HOW TO USE A STEP SEQUENCER PRO

Its rhythm, note length, timing, timbre and overall rock-solid rigidity are all the direct result of how it was played via the sequencer. Produced by Giorgio Moroder, the famous undulating bass line was created using the step sequencer on a Modular Moog going straight into the desk, synced to a 16-track Studer A80 tape machine. Perhaps the most famous early use of a step sequencer in pop and rock is Donna SummerвЂ™s game-changing disco classic 'I Feel Love' from 1977. It is simultaneously a creative and a teaching process. Once a user starts to move the note information around, they can begin to hear the effect of small decisions, and this method of composing can reveal the mechanics of how different rhythms are constructed. The programming process also sheds light on how others put their beats together.

Music technology teachers have found that simple online beat makers like Splice and html5drummachine function as a highly effective route into beginning to work with electronic music. With virtually no music knowledge, you can start programming beats once you grasp the central concept. Origins and Early UsesДЇirst off, programming and composing in this way is extremely accessible. However, like many technological developments, step programming has a number of specific charms, and its limitations can serve as inspiration for producers. It certainly lacks the immediacy of traditional composition methods, like playing a bass line or a drum beat. Step sequencing is, in some ways, a clumsy, long-winded method of composition that can seem counter-intuitive. For a contemporary emulation of old-style step sequencers, check out ReasonвЂ™s ReDrum module or LogicвЂ™s Ultrabeat module. The familiar 'piano roll window' method they use to visually represent musical information over time draws directly on innovations from the original step sequencers.

HOW TO USE A STEP SEQUENCER PRO

TodayвЂ™s sophisticated Digital Audio Workstations - like Logic, Pro Tools, and Cubase - are in many ways descended from the original hardware sequencers.

Step programming is a composition technique that was initially created as a way to enter and playback note information on hardware synths and drum machines in the 1970s and вЂ80s.

How to use a step sequencer