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FamiTracker
For a long time my music writing speed has been slow. I understand that writing/covering music is not and should not be a fast or hasty process, but I really want to do get to a reasonable pace. Even a simple tune with 5 patterns took me around 4 hours to make over the span of 3 days. I did this over several days because I find that in a new day I always want to make slight pitch/volume adjustments. Sometimes I hear differences that I want to change and sometimes the big issue I had yesterday doesn't stick out at all.
I think this really depends on your skills and your workflow. If you feel comfortable writing music slowly, then that's fine, but if you want to improve your speed, then you might need to improve your tracking skills too.
Think about it. For a noob, there's a whole lot to learn about how tracking and 8-bit music works, so slower workflows are to be expected, because this noob needs to experiment with the thing before doing it right.
For an experienced musician/tracker, it can be a lot faster because this dude has already gone through the learning process, and now understands how everything works. Of course there's stuff that can be learned, but everything's generally faster for them than it is for a noob.
I work really fast, for instance, but that's because I already know how FT/NES music works. However, there are plenty of skilled people who work slowly, but that's not because they don't know. That might be because they just want to take stuff at a slower but safer pace. Warheart once said this in one of my threads:
[quote=Warheart]I tend to put very much time on my famitracker stuff because I want to make sure the song(s) sounds good. I guess it's a gift to do things quickly =P [/quote]
So yeah, don't feel bad for taking things slowly. Use that to your advantage :D
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Also, take it easy. We are patient. You don't have to spend a lot of hours per day on your music nor do you have to do things quickly as we are not putting you under pressure. That can be demotivating at some point and you probably have more important or favorable things to do. So just enjoy doing what you like and remember to always check whether you are being satisfied by your work. Otherwise work on it as much as you can or discard it at your own will.
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I'm not a 'fasttracker' either, so I guess some people can work faster than others. Even great video game musicians such as Tim Follin and Neil Baldwin were not the fastest of workers. If you want to help yourself write music faster, here is my suggestion:
Try not to listen to each pattern you make so much. It's okay to listen to it several times to get transitions right and fix errors, but listening it too much could cause your ideas for what you want to do next to vanish.
For now, don't let your slow work pace discourage you. Otherwise writing music will feel more like a chore rather than a fun hobby.
I can cover fast, but I can't write originals fast. If you want to learn by observation, [url=http://battleofthebits.org/]this site hosts one-hour-long competitions for originals.
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"im going to continue making this crazy stuff then after a while my style will be so sick that you will be like damn suuun that shit is so sick i dont even get it. i will be like bro its ok.. you dont have to." -omgdonut
I think I would qualify as a 'slow' tracker because I'm rather meticulous. Generally speaking I'll record the song from a YouTube video or something via Audacity, then I'll start breaking it down -- label measures, play segments at full/half speed and score notes one pattern at a time, one track at a time, sometimes even one note at a time.
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I think of myself as a fairly experienced OHCer (especially with Famitracker), so I guess I'll go ahead and share some of the things I know helped me become a fast tracker (no pun intended).
First of all, it's crucial to know your way around the program very, very well. Know where to find everything you need. This might sound like it goes without saying, but it's definitely worth mentioning because it can really help make a 4-hour session into a matter of an hour or so. Stuff like adding/removing frames, selecting portions of a pattern quickly with page-up/page-down, transposing, expanding/shrinking selection, paste-and-mixing data (which is particularly useful for single-channel delays and creating Fxx sequences quickly), you need to know how to do quickly. Being able to perform all of these actions in a matter of seconds can turn out to be very useful in the context of an OHC where your time is always very limited, and you might need to use slightly modified versions of material you've already written down. It's often - though not always - faster to copy/paste then modify something you've already written than it is to write it all again from scratch. Knowing in which situations it's better to rewrite from scratch than to copy/paste then modify is an ability that you will need to develop in order to really optimise your tracking time.
Performing actions quickly brings me to point number two: keyboard shortcuts. You need to reach a point where you don't need to use your mouse at all (except maybe to change the focus when necessary, load instruments & samples, etc.). Most actions in Famitracker can be assigned custom shortcuts in the config window; use this to your advantage. If a command doesn't come with a built-in shortcut, assign one you think makes sense to you. If a certain action does have a shortcut, but you feel it doesn't quite come naturally, don't hesitate to change it to something else. You ought to really make the most out of the level of customisation Famitracker grants you. Once that's all done, you need to make these shortcuts a second nature, and fully integrate them into your tracking style.
Also, don't forget about useful, unconfigurable shortcuts like Alt+arrows, which acts like TAB but keeps the cursor in the equivalent column when skipping across channels. Combined with Ctrl+(Num+) and Ctrl+(Num-) (increase/decrease step), this has the ability to make adding the same effect to numerous adjacent channels a very easy task. Other noteworthy shortcuts include (but are not limited to): Num0 to Num9 to select instruments 00 to 09, Ctrl+Up/Ctrl+Down to select instruments and Num* and Num/ to increase and decrease octave, etc.
Next up is DPCM samples. If you don't use them at all, feel free to disregard this piece of advice, but if you do, then I suggest you take this into consideration. Regardless of whether you're in the context of an OHC or you just want to track more efficiently in general, you'll want to know what kind of sample suits the mood of your track best, [b]and[/b] you'll want to have that kind of sample ready when you need it. Otherwise, you'll be forced to spend time finding the right WAV, trimming it, fiddling around with RJDMC to convert it to a DMC file and importing it into Famitracker, thus wasting several crucial minutes that could be better spent towards actually making music. This actually requires some preparation, though. If you can't be bothered, then I suggest you invest time getting good at creating decent triangle+noise drums.
Similarly, you'll want to have a few instrument presets ready and available. Personally, I think making instruments get in the way of creativity, and they can become a real time waster if you're a perfectionist like me and you really want to achieve the very sound you have in mind. I usually wind up using blank instruments myself, but I definitely recommend saving instruments you like into a folder where you'll be able to access them easily.
Finally, you have to consider the other aspect of tracking, which is the artistic process of actually creating music. It's one thing to be able to get down your ideas quickly, but if you just can't come up with those ideas fast enough, then you won't be in a position to make any of that count. Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else is really in a position to be giving advice on "how to get ideas quicker"; this is something that will only come with practice and experience - and a little bit of luck when it comes to inspiration, too. Perhaps one thing I can point out is this: remember you're writing a piece of music. It's easy, when you're in the stressful context of an OHC (or even when you're writing for fun but are rushing yourself), to forget that you can't just put down notes and chords to go along with them. Your track has to make some sort of structural sense - it has to go places (e.g. you could have two contrasting sections in different key signatures - but this is just one idea, the possibilities are endless).
If you want to get some idea of what I'm talking about, here is my [url=http://2a03.free.fr/dl.php?file=4403]best-scoring Battle of the Bits OHC entry. Notice how it shows evidence of many of the things I've mentioned in this post: it has several different "sections", I re-used modified versions of the same material in different places, I expanded patterns when I needed to double the speed, etc.
Anyway, once you master all of these things, you'll be well poised to take advantage of the program to the fullest, and you'll easily be able to put out your tracks a lot quicker than you might expect.
Here you go, sorry about the enormous wall of text. I hope this comes in useful to you, and maybe even some other people out there.
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
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Wow. jrlepage, that was very helpful to me too. I now have some tips from one of the NES pros to improve my tracking =D
Let me add on some notes of my own, now that I'm at it.
[quote=jrlepage]Next up is DPCM samples. If you don't use them at all, feel free to disregard this piece of advice, but if you do, then I suggest you take this into consideration. Regardless of whether you're in the context of an OHC or you just want to track more efficiently in general, you'll want to know what kind of sample suits the mood of your track best, [b]and[/b] you'll want to have that kind of sample ready when you need it. Otherwise, you'll be forced to spend time finding the right WAV, trimming it, fiddling around with RJDMC to convert it to a DMC file and importing it into Famitracker, thus wasting several crucial minutes that could be better spent towards actually making music. This actually requires some preparation, though. If you can't be bothered, then I suggest you invest time getting good at creating decent triangle+noise drums.
Similarly, you'll want to have a few instrument presets ready and available. Personally, I think making instruments get in the way of creativity, and they can become a real time waster if you're a perfectionist like me and you really want to achieve the very sound you have in mind. I usually wind up using blank instruments myself, but I definitely recommend saving instruments you like into a folder where you'll be able to access them easily.[/quote]
I wholeheartedly agree with this entire section, and I like to suggest something further: In addition to saving instruments for reuse, I suggest making modules that are basically just templates filled with instruments and samples. But don't cram them all into one file; chances are, you're only going to be tracking in one style, so have different templates for different purposes.
jrlepage mentions using blank instruments. This is a good thing to practice. Instead of relying on a lot of instruments, a blank instrument with a few effects here and there can do the trick. And if you're making a really big module, keep in mind that there's an instrument limit - a whopping 64 instruments, but since VRC7 requires you to make different instruments, I have exhausted that limit in the past. Once you're really familiar with the tracker, then you can do virtually anything with a blank that you can do with a set of instruments. But enough about speed 1, let's help you!
[quote=jrlepage]Finally, you have to consider the other aspect of tracking, which is the artistic process of actually creating music. It's one thing to be able to get down your ideas quickly, but if you just can't come up with those ideas fast enough, then you won't be in a position to make any of that count. Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else is really in a position to be giving advice on "how to get ideas quicker"; this is something that will only come with practice and experience - and a little bit of luck when it comes to inspiration, too.[/quote]
I'm in no position to give advice on "getting ideas quicker" either, but here's something that's worked for me: listen to other people's music and be inspired. I'm not saying copy the melody or the cool solo in that song. I'm saying listen to them, feel their style, hear what they got right and incorporate that into your own work.
However, there is one thing that I do slightly disagree with:
[quote=jrlepage]...you can't just put down notes and chords to go along with them.[/quote]
Yes you can, if you have a good sense of tone and rhythm. Jazz improvisation is essentially making up notes to go with the chords being played, and, some might say, it's what makes jazz awesome. That said, if you have no clue what you're doing, don't punch notes into your keyboard and hope that it somehow makes sense. Odds are, unless if your idea of fun is cleaning up a huge mess, you won't enjoy it. (I'll admit that I've been doing exactly this for all my OHBs, and I've gotten two gold metals, is that normal?)
_______________________
"im going to continue making this crazy stuff then after a while my style will be so sick that you will be like damn suuun that shit is so sick i dont even get it. i will be like bro its ok.. you dont have to." -omgdonut
[quote=poodlecock]However, there is one thing that I do slightly disagree with:
[quote=jrlepage]...you can't just put down notes and chords to go along with them.[/quote]
Yes you can, if you have a good sense of tone and rhythm. Jazz improvisation is essentially making up notes to go with the chords being played, and, some might say, it's what makes jazz awesome.[/quote]
You're missing the point entirely. What I'm trying to say is that you have to bear in mind that you need your tune to actually [i]go somewhere[/i], as opposed to consisting simply of a nonsensical series of chords with no real progression. Jazz improv has nothing to do with this (and the "chords being played" aren't just random chords either, anyway).
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
_______________________
"im going to continue making this crazy stuff then after a while my style will be so sick that you will be like damn suuun that shit is so sick i dont even get it. i will be like bro its ok.. you dont have to." -omgdonut
Intentions don't matter when the internet's a text-based medium - check how your messages sound.
Nevertheless, to save jrle an edit:
"I think of myself as a fairly experienced OHCer (especially with Famitracker), so I guess I'll go ahead and share some of the things I know helped me become a fast tracker (no pun intended).
First of all, it's crucial to know your way around the program very, very well. Know where to find everything you need. This might sound like it goes without saying, but it's definitely worth mentioning because it can really help make a 4-hour session into a matter of an hour or so.
Stuff like adding/removing frames, selecting portions of a pattern quickly with page-up/page-down, transposing, expanding/shrinking selection, paste-and-mixing data (which is particularly useful for single-channel delays and creating Fxx sequences quickly), you need to know how to do quickly. Being able to perform all of these actions in a matter of seconds can turn out to be very useful in the context of an OHC where your time is always very limited, and you might need to use slightly modified versions of material you've already written down.
It's often - though not always - faster to copy/paste then modify something you've already written than it is to write it all again from scratch. Knowing in which situations it's better to rewrite from scratch than to copy/paste then modify is an ability that you will need to develop in order to really optimise your tracking time.
Performing actions quickly brings me to point number two: keyboard shortcuts. You need to reach a point where you don't need to use your mouse at all (except maybe to change the focus when necessary, load instruments & samples, etc.).
Most actions in Famitracker can be assigned custom shortcuts in the config window; use this to your advantage. If a command doesn't come with a built-in shortcut, assign one you think makes sense to you. If a certain action does have a shortcut, but you feel it doesn't quite come naturally, don't hesitate to change it to something else.
You ought to really make the most out of the level of customisation Famitracker grants you. Once that's all done, you need to make these shortcuts a second nature, and fully integrate them into your tracking style.
Also, don't forget about useful, unconfigurable shortcuts like Alt+arrows, which acts like TAB but keeps the cursor in the equivalent column when skipping across channels. Combined with Ctrl+(Num+) and Ctrl+(Num-) (increase/decrease step), this has the ability to make adding the same effect to numerous adjacent channels a very easy task.
Other noteworthy shortcuts include (but are not limited to): Num0 to Num9 to select instruments 00 to 09, Ctrl+Up/Ctrl+Down to select instruments and Num* and Num/ to increase and decrease octave, etc.
Next up is DPCM samples. If you don't use them at all, feel free to disregard this piece of advice, but if you do, then I suggest you take this into consideration. Regardless of whether you're in the context of an OHC or you just want to track more efficiently in general, you'll want to know what kind of sample suits the mood of your track best, and you'll want to have that kind of sample ready when you need it.
Otherwise, you'll be forced to spend time finding the right WAV, trimming it, fiddling around with RJDMC to convert it to a DMC file and importing it into Famitracker, thus wasting several crucial minutes that could be better spent towards actually making music.
This actually requires some preparation, though. If you can't be bothered, then I suggest you invest time getting good at creating decent triangle+noise drums.
Similarly, you'll want to have a few instrument presets ready and available. Personally, I think making instruments get in the way of creativity, and they can become a real time waster if you're a perfectionist like me and you really want to achieve the very sound you have in mind.
I usually wind up using blank instruments myself, but I definitely recommend saving instruments you like into a folder where you'll be able to access them easily.
Finally, you have to consider the other aspect of tracking, which is the artistic process of actually creating music. It's one thing to be able to get down your ideas quickly, but if you just can't come up with those ideas fast enough, then you won't be in a position to make any of that count.
Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else is really in a position to be giving advice on "how to get ideas quicker"; this is something that will only come with practice and experience - and a little bit of luck when it comes to inspiration, too. Perhaps one thing I can point out is this: remember you're writing a piece of music. It's easy, when you're in the stressful context of an OHC (or even when you're writing for fun but are rushing yourself), to forget that you can't just put down notes and chords to go along with them.
Your track has to make some sort of structural sense - it has to go places (e.g. you could have two contrasting sections in different key signatures - but this is just one idea, the possibilities are endless).
If you want to get some idea of what I'm talking about, here is my [url=http://2a03.free.fr/dl.php?file=4403]best-scoring Battle of the Bits OHC entry. Notice how it shows evidence of many of the things I've mentioned in this post:
it has several different "sections", I re-used modified versions of the same material in different places, I expanded patterns when I needed to double the speed, etc.
Anyway, once you master all of these things, you'll be well poised to take advantage of the program to the fullest, and you'll easily be able to put out your tracks a lot quicker than you might expect.
Here you go, sorry about the enormous wall of text. I hope this comes in useful to you, and maybe even some other people out there."
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