modulating individual notes

[gatesoflife7]

Is there a way to modulate individual notes in the piano role? I'd be awesome to have that effect for lead guitar lines and lead synths.

I do a lot of Power Metal type stuff and i feel sometimes when my leads hold a note for a while it sounds dead with no feeling.

If i knew of a way to modulate notes that are held longer than half a measure that would be very helpful. (I do not own a midi controller keyboard and my actual keyboard does not have a pitch or mod wheel)

Any suggestions would be much appreciated ^^. Thanks in advance.

[Kanthos]

It's been years since I've looked at FL Studio, so I don't know the details, but you can certainly make a modulation envelope or automate modulation (or whatever term FL Studio uses) and change the modulation over time, so you could do that for specific notes, and I don't know of any DAW that forces you to have a hardware controller in order to create automation events. The only thing you couldn't do, naturally, is apply modulation to one note of a chord unless you split your MIDI track into several tracks and apply modulation on one track but not the other.

[gatesoflife7]

automation would be fine except the fact that i can't save a project as an FLP due to the fact i only have the demo version of FL studio. so i won't be able to save the automation and would have to redo it every time which would be kinda a pain. i suppose i'll just have to wait till i can buy it lol

[Kanthos]

If you'd have to redo the automation, wouldn't you also have to redo the audio or MIDI recording?

Yes, you really should buy the software. I don't know how you're expecting to get far with the demo.

[PROTO·DOME]

I don't know how you're expecting to get far with the demo.

Truer words have never been spoken. Wait... Power Metal... MIDI?

There is a gap in the market for overdriven MIDI guitars- I've not heard one professional track with either of those two glorious GM wonders.

You live your dreams Gatesoflife7, you live them.

But in all seriousness yeah, buy FL- or download Reaper? Eh?

[gatesoflife7]

ok first off i don't use midi. i save it as a midi and then when i open the midi i redo all of the effects. i do this over and over again till the song is finished then save it as an mp3. i have a mix posted on here. done entirely with the demo. have a listen.

Here's The link: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=30369

[Gario]

There is a gap in the market for overdriven MIDI guitars- I've not heard one professional track with either of those two glorious GM wonders.

Mmm... I've made so many MIDI's using the Overdrive/Distortion guitar instrument. I don't know how I would've gotten around without em'.

As for your original question, in my experience with MIDI there is no way to modulate individual notes, only entire tracks. You can adjust 'Velocity' with the individual notes, but that's it.

I don't see why, given you're extracting a MIDI, you can't extract the Modulate program along with it. That's a standard MIDI function, along with note, velocity, panning and volume. I don't know anything about the FL demo myself, so I don't know what the limitations on the MIDI exporting are, but they sound strange, if not nonsensical, to me.

[gatesoflife7]

I don't know where ppl got the idea that i use midi. i used to use standard GM instruments. but now i use VSTs such as Sytrus, Hyper Canvas, Edirol Orchestral, etc. I don't remember ever saying i use standard GM instruments now.

[Gario]

ok first off i don't use midi. i save it as a midi and then when i open the midi i redo all of the effects.

This is where we're getting that idea. If you're exporting MIDI's then all the functionality you're asking for should come with the package. GM =/= MIDI. GM is a soundfont that interprets the MIDI - the MIDI itself is in fact what everyone uses when sequencing in FL. It's a standard computer code that tells the computer how to play the music.

You should realize that most sequencers use a MIDI format and supplement it with VSTi's and other plugins. If you're using FL then you are, in essence, using a MIDI interface, but overlaying it with better effects and sounds.

That's why you deal with 0-127 as your limitation in just about every field you can manipulate.

Onto your primary point, is it perhaps one of the plugins that you're trying to apply to single notes? If so, then you can't export it as a MIDI, no matter what you try. If you're talking about the modulation function that comes standard on all MIDI's then it can only affect entire tracks in the sequencer. Otherwise, it should be exported with the track and thus not a problem, to begin with.

[gatesoflife7]

This is where we're getting that idea. If you're exporting MIDI's then all the functionality you're asking for should come with the package. GM =/= MIDI. GM is a soundfont that interprets the MIDI - the MIDI itself is in fact what everyone uses when sequencing in FL. It's a standard computer code that tells the computer how to play the music.

You should realize that most sequencers use a MIDI format and supplement it with VSTi's and other plugins. If you're using FL then you are, in essence, using a MIDI interface, but overlaying it with better effects and sounds.

That's why you deal with 0-127 as your limitation in just about every field you can manipulate.

Onto your primary point, is it perhaps one of the plugins that you're trying to apply to single notes? If so, then you can't export it as a MIDI, no matter what you try. If you're talking about the modulation function that comes standard on all MIDI's then it can only affect entire tracks in the sequencer. Otherwise, it should be exported with the track and thus not a problem, to begin with.

Ah i see what you mean. Yes in that sense i do use midi but i don't just leave it as midi that's what i meant.

i use sytrus with a ton of effects for my lead guitar sound and it sounds really nice but i'm not sure how to modulate certain notes to make it sound more realistic. like the way a real guitar would be played.

nobody ever just plays notes on the guitar the same way. they are constantly bending and sliding and doing lots of stuff on the strings. I was asking if there was a way to kinda emulate that feeling with modulation to give it more feeling. cause i can write the most amazing sounding melody but it still kinda lacks true feeling.

[Gario]

Pitch bends would be nice, and unlike the 'Modulation' button it's a fairly consistent function. Try using that for the slides + bends. I used to do it all the time for my old MIDI's, and do it now for my RSN files.

[gatesoflife7]

i do use bends and slides. i know how to do that lol. i'm talking about like a vibrato effect. like for the end of a guitar phrase or something, because on a real guitar a player never just holds the notes completely still.

His fingers are constantly moving even when holding a note. he bends the string back and forth slightly for a whammy sort of effect. that's what I'm talking about. I've tried just bending the note up and down really fast but it still doesn't sound quite the same.

[Gario]

Perhaps it's too mechanical. Try varying the frequency of the cycles as well as the amplitude and see where that takes you.

For example...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~ ~~...

(Pretend the ~ is a cycle)

Making it come in slow and build into the faster part will make it sound more realistic for orchestra instruments (they generally need a little time to adjust to the bend). For guitars samples it's probably better to start somewhere closer to the faster cycles, but try to vary the pattern, even (and preferably) a little at a time.

[gatesoflife7]

Perhaps it's too mechanical. Try varying the frequency of the cycles as well as the amplitude and see where that takes you.

For example...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~ ~~...

(Pretend the ~ is a cycle)

Making it come in slow and build into the faster part will make it sound more realistic for orchestra instruments (they generally need a little time to adjust to the bend). For guitars samples it's probably better to start somewhere closer to the faster cycles, but try to vary the pattern, even (and preferably) a little at a time.

if you mean cycles as in bending the note up and down; i did mess with varying speeds and starting slow and working up to faster bends. it did sound more natural however still not quite what I'm looking for.

I'm either being too picky (most likely the case lol), or I'm just failing to see a very simple option right in front of my face. However, I do really appreciate your input as this issue has been bugging me for a little while now.

I'll keep playing with things and I'll try more of what you said and see what happens maybe something might click