Tutorial 8: THE PLAYLIST (Part 2)

In this chapter we are finally going to work with the Playlist. In Tutorial 7, you learnt to distribute several samples or instruments in different tracks or patterns so now you can work with the Playlist.

Yes, do  it, do it, don’t be afraid,  open the Playlist (F5), you have permission, but don’t forget to study the steps of our previous tutorial.

The Playlist is divided into two sections. The upper part is a detailed description of the clips you added in the Step Sequencer, there you can work with the patterns individually, you can eve double click on the clips and they will send you to the Step Sequencer or the Piano Roll. The lower section is maybe simpler and allows you to arrange then tracks in the way you prefer.  There must be another deep explanation somewhere about what the Playlist is but the best way to understand it is to start working:

1. Check that the Pat/Song selector is green (Song) and marking track 1.

2. Press the Draw tool (the pencil) and in click right under each number in the upper section.

Notice that the numbers represent a group of 4 bars (If you zoom in you will find that they are divided into another 4 smaller bars). Each number corresponds to a sequence and once the sequence reaches the final step it jumps to the next number. A good distribution of these bars and patterns make a great song because, as I’ve explained, the more tracks you have the more variations and complexity you can give to your song. A song with few tracks is poor and monotonous. By the way, aim well when you put the pattern clips or blocks because if you place them incorrectly they will sound in the wrong time.

You can also ignore the entire upper section and do it like this:

This is simpler and easier.

3. Now press play. You will see that when the Play position marker (a small yellow triangle that moves from left to right above the bars) reaches the end it goes back to the beginning and the process repeats. As we have only put the pattern clips or blocks of track 1, we’ll only listen the Kick sample.

4. Do the same with Pattern 2 until you hear the Clap too.

5. Repeat the process and add patterns 3 and 4.

Now that you have the four tracks in the Playlist you can eliminate an specific sound and combine them according to your idea. To erase the clips or block just right clock on them and to put a whole line of patterns just use the Paint tool (The brush). Oh, yes, the default color of the blocks and clips is grey but in order to distinguish them you can change it or rename them by pressing right click on them.

Sometimes you want to use a pattern configuration later on in the song. Of course, you don’t need to draw all the clips one by one again. There is a copy/paste tool for this, like in many software.

First  Press the Select tool (The square) and holding down left click choose the group of patterns you need, they will all turn red when selected.

Then go to Edit and copy.

When you past it the new copy will be over the selected one and it will be red too, as if nothing happened. But when you choose the Draw tool again you will be able to move it left or right. To unselect it just right click outside them, anywhere in the gray space. You can also use the select tool to move a group of blocks to another location.

Author: Miguel Angel Trujillo