Accents on Notes

[ThexEmperorx]

Does anyone know how to add an accent to a note?  I want the note to start off really loud, but then get back to normal volume almost immediately after the loud start of the note. I tried using the volume automation to make it go immediately from the loudest volume to the normal volume, a fraction of a second after the note starts playing. But there is a really noticeable "thump", and you can very easily feel the "thump" in the music, like a very loud kick drum, which is not what I want. So does anyone know how to add a proper accent to long and sustained notes, like the SI string section?

[David Baay]

Normally you would do this in MIDI, using CC11 - Expression, but the result is unlikely to differ greatly from automatiing audio volume. Expression is just a volume control that operates within the range defined by CC7 - Master Volume. If you lower volume of any signal extremely rapidly and deeply that sudden modulation can be heard as a sound in itself, regardless of how it's achieved. I think you probably just need to reduce the rate and depth of the change. But try doing it in MIDI and see how it sounds.

[OutrageProductions]

If I want extra attack on the expression of a sustained note or phrase, I'll duplicate the MIDI data to another track with another instance of the instrument using a short articulation like pizzicato or staccato. Works great.

[Byron Dickens]

Velocity.

[David Baay]

Velocity generally raises the amplitude of the sustain as well as the attack. 

[Byron Dickens]

So does accenting a note.

[Will.]

Velocity indicates how hard the key was struck when the note was played, which usually corresponds to the note's loudness. 

[ThexEmperorx]

21 hours ago, OutrageProductions said:

I'll duplicate the MIDI data to another track with another instance of the instrument using a short articulation like pizzicato or staccato.

Do you mean to create a new track using an instrument that can't hold or sustain long notes, then copy the notes I want to accent from my original track to that new track, and give those notes a louder volume? If so, what instrument would sound best for that purpose of accenting long notes?

[hsmusic]

5 hours ago, Will. said:

Velocity indicates how hard the key was struck when the note was played, which usually corresponds to the note's loudness. 

Actually it's the speed.

[OutrageProductions]

46 minutes ago, ThexEmperorx said:

Do you mean to create a new track using an instrument that can't hold or sustain long notes, then copy the notes I want to accent from my original track to that new track, and give those notes a louder volume? If so, what instrument would sound best for that purpose of accenting long notes?

I use much better string sections than you named (CW SI String Section) so I have access to the instruments with a Sustain (longs) articulation, and other additional articulations like Pizzi or Staccato.

But you can still emulate (to some extent) a similar function by duplicating the notes that you want more attack on with an additional track of SI Strings, copy the desired notes to drive it, and reduce the attack and release time, the length of the notes to 32nd or less, and diminish the reverb so that they sound like shorts. The problem with SI Strings is that it is done with synthesized string sounds, not actual sampled sounds, so it can sound funky and artificial.

Then mix levels to taste. You can't do this operation with just one instance of the instrument. And you can't do this with any kind of percussion, unless it is tuned percussion, like Timpani or the like, but I don't recommend that.

Just like layering 2 or 3 kick drum instruments to get the sound that you want.

Edited October 1, 2023 by OutrageProductions

[Will.]

4 hours ago, hsmusic said:

Actually it's the speed.

Vroom-Vroom. 🤣

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

You either need a better string library with more articulations or need to fake it somehow . There are some libraries that have fast attack patches which might help but a lot of folks fake the accented feel by doubling the start of the note with a pizzi articulation and mixing it in such a way that it sounds like one bowing action.

Also boucing the track to audio might make it easier to control the note envelope using automation   

[Promidi]

Use a synth that allows ASDR to be mapped to amplitude.    Set the sustain to a lower value than the maximum.  Set the Attack, Decay and Release time to taste.