Test Preparation

We will have a test on Monday October 27. 

Today you will be preparing for the test by doing the following tasks:
1. Practice note reading by doing Exercise 1-3 on the theory page until you have 20 correct answers each.
2. Practice keyboard notes by doing Exercise 4-9 until you have 20 correct answers each.
3. Create a study sheet in Word with definitions and images (where appropriate) for the following terms:

MIDI:

• MIDI
• MIDI controller
• Event Data
• virtual keyboard
• Piano Roll

Soundation:

• Audio Channel
• Virtual Instrument Channel
• Solo
• Mute
• Play, Stop, Record
• Loop
• Metronome
• Sound Waveform
• Tempo
• Library

Project 3: Pachelbel's Loops

Your next project uses MIDI input by mouse and the Virtual Keyboard to create your own unique version of a famous 17th century "loop" by Johann Pachelbel.

Watch this video to listen to the original "Canon in D."

NEW - Listen to this completed version of the Pachelbel's Loops Project (without an added optional rhythmic track)

Objectives:

• Learn to identify piano keyboard notes
• Learn to record your own loops using MIDI
• Learn how to select instruments for MIDI
• Improvise your own melody
• Use the metronome, tempo and quantize tools.

NEW - Due: Wednesday, Oct. 15 by the end of class.

Preparation: Go to the Theory Tab on the top of the blog and practice keyboard key names.  Do exercise 4, 5 and 6 until you have 30 correct answers each.

This project is in three parts.  Please check with Ms. Moynihan once you have finished each part and before proceeding to the next. 

Part One: (Video Help: MIDI Clips)

1. Open up a new file in Soundation and click on the blue instrument channel.  Each blue Instrument Channel has a synth sound automatically.  
2. Choose the Edit Instrument menu with the word "Simple" and choose GM-2 (Beta).  This is General MIDI.  Choose a bass sound from these collections. 
3. Click on first bar of the Instrument Channel and the piano roll will appear.  Select the pencil tool. Using the pencil tool, make a note on the first beat of C4 and drag the right side of the note to fill the whole bar of 4 beats.  
4. Using only notes between C4 and C3, input the following notes for your bass line in this order. C4, G, A, E, F, C3, F, G.  Each note is one bar long and begins at the 1st beat of the bar. You should have 8 bars in the end. Play it back and listen.  Save.
5. In the Piano Roll, click the cursor tool.  Drag and select all the notes you made and click Quantize to 1/1 (Whole note). 
6. Turn on the Metronome tool.  You will hear that there are 4 beats in each one of your notes.  CHANGE THE TEMPO to a slower tempo (around 90bpm).  Listen again. 
7. Drag the bottom right corner of the loop to trim extra empty space, then drag the top right hand corner to repeat and extend the loop 5 more times till the end of bar 48 or the start of bar 49.  

Part Two:(Video Help: The Virtual Keyboard)

1. Create a new Instrument Channel.  Choose any piano sound. 
2. Turn on the metronome and turn off the loop button. 
3. Open up the "Virtual Keyboard" in the bottom right of the screen.  Locate and try out the Musical Typing letters ASDF GHJK.  (If there is a large delay between hitting the key and hearing the sound, there is Latency between the computer and the program.  Go to the Settings Menu and choose Edit Settings.  Choose a smaller number for the Buffer Size and retry.  Keep going lower until your delay goes away.)
4. While listening to the Bass line you created, improvise a new melody using two notes per bar  using the white keys on the piano (the ASDFGHJK keys on the keyboard).  Your new melody must be made of notes that are two beats long (half notes).
5. When you are ready, click the Record button and listen to the bass line for 8 bars, at the 9th bar, start to play your two beat note melody in bars 9-16.  When done, listen and fix notes on the piano roll or delete and try again.  Don't be hard on yourself, MIDI allows you to fix your mistakes.
6. When done, select all notes on the piano roll and Quantize to 1/2 notes.  You will have 16 notes in total from bar 9 to the end of bar 16. Listen to playback.  Save.
7. Select your new clip, trim it and drag it to extend and repeat it 3 more times to the beginning of bar 41. 

Part Three:

1. Open a new Instrument Channel and pick a new sound. Repeat the above process and improvise another melody line that has 4 beats per bar (1 note per beat of the metronome).
2. When ready, start to record at bar 17 for 8 bars.  You will have 32 notes.  Quantize all notes to 1/4 notes.  
3. Drag and extend your new clip one more time to the end of bar 32 (beginning of 33). Listen to playback. Save.
4. Optional: Now you can choose one or two Rhythm tracks (only drums or beats and no melodic instruments) to accompany your new piece.  Save. 
5. Adjust your volume levels to create good balance between your tracks.  
6. Consider a tempo change if you wish.
7. Have a peer listen and critique.  Adjust and tweak until you are satisfied. Save.
8. Export as .wav AND Export as .sng file named "Your Name Project 3" to the Project 3 folder. 
9. Complete the Checklist using your TDSB Google account through the school's AW Page.  If you complete the form using your personal email, I cannot mark it.  

*If completed, you may start work on your Independent Creative Project.  This project is a song composed by you with no restrictions.  Make anything you want and make it the best song you can.  This is an ongoing project that you can work on when you are done other class work.  Save your work frequently and be as creative as you can. 

Project 2: Beginning - Middle - End

Important: For your second project you will use a web-based software called Soundation.  You will be asked to provide an email address in order to sign up for a free account. If you are not comfortable providing this, please speak to Ms. Moynihan.

Project 2: Beginning, Middle, and End

Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end.  Every good song should have the same.

Here is an example of a completed Beginning- Middle- End project 

• You will be creating a short piece using Sound Loops that is 12 bars long. 
• Your beginning, middle, and end will be 4 bars long each.  
• You must use Drums, Bass, Piano or Guitar and 1 other instrument loop for each 4 bar phrase. In total this is 12 different sounds in your assignment. (3 drums, 3 bass, 3 Guitar/Piano and 3 other)
• Use a 4 tracks for your four different sounds
• Label you tracks Drums, Bass, Piano or Guitar, and other instruments as you choose them.  There should be no tracks left unlabeled. 
• Make your Drums, Bass, Piano/Guitar and other instrument change every four bars.
• Your 3 phrases should sound like they are all from one song, but distinctly different from each other.
• Any other instruments you add are your choice once your 4 basic tracks are created.
• As always, have a peer listen to it before you finish it.
• TAKE A SCREENSHOT to show me that your project is set up correctly. 
• Shrink your screen view so you can see all 12 bars and all four tracks. 
• Press ALT and Print Screen
• Go to the Start Menu and open Paint
• Click Paste
• Open the top left corner Paint symbol and Save
• Save this .png file as "Project 2 - Your Name"
• Complete this NEW Google Form Checklist before your are finished your project. 
• Export your completed song as .wav to the "Project 2: Beginning Middle End" folder in the dropoff folder.  Name your file "Project 2 - Your Name.wav"

Due Thursday, Oct. 2 by end of class.

If you are done ALL these steps, you may begin work on the MIDI Tutorial assignment in the blog post below. 

MIDI Tutorial: What is MIDI and how is it used?

Watch this quick video about MIDI, an important technology we will be using in this course.



Open a Word file on your computer and answer the following questions in full sentences.  Save the file as "MIDI questions - Your Name" and submit it to the Dropoff folder.



Questions on MIDI Tutorial:

1. What do the letters MIDI stand for?

2. What is "Event Data"?

3. Name two things that Event Data records.

4. What does MIDI not record?

5. Name two kinds of MIDI machines.

6. What is a MIDI keyboard?

7. What is the difference between Audio Signal and MIDI Event Data?

Sound Story Rubric and Assignment Requirements

Your Sound Story is due today in MP3 format.  Look at the previous post to discover how to do this. Name your file "Sound Story - Your Name".  I will not listen to any file that is not named correctly!

Here is the RUBRIC for the sound story.

You must write complete sentences answering the following questions in Word and submit it to the Drop Off folder labeled "Project 1:Sound Story" Label your file "Sound Story Questions - Your Name"

Questions:  ( 10 marks)
1. Describe your story in detail including the setting, characters, and action.  (2)
2. Explain why you made the choices you did in background music and sound effects. (3)
3. Explain, in detail, three audio editing skills that you learned while completing this project.  Use correct terms for the program and tools you learned. (3)
4.  Who was your "peer listener," and what, if any, comments did they make about your project? (1)
5. After listening to other student's work in class, choose a favourite and describe why your enjoyed it. (1)


When you are done, you may proceed to the previous post "MIDI Tutorial" and follow the instructions.

Sound Story Checklist

Today's tasks
Step 1: Watch the entire tutorial video about Audacity. (in the previous post)
Step 2: Restart your project as outlined in the previous post.
Step 3: Save immediately under "Save As" in your AMM2O1 folder on your Home Drive

Projects are due in the first 10 minutes of class on Wed., Sept 24
Projects will be presented to the class on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

How do you know if you are done your project?
Here are the details you need to complete before you can say your project is done.

Checklist:

1. Balance : the background music is softer than the foreground sounds.
2. Story: your story is clearly told with sounds. (at least 6 different sound effects)
3. Length: your work is between 30-60 seconds.
4. Ending: your work "fades" off at the end and does not end abruptly.
5. Peer Edit: you have played your work for at least one other student in the class and received feedback
6. Save As: your file is saved as "Sound Story - Your Name" in your AMM2O1 folder on your home drive
7. Export your work as MP3 by going to File - Export as MP3
8. Save your file as MP3 in your AMM2O1 folder using the same file name
9. Submit MP3 file to Desktop - Jarvis CI folder - Moynihan folder - Project 1 - Sound Story Folder

Create a Sound Story

Your next project will be to create a Sound Story that tells a narrative and sets a mood through music and sound, but without speech.

Purpose:

• Learn to edit sound using a multitrack audio software (Audacity)
• Use sound creatively to express your ideas and thoughts
• Learn to understand the concepts of background and foreground sound

Steps:

1. Make-up a very short scene or story to tell through your Sound Story (i.e. travelling to school, a wild party, a crime, a spooky haunted house, a sad moment, a happy celebration, an outdoor nature scene etc.)
2. Go to Incompetech and download Royalty Free background music to set the mood for your story.
3. Use SoundBible or FreeSound to download free sounds as foreground sound effects to tell the story.
4. Use Audacity to put the sounds together to tell the story.  Your total Sound Story should be 30 seconds to 1 minute long.  

Help:

Audacity Video Tutorial here.