Pro Tools
Using Pro Tools, we learned to work with several plug-ins that allow us to play virtual instruments. We experimented with Boom for drums, Mini-Grand for piano, Vacuum for synthesizer (electronically generated) sounds, DB-33 (electronically generated organs), and XPand! and Structure Free for a wide array of different virtual instruments and sound settings. Each plug-in has unique characteristics. For example, Boom Drums has 16 preset drum patterns; moreover, each of these patterns can be altered by hand to create original patterns. Boom even has two secret buttons within the application that grant the user even more drum styles to use!
We played around with options in the Boom plug-in to create boom beats #2 & #3. These sequences were created in Pro Tools by drawing MIDI bars which correspond to a specific drum pattern.
In the four-chord song exercise, I used Pizzicato Strings, Attack sweep (polysynths), Timpani hard velo (percussion), Grand piano eco, from XPand! From Structure Free, I used the steel string acoustic. Finally I created MIDI bars for Boom drums through Pro Tools while physically playing notes for the Mini-Gran plug-in, DB-33 organ plug-in, and Vacuum plug-in.
