Question about note flow

[Shadow Wolf]

Righto, so I'm trying to learn to mix. I do not read music. I do not play any instruments. My only weapons are a full on copy of FruityLoops 7 XXL, absolute patience, all of the soundfonts available from Darkesword's website, and perfect pitch. (Ironic for someone who doesn't play anything, but by God I can tell you if you screwed up a note.)

Anyways, I has questions. First off: Let's I lay down a soundfont channel for a solo cello in the piano roll. Any channel does this, but strings are especially noticeable. Anyways, By default it sounds like crap. The notes bite too hard on the attack and end with absolutely NO release. I know I can tweak all that in the envelope and get it to sound *fairly* decent. But is there anything else I can do to smooth the transitions between notes? Legato cello should sound like a musician is sliding their fingers up and down the neck, not hammering on and off. Suggestions?

Second question: aside from turning grid snap off and editing note length in the piano roll by hand, is there a way to be more precise with the length of notes than 1/6th step increments? Maybe there's something musical here, but what if the end of my note lies dead center between 4/6ths of a step and 5/6ths of a step? Even the undiscerning ear can tell that length is off. So is there a better way to do things if you need to be able to adjust note length in miniscule increments?

[Mia]

Second question: Double click the note, it will show number values of its start time and duration that you can alter. You may have to do some math occasionally to determine what to make it.

[Shadow Wolf]

I was afraid of that. More patience, I guess.

[Hemophiliac]

or just turn snap to "None"

also better samples will give more realistic results...that's about all i could say about that, aside from portamento for fake sliding.

[Shadow Wolf]

Yeah, I've more or less figured out several ways to blend things together. Now how do I not suck. That's the important question.

[cawnil]

how did you figure out the legato?

[Shadow Wolf]

I didn't really 'figure it out' per se, that's just one of the ways a cello can be played. Legato is very smooth, with a consistent sound, for example. Pizzicato is plucking muted strings. Detache is quickly touching the bow to the strings while it's moving back and forth, which gives a quick, sharp note, but not as quick as pizzicato. Tremolo isn't a bow technique, rather the cellist (or any string musician) wiggles their finger on whatever fret they're playing while they steadily draw the bow back and forth, which gives a trembling quality to the note. So they're all just different ways of manipulating the sound from the same instruments. Now you know.

[Xenonstryfe]

tremolo is actually quick bow movement back and forth across the string (very quick bow movement).

[SnappleMan]

Having perfect pitch doesn't mean that you can spot when someone plays a wrong note during their rendition of Aeris' theme, it means that if I fart in front of you, you can tell me exactly which note that was.

[Shadow Wolf]

Xenon: Thanks for the clarification. Snapple: ROFL, and I have realized my use of the term was incorrect since I posted it. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure the fart I just blew was a b flat. Or b flatulence. Sorry, I had to.

[DDRKirby(ISQ)]

yea, you meant "vibrato" there.

[cawnil]

I didn't really 'figure it out' per se, that's just one of the ways a cello can be played. Legato is very smooth, with a consistent sound, for example. Pizzicato is plucking muted strings. Detache is quickly touching the bow to the strings while it's moving back and forth, which gives a quick, sharp note, but not as quick as pizzicato. Tremolo isn't a bow technique, rather the cellist (or any string musician) wiggles their finger on whatever fret they're playing while they steadily draw the bow back and forth, which gives a trembling quality to the note. So they're all just different ways of manipulating the sound from the same instruments. Now you know.

... I meant how did you figure out how to do legato in FL?

[Shadow Wolf]

Oooooooooooooh. Gotcha. The soundfont itself had a legato cello, it wasn't anything I manipulated in FL.

[DarkeSword]

Free soundfonts will only net you so much in the way of articulation. The best you can do is tweak envelops, adjust velocities, and write with the sample in mind; that is, you're not writing for cello, you're writing for cello soundfont.

[Shadow Wolf]

Yeah, I've definitely noticed that. You're writing for something that sounds kind of like a cello, but it has all its own qualities. (Or disqualities, if you prefer.)