toasterpastries
Offline
Salt Lake City, UT

Hi, new here but I've been writing on LSDJ for ~4 years now.

I use live mode most of the time, and after setting up a bunch of songs randomly I found that I had to go back and relearn how I performed a song way too often.

I decided to try to standardize how I'm using chains, phrases, instruments and tables in order to make everything easier and consistent for me.
I set up this spreadsheet for myself, I wanted to share that
https://goo.gl/H1E3FS

also asking you go about organizing and keeping track of your parts in LSDJ
and on using live mode. I usually tend to break everything into 4-bar patterns and use some 1 or 2-bar patterns for transitions

jefftheworld
Offline
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The only problem with this sort of scheme is that you're limiting any potential for channel economy, table blending and any creative or novel use of sequencing in general. I also use live mode a lot but I wouldn't personally give up freedom in terms of my sequencing.

zander
Offline

Hey!!! That is how I organize my chains as well Though I go 0-19 pv1 20-39 pv 2 ect.. ! I disagree with you jefftheworld. Just because he uses an organization pattern doesn't mean he HAS to stick with it. This format just makes it so the channels don't get cluttered. It also saves those instances where you can't find an unused phrase. Super easy. Super chill. A+

jefftheworld
Offline
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
zander wrote:

Hey!!! That is how I organize my chains as well Though I go 0-19 pv1 20-39 pv 2 ect.. ! I disagree with you jefftheworld. Just because he uses an organization pattern doesn't mean he HAS to stick with it. This format just makes it so the channels don't get cluttered. It also saves those instances where you can't find an unused phrase. Super easy. Super chill. A+

But most advanced sequencing would completely break those organizational rules constantly. How do you categorize a chain/phrase that comprises of drums, bass, echo of another channel and harmony? In most of my songs there are few, if any, phrases or tables that could fit into those categories, so it would take a lot of work to try to think of an organizational schema that would work for my style.

When I go back to a song that I wrote years ago it does take some time to remember the structure but it doesn't take long at all to remember it, maybe a couple plays all the way through? I think that's less time than creating and learning a generalized schema. Every song is different, so I'd rather not try to fit them all into one box.

Last edited by jefftheworld (Aug 12, 2016 3:36 am)

yoyz2k
Offline
france

I use this kind of schema on lgpt and it works for me.
But I'm a noob on tracker.
Allways use 2 or 4 pattern by chain and put pad, kick in different channel.
Unfortunately it consume a lot of channel, but my music is really simple. I don't do difficult pattern tricks because I'm a messy guy with tracker.
I think this kind of schema works finely if you don't want to use only one gear in a song, or you like really simple song. But I allways use two gears in my song so it works fine smile

Jellica
Offline
England

i tend to work on multiple tracks at a time so i need to have some vague structural rules to try an follow to easily recall what something might be.

but you also need to use all the available space in the same way as jefftheworld says

Merutochan
Offline
Italy

This is a really cool idea for those who, like me, need to step up their workflow from free, random instruments/pattern/chain placing to something more efficient and organized.
On the other hand, makes no sense to use this when you're experimenting new sounds or patterns and don't know what you'll end up with.

Last edited by Merutochan (Aug 13, 2016 1:43 pm)

SuperBustySamuraiMonkey
Offline
Madriz, Supain
jefftheworld wrote:
zander wrote:

Hey!!! That is how I organize my chains as well Though I go 0-19 pv1 20-39 pv 2 ect.. ! I disagree with you jefftheworld. Just because he uses an organization pattern doesn't mean he HAS to stick with it. This format just makes it so the channels don't get cluttered. It also saves those instances where you can't find an unused phrase. Super easy. Super chill. A+

But most advanced sequencing would completely break those organizational rules constantly. How do you categorize a chain/phrase that comprises of drums, bass, echo of another channel and harmony? In most of my songs there are few, if any, phrases or tables that could fit into those categories, so it would take a lot of work to try to think of an organizational schema that would work for my style.

When I go back to a song that I wrote years ago it does take some time to remember the structure but it doesn't take long at all to remember it, maybe a couple plays all the way through? I think that's less time than creating and learning a generalized schema. Every song is different, so I'd rather not try to fit them all into one box.


I use odds for "regular" chains (ie, 20, 22, 24 etc are bass chains, 10, 12, 14 leads, etc) and even for "chains with and added shit", like when you have both drums and bass on one channel (most of the time my PU2 and Wav channels fit this criteria). This way, if im playing 10, 20, 31 and 40, i know its leads, bass, drum/synth wav, drums.

curtinparloe
Offline

I've kept mine fairly basic:

CHAINS/PHRASES/INSTRUMENTS
00 - silent.
01-10 NOISE (because I usually add them first)
11-20 PU1
21-30 PU2
31-40 WAV

Tables I use as and when. Sometimes I use a chain in a different channel for a different effect. I usually have four phrases in a chain, but I'm starting to branch out.
When I get to the point where I fill a chain or a phrase, I'll no doubt have to rethink.

Sonus Silver
Offline
Florida

I organize my instruments as follows:
00-19 = Pulse
1A-1F = Kits
20-2F = Wave
30-3F = Noise
(I don't use speech as often as I ought...)

For tables, I usually use 1A-1F for percussion (bass kicks, snares, etc.). Everything else is up for grabs.

For Phrases, I usually use EA-FF for percussion and silence. Everything else is up for grabs.

For Chains, I usually reserve 70-7F for Noise. Everything else is up for grabs.

I'm kinda in the middle, I guess? I dunno...

roboctopus
Offline
Madison, Alabama

This is sort of interesting to me. I have absolutely no clear organizational rules. I don't name instruments. Literally the only thing that is consistent for me is 7F is my blank chain, four phrases long with a K command in it, and 7E is the same, but two phrases long. Everything else is random.

I can see how organization might help some people, but I personally like starting from scratch every time and just letting the track grow in its own weird way.

toasterpastries
Offline
Salt Lake City, UT
roboctopus wrote:

This is sort of interesting to me. I have absolutely no clear organizational rules. I don't name instruments. Literally the only thing that is consistent for me is 7F is my blank chain, four phrases long with a K command in it, and 7E is the same, but two phrases long. Everything else is random.

I can see how organization might help some people, but I personally like starting from scratch every time and just letting the track grow in its own weird way.

I know... I've pored over your .sav file for Tidal Bout to try to learn from you big_smile . Love that album.

I'm finding that I'm already deviating from the standard in some ways but it has been helpful in general for keeping things straight.

roboctopus
Offline
Madison, Alabama
toasterpastries wrote:

I know... I've pored over your .sav file for Tidal Bout to try to learn from you big_smile . Love that album.

I'm finding that I'm already deviating from the standard in some ways but it has been helpful in general for keeping things straight.

Thanks! smile

Sorry for being so disorganized haha. I usually start with a chord progression and melody and a general idea of what I want the song to sound like *before* I begin programming, so holding to an organizational structure doesn't usually work for me. I strum my guitar or play piano and hum melodies and imagine how they could be programmed into LSDJ and just start programming from wherever. I don't bother with much set organization because a melody that starts on PU1 might end up on WAV. I go through a *lot* of variations of a song before the final, which results in almost as many phrases/chains getting deleted as end up in the final version. Since I'm constantly experimenting and deleting chains and phrases, I guess trying to organize them makes less sense to me than quickly tapping the button and starting a new random chain.

But you organized folks can keep rocking haha.

Last edited by roboctopus (Aug 25, 2016 2:16 am)