In an activity based around getting comfortable working with MIDI files within Ableton, we were asked to have a play around with a pre-existing MIDI track to generate our own version. Here’s what I came up with:
https://soundcloud.com/charlie-oshea-934862054/sos-rework
The first thing I did after importing the MIDI file was assign each track with a sound/instrument. I picked out the drums and bass and gave them appropriate instruments to reflect what they were, but then went a bit wild randomising the other tracks. I included bells, an organ, strings, and a banjo among others. This was really not the most goal-aware choice, but I did it to try and see how I could completely change the representation of parts within the song.
I decided to have an attempt at building the song initially through layering, then jumped to a little break, then ran out of time and chucked a chorus at the end. I inverted the sections in which the drums play: so instead of only playing in the chorus and not the verse, they were present at all times EXCEPT the chorus. This wasn’t planned initially, but with the drum track I thought it would be best if it was punchy at the beginning and then changed in order to contrast the original.
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