Create your Master Sketch Track for Music Composition

Hello Composers, Mike here! :slight_smile:
Watch my video to learn How to Compose Music Faster (with a Sketch Track).

What do you use to sketch your music compositions with? Any tips you can share? :slight_smile:

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Hello Mikael,

I love your channel so far. You do very good lessons and have a great personality!

I have really studied this video a-lot, but I am still having trouble with the portion titled Automation to Mix All Layers.

I just have no idea how to configure/set up the story track. It appears that you map the story tracks three software instrument’s volume output to cc1, cc2 and cc3. (rhythm-cc1, harmony- cc2, melody cc3). Then you map fader 1,2,3 to cc1, cc2, and cc3.

It is clear that the faders control the tracks dynamic automation, but I do not understand how you did this. Also, I am not sure where to find cc1, cc2, and cc3 and how to use them.

In the video it seems that you set up this configuration before you shot the video.

I am just trying to set up this configuration with the stock Logic Library. (two tracks of Orchestral Full Strings for rhythm and harmony and one Steinway Grand Piano track for melody)

Can you please explain how to configure the faders to the tracks dynamic automation?
I’ve really tried my best to do this but nothing seems to work. It is such a cool idea and I would really appreciate the help!

thank you,
Tyler Wood

Hello Tyler, thank you for the kind words. Mapping CC’s is actually easier than you might think. First you need to of course have faders on your MIDI keyboard and program the output CC of them.

Then you simply need to go into any track/instrument in your DAW and map what you want the specific CC’s to respond to. It’s like a “digital handshake” basically.

However, not all software instruments let you map all parameters in any way you want. That flexibility is different depending on the software developer and how they created the instrument.

In my case I believe I used the default CC1 to dynamics on the long strings (harmony). CC2 to expression on the rhythmic strings, and CC3 I chose as a custom CC-parameter in Omnisphere to control AMP-level for the piano.

The best developed instruments and user interfaces (imho) let you right-click a knob on the software instrument to choose “map autmoation”, then move a slider on your MIDI keyboard, and that’s it.

Mike thank you very much for the helpful advise.

I programed the faders on my MIDI keyboard to control output CC 1, 2 and 3. That step held me back, but I was able to figure it out by reading the instruction manual for my MIDI keyboard.

However it doesn’t appear that the software instruments I am using will allow me to map the desired parameters. I am only using the stock software instruments that come with Logic Pro X. The right click doesn’t respond to any of the knobs.

But the sketch tool is still a helpful concept to implement even if I cant configure it just like you did. So thank you for continuing to provide all this helpful information!

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