What Will I Learn?

• You will learn the nature of 'velocity' in MIDI instruments and how to use the radomization velocity selector in Hydrogen.
• You will learn how to manually and randomly adjust note timing in Hydrogen using either the pattern editor and 'lead and lag' and 'Humanizer.'
• You will learn what 'swing' is and how to create it using various Hydrogen tools including the Mixer.

Requirements

To complete this tutorial learners will need to have the following:

• The software application Hydrogen installed

Difficulty

This tutorial is at an Beginner level. It is strongly advised that learners complete the previous tutorials in this series before attempting this tutorial.

Description

Velocity Adjustment with 'Humanize' and Other Tools in Hydrogen

'Velocity' is the term we use for volume when working with MIDI compatible music instruments. We have learned about velocity in a previous tutorial and in this lesson we will learn some new ways to work with velocity in Hydrogen.

Historically the problem with drum machines is that they sounded like a robot. We have struggled to make drum machines sound more human. So developers have created ways that the software was mimic how humans would play. Hydrogen has a couple of tools to help with this as well.

When we tell Hydrogen to play a series of notes it will play them at all the same volume level or velocity level. Using Hydrogen's 'Humanize" volocity adjuster Hydrogen will randomly raise and lower each notes velocity level. This will depend on how much we dial in the selector.

This effect can be useful but as I show in the video tutorial it needs to be used with care or else it will just make a mess of your music.

In the tutorial I also show some other ways to adjust your velocity and how to combine techniques to create very impressive drum parts.

Timing Adjustments with 'Humanize' and Other Tools in Hydrogen

As noted previously in this tutorial, drum tracks can sound very robotic when using drum machines. Timing can be a source of such sterile music so we need to turn our attention onto how to make our timing sound more musical.

As with velocity, timing can also be randomized with the Humanize function. Hydrogen will randomly make notes early or late depending on how much we dial in th selector. This can have its uses, but like velocity it can quickly become a mess. We need to be careful not to use it too much.

In the tutorial I show how you can use a combination of the 'Lead & Lag' function along with Humanize - Timing to creat a drum track with nice feel.

Applying 'Swing' to drum patters using a variety of methods

Many genres of music require a certain degree of 'swing' or groove or shuffle. Hydrogen gives us a tool to help apply swing to our patters easily. This swing feature will manipulate the rhythm to create this.

As with other 'automatic' tools, swing need to be used carefully. It will quickly turn into a mess. In this tutorial I show how you can use metric division as well as 'lead and lag' and the swing tool to create very nice groovy drum parts.

I encourage you to spend time experimenting with Hydrogen to get used to composing your rhythms. You can make some unique and exciting rhythms by exploring how these rhythmic divisions interact. Be sure to save your work often and keep your beats in an organized folder.

Hydrogen is an open source application, which means that it is free for everyone to use. Please consider going to the developers' website and show your support for the project - http://www.hydrogen-music.org/

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. If you have any specific questions for me feel free to leave it in the comments of this post and I will do my best to get back to you with an answer.

Cheers,
@buckydurddle

Video Tutorial

Curriculum

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Learn Hydrogen Series

If you would like to learn how to use the open source drum machine Hydrogen, then have a look at these tutorials:
Hydrogen - UI Layout & Basics

Hydrogen - How to Make Beats

Hydrogen - Beat Shaping Tools

Hydrogen - Rhythmic Resolution

Hydrogen - Pitch Shifting

Hydrogen - Effective Beat Making

Hydrogen - Song Editor, ADSR, Importing DrumKits from Respositories

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Learn Helm Series

If you would like to learn how to use the open source software synth Helm, then have a look at these tutorials:

Helm Introduction Video

Helm 1st Oscillator Video Tutorial

Helm 2nd Oscillator Video Tutorial

Helm - Cross Modulation

Helm - Arpeggiator

Helm - BPM Metronome

Helm - Reverb

Helm - Delay

Helm - Mixer

Helm - Feedback

Helm - Distortion

Helm - Stutter

Helm - LFO

Helm - Amplitude Envelope

Helm - Keyboard Response A

Learn Audacity Series

If you would like to learn how to use the open source sound recording and editing software Audacity then have a look at these tutorials:

1 How to Create a New Audacity Project

2 How to Open or Import Audio Files in Audacity

3 What are Audacity Tracks

4 Audacity Transport Controls

5 How to Save an Audacity Project

6 How to Record

7 How to Set Input Volume Levels

8 How to Export MP3 and WAV Files

9 How to Select and Delete Sound

ACTIVITY 1 - My First Recording

10 How to use Undo and History in Audacity

11 How to Use the Zoom Tools

12 How to Use the Time Shift Tool

13 How to Use the Change Pitch Effect

ACTIVITY 2 - Make Your Voice Sound Like a Chipmunk

14 How to Use the Fade In & Fade Out Effects

15 How to Download Sound Samples from the Internet

16 How to Use the Amplify Effect

17 How to Edit Metadata

18 How to Multitrack Record

19 How to Use a Click Track

ACTIVITY 3 - Multitrack Recording in Audacity - Beatbox

20 How to Make Silence

21 How to Use the Change Tempo Effect

22 How to Use the Equalization Effect

23 How to Reverse Sound

24 Stereo Mono

ACTIVITY 4 - How to Mess Up a Piece of Music

25 How to Remove Vocals from a Recording

SETUP - How to Install the LAME Encoder

Logo - http://tytel.org/helm

Logo - https://www.audacityteam.org/

Logo - http://www.hydrogen-music.org/hcms/

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Posted on Utopian.io - Rewarding Open Source Contributors

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