Thursday 20th September. Periods 3 4. Music Technology A2

1
Thursday 20th September. Periods 3 4.Music
Technology A2
2
Drum Machines..What do you know?
3
A2 exam written question revision

• The development of music technology
• Must answer 1 question (choice of 2)
• 16 marks available (8 of A2)
• Include 16 different points
• Organise ideas in date order.
• After planning, answer can be bullet points or
  prose

4
A2 exam written question revision

• The development of music technology
• Topics
• Synthesisers
• Samplers Drum machines
• Audio effects and audio processing - EQ
• MIDI
• Recording media (tape / digital etc). Consumer
  media (Vinyl MP3 etc)
• Multi-track recording (Digital and Analogue)
• Computer based recording Cubase / Logic etc
• Electric Guitars and Amplification Internet
• Mixers
• Digital Synthesis / FM / Additive / Wavetable /
  Sample based

5
Drum MachinesHistory

• A drum machine is an electronic musical
  instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums
  or other percussion instruments. They are used in
  a variety of musical genres, not just purely
  electronic music.

6
Drum MachinesHistory

• A Drum machine is basically 2 things
• 1 A Sequencer that triggers
• 2 Electronically created (analogue or digital)
  Drum sounds to make a beat pattern.

7
Drum Machines

• First machine for generating electronically
  created rhythms was the Rhythmicon (also known as
  the Polyrhythmophone)
• Made by Léon Theremin in 1930.
• Works using a rotating disk with light passed
  through gaps in the disk triggering musical
  tones.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vHkodVcuPVAo

8
Drum Machines

• The first actual drum machine was the
  Chamberlin Rhythmate
• Built in 1957. It uses tape loops of recorded
  real drums.
• Same principle as a Mellotron
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vJmAbtzMChHk

9
Drum Machines

• The first proper Drum Machine was the Wurlitzer
  Sideman. Designed to accompany Wurlitzer organs.

Generated sounds for the individual drums by
using vacumm tubes and sequenced them via a
rotating disk which triggered the sounds to make
various patterns like Waltz and
Foxtrot. http//www.youtube.com/watch?vQLgyQG8Pu8
s
10
Drum Machines

• Analogue (using transistors)Drum machines arrived
  in the 1960s. Again - these were designed to
  accompany organ players.

• 1967 FR-1 Rhythm Ace.
• Precursor to the Roland analogue drum machines
  like the 808.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vglNmc7ohmCg

11
Drum Machines

• Analogue drum machines use basic synthesesis
  (subtractive) to create sounds like using white
  noise for a snare / hat and sin wave for a bass
  drum.
• These did not sound like real drums! But that
  gave them a unique sound this would influence
  electronic dance music heavily.

12
Drum Machines

• Late 70s / early 80s saw programmable drum
  machines.
• You could create the beat patterns instead of
  only having pre-programmed patterns.
• 1980 Roland 808

13
Drum Machines

• Digital Drum machines
• Sample real drum sounds.
• EMU (created the Emulator sampler)
• SP1200 digital drum machine (1985). Used by a lot
  of Hip Hop producers.
• http//youtu.be/Ri-9Lez3M6Q

14
Drum Machines

• Practical task.
• Using the SR 202 virtual sampling Drum Machine in
  Cubase.
• Record your own drum sounds / stabs. Must include
  at least

• Bass Drum
• Snare Drum
• Closed hat
• Musical stab short chord (guitar / piano etc)
  sample. 2 stabs of different chords that go
  together is a good idea.
• MUST BE 16BIT MONO WAVS

• Then make a beat pattern in Cubase just using the
  SR 202 and your own sounds. 8 bars min.

15
Drum Machines

• Homework
• Find an example of a track from each of these
  decades that the use of a drum machine features
  heavily.
• 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
• Pick a 4 bar section from each track and show the
  beat pattern on a grid.

16
Drum Machines
17
Drum Machines
18
Drum Machines