|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129
Expert
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129 |
Hi all,
I love the sound of horns in pop music - Earth Wind and Fire, James Brown, Chicago, Motown, etc. I'd like to preprogram and play some of these parts live on my guitar MIDI controller, but I don't have the 'ear' to hear how to arrange them.
Is there any advice - on the internet or in books, that will give some guidelines on how to do this, short of buying the actual music ? I'm more interested in preprogramming a patch that will change the chords automatically within the current key so I can play single guitar (Midi) notes to trigger the appropriate chords / chord melodies (are they even called that with horns ?) in the song.
Thanks in advance,
Joe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,215
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,215 |
Joe, there are a number of ways you can do this. Are you trying to do this live or just for recording? I ask because depending on how you are going to use this will depend on how you can achieve it.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer.
It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809 |
Horn parts are often very simple - take a listen to Atlantic Soul. The parts are basically licks that are doubled or played a third apart. The horns themselves are pitched in different keys often Bb or Eb
Simple but effective - check out James Brown
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165 |
These type of horns can be thirds, fifths or fourths .. sometimes intentionally only a step apart even. It usually doesn't take long to figure them out as they are often only a couple different notes being played by multiple different instruments.
Example:
Trumpet playing C-Bb-C
Sax playing G-F-G
Bari Sax playing C-Bb-C (octaves below trumpet)
Often the Bari sax will lead in on a note or two and then other horns join in as above. In example above the Bari may play Bb-C with the C landing a beat before the other horns join in.
More difficult is a mix of horns playing a 'splat' chord .. these are often a little harder to voice correctly and use more complex chords.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,075
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,075 |
Joe,
based on the way you phrased the question, I'm assuming you want to add horns while playing live? Your question could be read either way, and as Mario already said, the answer would be quite different depending on what you want.
One way To "approximate" the sound of a whole horn section live:
1) use a guitar synth such as GR-55 to play the trigger note for the horns
2) unless you want all trumpets or all sax, you'd want to use a patch that includes a whole horn section. This would give you the full range of sounds.. but they'd all be playing all the parts, which isn't what a horn section would actually do.
3) run the output of the guitar synth thru a harmonizing pedal. If you don't already have one, Ebay, Craigs list and music stores have many to choose from. Most of these pedals let you set a key for your harmony, and also which notes in the scale you want to include in your harmony.
4) 1st, 3rd and 5th notes with the correct key set and a good horns patch will be a ton of fun to jam around with. Then its up to you to play in a way that captures the nuance of horns
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129 |
Yes - you all guessed right - want to do it live. Thanks for all the great tips so far...I actually have the equipment to do what Pat outlined - and it's great knowing that many of the parts are pretty simple as rharv explained. The fun, using midi guitar, is of course to find the right MIDI controller realtime parameters to change to make things sound like horns. I'm sure volume is important - and with a single horn sound, especially the sax, there are timbre changes that take place on a single note which I can hear but can't put into words. Now I don't expect to control all these parameters on a group of horns, but when soloing with one horn (pick whichever you will) - what are the Realtime parameters to map to my control pedal to make that horn sound authentic ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,215
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,215 |
Joe, Pat gave you some good advice. I will offer another way to accomplish this. Set your MIDI guitar controller so each string is on a different MIDI channel, lets say 1-6 with 6 being low E. Now set up a VSTi mutli/combo or six different VSTis as follows: Channel 1 - trumpet Channel 2 - another trumpet Channel 3 - tenor sax Channel 4 - alto sax Channel 5 - trombone Channel 6 - Bari sax Now your high E and B will sound trumpets, G will sound tenor etc. As for your timbre and other nuance question the answer will depend on what your sound sources are. With some you can not change a thing, these are the least expensive ones, while others, the most costly, offer a lot of nuances, all controlled by MIDI CCs. http://www.samplemodeling.com/en/index.phpare the most realistic solo horn sounds IMHO. Vintage horns, http://www.bigfishaudio.com/Vintage-Hornsoffer the best horn sounds for your initial application. It comes with the free Kontakt player so if you don't have Kontakt you can still use these. They come set up for different groups like JB, Detroit Soul, Menphis soul etc plus you can set up your own groups. I highly recommend these for backing horns. I hope this helps.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer.
It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809 |
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129 |
alright - more good stuff. Thanks gentlemen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
Join the conversation on our forum.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,299
Posts777,464
Members39,614
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean