Scratch
archived forums
#1 2013-02-22 23:35:05
- hatchetfishbobsteve
- Scratcher
- Registered: 2007-07-02
- Posts: 19
Use audio files as instruments?
Hey, I tried putting this idea forward before, but nobody seemed to notice, so here it is again.
First of all, I love what the Scratch team does, and they're all great, but...the instrument samples in 2.0 are /terrible/. No offense. 
So I had this idea...would it be at all possible for the program to allow a recording or an uploaded file to be used as an instrument sample? I mean, it wouldn't hurt to have some better stock samples (honestly, I'd be more than happy to provide some myself!), but I myself just think it'd be useful to allow for scratchers to upload their own instrument samples, and then other scratchers can use the instrument samples in their own projects. I dunno, is this idea too complex or too narrow? I for one think it's good. Does anybody else have an opinion?
Offline
#2 2013-02-23 10:47:10
Re: Use audio files as instruments?
It's a good idea, but changing things like tempo on a piece of music is hard, considering Scratch isn't really focused on music. For example, say I uploaded a song as an instrument, how do you play 0.2 beats of bohemian rhapsody? The music controls already let you play uploaded music, so it's already doable, just upload whatever instrument you want as a music file, then use the "play sound" block.
Play now!Offline
#4 2013-05-03 17:09:19
- hatchetfishbobsteve
- Scratcher
- Registered: 2007-07-02
- Posts: 19
Re: Use audio files as instruments?
Uh, that's not what I really meant. I mean, of COURSE it'd be impractical to put a whole song into an instrument block.
Now, a single note of a single instrument, on the other hand, is a different story. That's called "sampling" and has been used in music since at least like the 80's. Herbie Hancock explains it prettty well here: http://www.scratch.mit.edu/ext/youtube/?v=oKoisNv1ftw
Say you found a recording of a single piano note--there are TONS of those on freesound.org alone--or a drum hit or what have you, I was suggesting for there to be a function to use a sound like this as an instrument block. It could be played at different pitches, which is really what I mean about using a sound file as an instrument.
Offline
#6 2013-05-04 12:43:07
Re: Use audio files as instruments?
hatchetfishbobsteve wrote:
Uh, that's not what I really meant. I mean, of COURSE it'd be impractical to put a whole song into an instrument block.
Now, a single note of a single instrument, on the other hand, is a different story. That's called "sampling" and has been used in music since at least like the 80's. Herbie Hancock explains it prettty well here: http://www.scratch.mit.edu/ext/youtube/?v=oKoisNv1ftw
Say you found a recording of a single piano note--there are TONS of those on freesound.org alone--or a drum hit or what have you, I was suggesting for there to be a function to use a sound like this as an instrument block. It could be played at different pitches, which is really what I mean about using a sound file as an instrument.
That could definitely work and be really cool, but how would Scratch distinguish between a single sound and a whole song? Have some cutoff sound length?
Some days, I wish that my posts would stop disappearing
Offline
#7 2013-05-04 13:26:44
Re: Use audio files as instruments?
kayybee wrote:
Or: get musescore, import your fancy sound file, write your music, export as wav, import to scratch.
So I won't be able to let people make songs in scratch with a custom instrument?
Tip of the whatever: Don't post in threads older than 2 weeks unless your post will actually be useful.
It's the last day of 1.4! *cries* (quote from NeilWest, rest by me) by the time you read this it probably will be 2.0
Offline
#8 2013-05-05 18:58:39
Re: Use audio files as instruments?
Hyperbola wrote:
kayybee wrote:
Or: get musescore, import your fancy sound file, write your music, export as wav, import to scratch.
So I won't be able to let people make songs in scratch with a custom instrument?
I guess not, not until the Scratch Team has time to do this.
Offline