Massive Tutorials
Arranging an NI Massive Exclusive Song with OhmLab – Part 10 (of 10)
The Tenth in a 10 part series of tutorials by ΩhmLab using NI Massive exclusively to create every component of a complete song. This installment focuses on arranging all of our sounds into a song.
Part 1: Creating a Unique Background Element in NI Massive
Part 2: Harmony, Rhythm and Atmosphere
Part 3: Synth Creation From Scratch
Part 4: Drums in NI Massive
Part 5: Plucky Synth Blips
Part 6: Custom Feedback Synths
Part 7: Making a Harmonic Distortion Pad
Part 8: Making a Layered Digital Didgeridoo
Part 9: Making a Sequenced Space Synth
Welcome back to the final installment of the series! We have spent the last nine tutorials creating unique sounds completely from scratch using only Massive. This time around I have put all nine of those sounds into the same project in Logic and will mix, manipulate, layer and blend them until they become a nicely rounded downtempo song.
There arenʼt really steps to follow in this lesson, because if we went into depth on any one part of the process it would take up much more time and space than we have available to us here. And besides, I wouldnʼt want to give away all my secrets now would I? So, we begin with hearing each of the sounds as they were when last we saw/heard them. As you can see I have simply arranged them to play one at a time.
And now, all nine sounds playing together at once.
I also went ahead and color coded the different types of sounds to help keep things in order.
Now normally when you create a song, there are many more steps. First the arrangement and then the mix and then a lot of fine tuning. Then after bouncing the raw version, you begin the mastering process. For this tutorial series, you will get a quick view of the arrangement in just a couple of images. Take notice of the numerous inserts used in the creation of the song, including compressors, filters, phasers, amps, pedalboards and more. You will also see that I ran each channel through four different busses. Each auxiliary channel allow us to add a more cohesive and inclusive feel to the song as well as save on CPU. The project also has one last round of compression added to the main output to tighten everything up and provide a consistent overall appeal.
And in this image you can see the very basic automation used to control the volume of each track in the project as it plays. In a full-sized project I will regularly use many instances of automation across many of my instruments and plugins to create a much more fully developed and interesting song. This is one way to change your audience fro passive listeners to active listeners abd be drawn further into your work.
This final audio sample is just a taste of how these sounds will be used together! Once a little more automation is introduced, I finish the final mix down and run through the mastering process this track will end up being sold to and used by many different people producing television and film projects all around the world as a Royalty-Free audio file.
[audio:https://www.massivesynth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Downtempo-Drift.mp3|titles=Downtempo Drift by OhmLab]What you do not see here and may not have guessed is that this is all a one note song. Each track is playing a single note and none of the controls or settings are being manipulated or adjusted in any way during the actual recording process. This means that you have an almost never ending number of ways to perform and record this song and/or use these sounds. Just imagine what you can make using a more traditional approach. Or better yet, a non-traditional approach!
This leaves you with a whole lot to play with while you wait for the next set of tutorials. I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have, and have discovered a few new tricks you can apply to your other projects. Just remember, if you can hear it in your head, you can probably make it in Massive. Thanks for playing along. Until next time…
Cheers!
ΩhmLab
More about Chris / ΩhmLab
With more than 20 years of experience making music and building communities backing the OhmLab project, you can be sure you will find something that fits your current and future projects alike.
With a unique approach to low cost royalty-free licensing and music production, OhmLab sets itself apart from the rest of the pack by consistently releasing high quality audio for the masses that is original, useful and constantly pushing the boundaries of the norm. OhmLab also offers a range of sound design and post production services including pod casting, custom environments, sound effects, field recordings, samples, loops and much much more. The OhmLab project is also well known for it’s custom training services and ongoing Artist Profile interview series featuring talented musicians from all around the world, helping to grow the community of independent artists on a global scale. You can learn more about OhmLab and keep up with all the latest buzz by visiting some of the links included below.
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