The usage of simple, common time (4/4 time signature, where there are four beats to a measure, and each quarter note gets one beat) is pervasive in Western popular music, including rock, blues, country, folk, pop, and various forms of electronic music including many sub-genres of house and trance music. The four-on-the-floor mindset can be difficult to escape, but every musician and composer can benefit from a study of rhythm that includes a wider variety of time signatures and rhythms.
Audiotuts+ Author - West Latta
Posts by West Latta
Constructing Simple Vehicle Sounds
Aug 24th in Logic Pro, Sound Design by West LattaIn film, television, and games, vehicle sound has evolved into a deeply creative and compelling class of design. Master sound designers such as Walter Murch, Randy Thom, and Ben Burtt have elevated the art of vehicle sound design in numerous films such as Apocalypse Now and Star Wars in a way that allows sound to, in Thom’s words, “be set free to be an active player in the process,” of filmmaking. The sound itself becomes part of the art of storytelling. Games such as Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing allocate large amounts of their development budget to the recording, crafting, and highly-detailed integration of vehicle sounds in order to create a compelling and engrossing experience for the player.
A Beginner’s Guide to Field Recording, Pt 2
Jul 27th in Recording by West LattaField recording seems to be a dark art to many sound designers and composers, yet it is one way to create rich libraries of original material. Through some simple guidance and advice, this 2 part tutorial will give you a brief introduction to field recording. In Part 1, we looked at tools of the trade, some tips and and tricks for having a successful session, and a walkthrough of a recording session. In Part 2, we will examine one of my field recording sessions, address some post-processing techniques for captured sounds, librarianship, and what to do with your recordings once you’ve got them back in the studio.
A Beginner’s Guide to Field Recording, Pt 1
Jul 13th in Recording by West LattaField recording seems a dark art to many sound designers and composers, yet it is one way to create rich libraries of original material. Through some simple guidance and advice, this two part tutorial will give you a brief introduction to field recording. In Part 1, we’ll take a look at tools of the trade, some tips and and tricks for having a successful session, and a walkthrough of a recording session. Part 2 will address some post-processing techniques for captured sounds, librarianship, and what to do with your recordings once you’ve got them back in the studio.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 4
Jun 1st in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial is the fourth and final installment in a series of tutorials on composition – specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive – even for my own personal compositional process.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 3
May 25th in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial is the third in a series of tutorials on composition – specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive – even for my own personal compositional process.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 2
May 1st in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial is the second in a series of tutorials on composition – specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive – even for my own personal compositional process.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 1
Apr 20th in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial marks the first in a series of tutorials on composition – specifically composition that might be appropriate for film and television. In this piece, we’ll talk a bit about the philosophy behind this particular series of tutorials, and get into the process of composition itself.
Creating Ambient Music With Logic’s Delay Designer
Apr 1st in Logic Pro, Mixing & Mastering by West LattaThe idea of using delays or loops in ambient music goes back over 50 years to the time of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, where tape loops were used to add special effects. Musical pioneers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen continued experimenting with tape loops, and the technique became even more popular following the work of Brian Eno and Robert Fripp in the 1970’s.
Today, we rarely see musicians using actual tape loops, but we have numerous digital tools at our disposal that allow us the freedom to experiment with techniques passed on from modern ambient composers. In this tutorial, we’ll look at one way to create an ambient music-scape using Logic’s Delay Designer as a ‘tape loop’.
How to Make Arpeggiated Lead Sounds in Logic
Mar 19th in Logic Pro, Production by West LattaThe use of arpeggiators in modern electronic music is as popular as ever. Hardware synthesizers such as the Access Virus, Nord Lead, Waldorf Q, and Novation Nova have long been popular in electronic music for their unique sound, extensive programming matrices and step-sequencing and arpeggiation functionality. While several third-party soft-synths have robust arpeggiation and step-sequencing functionality, none of the synthesizers in Logic Studio have this feature.
However, with a little dive into Logic’s environment and Piano Roll editors, you can make sophisticated, arpeggiated lead lines (hereafter: arp line) just like the pros.
