114 CHAPTER 3 Intermediate Sequencing Techniques This issue is irrelevant, of course, if you are using only soft synth to create your new layered patch, since each soft synth has already a dedicated channels strip with independent volumes, pans, and effects. 3.4 lAYerIng OF MIDI AnD AuDIO trACKS The techniques involving the use of layers to produce richer, newer, and fresher sonorities can be not only applied to MIDI tracks, but also used with MIDI and audio tracks together. The layering techniques involving the two types of tracks can be used in a variety of ways and situations to achieve very different results. One of the major applications of these techniques is the combination of live acoustic instruments (such as strings, woodwind, or brass) and synthesized or sampled sounds. One of my favorite layers consists of using a MIDI track to sequence a large string section and to overdub, using one or more audio tracks, real string solo instruments (such as a violin or a viola) doubling the same parts sequenced on the MIDI track (for an in-depth discussion of this and other topics related to MIDI orchestration I recommend reading my book Acoustic and MIDI Orchestration for the Contemporary Composer ISBN: 9780240520216). While the sampled sound of the MIDI track provides the main body of the orchestra, the acoustic recording of the violin adds a realistic touch and a genuine edge to the performance. You can obtain even better results by overdubbing several acoustic instruments (e.g., three violins, three vio- las, two cellos, and two basses) on different audio tracks. The same technique can be applied not only to strings but also to any acoustic instruments, especially large ensemble instruments. Listen to website Examples 3.18 and 3.19 to hear the difference between a MIDI track sequenced using sampled sound only and one sequenced by layering MIDI sampled sounds and live acoustic strings. You can also use the same technique to create totally new sonorities by combining synth pads and acoustic instruments. In this case feel free to experiment as much as you can. Try to combine sharp and edgy live instruments with deep and round synth pads, or vice versa, or use bright synth leads with low and powerful basses. Any combination will bring new ideas and fresh sonorities to your productions. In general, the use of some acoustic instruments in your projects will increase their overall quality. Sometimes, just adding one or two acoustic tracks will bring your MIDI production to life. No matter how simple or complicated your sequence is or how well programmed your MIDI tracks are, without an acoustic touch they will always have something missing. Most of the time, just adding an audio track with an acoustic guitar, an electric bass, or some live percussion will improve your project dramatically. Try to avoid loops for anything but percussion or drum parts (unless the style you are writing in calls for it); they tend to be too repetitive and most of the time will kill the spontaneity of the composition. Keep this as a mantra: always use at least one live instrument in your production! 3.5 AlternAtIVe MIDI trACK eDItIng teChnIqueS: the DruM eDItOr While the editing techniques you learned in Chapter 2 (graphic, list, and score) are the most common ones, they are not the only ones available. Each sequencer features some peculiar ways of editing and inserting MIDI data that are worth mentioning and learning. One of my favorite unconventional edi- tors is the drum editor available in DP, LP, and CU. The philosophy behind this editor is to recreate the working environment of a vintage drum machine, such as the Roland TR-808, and expand it to a higher functionality and flexibility. The drum editor can be used in several ways, depending on your needs and skills. It can be used to input rhythmic MIDI parts (such as, but not only, drum parts) or to clean up and edit MIDI parts that were sequenced from a controller but need some minor tweaking, or it can also be used to create arpeggios and repetitive melodic parts. The drum editor can be seen as a subsequencing