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Mixcraft Tips

Digital technology has revolutionized the production of different art forms, including photography, film and music. Mixcraft is a piece of software produced by Acoustica that uses multitrack audio, looping, beat-making and even video to edit, remix and create music. The program features numerous features and customizable settings, but a few solid tips can aid you in your music production.
  1. MIDI Keyboard

    • Synchronize a MIDI keyboard with Mixcraft to play music directly into the software. You will need to buy a USB MIDI interface, which sells for between $30 and $200 at the time of publication. With the MIDI keyboard, Mixcraft records piano songs and samples from the keyboard.

    Virtual Instruments

    • Mixcraft features a library of virtual instrument tracks to give an authentic sound to your music. Click on the instrument button at the left of the interface and select the instrument. Choose from instruments like guitars, brass, percussion and bass. You can preview a sample of the instrument by clicking the "play" button before incorporating it into your project.

    Transposing

    • Transposing is a musical process by which songs are "translated" from one key to another. Mixcraft lets you transpose songs automatically to a different key by using the transpose feature. Select the "sound details" tab, click on the "adjust to project key" menu and select the number of steps up or down you want to transpose the song.

    Tempo Alteration

    • One of the challenges in music production is fine-tuning pitch, tempo and timing. You can extend or minimize the length of a song using the TimeStretch feature. This allows you to change the tempo without altering pitch. Select the "sound details" tab, click "time stretch by" and choose the percentage (up to 400 percent) by which you want to alter the song. Alongside TimeStretch is the BeatMatch feature, which is also accessible in the sound details tab. Highlight two loops, select "match beat" and Mixcraft harmonizes their distinctive beats.

    Editing Clips

    • Clips are segments of music that can be shortened, lengthened or looped. To split a clip, right-click where you want to cut it and select "split." The clip is divided in two. Similarly, you can merge audio clips by right-clicking and selecting "merge," then using the cursor to link the two clips. You can turn clips into extended loops by selecting the beginning or end of the clip and dragging it to the left or right, respectively, until you reach the desired number of looped segments.

Digital Music

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