MIXCRAFT 6 TEACHER’S GUIDE Written by Parker Tichko • Edited by Peter Clarke • Design by Alan Reynolds
Mixcraft 6 Teacher’s Guide ©2013 Acoustica Inc. All rights reserved. The content of this guide is furnished for informational use only, and is subject to change without notice. Acoustica Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide. Please remember that existing music, video, or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under copyright law.
MIXCRAFT 6 TEACHER’S GUIDE Written by Parker Tichko • Edited by Peter Clarke • Design by Alan Reynolds
KEY UNDERSTANDING MIXCRAFT 1 ● CONSTRUCTING A MUSIC LAB WITH MIXCRAFT Setting up your music lab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Student tutorial lesson Suggested software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mixcraft’s built-in virtual instruments and effects plugins.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 School environments for a music lab.
6 ● USING MIXCRAFT’S EFFECT PLUGINS, LOOPS & INSTRUMENTS Mixcraft’s effect plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 More effects. . . . . . . .
KEY 11 ● MIDI INSTRUMENT SURVEY PROJECT Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Additional lesson plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Student tutorial lesson ● MIDI INSTRUMENT SURVEY PROJECT Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17 ● LYRICAL SONGWRITING PROJECT Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Writing a song in Mixcraft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Recording the lyrics in Mixcraft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Additional lesson plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
KEY ● COMMERCIAL PROJECT Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Scoring the commercial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Student tutorial lesson APPENDIX Configuring Mixcraft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Recording techniques. . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION WELCOME Mixcraft’s Teaching Guide is designed to compliment educational programs that use Mixcraft. The book examines Mixcraft’s many capabilities including, for example, digital signal processing and music composition. Suggestions on how Mixcraft can be incorporated into both music and non-music assignments (such as marketing/advertising, podcast creation, and the spoken word performances) are provided throughout the course of the book.
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION Before formalized and national guidelines were created for music education, school administrators were perplexed by how to measure and assess the educational value of a music-based curriculum. As a result, the National Standards for Music Education (NSME) were created. These nine standards are intended to guide educators when creating and teaching student projects and lesson plans. In this book, all of these standards are addressed.
UNDERSTANDING MIXCRAFT
CHAPTER 1 CONSTRUCTING A MUSIC LAB WITH MIXCRAFT Educators are often faced with tough decisions when creating a computer-based music lab. Financial constraints, classroom space and availability, and curriculum limitations will inevitably influence the purchasing of equipment, the classroom setup, and the lesson plans. For educators who have no background working with music equipment or software, building a music lab can feel especially overwhelming.
Audio/Computer Interface: In short, an audio/computer interface is a device that converts an incoming audio signal into a digital signal that is recognizable by a computer. This conversion allows engineers to use an audio software equipped computer to record musicians. In addition to supporting audio, some interfaces also support MIDI. Audio/computer interface devices require little set up, often plugging directly into a computer’s USB or firewire slot.
SUGGESTED SOFTWARE Mixcraft: Mixcraft is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that allows users to record, edit, mix, and play back audio. Mixcraft also supports MIDI, has scoring capabilities, and comes with a selection of built-in virtual instruments and over 6,000 audio loops. Currently, the latest release is Version 6 and is for PC only. Mixcraft Built-in Virtual Instruments: Mixcraft bundled a variety of built-in, “soft” or virtual instruments with their software.
SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS FOR A MUSIC LAB The layout and construction of a music lab depends on either classroom size or on access to a computer lab. With these specific restrictions in mind, three common setups of a music lab in a school environment will handle most situations. For educators whose only option is to transform their home classroom into a music lab, the “1 Teacher, 1 Computer, 1 Projector” layout works well.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: • PC Computers • Mixcraft • Computer Speakers or Headphones MUSIC STATION SETUPS 1) The Shared Computer Lab: Schools will have one main computer lab that multiple educators and classes share. A shared computer lab can be divided into small, computer booths (“music stations”) that are outfitted with audio hardware and software. In this setting, students will be able to work independently or in small groups to complete assignments.
2) The Music Computer Lab: In some school environments, an entire computer lab might be dedicated to audio recording and production. As with the shared computer lab, “music stations” would comprise the majority of the music computer lab space. A larger workstation for the educator could include, but not be limited to, a mixing board, projector, and projection screen.
In this setup, the audio/computer interface is the focal point of all recording and monitoring. Attached to the PC through USB or firewire ports, the interface should have a headphone jack, audio inputs for microphones, and inputs for electronic instruments. Students should be familiarized, prior to recording or monitoring their music, to the model and functions of the audio/computer interface.
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CHAPTER 2 A SURVEY OF MIXCRAFT An eager user launches Mixcraft for the first time and loads in some previously recorded audio. Now what? Without any knowledge of the interfaces of the program, it would be difficult to know where to begin – even finding the magic “play” button would be uncertain! This chapter, which will help educators learn to navigate Mixcraft’s visual interface, begins with a look at the workspace. The Workspace is then deconstructed into individual components.
TIMELINE The Timeline is a linear organization of all audio tracks, virtual instrument tracks, video tracks, send tracks (tracks that apply effects over multiple tracks) and submixing tracks (tracks that contain other tracks). Here, users will see audio recordings represented as “audio regions” that are illustrated with audio waveforms. Virtual instrument tracks use MIDI and thus are shown as “MIDI regions” that display MIDI graphics.
MASTER BAR The Master Bar, located at the bottom of the Workspace, allows users to play (click the green arrow icon or hit space bar), stop play (click the green arrow or hit space bar again), or record (click the red circle or hit “R”) during your Mixcraft session. Simply hover the cursor over each icon to learn its relative function. Remember, play back or recording begins from the position of the playback cursor. Mixcraft also has rewind and fast forward functions.
TAB AREA: PROJECT, SOUND, MIXER & LIBRARY The Tab Area (lower left of Workspace) is a group of windows organized into four “tabs” (Project, Sound, Mixer, and Library). For student projects, the most important tabs will be the Library and Mixer areas. Both teachers and students should become familiar with the search and browsing features of the Library and the layout of the Mixer. Project Tab: The Project Tab displays general information about a Mixcraft session.
Library Area: Mixcraft likes loops. And as an educator you will learn quickly, so too do students. The Library Tab allows students to search, preview, and ultimately use loops in Mixcraft. Students can browse the library categories on the left by instrument, key, tempo, style, etc. to easily find a sample that might compliment a lesson.
NOTATION An additional function found in the Piano Roll enables Mixcraft to create notation either from MIDI data or by free hand drawing. The notation window is located under the Sound Tab under “editor types.” By toggling between the editing types, Mixcraft will display a MIDI arrangement either as MIDI data on the Piano Roll or as Notation. Select the “Editor Type” on the Sound Tab to toggle between the Piano Roll and Notation.
TOOLBAR The Toolbar, located at the top of the Workspace, is a collection of shortcuts relative to specific actions in Mixcraft. There are icons for opening and saving sessions, mixing down audio, and even burning audio to CD. To become familiar with the toolbar, highlight the icons the cursor. The most important functions for students to learn are the zooming and snap to measure features: Zooming In and Out: The two magnifying glass icons allow users to either zoom in (+) or out (-) of the Timeline.
SAVING/EXPORTING SONGS Saving: Users can save any Mixcraft session to a computer hard drive for later use. Simply go to the Menu > File > Save As… All recordings, Timeline arrangements, plugin effects and parameter settings will be saved in the session file and an accompanying folder stored on the main computer hard drive. Exporting: Mixcraft Version 6 supports several file formats for mixing down audio. Educators and students should begin by mixing down sessions in either .MP3 or .WAV file formats.
CHAPTER 3 TUTORIAL USING AUDIO WITH MIXCRAFT Audio is the main component of Mixcraft. Prior to supporting MIDI and virtual instruments, Mixcraft was primarily used to record either solo performers or groups of musicians. As a result, the audio components of the software are incredibly lucid and well thought-out.
Monitor Signal: Before recording, it is important to monitor the level of an incoming audio signal. The volume meter contains two horizontal rectangles (one for the left and one for the right speaker) and a volume slider. The volume meter contains a color spectrum – as the volume of a sound increases the hues of the meter change from green to red. Ask the performer to perform at the intended volume level and track where the loudest peak reaches on the volume meter.
or orchestral instruments might be pushed to the left or right side of the listening environment. There is no correct way to pan instruments but many mixing engineers try to replicate how a live orchestra or band might sound to the audience. Thus, many pan the instruments according to the setup of music stages or orchestra pits. FX: The FX icon launches the FX window in which users can select and apply effect plugins to the instrument track.
3 audio/computer interface. If using a microphone pop filter for vocal recordings, place the filter in front of the microphone. Position the microphone near the performer or instrument. It is important to correctly position the microphone at an optimal distance from the performer. For tips on recording with microphones, refer to the appendix. SETTING UP RECORDING ENVIRONMENTS WITH ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS 1.
B) For clean recordings users will want to monitor the incoming audio on the audio track’s volume meter. Remember to record in the “yellow” zone for the best results. C) Enable the metronome. Clicking the metronome icon brings up the metronome settings window. Activate the metronome to play during “recording” and “recording count-in measures.” Select the metronome and activate the “recording” and “recording count-in measures” settings.
EDITING AUDIO WITH MIXCRAFT After recording or importing an audio file into Mixcraft, users can edit the piece via the audio regions on the Timeline. The following technical audio editing skills are essential for all students who want to produce polished and professional sounding tracks: 1. Arranging Audio Regions: Users can arrange audio on Mixcraft’s Timeline by dragging and dropping audio regions onto an audio track.
LOOPING AUDIO At times users may want to have a certain audio region repeat over a few bars or repeat throughout an entire song. This process, referred to as “looping,” can be conducted in several ways in Mixcraft: 1. Loop Button on an audio region: The loop function is located in the upper left hand corner of every audio region. Clicking the circle with the “+” doubles the audio region on the Timeline. The circle with the “+” icon loops the audio region. 2.
SNAPPING AUDIO REGIONS TO THE TIMELINE Audio regions can be time-locked or “snapped” to the Timeline. A grid in the background of the Timeline displays the beat intervals or rhythmic values which the grid is set to. The grid divisions can be changed using the drop down snap menu located above the Timeline. A standard setting is generally the 1/8 or 1/16 note value. The snap menu changes how the Timeline grid is divided, thus changing which rhythmic positions an audio region can be snapped to.
CHAPTER 4 TUTORIAL USING MIDI WITH MIXCRAFT MIDI use is an integral part of the creative process for composers, music producers, and engineers. If audio is the father of the Mixcraft family then certainly MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the mother. The marriage of Mixcraft’s audio and MIDI functions creates a powerful tool not just for music production but also for teaching.
ON VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT TRACKS Mixcraft’s virtual instrument tracks are pieces of software specialized for software instruments and MIDI-based music. Many of the virtual instrument track functions are analogous to audio track operations. The tool bars are the same and there is no limit to the number of virtual instrument tracks users can add to a session.
Change Instrument. The small keyboard icon launches the change instrument window. Here users can load any of Mixcraft’s bundled virtual instruments, VST effect plugins or use 3rd party instruments. The change instrument window can also launch keyboard typing, allowing students to control a virtual instrument with their computer keyboard. Mixcraft’s Change Instrument window that allows users to load virtual instruments.
RECORDING MIDI WITH MIXCRAFT This tutorial covers the use of MIDI with Mixcraft. Educators will learn how to setup Mixcraft and MIDI hardware for recording, a workflow for recording MIDI data, and finally, techniques for editing MIDI data.
2. Select a virtual instrument by clicking the keyboard icon on the virtual instrument track. This keyboard icon prompts the virtual instrument window. For this tutorial, we will be using Mixcraft’s Organ Model F Plugin. The Model F is a software emulation of a vintage organ instrument. Select the plugin by navigating the virtual instrument browser: VSTI Instrument > Combo Organ Model F.
C) Before recording, rewind the cursor to the beginning of the timeline by selecting the rewind button (outlined in blue) on the master bar. D) Start recording by either selecting either the master record button (outlined in red) or by pressing the “R” key on the computer keyboard. The cursor will begin moving down the timeline and regions of the recorded MIDI will appear.
5. Next, quantize the MIDI notes by selecting the MIDI Editing menu on the Piano Roll. Quantizing time-locks each MIDI note onto the Piano Roll’s grid. Quantizing can also be used to control the duration of each note. In this example, the notes were quantized to an “8th note” with the “note ends” option selected. Sample quantize settings. 6. Next, create a loop out of the MIDI region on the timeline. Trim the MIDI region to a length of two bars by moving the pointer to the region’s end.
QUANTIZING A MIDI editor’s best friend, quantizing, time-locks MIDI notes on the Piano Roll’s grid to a specified note value. For instance, if a quantization is set to “8th notes,” MIDI notes that are not locked to an 8th note will be moved to the nearest 8th note position on the Piano Roll’s grid. Additionally, if there are discrepancies in note durations, quantizing can be used to equalize these durations.
LOOPING MIDI REGIONS TIP: Often, users may want to loop a particular section of a larger MIDI region. To loop a specific selection, the region needs to be trimmed and then set as its own loop. Once the region is trimmed, right click the region and select “set loop to crop.” Now this region can be looped As shown in the MIDI tutorial above, MIDI regions can be looped on the Timeline to quickly flesh-out an arrangement and to build larger music structures.
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CHAPTER 5 TUTORIAL For video-based student projects the following equipment is recommended: REQUIRED EQUIPMENT • Video Camera (Digital or Analog) • PC Computer • Mixcraft SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT • Digital Video Camera • SD Card • Tripod • Film Software MIXCRAFT VIDEO If educators intend to use video or pictures for a lesson plan, great news – Mixcraft supports video and image files! Chapter 5 is a tutorial on how to use Mixcraft to import and edit videos and still images to create custom movies and slide sho
5. Editing videos in Mixcraft is analogous to editing audio or MIDI regions. Screen shots from a video file appear as moveable regions on a video track and users can trim or arrange these regions: Splitting video sections: To rearrange segments of a video, first “split” or cut a movie into smaller, editable chunks. To split a video region, right click on the desired area and select “Split” (Ctrl + T).
Example of adding stagnant text to a movie. IIII. The text should now appear as a region on the Text track. Just like with audio and video regions, users can arrange, trim, split, or delete text regions. Try moving the text region to different places on the Timeline. V. Scrolling Text: Scrolling Text contains text animation that “scrolls” text VI. To add Scrolling Text go to the Menu and select Video > Add Scrolling Text… VII.
B. Trimming still images: To trim still image regions, move the cursor near the ends of a region until you see a double-sided arrow. Simply click, and drag left or right to trim the region to the desired length. C. Deleting images: To remove image regions from the Timeline, highlight (drag + select regions) and hit delete. 3. Edit and arrange the “Alaska Animals” still images to create most effective and entertaining slide show.
CHAPTER 6 USING MIXCRAFT’S EFFECT PLUGINS, LOOPS & INSTRUMENTS Chapter 6 examines the extra features that come bundled with the current version of Mixcraft. These features include effect plugins, loops, and a variety of virtual instruments. Effect plugins are smaller portions of software that are programmed to represent an audio effect. Educators can use these effect plugins in lessons on music production and sound design or to mix songs.
The Acoustica Reverb Adjustment Window is found by: “Effects” or “fx”>”Effect” column pull down >“Acoustica Reverb”> Preset” column pull down >“Canyon”>Edit. (Box in the Effect column must be checked to activate an effect.) Mixcraft comes with a built-in reverb effect called Acoustica Reverb. The Acoustica Reverb can be activated on both audio and virtual instrument tracks (for advanced mixing, the reverb plugin can also be used on send and sub-mix tracks).
The presets cover a wide pallet of sound environments from the natural (“Room” and “Gymnasium”) to the more experimental (“Train Station” and “John’s Verb”). Creative Implications for Students: Students will most likely use reverb to make recordings sound “more natural.” Reverb can be applied to either instrumental recordings (guitars, strings, recorders, etc.) or to vocal tracks.
Feedback: The feedback parameter creates a feedback loop that gradually cascades and sustains. Selecting lower values adds a tasteful amount of feedback that creates an interesting delay effect. Be careful with this parameter: too much feedback and your recording will get swallowed in a sea of noise. Pan: The pan parameter orients the delay in the left, right, or center area of the listening environment. A value of zero means the pan is dead center.
EQ: An equalizer, or EQ, is used to boost or attenuate specific frequency bands of a recording. Remember, recordings are not objective replications of an audio source – any piece of hardware that an audio signal passes through consequently alters the sound (this includes microphones, preamps, amplifiers, and A/D converters). Often, recordings may have excessive bass frequencies or a diminished amount of high frequencies.
Clicking the green arrow next to a loop initiates playback. The blue plus sign “+” downloads the loop onto the computer hard drive. Remember, an internet connection is required to download loops! Once a loop is downloaded, users can begin to arrange loops in Mixcraft by simply dragging and dropping a loop onto an audio track on Mixcraft’s Timeline. Mixcraft will also automatically synchronize the loop’s tempo to the master tempo of the session. Additionally, the waveform(s) of the loop will be displayed.
MIXCRAFT INSTRUMENTS In addition to loops, Mixcraft comes bundled with several high-quality virtual instruments. These virtual instruments are software replications of famous organs, synthesizers, and drum sounds. Virtual instruments are activated on Mixcraft’s virtual instrument tracks and can be played with a computer keyboard (“musical typing”) or MIDI controller. Additional programming can be done on Mixcraft’s Piano Roll making it easy to edit a performance or to program one in its entirety.
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CHAPTER 7 TUTORIAL MUSIC COMPOSITION WITH MIXCRAFT Finally, this is the chapter that educators and students have been patiently looking forward to – Music Composition with Mixcraft! Chapter 7 surveys concepts of music composition in the form of songwriting. For educators who do not boast a rich music background and are unfamiliar with songwriting, the song structure is dissected into several understandable components.
B) In Mixcraft: • Harmonic Instrument Loops (e.g. Choir, Guitar, Piano, Organ, etc.) • Polyphonic Virtual Instruments (Combo Organ Model F / V, Minimogue VA, Lounge Lizard Electric Piano, etc.) 3. Meter: Meter refers to the underlying pulse or “beat” of a song. Simple meters such as 4/4 have evenly-spaced beats while complex meters such as 7/8 have unevenly-spaced beats. These categories of meters are often culture-specific.
E) In Mixcraft: • Beats Per Minute (BPM). 7. Key: A musical key is a determined set of notes that is used in a particular composition. The key of a song has the name of its keynote (for example, a song may be in “C major”). Keys can be either major or minor, depending upon the tonal relationships between the notes. For students, the key is important for establishing a mood for the music. Major music tends to be perceived as happy, carefree, and uplifting.
ARRANGEMENT / ORCHESTRATION Once a song is written, it needs to be arranged or orchestrated for a set of instruments. This process involves assigning an instrument to play a specified part. When arranging, it is important to consider the instruments available to the student or educator, the expectations of the audience, and the structural components of the music.
TUTORIAL COMPOSING AN 8-BAR OR 12-BAR SONG WITH LOOPS The 8-bar and 12-bar song formats are common chord progressions played in 4/4 time that are used in blues music. The progressions consist of three chords (I – V – IV chords) that alternate over the course of 8 or 12 bars (one bar is equal to 4 beats). Both structures are ideal for students who are unfamiliar with harmonic progressions.
3. Creating the rhythm section. Start by creating a rhythm section consisting of rhythm guitar, piano, and bass. For the guitar loop, select the Rhythm Guitar 1 loop in G Major by Michael Bacich. In the loop library browse or search to find the Rhythm Guitar 1 loop. 4. Drag the loop onto a free audio track in Mixcraft’s Timeline. Mixcraft will prompt the user to change the project’s key. Select “yes.” 5. Adding Piano.
Copying and pasting large structures: Once a verse or chorus has been created, In this screen shot, Verse 1 and Verse 2 are identical. Verse 2 was created by copying and pasting the loops from Verse 1 onto the Timeline where Verse 2 is located following the chorus. users can highlight the verse or chorus, copy the selection, and then paste the verse or chorus on the Timeline to create a duplication.
3. Creative approaches: Experimenting with loops can be a lot of fun but it is easy to mindlessly abuse their usability. Often, students hoping to create an interesting song will layer dozens of loops on the timeline. The end result is a convoluted mess in which the definition of each instrument is lost.
CHAPTER 8 USING MIXCRAFT FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS TEACHING AND LESSON STATEMENT Our philosophy when designing lesson plans is akin to our philosophy when designing software: we believe that, “Software [and these lesson plans!] should be easy to use.” Thus, the student projects in this manual have been engineered to maximize ease of operation.
Required Materials are the minimum amount of hardware and software needed to setup and complete each lesson. Many of the lesson plans only require Mixcraft, a computer, and an internet connection to get started. The “Additional Materials Download” file also contains examples for many of the lesson plans. Recommended Materials are additional tools that can be used with each lesson plan.
LONG PROJECTS: INTERDISCIPLINARY LESSONS In addition to the short projects, we have engineered large, interdisciplinary lessons that educators and students will find to be stimulating and creative. Though not necessary, it is recommended that students have some familiarity with Mixcraft before tackling these longer projects.
SHORT PROJECTS
CHAPTER 9 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Vocal Recordings (Pre-recorded or Recorded in the classroom) • Computer with Mixcraft • Mixcraft’s Built In Effect Plugins • Copies of the Student Guide (“Additional Materials Download”) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • Text to record (poem, story, or improvised speech) • Headphones • Microphone • Microphone Cable VOCAL FX PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 2 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: Learning to record and edit audio is a fundamental step whe
ACTIVITY: RECORDING VOCALS 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace. Since this lesson will only be using one audio track, delete the extra tracks to tidy up the workspace (select tracks and click Ctrl + Shift + D). 2. Recording Audio. Prior to recording vocals, ensure that the microphone and audio/computer interface are properly setup.
D) Example: “Red” or “unsafe” zone. This area could damage both your ears and your recordings. E) Disarm the metronome. Since vocals are not required to be recorded “in time” to instrument tracks, the metronome might be a distraction to students. F) Rewind the cursor to the beginning of the timeline before recording. G) Start recording by either clicking the master record button or by selecting the “R” key on the computer keyboard.
Students can also merge separate audio segments into one segment. Simply highlight the relative segments (Shift + Click) and right click to find the option “merge” (Ctrl + W). B) Trimming audio: To trim audio or to shorten/extend recordings, move the cursor near the ends of an audio region until a double-sided arrow appears. Simply click, and drag left or right to trim the audio region to the desired length.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS How would you make your recording sound like its coming from a large stadium? Educator recommendation: Try a big, long reverb preset like “Canyon.” Or edit the “Reverberation” or “Wet” parameters of a different reverb setting. How would you make your recording sound like its coming from a small closet or even a bathroom? Educator recommendation: Try a smaller reverb setting like the “Room (small)” or “Studio 1 Dub” presets.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS How would you correct an out-of-tune instrumental performance or an off-key singer? Educator recommendation: Try a transparent setting on Gsnap like “Subtle Pitch Correction.” If you know the key of your music performance, in the edit window you can assign a key signature which will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the plugin.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS How would you make your recording sound like a Chip and Dale rendition? Educator recommendation: Try boosting your recording up by 4 or 5 semitones. How would you make your recording sound deep, like a monster’s voice? Educator recommendation: Try decreasing the pitch of your recording by 4 or 5 semitones. Acoustica EQ Effect: EQ has many presets. One of the more popular is the “Telephonic” which produces what is widely known as a “phone-filter” effect.
ADDITIONAL LESSON PLANS Beyond Reverb & Delay: Besides the audio effects covered in this lesson, Acoustica includes the Distortion, Flanger, and Chorus audio plugins. This wide range of effects (and presets) gives students tremendous power for controlling and for shaping the sound of recordings as well as for expanding the mixing techniques used. If class time allows, try experimenting on the recorded vocals by using the Distortion, Flanger or Chorus effects.
LESSON 9 VOCAL FX PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Audio Files (Pre-recorded or Recorded in the classroom) • Computer with Mixcraft • Mixcraft’s Built In Audio FXs CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Recording Vocals 1. Ask your teacher what you will be recording during this project. If your teacher does not have a required text, try recording a short poem, speech, or perhaps a conversation between you and another student.
C) For clean recordings you will want to monitor the incoming audio on the audio track volume meter. If possible, record in the “yellow” zone. In this zone, your recordings will be audible, but not so loud that the recording will distort. Clean Audio. D) If the meter is reaching the “red” area, try dialing back the gain on your audio/computer interface or moving away from the microphone. Distorted Audio. Disarm the metronome.
5. Editing Audio. After recording or importing pre-recorded audio, you can turn to editing the audio if necessary. Here are three edits that are used often: A) Arranging audio: To arrange audio regions on the Timeline, cut a large audio region Selecting the “split” option splices the audio region into two audio regions. These separate audio segments can be merged into one segment.
EFFECT PLUGINS 1. After your recording has been edited to completion, it is time to consider adding effect plugins. Effects plug-ins are small software programs, each of which is designed individually to create a specific audio effect. The character of a recorded piece can be shaped and changed significantly by the use of one or more of these effects. 2. Adding effects: To start, click the “FX” button on the audio track of your recording. This will launch the Effects List window.
ASSIGNMENT How would you make your recording sound like its coming from a large stadium? How would you make your recording sound like its coming from a small closet or a bathroom? Delay: Delay produces an “echo” effect that adds a distinct atmosphere to recordings. Let’s add some delay to our vocal track! Adding Delay: To add delay to our vocal track, click the “FX” button on the audio track. The Effects List window will appear. Select “Acoustica Delay” from the drop down menu. Reverb Presets.
ASSIGNMENT How would you correct an out-of-tune instrumental performance or an off-key singer? How would you make your recording sound like the singer of a hit song from a Hip Hop or a Top 40 Track? Adjust Pitch By (Pitch Shifting): This feature, which changes or adjusts the pitch by semitone increments, is commonly called “pitch shifting.” Pitch shifting is a built-in feature of Mixcraft rather than an actual plug-in effect.
ASSIGNMENT How would you make your recording sound like a Chip and Dale rendition? How would you make your recording sound deep, like a monster’s voice? Acoustica EQ Effect: Acoustic EQ has many presets. One of the more popular is the “Telephonic” preset which produces what is widely known as a “phone-filter” effect. With this preset the recording sounds like it is coming from a telephone. Feel free to get creative with all of these presets.
MIXCRAFT MIXLIBS PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 1, 4, 6, 8, 9 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 2 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: An alternative to the Vocal FX project, the Mixlibs project reinforces basic audio recording and editing skills. The Mixlibs project is a contemporary twist on a classic literary game: the game begins with a story that is constructed with missing words or gaps. Players must complete these gaps by using their own vocabulary.
ACTIVITY Prepare the Mixlib lesson by moving the Mixlib session files from the “Additional Materials Download” onto student computers. 1. Open Mixcraft and select the appropriate Mixlib session file or double-click on the session files moved to the desktop. Mixcraft will load the Mixlib project. Users should see two audio tracks on the Timeline – one with recorded audio and one with no audio. The Mixlib session file, Mixlib_Journey, is now loaded. 2. Recording Audio Setup.
I. The markers (flags) denote the gaps in the Mixlib. Each flag offers a clue as to the category and type of word a student should record in the blank area of the track. The orange flags demarcate the Mixlib into sections. Students should start recording at the flag and stop before the waveform that follows. Common words include nouns (objects, animals, names of places, etc.), adjectives, and verbs. Student or teacher names may be requested to create a personalized Mixlib.
10. If the Mixlib needs editing, trimming and splitting the recorded audio into individual regions is a useful strategy for changing the arrangement of the Mixlib on the Timeline: A) Trimming audio: To trim audio or to shorten/extend recordings, move the cursor near the end of an audio region until a double-sided arrow appears. Simply click, and drag left or right to trim the audio region to the desired length. An audio region with excessive silence.
11. When the Mixlib is finished, mix down the story to a file on the computer. Go to the Menu and select File > Mix down to… > .MP3. Name and save your Mixlib on the desktop! 12. After the students have mixed down their Mixlibs to .MP3s, educators can gather them and burn the collection to an audio CD. Additionally, educators can create a playlist with a media player and share the Mixlibs during any remaining class time.
LESSON 10 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Mixcraft Mixlib Session Files (“Additional Materials Download”) • Computer with Mixcraft MIXCRAFT MIXLIBS PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: TEACHER: CLASS: ACTIVITY 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Mixlib session file or double-click on the session files moved to the desktop. Mixcraft will load the Mixlib project. If you do not know the location of the Mixlib session files, ask your teacher for help.
TIP: If the meter is reaching the “red” area, try dialing back the gain on your audio/computer interface or move farther away from the microphone. Careful! Recording in the “red” zone could be harmful to your equipment or ears and could distort the recorded audio. Zoom in using the magnifying glass icon or by hitting the “+” key to get a closer look at the markers. 4. The markers (the flags) denote the gaps in the Mixlib.
9. Continue recording and finish filling in the Mixlib. Try to come up with imaginative words for your story. 10. Once this task is completed, deselect the mute button of the “story” track. Both tracks will now be audible. Rewind and play back the Mixlib. Listen for parts that may need editing: are some words too isolated? Does the story sound like a continuous narrative? 11.
Splitting audio regions is easy. Simple right click and select “split.” Once the recorded audio regions have been tidied up, arrange the regions to match the rest of the story. Use the waveforms as reference points. Place your words right after the flag markers and close to the waveforms on the “story” audio track. C) To merge the segments, select them all and “merge” (Ctrl + W). 12. Sharing. Notify your teacher that you have finished your Mixlib.
CHAPTER 11 TUTORIAL MIDI INSTRUMENT SURVEY PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 2 ONE-HOUR PERIODS REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • MIDI Versions of Children’s Songs (Additional Material Download) • Copies of the MIDI Instrument Survey Student Guide (Additional Material Download) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • MIDI keyboard • Sheet Music to Transcribe (For Older Students) • Further Reading Materials 92 OVERVIEW: MIDI (M
ACTIVITY 1. Research instrument families. The Hornbostel–Sachs classification system is a respected catalog of musical instruments that are sorted according to structural and functional criteria. However, depending on the age of your students, it may not be necessary to focus on the minute differences between instruments: instead, highlighting large and general characteristics across instrument families is suitable for this lesson.
5. Before playing back the newly-imported song, assign a virtual instrument to the virtual instrument track. Click the “keyboard” icon on the virtual instrument track. A new window will appear. Click the keyboard icon on the virtual instrument track to assign virtual instruments. 6. Browse Mixcraft’s virtual instruments by instrumental category. Brass, guitar, wind, and keyboard sounds are readily available – simply double-click on a sound to assign it to the virtual instrument track.
9. Older students can compose original melodies or transcribe sheet music into MIDI format by using Mixcraft’s Piano Roll: A) First, create a new virtual instrument track by selecting one from the menu: Track > Add Track > Add Virtual Instrument track. B) Double click on the Timeline area that corresponds to the new virtual instrument track. A blank MIDI region should appear and the Piano Roll window should expand from the bottom of the screen.
10. If available, provide sheet music for students to transcribe or allow students to freely compose a short melody using Mixcraft’s Piano Roll. Once the transcription or composition is completed, encourage student to experiment with different instrumental arrangements. 11. Students can save their MIDI melodies in MIDI format.
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LESSON 11 TUTORIAL MIDI INSTRUMENT SURVEY PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • MIDI Versions of Children’s Songs (Additional Material Download Area) TEACHER: CLASS: ACTIVITY 1. Before starting the lesson, ask your teacher if you will be using MIDI files from the “Additional Materials Download” or whether you will be composing/transcribing your own. 2.
4. A MIDI region of the song will appear on a virtual instrument track. Lines on the region refer to note duration and pitch: higher lines on a vertical axis have higher pitch while longer notes on the horizontal axis represent duration. A MIDI representation of “Eency Weency Spider.” 5. Before playing back the newly-imported song, assign a virtual instrument to the virtual instrument track. Click the “keyboard” icon on the virtual instrument track. A new window will appear.
9. Composing with MIDI and the Piano Roll. Try composing an original melody or transcribing sheet music into MIDI format by using Mixcraft’s Piano Roll: A) First, create a new virtual instrument track by selecting one from the menu: Track > Add Track > Add Virtual Instrument track. B) Double click on the Timeline area that corresponds to the new virtual instrument track. A blank MIDI region should appear and the Piano Roll window should expand from the bottom of the screen.
MIDI BEATS PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 2, 4, 6, 7 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 1-2 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: Developed in the 1980s, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a protocol that allows certain instruments and audio devices to communicate to one another. It has become common, even standard, for MIDI to be used for music production in many recording environments.
ACTIVITY 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Build Virtual Instruments template. Mixcraft will load six audio tracks and two virtual instrument tracks into the Workspace. Since we will be using only the virtual instrument track, delete the audio tracks (Ctrl + Shift + D). 2. Preparing for beat making: To prepare for producing a beat with MIDI, double check to see if the hardware and software are set up properly: A) Turn on any speakers or monitors.
Selecting Mixcraft’s virtual drum kits. Double click on a drum kit to load the sounds. D) To preview a kit, use either Mixcraft’s Musical Typing or a MIDI Controller. The Musical Typing allows users to type on a computer keyboard to control the drum kit. Click the Musical Typing icon in the drum kit window: The Musical Typing window illustrates how a computer keyboard functions as a music keyboard: the letter keys correspond to different notes.
B) Before recording, rewind the cursor to the beginning of the timeline by hitting the “rewind” icon (outlined in blue in the screenshot below). C) Arm the virtual instrument track for recording by clicking the “arm” icon. D) Start recording by either clicking the master record button (outlined in red below) or “R” on your keyboard. Begin playing a drum beat on the computer keyboard. The cursor will begin moving down the timeline and MIDI graphics of the beat will appear.
TIP: A programmed drum beat using the Drum Kit 3 virtual instrument: hi-hats (top row) on every 8th note, snare (middle row) on beats 2 & 4 and finally a kick drum (bottom row) on beats 1 & 3. 6. Editing MIDI. After recording or programming a drum beat, it may be necessary to tidy up and edit the MIDI data.
LESSON 12 MIDI BEATS PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Build Virtual Instruments template. • Copies of the MIDI Beats Student Guide (Additional Materials Download SUGGESTED MATERIALS Mixcraft will load six audio tracks and two virtual instrument tracks into the Workspace.
Selecting Mixcraft’s virtual drum kits. Double click on a drum kit to load it to a track. C) To see how your kit sounds, use either Mixcraft’s Musical Typing or a MIDI Controller. Musical Typing allows you to use your computer keyboard to control the drum kit. Click the Musical Typing icon on the bottom of the drum kit window. D) The Musical Typing window illustrates how your computer keyboard functions as a music keyboard: the letter keys correspond to different notes.
B) Before recording, hit the “rewind” icon (outlined in blue in the screenshot below) to rewind the cursor to the beginning of the timeline. C) Arm the virtual instrument track for recording by clicking the “arm” icon. D) Start recording by clicking either the master record button (outlined in red) or “R” on the keyboard. Begin playing a drum beat on your keyboard. The cursor will begin moving down the timeline and the MIDI graphics of your beat will appear.
A programmed drum beat using the Drum Kit 3 virtual instrument: hi-hats (top row) on every 8th note, snare (middle row) on beats 2 & 4 and finally a kick drum (bottom row) on beats 1 & 3. 7. Editing MIDI: After recording or programming a drum beat, it may be necessary to tidy up and edit the MIDI data.
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LONG PROJECTS
CHAPTER 13 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • MIDI Versions of Children’s Songs (Additional Material Download) • Copies of the MIDI Instrument Survey Student Guide (Additional Material Download) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • MIDI keyboard • Sheet Music to Transcribe (For Older Students) • Further Reading Materials 112 REMIX PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 3, 4, 8, 9 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 4 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: A “remix” is the modification
ACTIVITY 1. Setup. In this lesson, students will learn to craft their own remix out of Ben Hale’s song “Repunzel.” For setup, drag the “Remix_Template.mx6” file from the Remix Project folder of the Additional Materials Download to your desktop. Open the Mixcraft project: TIP: Remember the default start-up song in Mixcraft 6, “Rapunzel” comes in the form of multiple tracks that are not linked (locked in place).
3. Arranging a beat. When you have decided on a drum loop, simply highlight the file and drag it onto your “Kick Drum” audio track. You may want your drum loop to repeat throughout the entire remix. There are many ways to do this: 1) Select the audio segment, hold down Alt key, slide right and drop. Repeat as necessary. 2) Copy and paste audio segments. 3) Use the “loop” icon on an audio region to repeat loops along the Timeline. Repeat as necessary.
shifts between the verse and chorus. Please note that these are “loop” sound effects not “plugin effects.” Do not confuse this with either the functions of the “fx” plugin button on the audio track or the “fx” button at the top of the mixer panel. Try using the WhiteWoosh SFX from Mixcraft’s library to add movement to a mix. 9. Rough Mix. Once a solid remix arrangement is established, it is helpful to start setting appropriate track volume levels to create a rough mix.
LESSON 13 REMIX PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Mixcraft Loops • REMIX stems (“Additional Materials Download”) CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY 1. Hello remixer! In this lesson, you will learn to craft your own remix from either Ben Hale’s song “Repunzel” or a song supplied by your teacher. Ask your teacher about setting up the “Remix_Template.
C) Adjust the key and Mixcraft’s master tempo to your remix tracks. Usually this information is provided with the song’s stems. Under the Project Tab, Mixcraft will show the key and master tempo of the song. For individual track information on tempo and key open the Sound Tab. Detected key information will be noted next to the “key” window; while tempo information will be provided under the “Adjust To Project Tempo” window. BEGINNING TO REMIX 1. Starting your remix: creating a beat.
5. Adding Bass. After arranging the harmony, browse the bass loops. The bass will be the foundation of your mix, so pay particular attention to how it sounds with the harmony. After previewing several bass loops, try arranging a loop on the Timeline. For an attentiongrabbing effect, bring in the bass right as the vocals enter. Again, keep in mind how the structure of the verse and chorus differs.
The volume (vertical) and pan (horizontal) sliders on a kick drum track. 10. Mixing Down. When the remix is finished, the final step is mixing down the track. Go the top menu File > Mixing Down To…>.MP3. Click and mix down the remix to the computer’s desktop.
CHAPTER 14 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Sound Collage Student Guide (“Additional Materials Download”) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • Microphone/ Microphone cable • Audio/Computer Interface • Headphones/ Monitors • Freesound Project Account • Further Reading Materials • Example Sound Collage (“Additional Materials Download”) 120 SOUND COLLAGE PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 1-2 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVI
ACTIVITY 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace. 2. Downloading or recording sounds? For this project, students have the option of recording their own sounds for the collage or using an online database of free samples. A) If downloading: The freesound project is an online database of free recordings (http://www.freesound.org/).
An example of the yellow or “safe” zone to record in. If the meter is reaching the “red” area, try dialing back the gain on the audio/computer interface or move the object farther away from the microphone. Careful! Recording in the “red” zone could be harmful to your equipment or ears and could distort the recorded audio! An example of the “red” or “unsafe” zone. This area could damage your ears and recordings. 6.
10. Begin arranging the recordings or samples on Mixcraft’s Timeline by dragging and moving audio regions. It is typical to assign individual samples or recordings to their own audio track. In the example arrangement below, each audio track has been relabeled to describe its contents. This is done by “double clicking” the track name (the default name for an audio track is “audio track) and then typing in the new label. An example arrangement of a sound collage.
ADDITIONAL LESSON PLANS Electroacoustic Composition/Songwriting: With the advent of analog and digital music technology in the 20th century, combining electronic and acoustic elements during music composition was no longer a distant, futuristic, day-dream for composers. The marriage of the electronic and the acoustic, two seemingly separate musical worlds with distinct methodological approaches and aesthetic ambitions, holds a far greater artistic potential than either approach alone.
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LESSON 14 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors SOUND COLLAGE PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: TEACHER: CLASS: ACTIVITY 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template. • Copies of the MIDI Beats Student Guide (Additional Materials Download) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • MIDI keyboard • Further Reading Materials Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace. 2.
B) Next, connect the microphone to the audio/computer interface with a microphone cable. To make sure Mixcraft is monitoring the audio/computer interface, check the File > Preferences > Sound Device tab and check to confirm that the interface is selected. 5. Now that the equipment is set up, it is time to record some sounds! A) Arm the first audio track in the workspace by clicking “arm.
parts, set the two segments side-by-side and then “select” both and “merge” them back into one. When the segment is satisfactory and complete, right-click the audio region and select “Set Loop To Crop.” The new “loop” segment can now be looped, copy and pasted or drag/lengthened for arrangement on the Timeline. Make loops of all the recordings created for the lesson. Trimming an audio region to create a loop. 9. Arranging a sound collage.
DEBATE PODCAST PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 1, 8, 9 MIDDLE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 2-3 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: A debate is an organized argument held between two parties in an attempt to persuade an audience to agree with or to dissuade an audience from a particular view. In a classroom environment, a group of students is first randomly divided into point and counterpoint groups. One side holds the “pro” views while the other asserts the “con” views.
ACTIVITY Preparing For the Podcast 1. Select a debate topic. Online sources (such as http://www.debate.org/opinions/) are an excellent choice for finding debate topic. Below are several suggestions: • Local current event. • Political issue. • Current trends in science. • A review of a performing art. • Podcast diary. 2. Create a blog specifically for the debate. Students will use this blog to post the podcasts of the debate and to respond with comments or links to additional articles.
3. Now that the equipment is set up, it is time to record your debate! A) Arm the audio track in the workspace by clicking “arm.” The downward arrow next to the arm button will enable users to select the source of the “incoming audio signal” (usually a microphone). Make sure the correct interface is selected. To check the configuration, try speaking into the microphone – the volume meter should jump. Also confirm the headphones are working.
Selecting the “split” option splices the audio region into two audio regions. Separate audio segments can be merged into one segment. Simply highlight the relative segments (Shift + Click with a sweep over the segments) and right click to find the option “merge” (Ctrl +W). B) Trimming audio: To trim, shorten, or extend the audio regions of your podcast, move your cursor near the ends of your waveform until you see a double-sided arrow.
ADDITIONAL LESSON PLANS Story Telling: An alternative to the debate lesson plan is a project on story telling. The story telling project can include a curriculum from an English or theater class. Either choose a short story for the students or have students write their own short stories. Students should then “perform” their stories by reading and recording them into Mixcraft. Create a blog in which the stories can be posted. FURTHER READING Shuster, K.
LESSON 15 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Microphone • Copies of the Debate Podcast Student Guide (“Additional Materials Download”) SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • MIDI keyboard • Audio/Computer Interface • Further Reading Materials DEBATE PODCAST PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: TEACHER: CLASS: ACTIVITY Preparing For the Podcast 1. Debate topic. Ask your teacher which debate topic you will be using for the podcast recording. 2.
File > Preferences > Sound Device tab and check to confirm that the interface is selected. If you are using a microphone pop filter, place the filter in front of the microphone. This will help create clean vocal recordings. 3. Now that the equipment is set up, it is time to record your debate! A) Arm the audio track in the workspace by clicking “arm.
A) Arranging audio: To arrange audio regions of your podcast on the Timeline, cut a large Selecting the “split” option splices the audio region into two audio regions. audio region into smaller segments. Right click an area on your waveform that you would like to rearrange and select “split” (Ctrl + T). The audio region will now be cut into two pieces. Cut as many sections as you need. Grab and move the regions on your workspace to re-arrange the recording.
RAP IMPROVISATION PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 MIDDLE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 2-3 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: Improvisation refers to the spontaneous creation of music, and is a skill that is often used either during a music performance or as an approach to music composition. Its use varies with the type of music: some specific music genres, such as jazz, Indian classical music, or modern Hip-hop rely heavily on improvisation.
TIP: Included on the “Additional Materials Download” is a pre-made beat from a Mixcraft session. If educators are pressed for time, simply use this session and immediately start improvising! ACTIVITY Making a Beat in Mixcraft 1. Educators can create a beat or have students produce their own beats before recording the improvisation. Or use a beat from a previous lesson. 2. First, open Mixcraft and select the Build Loop & Beat Matched Music template.
The drum beat has now been looped for several measures by clicking the circle and plus sign icon. 6. Next, select a piano, keys, or synthesizer loop. The Rhodes 3 piano loop in the Urban Street Mix kit fits well in many hip-hop songs. Browse through keyboard loops that might compliment a hip hop beat. Here the Rhodes 3 loop is selected. 7. Drag the selected keyboard loop onto a new audio track in Mixcraft’s Timeline. If desired, loop the keyboard part for multiple measures. 8.
A) Turn on monitors but move the microphone away from the speakers. Students will need to hear the music while improvising. However, if the microphone starts to pick up the audio coming from the monitors a feedback loop will be created. B) Next, connect the microphone to the audio/computer interface with a microphone cord. Use a long microphone cord if possible. This will make it easy to pass the microphone around the room.
ADDITIONAL LESSON PLANS Spoken word: Spoken word is a type of performance poetry that focuses on dramatic interpretations of written text. Create a project in which a class participates in a grand performance of a poem. Have each student write a verse and then string all the verses together to form a complete poem. Spoken word is generally not performed with music. Encourage students to focus on their unaccompanied, solo delivery.
LESSON 16 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Microphone/USB Microphone Rap Improvisation Student Guides (Additional Materials Download SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • Audio/Computer Interface • Internet Connection • Further Reading Materials RAP IMPROVISATION PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: TEACHER: CLASS: ACTIVITY Making a Beat in Mixcraft 1.
4. Select a drum loop. The Mixed Beat 4 from the Urban Street Mix kit is a fantastic hip hop drum loop. Once a drum loop has been selected, simply drag and drop the loop onto a free audio track in Mixcraft’s Timeline. 5. Loop the drum beat for several measures by clicking the circle with a “+” sign icon the on the loop’s audio region. TIP: To download loops your computer must be connected to the internet. Hopefully the computers in the lab are networked.
CHAPTER 17 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Microphone • Headphones or Monitors • Copies of the Lyrical Songwriting Student Guide (Additional Mat.
ACTIVITY Writing Lyrics Research several popular music songs and analyze the lyrics with students. In this lesson plan, we will be using the song structure ABAB (verse-chorus-verse-chorus). There are, of course, other strophic forms (song forms that use repetition of verses and choruses – like ABAB above), that educators could use as a potential lesson plan extension. Have students brainstorm for a topic to write about. If possible, collaborate with an English class during the writing process.
YOUNGER STUDENT LYRICS OLDER STUDENT LYRICS “My Pets” “Homesick” A (Verse): My favorite fish is a fish named Polly Polly likes to swim around Polly likes to hide under rocks A (Verse): All the houses on the street seem to have faces And no matter where I go, no matter which places I visit, they keep staring with windows aglow It is though I am never alone B (Chorus): These are my pets These are my pets A (Verse 2) My favorite dog is a dog named Wally Wally likes to sniff around Wally likes to wag his
WRITING A SONG IN MIXCRAFT 1. Once the lyrics are finalized and a rough idea for the music has been formed, it is time to actually create music and set the lyrics to music. 2. First, open Mixcraft and select the Build Loop & Beat Matched Music template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks on Mixcraft’s Timeline. 3. Change the tempo, meter, or key of the song by clicking on the master bar’s display. Clicking this display on the master bar will allow users to change the tempo, meter, or key.
A) Verse drums. Select the “Library” tab in the Tab Area (located in the lower left hand corner). This will display Mixcraft’s loop library. To review drums: Sort By > Instruments > Drums. A long list will appear in the large selection area of the window. Browsing some of the available loops. To preview a loop, simply click the green play arrow located next to it. Remember, an internet connection is required to download loops currently not stored on the computer hard drive.
F) Arrange the verse. Try alternating between loops throughout the verse. For example, the bass could play on measures 9 -12 and rest on 13. A new loop could start playing on measure 13 in place of the bass. Try different patterns with your arrangement. Below is a sample arrangement for verse one: In this arrangement, the drum, a synthesizer bass loop, and a synthesizer swirling pad, are being played throughout the verse. The trumpet and lead solo loops alternate measures.
6. Prior to recording, have students practice humming or singing the lyrics over the music. Hopefully a usable melody will emerge from this initial rehearsal. If there are students who are uncomfortable singing alone, ask a less shy fellow student to help by singing along. 7. Students may need to adjust their lyrics to fit the music. Allow them time to experiment and rehearse with different vocal melodies, delivery tempos and lyrical arrangements. 8.
3. With Mixcraft and the recording equipment configured, help students record their lyrics. To start recording, press the master record button on the Master Bar or press “R” on the keyboard. Students will sing their lyrics at the proper places by watching the flow of the piece on the timeline – they will sing the verses in the appropriate areas of the verse segments and the chorus in the chorus segments. Prompt if necessary. Make any edits that may be required.
LESSON 17 LYRICAL SONGWRITING PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Microphone/USB Microphone • Mixcraft Loops • Copies of the Lyrical Songwriting Student Guide (Additional Materials) CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Writing Lyrics With the help of your teacher, research several popular music songs and analyze the lyrics. Note how songwriters use lyrics to convey ideas, themes, or images.
Here are two examples of lyrics that follow an ABAB structure: YOUNGER STUDENT LYRICS OLDER STUDENT LYRICS “My Pets” “Homesick” A (Verse): My favorite fish is a fish named Polly Polly likes to swim around Polly likes to hide under rocks A (Verse): All the houses on the street seem to have faces And no matter where I go, no matter which places I visit, they keep staring with windows aglow It is though I am never alone B (Chorus): These are my pets These are my pets A (Verse 2) My favorite dog is a dog
WRITING A SONG IN MIXCRAFT 1. Once the lyrics are finalized and a rough idea for the music has been formed, it is time to actually create and shape the music and set your lyrics to the music! 2. First, open Mixcraft and select the Build Loop & Beat Matched Music template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks on Mixcraft’s Timeline. 3. If necessary, change the tempo, meter, or key of the song by clicking on the master bar’s display (can also be done under the “Project” tab).
A) Verse drums. Select the “Library” tab in the Tab Area (located in the lower left hand corner). This will display Mixcraft’s loop library. To review the drums: Sort By > Instruments > Drums. A long list of loops will appear in the large selection window. Browse some of the drum loops. The preview a loop, simply click the green play arrow located next to it. Remember, an internet connection is required to download loops currently not stored on the computer hard drive.
In this arrangement, the drum, a synthesizer bass loop, and a synthesizer swirling pad, are being played throughout the verse. The trumpet and lead solo loops alternate measures. G) Once verse one is completed, highlight and copy all of the loops of the verse 1 Timeline segment (measures 9-25) and paste them onto measure 41(which is the beginning of verse 2). The music for these verses will now be identical. H) Creating the chorus.
6. Prior to recording, practice humming or singing the lyrics over the music. Try different vocal melodies and tempos. If any strong melody results from this warm-up exercise, try to use it! If you are not comfortable singing, ask a fellow student to sing along with you. 7. You may find that the lyrics you initially wrote do not exactly match your music. Experiment with the lyrics and adjust them to fit the music. 8. To record the lyrics, make sure you are in a quiet area.
3. With Mixcraft and the recording equipment configured, it is time to record your lyrics. To start recording press the master record button on the Master Bar or press “R” on the keyboard. Sing your lyrics at the proper places in your verses by watching the flow of the piece on the timeline – sing your verses in the appropriate areas of the verse segments and sing the chorus in the chorus segments. Ask for prompting if you need it. Play back your results. If necessary, edit or re-record.
RADIO JINGLE PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 1, 2, 3, 4 MIDDLE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 1-3 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: Music and advertising have a long history together. From the very beginnings of both radio and television, advertisers have used music to create timely, playful, and, most importantly, memorable commercials to sell their products and instill “branding”.
ASK: Will the selected beat compliment the message of the advertisement and help sell the product? ACTIVITY Writing a Jingle 1. Have students brainstorm a jingle idea: Research radio jingles or music-based TV advertisements. Many TV and radio networks and TV and radio advertisements use characteristically short melodies or songs to connect to their audience. Name some popular jingles that are currently being aired.
A) First, click the “Library” tab in the Tab Area (located in bottom left hand corner of the screen). Now select “Loops” in the small “Library” pulldown window (selecting “All” in the pulldown will include “sound effects” loops in the list). Mixcraft’s loop library will appear. Here, you can sort the library by instrument. B) In the small, “Sort By” pulldown window select “Instrument.” C) Select the “Drum” category from the list in the window below the “Sort By” pulldown.
B) Remember, for clean recordings it best to monitor the incoming audio on the audio track’s volume meter. Record in the “yellow” zone. In this zone, the recordings will be audible, but not so loud that the recording is distorted. An example of recording in the “yellow zone.” C) If the meter is reaching the “red” area, try dialing back the gain on the audio/computer interface or move the student farther from the microphone. An example of recording in the “red zone.
RADIO JINGLE PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE CLASS TIME: NAME: PERIOD: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Writing a Jingle 1. Brainstorm ideas for a jingle: With your teacher’s help, research radio jingles or music-based TV advertisements. Listen to radio commercials played on the internet or on analog stations. 2. Select a popular product or create a product (or service) to write a jingle for. Here are a few ideas for products/services for your jingle: A local Pizza shop. Bus tours for a major city.
TIP: To download loops your computer must be connected to the internet 2. Starting with the beat. Open Mixcraft’s loop library and select a simple drum loop that will be played throughout the jingle.
2. Testing the audio signal chain before recording: A) Add and then arm (click the “arm” icon) a blank audio track in the workspace. The downward arrow next to the arm button allows you to select the source of the incoming audio. Make sure the computer/audio interface is selected. Check your configuration by speaking into the microphone – the volume meter should jump. B) Remember, for clean recordings it best to monitor the incoming audio on the audio track’s volume meter.
CHAPTER 19 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Ingredients for a home made instruments SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • Copy of STOMP on video • MIDI Keyboard • Headphones/ Monitors • Further Reading Materials SKILLS GAINED Notation/Editing Notation MIDI Editing Instrument Design/ Creation Group Instrumental Performance 166 STOMP NOTATION PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 2, 3, 4, 7 GRADE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 3-4 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: I
ACTIVITY Making a STOMP Instrument 1. First, research homemade instrument recipes and the STOMP musical. Several popular video hosting websites have clips of the STOMP musical. Watch several clips and notice how household objects were converted into musical instruments (even better if you can acquire a full version of the STOMP video). Additionally, there is a multitude of online resources that provide recipes and instructions on how to create homemade or do-it-yourself instruments.
4. To start writing, double-click the Timeline on the blank area for the first virtual instrument track. Click at measure one to place the blank MIDI region at the beginning of the Timeline. Double clicking on the Timeline places a blank MIDI region on the virtual instrument track. 5. Next, double-click on the blank MIDI region. The Sound Tab will launch and display the Piano Roll Editor. Change the “editor type” from Piano Roll to “notation.
D) For a percussive instrument, select a note (for example the “A” below middle “C” or A4) to denote a “hit” or “bounce.” In the example below, a part written for a bouncing ball calls for the performer to bounce the ball (which produces a “bouncing” sound) on beats 1 and 3. A completed 4-bar part for bouncing ball. The ball is to sound on beats 1 and 3 (using quarter notes).
A) Loop the MIDI regions of each instrument on the Timeline by clicking the circle with a “+” icon on a region. Loop each instrument for the identical number of measures. Clicking the circle with a “+” icon, loops the MIDI region. Here the initial 4-bar region has been looped several times.
student who started is the only one left. A terrific applause will ensue. 3. Performance. Have each group perform their STOMP song to the class. The teacher may wish to compare in a positive way the student performances to some of the professional STOMP performances. The class might get valuable lessons from comparison to the pros! ADDITIONAL LESSON PLANS Cup Symphony: First, supply each student with five glass cups. Fill the cups up with varying amount of water.
LESSON 19 STOMP NOTATION PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Headphones or Monitors • Ingredients for a home made instruments SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • Copy of STOMP on video • MIDI Keyboard • Headphones/ Monitors • Further Reading Materials CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Making a STOMP Instrument 1.
Mixcraft will load six audio tracks and two virtual instrument tracks into the Workspace. Since we will be only using the virtual instrument tracks, delete the audio tracks (Ctrl + Shift + D). If you are working in a group, ensure there are enough virtual instrument tracks for each instrument in your STOMP ensemble. If necessary add a few more to the Timeline (Crtl + E). 4.
Small tick marks alert the user to where a beat falls. In this example the first eighth note in measure 2 falls on beat two and is aligned with the tick mark directly above the note. D) For a percussive part, select a note (for example the “A” below middle “C” or A4) to denote a “hit” or “bounce.” In the example below, a part written for a bouncing ball calls for the performer to bounce the ball (which produces a “bouncing” sound) on beats 1 and 3.
Arranging the parts. Ask your teacher whether you will be arranging the parts. If it is required, start by creating an introduction in which only one instrument starts playing. Slowly introduce more instruments until everyone in the ensemble is playing simultaneously. Finally, slowly fade out each instrument until the starting instrument is left playing. A) Loop the MIDI regions of each instrument on the Timeline by clicking the circle with a “+” icon on a region.
PERFORMING 1. With the parts printed out, rehearse your part with your fellow group members. 2. Thinking about the arrangement. If you previously arranged the MIDI regions of each instrument in Mixcraft try to replicate that arrangement for the performance. If you skipped that step, have your teacher conduct the performance and cue in each student one at a time: have one student start then after a few measures add another and then another until all the students are playing.
FILM SCORING PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 MIDDLE SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 3-6 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: A film score is a collection of music written specifically for film.
TIP: Films shot with VCR cameras or with old style film stock will need to be converted to a digital recording. This requires special equipment and will usually require technical assistance. It would be best if students recorded with digital equipment. ACTIVITY Shooting the Film 1. First, if possible, collaborate with a film class or the school’s video department. Perhaps the school has a video club. Video equipment and software will be needed to shoot and edit the film.
2. Import the video file. From the top menu select Video > Add A Video File > Select the target video file. Currently, Mixcraft only supports .AVI or .WMV file types. TIP: Several sample videos are supplied on Mixcraft’s Additional Materials Download for classes that are unable to film. A video imported into Mixcraft. Both the video frames and audio is imported. 3. Delete any unnecessary music or sound effects that might accompany the video.
bleak or tense scenes or a major key for happy and joyful scenes. First, add a virtual instrument track to Mixcraft. Select the keyboard icon to launch the virtual instrument browser. Students can select from a number of virtual instruments and record a part using a MIDI controller, musical typing, or by programming MIDI with the pencil tool. An “A Minor” scale, often used by composers to portray sadness or suspense.
B) Next, type the movie title in the text box. C) Adding credits: Credits will need to use scrolling text. First, select the “add scrolling text…” feature from the top menu > Video > Add Scrolling text… D) Type the credits into the text box. E) Finally, arrange the text regions on Timeline. Place the movie title region near the beginning of the film. Place the credit regions near the end of the film. Here, the text region for the title is moved to the beginning of the video. 2.
LESSON 20 FILM SCORING PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Video to be set to music • Music Video Student Guides (Additional Materials Download) CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Shooting The Film 1. First, ask your teacher whether you will be writing a short or a long film.
3. Delete any unnecessary music or sound effects that might accompany the video. To do this, first you have to unlink the audio and video tracks. Left-click-hold and sweep-select the video and audio tracks. Release. Now, on either of the tracks: right click > Link > Unlink Selected Tracks. The tracks will now be unlinked. You can now right-click on the unwanted audio track and select “delete.
An “A Minor” scale, often used by composers to portray sadness or suspense. A “C Major” scale often used by composers to portray joyful or carefree moods. C) Create personal recordings of music or sound effects Finally, try composing and performing original music for the score. Depending on the subject of your film, of course, acoustic instrumental music or a capella parts could certainly be considered.
B) Next, type the movie title in the text box. C) Adding credits: Credits will need to use scrolling text. First, select the “add scrolling text…” feature from the top menu > Video > Add Scrolling text… D) Type the credits into the text box. E) Finally, arrange the text regions on the video track. Place the movie title region near the beginning of the film. Place the credit regions near the end of the film. Here, the text region for the title is moved to the beginning of the video.
CHAPTER 21 TUTORIAL REQUIRED MATERIALS: COMMERCIAL PROJECT TEACHER’S GUIDE NSME: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 HIGH SCHOOL CLASS TIME: 3-6 ONE-HOUR PERIODS OVERVIEW: Akin to the relationship between feature films and music scores, video commercials SUGGESTED MATERIALS: and music jingles are nearly inseparable – like bread with butter. The first TV advertisement in the United States debuted in 1941. Only ten seconds long, the advertisement fired off the clever slogan, “American runs on Bulova time.
ACTIVITY Preparing & Shooting The Commercial 1. Research and study the effect of music on consumer behavior. Search popular video-hosting websites for commercials with music. For example, several eminent fast food companies associate food with short melodies. 2. First, select a product for the commercial. Students can invent their own product or select a well known product (for example, what could be a competing product for Nike shoes? Or a coffee-chain that competes against Starbucks?).
SCORING THE COMMERCIAL 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace. Depending on what the music arrangement calls for, delete tracks or add additional audio/virtual instrument tracks. 2. Import the commercial into Mixcraft. From the top menu select Video > Add A Video File > Select the video file. Currently, Mixcraft only supports .AVI or .WMV file types.
Mixcraft’s Loops. Though, student can compose, record, and edit their own music, Mixcraft loops are a great tool for scoring a commercial. In the Tabs Area, select the “Library” tab and search through the instrument categories. If your computer is connected to the internet, users can preview and download each loop by clicking the green play button next to the file name. Mixcraft’s Loop Library is filled with drum and instrument loops. 6. Loop Arrangement.
LESSON 21 COMMERCIAL PROJECT STUDENT’S GUIDE NAME: TUTORIAL PERIOD: REQUIRED MATERIALS: CLASS: • Computer with Mixcraft • Mixcraft’s Loops Headphones or Monitors SUGGESTED MATERIALS: • MIDI keyboard • Further Reading Materials CLASS TIME: TEACHER: ACTIVITY Preparing & Shooting The Commercial 1. First, select a product for the commercial.
SCORING THE COMMERCIAL 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template. Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace. Depending on what the music arrangement calls for, delete tracks or add additional audio/virtual instrument tracks. TIP: If the video cannot initially be ripped into .AVI or .WMV, it must be converted to one of these formats to be compatible with Mixcraft 2. Import your commercial into Mixcraft.
6. Mixcraft’s Loops: Mixcraft’s loops are convenient for scoring a commercial. In the Tabs Area, select the “Library” tab and search through the instrument categories. If your computer is connected to the internet, you can preview and download each loop by clicking the green play button next to the file name. Mixcraft’s Loop Library is filled with drum and instrument loops. 7.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX CONFIGURING MIXCRAFT In most cases, educators will have no need to make adjustments to Mixcraft’s preferences for the lesson plans. However, if multiple pieces of audio hard ware are being used, several adjustments might help. From the top menu select File > Preferences. The Mixcraft preference window will open. Here, users can make general tweaks to the interface. Most importantly however, educators and students can control the sound devices, MIDI devices, and loop library.
Library: The Library tab displays the directory to which all Mixcraft’s loops are stored. Here, users can change the directory to another folder. Loops can be imported using the “+ Import” button at the top right of the Library window. A window will open with a small “Import From” window. Next to this widow is a “Browse” button. Find the loop and import it. RECORDING TECHNIQUES Vocal Recording: A good condenser microphone with a wide diaphragm will suffice for recording vocalists.
GROUP RECORDINGS When recording small or large ensembles, educators can either mike each instrument separately or record with several overhead microphones to capture the whole ensemble. Miking each instrument individually offers more control over the mix: if each instrument is being recorded to a separate track in Mixcraft, educators can adjust the volume and panning of each instrument during postproduction.
