Building Structure
While most projects start out with all phrases in the root container, sooner rather than later you will need to build a structure of nested containers.
Container Roles
Containers take on different roles and serve different purposes in an arrangement.
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Parts: The most common role for a container is to represent a section or part of a song. That's where you usually put phrases with a Figure parameter.
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Landing Containers: After some climax, crescendo, build-up or chorus, a landing container introduces relaxing contrast by pausing several instruments for a few beats.
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Aliases: A previous section reoccurs, possibly modified by a parallel container that alters a few things to make it sound different this time around.
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Mixing: Use the Pause parameter in an empty child container to enable or disable individual instruments for the duration of that container.
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(this is not finished yet)
Tips for Containers
Containers need not necessarily contain figures. There are many ways you can use other parameters, sometimes to dramatic effect. Most importantly, containers can be convenient tool for non-destructive editing and experimentation.
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Abstract Parameters: Populate containers not only with Figure, but with other parameters that influence their rendering: Transpose, Step, Variation, Velocity, Pause, Shift and many others.
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Temporary Harmonies: Throw a Harmony into an empty container and move the container to different places. You will be amazed at the things that will happen!
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Variation Of Aliases: Make an Alias of a container and move it to another location. Place a new container next to it with
and fill it with parameters you want to override in the alias. -
Synchronization of Rhythm: Put a Step into the Global Parameters of a container and hear all instruments play that rhythm in sync. This is very effective for a short dramatic interplay.
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Continuous Morphing: Put a Morphing into the Global Parameters of the root container. All transitions between all containers will then be influenced by the morphing settings for all instruments.
(this is not finished yet)