Cinematic variation
This build-up and subsequent variation is based on a few simple phrases and a harmony sequence generated by the Factory. Sketches like this can be created in less than 30 minutes if you already have an idea of what sounds you want to use.
Recording of a live session based on Snippets extracted from the track above at the touch of a button. With a glass of wine, you could probably play around with it all evening ...
Harmony First Workflow
This workflow (on of many) derives melodies from a harmony progression. The fastest path to a consistent prototype you can export and orchestrate in a DAW. This cinematic opening was composed and arranged in three hours (raw bounce-to-disk without mixing). The workflow is explained here.
The same arrangement with merely harmony replaced for a completely different mood.
Songwriting
The chords for this song were picked from a Palette. The melody was originally improvised vocals and later refined by modifying and transforming Figures. Synfire was a great help while trying dozens of different bass lines and instrumental phrases. Instrumental melodies were sketched with broad strokes. Vocals by Solaria, lyrics human-made.
Only an hour later we finished this piano version by dropping phrases from a library and tweaking them.
Snippets
This piece was prototyped in real-time using Snippets. Like all examples here, it is not a finished production. In fact your production will start from here.
Phrases
Just one or two phrases can get an entire song started from scratch. This example takes two phrases generated by Factories that were taken from the Example Piano library (The Pale Rider, Entangled Lines), splits them by symbol type and uses the resulting lines for different instruments. Listen to the generated phrases first, then a few parts that were arranged based on them.
This rudiment was arranged a bit further and has evolved to become the example track The Pale Rider .
Generative Factories
Generative factories do not make any assumptions about genre or style. Their internal rules are universal and the range of expression is vast. You will never get clichés or stereotypes, except by pure chance. Striking and memorable expressions can be used as building blocks for your work. Here is a medley of generated phrases (that happened to fall into many different styles).
Tip: The parts of a piano phrase (left hand, right hand, chords) can be played by different instruments. A simple trick to build consistent textures or patterns that may become the basis of a great song. With Synfire Pro you can generate thousands of phrases and render them against as many different chord progressions.
Electronic
This example features 10 instances of the virtual analog synth Sprike that you can download for free from our site. Electronic music often builds on short loops arranged in ever changing combinations. This is relatively easy with Synfire. This piece was arranged in a few hours.
This piece also lends itself to real-time arrangement using the Snippets feature (Express, Pro). Snippets are somewhat similar to live loops in a DAW, except Synfire can render them against any harmony you select during playback.
Developing Grooves
Rhythm is more than drums. Dropping phrases from a library on instruments in a simple arrangement ensures that you can test variants quickly and find one that works best for you.
Acid Jazz
Ok, the trumpets sound flat and cheesy. But that's not the point here. This example shows what can be built from a simple progression, a melody and bass line in relatively short time.
Compose Around a Given Melody
Here we had only a vocal take and nothing else. The rest was built around the melody with Synfire. Using the Harmonizer, a chord progression was found that matches the melody. Then the arrangement was filled with phrases (bass, drums, organ, E-piano, etc) and edited.
Walk In Space
Simple Input, Elaborate Output
Even a single phrase, whether created manually or generated by a factory, can be the inspiration and motivation for a completely new piece. In this case, it was the fast finger-picking of the guitar at the very beginning (together with the rapidly changing chords) from which the entire rest emerged within an afternoon.
Rikko