Tutorial 3- Building the perfect beat.

Tutorial 1 got you to the Griff main Screen.

Tutorial 2 added our first Instrument.

We'll now use this instrument to make a tune.

Tip:

• You can also access the song editor wherever you see the song button

This will bring up the Song Editor Screen, the top level of the sequencer.

In Griff Songs are made up of Sections (Verse, Chorus,etc)

To create a Section Tap and drag on the Section factory button and drag the new section into the song time line at the top of the screen.

Tip:

• If you tap for too long on the section factory, the section factory context menu will appear. This allows you to set the default length of the section the section factory will create.
• In the Song Editor Screen you can also set the beats per bar, song length and tempo of the song.
• Below the tempo indicator there are controls for rewind, stop, play and fast forward.
• Use the Zoom time button to view more or less of the song. Tapping on the top half of the button displays less bars in the song time line, the bottom half shows more.
• When zoomed in use the Hardware left and right buttons on your pocketPC to scroll through the beats and bars.

...Here's a pretty picture of the newly created section being dragged to the song time line...

Tip:

• Griff automatically selects a different colour for each Section you create. Don't worry if the section you create has a different colour to the one shown.

...And this is the section after it has been added to the song.

To change the length of the section, Tap and drag on the small rectange on the right edge of the section.
To move the section about, tap and drag it.
To delete the section, Tap and drag the section back onto the Section Factory Button

Now double tap on the Section to bring up the Section Editor Screen.

Tip:

• You can also display the Section Editor Screen by tapping on the Section Editor Button , by selecting Section Editor from the Views menu or by using the Section Context menu (Tap and hold on the section to bring up the section context menu, select Edit Section)

The Section editor Screen contains two rows for each instrument and effect you have in your song as well as one row for the mixer.

We could Tap and Drag on the Pattern Factory button and drag the new pattern onto the bottom Bass (Electric) row to create a new blank Pattern.

But let's use the Pattern Bank to load a preset pattern for us.

Tap and hold on the Pattern Factory button to bring up the Pattern Factory Menu...

Tip:

• The top row for each instrument is where patterns for changing the mixer settings (volume, pan, effects sends) for the instrument are stored.
• The bottom row for each Instrument is where the notes for each instrument are stored as well as parameter automation for any of the instruments parameters.
• Use the Zoom time button to view more or less of the section. Tapping on the top half of the button displays less bars in the section time line, the bottom half shows more.
• use the zoom rows button to view more or less rows. Tapping on the top of the button displays less rows, the bottom displays more.
• Use the Hardware up and down buttons on your pocketPC to scroll through the rows.
• When zoomed in use the Hardware left and right buttons on your pocketPC to scroll through the beats and bars.

Tap on the Select Template... Menu option...

Tip:

• The Pattern Factory will create empty patterns if the Empty template option is ticked.
• The length of the Empty templates created can be set using the Length menu option.
• You can create aliases or replicas using the pattern factory.

The Pattern Bank list will be displayed.

Tap on the drums tab at the top, select clappy from the list and tap OK.

Tip:

• The current bank contains all the patterns you have created in this song. This makes it easy to reuse patterns.
• You can organise your patterns into banks to make managing them easier.
• You can move or copy patterns between banks using the Pattern > button at the bottom of the screen.

Now tap and drag on the Pattern Factory button and drag the new pattern into the Drums row.

Your screen should look like this.

To change the length of the pattern, Tap and drag on the small rectange on the right edge of the pattern.
To move the pattern about, tap and drag it.
To delete the pattern, Tap and drag the pattern back onto the Pattern Factory Button .

Now double tap on the Pattern to bring up the Pattern Editor Screen.

Tip:

• You can also display the Pattern Editor Screen by tapping on the Section Editor Button , by selecting Pattern Editor from the Views menu or by using the Pattern Context menu (Tap and hold on the pattern to bring up the pattern context menu, then select Edit Notes).

The Pattern Editor Screen is where you add the notes.

Tap The Play button on the Toolbar. You should hear a drumbeat. At last Griff makes some music!

The pattern will loop around and around indefinitely. This allows you to add and remove notes and quickly get a feel for the result.

Tap and drag on the Note Factory button and drag a new note into the Pattern editor.

Tip:

• If you don't hear anything head off to the troubleshooting tutorial, and be sure to return.
• The shaded beat indicator will move from beat to beat to show you exactly where in the pattern you are.
• You can also start and stop the sequencer using the Action Hardware button on you PocketPC (Usually by pressing in the centre of the four way cursor button).
• When playing, the first tap on the stop button will stop the song, the second tap will move the beat indicator to the beginning of the active pattern or section, the third tap will move the beat indicator to the start of the song.
• When playing, tapping on the play button will pause playback, another tap will restart playback.

To change the length of the note, Tap and drag on the small yellow rectange on the right edge of the note.
To move the note about, tap in the red rectangle and drag it.

To delete the note, Tap and drag the note back onto the Note Factory Button .

To change the velocity (Volume) of a note tap and hold in the red rectangle to display the velocity slider....

Tip:

• The samples used in the Drum preset are not affected by the length of the note - No matter how long or short you make the notes in the pattern editor, each drum sample will play through once.
• Use the Zoom time button to view more or less of the pattern. Tapping on the top half of the button displays less bars in the pattern grid, the bottom half shows more.
• use the zoom notes button to view more or less notes. Tapping on the top of the button displays less notes, the bottom displays more.
• Use the Hardware up and down buttons on our pocketPC to scroll through the notes.
• When zoomed in use the Hardware left and right buttons on your pocketPC to scroll through the beats and bars.

Drag the white indicator up to increase the velocity (Makes the note louder), drag it down to decrease (makes it quieter).

The shade of red indicates the current velocity of the note, notice how the shade changes from pale pink (quiet) to fire engine red (louder).

I tapped three times on bottom of the zoom notes button to see all of the notes.

Tip:

• To find out which sample will be played by which note, go back to the Sampler screen (From the views menu select Drums) and tap on the keyboard.

You have now learnt how to create a basic beat. Head onto tutorial 4 to learn how to add a bassline.

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