Learn and practice #103: Minuet – Duet in Essential Elements, both the A part and the B part (if you like, you can use SmartMusic to help with the practicing)
Log In to SoundTrap and enter the Studio start a new project.
Use the gear icon button in the top-right corner to change the time signature to 3/4.
Turn on the metronome (bottom of the screen) and adjust the click sound and volume so that you can hear it clearly in your headphones while playing.
Create a new vocal/mic track.
With your instrument ready, plug in your headphones and press the red button to begin recording. Play the A part of 103 in time with the metronome.
Listen back to what you just recorded. If it is out of time or if there are mistakes, do it again.
Create a 2nd vocal/mic track to record part B.
optional: MUTE the 1st track (part A) when recording part B.
Once both parts have been recorded, listen to them together and make sure they sound as good as they can. Re-recording is always an option!
Press the SAVE button,
Either SHARE the project with me (james.martin5) or export it as a file and upload to Teams to share with the whole class.
I have created a new all-in-one page for all of your Virtual Ensemble recording projects and a checklist of essential steps for making a quality recording. I will continue to update this page, and you no longer need to search through old posts if you are going back to check something from a few weeks ago: https://sd41blogs.ca/martinj/virtual-ensemble-recording-hub/
Please make sure you know where to find this page (drop-down menu from the “Band” button on the navigation bar above) and feel free to bookmark it in your web browser until the end of the school year.
Our newest recording assignment is the Ayre from Ayre and Dance, to be included in the district-wide massed virtual ensemble recording that is replacing the Festival of Beginner Bands: https://sd41blogs.ca/martinj/virtual-ensemble-recording-hub/
Bonus Video: a walk-through of the Dona Nobis Pacem multi-track challenge with Mr. Martin
Activity Choices (choose 1 or several)
Use the virtual instruments to create a cool original song or loop of your own from scratch (start with Enter Studio)
Songwriter Challenge (click link to open this project): Make up your own words and melody that fit with this classic 4-chord repeating pattern, then record your singing to make your very own pop/rock song! If you like, you can change the drum beat or add/change any other instrument parts too. This template comes with 3 verses and 3 choruses, but feel free to add an intro, extend the song’s form, and otherwise make it our own!
Multi-track challenge: Record yourself singing all 3 parts of Dona Nobis Pacem (click link to open this project) or One Bottle of Pop (click link to open this project).
To share your creation with only me, use the “Share” button and search for james.martin5 to invite me to collaborate on your song (don’t worry- I won’t change anything, I will only listen).
To share your creation with the class, go to File > Export > Export to mp3 (while in studio view) or clicking on a song in folder view and then pressing the download button that appears to save an audio file that you can then upload to TEAMS.
If you see a webpage like this when trying to download your song on a mobile device, you can instead copy and share the URL address as a link to your song.
Our first ever virtual ensemble recording of Sakura Sakura is progressing well and teaching us a lot about what is working and what we can change to make future recordings sound even better.
After watching the videos, use the sign-up link in TEAMS to create an account on SoundTrap, then CLICK THE LINK FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT to add them to your profile on SoundTrap:
Let me know when you are happy with the recording you have there, and I will go collect the files. Remember: Always use headphones/earbuds to record, and listen back to your part to make sure it is error-free before deciding that it’s ready.
We’re going to take Sakura Sakura (#77 from Essential Elements that I asked you to practice last week) and use it as our first Virtual Ensemble recording project. Please watch this video lesson on home recording and then read the assignment options below.
And the final result, using Ode To Joy as an example:
You can record and submit your audio file one of two ways:
old Option1 (OUTDATED): Use SmartMusic to practice and record Sakura Sakura (no longer recommended), then select your best recorded take and click save to download the audio file (.wav). E-mail the file to me (james.martin@burnabyschools.ca) with the subject “sakura sakura” (UPDATE: saving the audio file does not seem possible on iPads. If you are using an iPad and there is no “save” button available, just send me an email saying you’ve submitted to SmartMusic and I will go through some extra steps to extract your recording).
Option 2 (still fine if SoundTrap doesn’t work for you): After practicing Sakura Sakurawith the click track (or a metronome set to 72 bpm), record an audio file (not video) on your device (programs like “voice recorder” work fine, or you can record within a multitrack program like Garage Band or Audacity and then save just your part without the click track included). Choose your best take and e-mail it to me (james.martin@burnabyschools.ca) with the subject “sakura sakura“. The click-track is available in several places for your convenience: under “Files” in the band channel on Teams, as an mp3 file you can download here, and as a YouTube video you can watch here:
For all recordings, whether on SmartMusic or not:
Know your music: Do your practice in advance and make sure you can reliably play your part from beginning to end with no mistakes before you try recording.
Record in a quiet environment
use headphones or earbuds
Warm up well before recording, and make sure you are in tune. If you don’t have a tuner, SmartMusic has a built-in one that you can access when you have a song open. There are also many free tuner apps available for all sorts of devices, as well as this website. Remember, tuners will always give you the concert pitch name for a note unless they say otherwise, so clarinetists/saxophonists/trumpeters be aware!
Don’t play overly loud; put some distance between your instrument and microphone if reasonably possible.
Review your takes carefully before submitting. Make sure your rhythms are accurate and in time with the click track.
Also, here’s a little bonus video with more about SmartMusic and how to save your recorded files from there to send to me. One more tip for SmartMusic – if you’re using an iPad, make sure to download the app instead of trying to run it from the website!
Note: If you are using an iPad, you should download the SmartMusic app. It will look different than what you see in the video and you may have to look for some of the features and buttons in different places.
