incredibly powerful for beat makers and producers looking to inject feeling and rhythm variations into their MIDI programming seamlessly.