Making beats with an AI assistant

Example 1 — Your first beat from scratch

Create a pattern called "First Beat" at 95 BPM: kick on every beat, snare on beats 2 and 4, closed hi-hat on every eighth note. Then show it and play it.

The assistant calls, in order:

createNewPattern   { "patternName": "First Beat" }
setPatternBpm      { "patternName": "First Beat", "bpm": 95 }
addNotesToPattern  { "patternName": "First Beat", "notes": [
  { "trackName": "KICK",  "step": 0 }, { "trackName": "KICK",  "step": 4 },
  { "trackName": "KICK",  "step": 8 }, { "trackName": "KICK",  "step": 12 },
  { "trackName": "SNARE", "step": 4 }, { "trackName": "SNARE", "step": 12 },
  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 0 },  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 2 },
  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 4 },  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 6 },
  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 8 },  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 10 },
  { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 12 }, { "trackName": "CHH", "step": 14 } ] }
selectPattern      { "patternName": "First Beat" }
play               { }

You see a new pattern at the end of the list, with three tracks filled exactly like the grid of section 4, and you hear it loop. The tracks did not have to exist: adding notes to KICK creates the KICK track.

Example 2 — Let orDrumbox generate a pattern in a style

Which styles do you know? … OK, make me a new house pattern.

listStyles       { }
generatePattern  { "style": "house" }

orDrumbox writes a whole pattern itself — tracks, tempo, swing, lines — as Pattern › New pattern in the style does. Not happy with it?

Make it again, with more energy.

regeneratePattern { "patternName": "…", "style": "house" }
setPatternMacro   { "patternName": "…", "macro": "energy", "value": 80 }

The three macros, energy, complexity and variation, go from 0 to 100; 50 changes nothing.

Example 3 — Mixing: volume and stereo position

In "First Beat", make the hi-hat quieter and put it a bit to the left.

updateTrack { "patternName": "First Beat", "trackName": "CHH",
              "updates": { "volume": 0.6, "pan": -0.4 } }

volume 1 is the normal level; pan goes from −1 (left) to 1 (right). If a value is out of range, orDrumbox brings it inside and the assistant tells you the value used.

Example 4 — Groove: accents, ghost notes and chance

Add soft snare ghost notes just before beats 2 and 4, and make every hi-hat play only 80 % of the time.

addNotesToPattern { "patternName": "First Beat", "notes": [
  { "trackName": "SNARE", "step": 3,  "velocity": 0.3 },
  { "trackName": "SNARE", "step": 11, "velocity": 0.3 } ] }
updateTrack { "patternName": "First Beat", "trackName": "CHH",
              "updates": {}, "noteUpdates": { "probability": 0.8 } }

A note's velocity (how hard it is hit) and probability (its chance to play) go from 0 to 1. With a probability below 1, the hi-hat changes a little at every loop: the beat feels more alive.

Example 5 — A synth bass line

Add a bass playing on the synth preset BASS5: a note on step 0, then a fifth higher on step 6, then back on step 10.

updateTrack       { "patternName": "First Beat", "trackName": "BASS",
                    "updates": { "useSynth": true, "synthPreset": "BASS5" } }
addNotesToPattern { "patternName": "First Beat", "notes": [
  { "trackName": "BASS", "step": 0 },
  { "trackName": "BASS", "step": 6, "pitch": 7 },
  { "trackName": "BASS", "step": 10 } ] }

A note's pitch is in semitones from the track's note (7 = a fifth, 12 = an octave). Ask "which synth presets are there?" to hear other sounds.

Example 6 — Change the whole drum sound

Which kits do I have? Switch to the electro kit.

listKitSamples { }
selectKit      { "kit": "electro" }

Every track whose sound follows its name takes the sample of the new kit. Changing back is as easy: "switch to the real kit".

Example 7 — Build a short song

Make a song called "Demo song": 4 measures of "Intro", then 8 measures of "First Beat", then 4 measures of "Intro" again. Play it.

createArrangement { "name": "Demo song", "clips": [
  { "patternName": "Intro",      "startMeasure": 0,  "measureCount": 4 },
  { "patternName": "First Beat", "startMeasure": 4,  "measureCount": 8 },
  { "patternName": "Intro",      "startMeasure": 12, "measureCount": 4 } ] }
play { "song": true }

The song panel shows the three clips. Without measureCount, a clip lasts as long as its pattern; "repeat the clip at measure 4" doubles it (repeatClip).

Example 8 — Export to share

Export "First Beat" as a WAV file and as MIDI, and the song "Demo song" as WAV.

exportPatternWav     { "patternName": "First Beat" }
exportPatternMidi    { "patternName": "First Beat" }
exportArrangementWav { "arrangement": "Demo song" }

The files go to the exports folder of your user data folder (see the user manual, section 1); the assistant tells you their full path.

Example 9 — Oops: undo

No, I preferred it before. Undo the last two changes.

undo { }
undo { }

You can also simply press Ctrl+Z in the window: the assistant's edits and yours share the same undo history. redo brings a change back.