Your Yamaha XG compositions on an MU100

[Blitz Lunar]

Look what papa made today! Just finished sequencing and recording:

Super Mario RPG - Weapons Factory (MU100)

No midi right now because it sounds like a square kilometre of ass on the SYXG50. Maybe I'll do something, maybe I won't... kinda lazy

[Anubis]

hey nice sequence! I didn't thought of that one and it sounds really awesome! lol
What time this song is ? I always forget....11/8?

[Psyrus]

More like 13/8. It's still the strangest time signature I've ever heard.

[Blitz Lunar]

Eh, venetian snares did some 33/16 stuff on his "Winter in the Belly of a Snake" album. It's pretty odd though, I'll agree (13/8 is correct).

Here's a video of the track on youtube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4N934nsS4g

[X]

Heh, heh. I love quirky time signatures. I remember once hearing something that we'd eventually figured to 25/16 or 25/8 (can't remember which). Well, in truth it was probably (notation-wise) more like a 12/8 followed by a 13/8 but consistantly so. Now if I could just remember what that tune was... though I'll be smacked upside the head if I haven't gone and forgotten again. Blast. >_<

Anyway, cool track.

[Nova]

Haha, I worried you might. Nah, it's okay, I don't want to trouble you. Besides, my MIDIs aren't true XG. I just used GS instruments that sounded like XG, as I could only use the 128 with the program I used (Anvil Studio).

Speaking of XG, I never did recover that stuff. I had one once on my old PC, but I just recently upgraded. The link doesn't work anymore though, and I've tried Copying+Pasting from old computer... oh well.

Thanks for offering this XG stuff, I'm sure everyone here, and at least me, really appreciate it.

[Zenkusa]

you still doin' this?

if so, yeah, ive got two midis lined up for action. bit curious to hear what they sound like.

Much appreciated thx. :DDD

[HyperX]

Heh, heh. I love quirky time signatures.

Probably the only reason I love Crystal Snail from X2 so much, the bloody shifting time signature. Oh look, it`s 3/4! No, wait a second it's 7/8 now! AND IT'S BACK TO 3/4 AGAIN GODDAMMIT

[X]

Heh, heh. I love quirky time signatures.

Probably the only reason I love Crystal Snail from X2 so much, the bloody shifting time signature. Oh look, it`s 3/4! No, wait a second it's 7/8 now! AND IT'S BACK TO 3/4 AGAIN GODDAMMIT

Oh, yeah. Such a great example that tune is. One of the things that makes the tune so sweet. Actually, quite a few of the tunes from X2 are like that at some point or another. It's what makes the tunes so catchy.

[Psyrus]

Heh, heh. I love quirky time signatures.

Probably the only reason I love Crystal Snail from X2 so much, the bloody shifting time signature. Oh look, it`s 3/4! No, wait a second it's 7/8 now! AND IT'S BACK TO 3/4 AGAIN GODDAMMIT

Oh, yeah. Such a great example that tune is. One of the things that makes the tune so sweet. Actually, quite a few of the tunes from X2 are like that at some point or another. It's what makes the tunes so catchy.

Overdrive Ostrich. I just spent the last hour trying to figure that one part out to not much avail.

[HyperX]

I tapped out the rhythm listening to it in my head and what I could come up with for one loop was either three or four measures of 3/4 followed by 4/4 for the main and back to 3/4 for the end.

[Blitz Lunar]

Sure thing. I was hoping you'd post eventually. I've already recorded a track of yours actually, since I liked it so much. In case you hadn't already seen it:

http://www.shakal.net/lunar/temp/MU100/ ... level2.mp3

I don't remember if there were any others of yours now. I think that may be all.

Here's the other two:

http://www.shakal.net/lunar/temp/MU100/ffmqboss.mp3
http://www.shakal.net/lunar/temp/MU100/cityofangels.mp3

One thing you'll notice is that the MU100 deals with layered percussion differently to the SYXG50. You get comb filtering rather than an increased volume. When I did your Pop'n Twinbee midi, I went through it deleting a load of layered snares because other than that it sounded so good and I badly wanted to record it. I mean it sounded ace on the softsynth, but damn...

[Zenkusa]

sweeeeeeeeeeeet. thanks

The twinbee midi sounds much more refined (great sounding bass, and not as freakishly loud). Not much difference when it comes to the city angels midi.. second half sounds much improved, though. (there's more slowdown at the end however, which puzzles me). As for the ffmq midi, again it sounds cleaner. Nice sounding guitar, too.

[X]

Overdrive Ostrich. I just spent the last hour trying to figure that one part out to not much avail.

Actually, it's really easy, but you really have to think of it a certain way. Every second measure is the same length as the first, but you have to be sure to insert the notes properly as a 7-bracket for that irritatingly sweet background guitar. The reason it's so confusing is because the background guitar pattern goes like this:

1st Measure - 1st quarter downbeat, 2nd quarter triplet (swing pattern), 3rd quarter downbeat

2nd Measure - 7-beat pattern (bracket with a 7 above) dispersed over entire measure, where every note but the last is followed by a rest equal in length to that of the each of the four notes (hence the seven note/rest pattern)

In reality the time signature is this:

Intro/Bridge: 3/4 x 6, 4/4
"Main" Part: 4/4 x 18

Watch out for every loop after the first though. The bass plays triplet/swing pattern through the entire song, including the intro/bridge (except the first time, where there's no bass at all).


PS That bracket is something you'll see somewhat infrequently in music, but not in sequencers. I don't even know how to do that in sequencers (except for quintuplets and triplets). In classical music, you'll see this occasionally, either for an entire measure or for just a single beat, and ranging from anything from a 2-bracket on up to the inane. 7 and 11 brackets are uncommon, but exist. For example, Frederick Chopin's Nocturne in Eb Major has a bracketed 15-note pattern over the course of one beat (quarter note) on the third page.

[Blitz Lunar]

there's more slowdown at the end however, which puzzles me

Ah, yes, I didn't realise at the time, but it's to do with how Logic deals with tempo (as in, badly). For some reason tempo changes don't trigger immediately. It can be a real nuisance, and I'm not sure why it happens. I need to use Logic to record these midis though, because I often need to move controller data back from the start a bit (the MU100 is slower than the soft synth). I'll try and remember not to use it for midis with tempo changes now.