Going from Midi to Remix?

[BrothaDom]

So this is my situation:

I can't exactly play music by ear, so I've been trying to build remixes starting with midis. Problem is, I'm not really sure how to ornament the track in such a way to make it a full on remix as opposed to just a recreation.

I have the same problem with my own compositions, but that's not my current problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions/tips?

[Meteo Xavier]

The spectrum there is as broad as the Nile River, my friend. Can you specify a little more or break it up into narrower questions to get started with?

[BrothaDom]

Hm, that's very true. My apologies. My main thought (although unrefined) is that I have the song recreated now. What would the next step be? I'm building a hip-hop type remix, so I've changed the beat. I've also changed some of the "flow" of the notes.

So far it sounds VERY similar to the original, I'm not sure what to do to "spice it up". I'm not sure if this helps any

[BlackPanther]

Knowing a little music theory, better, a lot of music theory will take you farther. Throw some chords in there, change the melody up a little, transpose(basically changing the key signature of the song). In my Goldeneye remix, I made a whole new bassline for the remix, although to be fair, there was never really any bassline to begin with. But that doesn't mean you can't replace basslines or other parts of the song with your own ideas. Add chords or arpeggios. There's a lot you can do. Just gotta fiddle around and play around till you get something that's different from the source, but still recognizable, and you still like it.

Hope that helps, I can add more, or elaborate on certain things if you wish...

[AngelCityOutlaw]

What matters is that you have some of the original melodies.

Try using a different chord progression or using the same one but inverting the chords, arpeggiating them, etc. New drum beats, basslines, rhythm in general. Use totally different instrumentation than the original.

Other than that, it is just a matter of writing and harmonizing your own melodies and putting them into the piece as well.

EDIT: Basically, it should be an original piece that has some of the melodies from the source tune.

Edited July 26, 2013 by AngelCityOutlaw

[JoeTheLion]

I usually use MIDI versions of the songs to guide me in terms of strings and pads and maybe bass lines. I don't use the entire song because it is difficult to branch out from there. You should stick with some of the MIDI instruments and create your own chord progressions, program your own beats, maybe throw in a completely new lead... that is, assuming you have the "musical ability" to do that.

[Rozovian]

Think it through. What do you need from the original? Load midi, take those parts. Make your arrangement. Done.

[Wiesty]

Theory will take you a long way as it allows you the tools the composer used to create the original. This way you can break the song down to its bare minimum (chords, melody, form, motifs, etc) and build it from scratch again.

[SnappleMan]

First you have to understand how the song is written. So import your MIDI and figure out where the verse and chorus are. If you don't know what a verse is then you need to google. Essentially you want to find where each "section" of the song begins and ends, then you cut the midi there and drag them apart. Now you have your intro->empty space->verse->empty space->chorus. Your job at this point is to fill that empty space. Once you figure out how to do that your brain will begin to think musically, and that's when you can transform a song.

But remember, you don't have to transform a song into your own for it to be a good remix. You can build on the existing song structure and expand it into a full length "cover". This music will never be YOUR music, it'll be your interpretation of music someone else wrote, so it's your job express it in your voice. Think of it as a poetry reading; you're reading what someone else wrote but you're using your own phrasing and accentuation.

Using an existing midi is limiting to say the least, but it's a good way to start. Your musical abilities will not improve well unless you start figuring out music on your own.

As for tips on how to add parts to a song that fit, you need to learn basic theory. The most basic thing to do is figure out which notes work in a section, and the most basic way to do that is to put a section on loop and then play the notes on the piano roll. You'll find the note that sounds the most "right", that's usually the key of that section.

So for example if the section you're looping sounds good with a D note played over it, it's in the key of D. Next you look up which notes are in D major, you try some of those notes, if they don't sound good, look up D minor. There are many different modes of every key, so it may take you some time to find the right one, but as long as you find 3 notes that fit the looped section, you can write a new follow up section that'll fit.

That's basically the remix process in a nutshell. As your skills improve the methods of doing this will become more advanced and efficient, and you'll be able to think of complex phrasings and chord progressions. If you devote serious time (many hours each day) to learning music theory you can start making some good music very quickly, otherwise it will be a slower process. Either way is rewarding, so do whatever suits you best.

Edited July 26, 2013 by SnappleMan

[BrothaDom]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try thinking through these tips and see where they take me