GLISSANDO

(I don't know if this post should be in 'composition' or 'logic'. Sorry to the mods if it is ill-placed)

 

I would like to start composing in Logic with some long glissando. In the style of Ligeti, Penderecki, Coates and such.

 

Question 1.

Does anyone know of any string libraries, or methods of working, that can help me accomplish this.

I'm looking for big, 30 seconds, or more, micrtotonal gliss bliss.

 

Barring the likely unavailability of a string library that performs this, I would like to achieve it by automating the pitchbend in logic.

 

Question 2.

In the piano roll editor, while using a simple sine wave, I draw in a long gradual line going up. It works for my purposes except, where is the 'range' for the pitch bend?

 

Thanks for your input.

A

2. The range of the Pitchbend is always set on the Instrument.

 

 

 

 

Fantastic. Thank you.

sorry to revive this topic. But I'm still having trouble finding a solid working method for creating big long slow portamento events.

I understand the technical aspects, with regards to samplers setting the pitch bend range etc.

But what I'm wondering is, does anyone have (here's looking at you Ski ) a working method that achieves results based on previously written ideas.

I work with pen and paper, and then move to logic, and for instance, say've written a string instrument to glide from A3 to A4, at a consistent rate, over the course of 30 seconds, what is the cleanest way of achieving this? Any suggestions?

examples: Gloria Coates

Jonny Greenwood

I work with pen and paper, and then move to logic, and for instance, say've written a string instrument to glide from A3 to A4, at a consistent rate, over the course of 30 seconds, what is the cleanest way of achieving this? Any suggestions?

Draw a pitch bend curve from 0 to 63 over the desired time span in the MIDI Draw area in the Piano Roll. Set the Bend Range of your instrument to 12 semi-tones.

thanks so much for the reply david.

But I think I worded my last question poorly.

I understand drawing the pitch bend curve, I just have trouble linking it up with certain ideas in my head.

So, for instance, will half of 0-63, (32) equal 6 semitones?

I realize how simple my question sounds but for some reason the process has been more complicated for me than usual.

What about automating the pitch directly in Kontakt? Better or worse?

It depends how the instrument's pitch bend range parameter works. Some synths have a +- range, so if the range is +-12 semitones, then going from 0 to 63 is going from normal pitch to one octave up, going from 0 to -64 is from normal pitch to one octave down. Other synths specify an upward range and a downward range, and in that case positive numbers correspond to the upward range while negative ones (below 0) correspond to the downward range.

 

Hope that helps?

Hi there

 

did you ever find a solution for glissando?

 

i work in midi in the piano editor and have the same dilemna

The fundamental problem with simulating glissando/portamento effects by altering the pitch (that is, the playback speed) of samples is that the higher you drive up the pitch, the more the sound becomes obviously fake. "Mickey-Mousey". Driving the pitch down can result in hearing an unnatural "slowed down" kind of tone quality. 

 

It doesn't matter what method you use either. Pitchbend, manual control/automation of fine tuning, or any other adjustment to the playback speed of a sample are all equivalent operations and all produce the same exact effect and problems.

 

The wider the range of bend, the more the effect will sound fake. If the samples were played with vibrato, the vibrato rate increases as you bend the pitch up. If you bend the pitch down, the vibrato will decrease. In both cases the end result will almost always sound comical.

 

Now for some good nows... You can often successfully simulate downward glissando/portamento effects as in the Gloria Coates example. If you limit yourself to bending pitch down a whole step (maybe a minor third), you might be able to get away with it. But keep this in mind...

 

Typically, as you bend the pitch down, the timbre will get brighter. So you might want to also "ride the filter down", turning down the cutoff on a low pass filter (LPF) to cut down on the extra brightness factor.

i work in midi in the piano editor and have the same dilemna

Can you detail your dilemma exactly? 

Jeez, I didn't get alerts in my email that you guys had replied to this. Thanks alot for responding again, and sorry for replying late.

 

Although it was Noesis who rebirth the thread. But ski, thanks for giving an explanations of the problems with pitch bending samples.

 

To be honest, I would be happy to just have a clear working method of pitch bending sine waves that was clear and simple. My sound is essentially going for a, say, Messiaen Ondes Martenot, or Cotes sound, or Jonny Greenwood 'there will be blood' soundtrack, and because I write much of my 'classical' music first with pen and paper, I would simply be excited to have template or instrument instance set up, under call that allowed me to recreate big slow glisses according to what I've written on paper.

I have a nice theremin sound, I think it was you Ski, who gave the forum a great patch for the exs24. I use it all the time. Just having that, with its pitch bend controls 0 64/0 -64, set up in a reasonably clear corresponding nature to musical notation would be helpful.

Cheers everyone.

LA Scoring Strings has comprehensive tools for bends and glissandi that are actually sampled and scripted to sound real and don’t just use the pitch bend. They’re very controllable.

Jeez, I didn't get alerts in my email that you guys had replied to this.

I checked your notification preferences and you should get a notification when someone replies to one of your thread. I'm afraid that perhaps the notification emails are treated as spam by your mailbox... could you check and see if they're in your spam box perhaps? If they are, then there usually are ways to make sure your mail app doesn't flag those emails as spam.. normally this is done by adding the sending email address in your address book...

 

Let me know! Thanks.

Jeez, I didn't get alerts in my email that you guys had replied to this.

I checked your notification preferences and you should get a notification when someone replies to one of your thread. I'm afraid that perhaps the notification emails are treated as spam by your mailbox... could you check and see if they're in your spam box perhaps? If they are, then there usually are ways to make sure your mail app doesn't flag those emails as spam.. normally this is done by adding the sending email address in your address book...

 

Let me know! Thanks.

 

Hey David, I just decided to check the forums now as I’m eating lunch, and am seeing your reply. Sorry for coming back to this late. So, obviously, I didn’t receive any notifications. I’ll check my spam folder. I’ve checked before for things unrelated to this forum, and I think I would have noticed messages from this forum, because this has always been a strange case with my account. Anyway, will update you when I check my inbox on my main cpu.

 

And thanks for everyone else chiming in on the glisss discussion.

This is really a useful thread, especially with all the screen shots of the different instruments and where to find the pitch bend. I tried it and I'm having a weird problem. I successfully drew a pitch bend up 11 semi-tones and then down and it sounds fine. Then I tried to do the same thing on the chord before that, and it doesn't bend at all. I don't see what the difference is.

Hi edurbrow, what instrument are you using?

 

Strange that it would work, but it won’t work a few measures before.

Have made sure there’s no hidden automation tracks accidentally causing trouble?

Hi edurbrow, what instrument are you using?

 

Strange that it would work, but it won’t work a few measures before.

Have made sure there’s no hidden automation tracks accidentally causing trouble?