Ableton Live Tutorial - Generative Classical Music = Ned Rush

In this Ableton Live Tutorial we are going to generate some classical music with a load of midi effects and a grand piano. Support me on Patreon to download this set plus many many more. / 96374223
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Ned Rush is an infotaining universe of ideas for ways to make music, including areas of music production, music composition, sampling, synthesisers and sound design in software like Ableton, MaxMSP, Reason, and on hardware such as eurorack modular, Elektron boxes like the Octatrack and Analog Rytm, also visual art strategies using Jitter, focusing on music genres such electronica, IDM, glitch, jungle, breakcore, electro-acoustic, musique concrete, as well as discussing music via interviews and podcasts, and music performances via livestreams.

[@sampyannotti]

Rachmaninoff is SHITTING HIMSELF.

[@NedRush]

😂

[@andrewhaas5878]

😂 I almost spit my coffee out

[@snarlysausage4604]

Im now a ''Generative Classical Music'' fan!

[@SinisterSwiss]

Claude Debussy's been real quiet since this dropped Tempted to smash some breaks over the top of this, true Classical Rush style

[@marcinw7127]

Instant Classic FM banger, Ned Rush "Piano Concero in C3" :)

[@MerkabahUniverse]

You’ve taken what a human with an IQ of 140+ , with years of practice on the piano and composing music and generated a masterpiece in 20minutes. BRAVO. You are a genius. You blow my mind every time.

[@cowmilkbiz]

I don’t even have to finish the video to know it’s true 😂 Ned you turn it out every time

[@notnoaintno5134]

Not quite, you don't understand classical if you think this is what it is. Classical has cadences, chord progressions, modulations, ornamentation, accidentals, etc. This is literally just a piano playing random notes and chords within a scale

[@notnoaintno5134]

Still cool but chill a bit on thinking this is beethoven level

[@BrapAllgood]

For more than two years now, I've been fascinated by doing exactly this, but with machine sounds. I will tell you flat out, Note Echo is better if you step it up, down, something. Too staccato otherwise, helps break that up, especially if working with samples instead of expressly tonal content. Go slice something inorganic and drop an Arpeggiator and a Note Echo after it, then make it +1 or more, if you have enough steps available.... Then Trash the crap out of it. SUPER fun for generating actual audio to work with. I'm now building Ableton Packs out of the audio I collected this way, whole instruments putting all of it at my fingertips. But remember...you gotta record stuff. You will hear things go by that are mind-blowing-- and wish you had been recording. I know this too well. Happy New Year, Mister.

[@freelounge6001]

Yeah, then automate the step and pass it through the scale effect afterwards. Fun times! Another way to put gaps in the music is to leave certain notes unmapped in the scale effect

[@vvcv__00]

Quite amazing how every so often a brilliant burst of harmonized melody (music) can be heard.

[@bricelory9534]

I think one thing that would help even more "classical" ness is a shape that changes the root note of the chord (so the whole thing modulates to a different key) every 32 bars, a simple square lfo could have it modulating back and forth, but you could also try working with the Shaper tool for more precise cycles of modulation, though I don't know how slow in terms of bars those are capable of going. I imagine there's a device out there somewhere for it, though.

[@ghfjfghjasdfasdf]

Instant SUB I’ve been fantasizing about hearing something like this since I was a kid. This is brilliant. I wish my parents could hear this! Thanks for making this Neo Classical music.

[@suop1234]

the first few minutes of just waiting for the chords to resolve hurt me on every level and SUPER cool video i never even realised midi effect racks were a thing you've inspired me heaps

[@MF_Naah]

Fantastic. Needs an amen break chopped in... Then classical.

[@hfos]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@patricketp8356]

Great. Amazing

[@DnzVdskr]

you blow my mind everytime Ned!

[@sr_bob]

Reminds me of the Prokofiev Sarcasms. So good.

[@jordynmuldrow3885]

This was awesome!

[@Fezoy_music]

This is Fantastic. Thanks

[@ickebins6948]

What a banger! Thanks Ned.

[@ahorseinahospital]

I so didn't expect it to sound this good. Defo trying this

[@tamalitogirl]

Awesome❤

[@alainthiry3965]

excellent!

[@limnal_music]

Ned you are a gem 🙏🏻

[@warminstrel2284]

Insane Ned, truly inspiring.

[@pk3776]

luv it!

[@ahmettiryakioglu_music]

Brilliant content. Chord before scale and random in the midddle, also brilliant.

[@solnoctis7022]

That's a great generative patch you made there. Well done!

[@frankbarrett6664]

Great stuff 😮

[@gabrielemarcelli4530]

THANK YOU THANK YOU NED. I LOVE YOU VIDEOS. ESPECIALLY EVERY VIDEO ABOUT GENERATIVE STUFF. YOU BRIGHTENED MY EVENING THANK YOUUU🎉🎉🎉

[@sektortwo4418]

this went from "gee, ned, i don't know about this one" to "holy shit, dude, like how???" ...especially after putting the note lenght after the chain

[@matthewj.tinney6156]

Reminds me of the Mendelssohn piano concerto's. One of my favorite collections in all of classical music. Thank you for this example of generative music in Ableton. I learned a lot!

[@sophialiarou4688]

my God! Amazing!

[@MarcPrice1]

Loving this! Whilst I'm not a fan of this style of freeform/jazz 'classical', I love the process you've shown... inspirational stuff, thanks! 😀

[@kuhliloach8842]

thanks for the great video

[@NapoleonBonaparte92]

It sounds very authentic and georgous by 10 minute mark sir Ned, i am 100% dialed in my mouth wide open

[@markbennett1585]

Those 0.5% beers give me a hangover without any of the enjoyment of getting drunk.

[@D-One]

Im usually dont like videos on midi generation most sound random this one has some amazing moments, it got lost many times, i'll watch it 20 times and take notes. 👍

[@analogglitch]

This deserves to be the most viewed youtube video of all time

[@khartbeats]

Reminds me of some very chaotic orchestral concertos I’ve played in the past… regardless, your creativity and ingenuity with Ableton’s effects is always amazing to watch. Thank you for sharing these videos.

[@WDIPJordi]

You reached a new level today, Ned

[@qbaxcpu]

good stuff!

[@ongakuyaro]

i think this is the best video you made

[@OrangeNash]

Reminds me of Emerson Lake & Palmer at their proggiest!

[@harrylightfoot2223]

When Ned flips the tempo to 90 bpm at 16.35 did it remind anyone else of "the entertainer" by scott joplin. Another great video though! I'd love to hear how this thing sounded using a different scale across the whole project. I think to make it sound more "classical" as well, there could be some tempo modulation, as well as overall dynamic range modulation to mimic the ff or pp stuff you get in classical music

[@dmiksa620]

i just completed my undergraduate thesis using similar techniques to marry the genres of aleatoric and generative music! super fascinating to see someone else’s approach in the same DAW. will definitely be trying out expression control haha. thanks for sharing your experimentation!😎

[@CNTRRNDM]

Bravo, maestro😁

[@pl33]

you made another classic ned

[@reptilyan]

genius

[@akoolstik]

mid 40s friday night classical midi party

[@dhbehk5339]

I would define it as gothic ragtime 🦇

[@artart7370]

cool!

[@jovebose]

new form of classic music

[@gabrielemarcelli4530]

I don't know if it is CLASSICAL music, but it sure remind me of some expressionism era pieces of piano, very experimental and unique

[@ofootyeabicc201]

I like how you still use your RNG controller you made eons ago with velocity and chain selection even as ableton released probability in the midi piano roll. I still have your sampler preset for chopping breaks. It’s lore that manifests itself in niche tools. I tried making a conductor-type thing where I had a bunch of notes of different lengths doing follow action events(this is before I learned about the note length and random pitch devices) to do a similar thing-ish: a bass, an arp, chords. At about 6.5 mins in it’s about the same thing except yours is waaaaaaay cleaner. Great video as always!

[@planetplex]

I now know how I’m going to make my next album! 😬😎

[@LameBushido]

Ned. You fucking legend. You fucking don. You fucking marvel of man.

[@kozepz]

This is great! Instead of using the arpeggiator I used the Bouncy Notes from the Inspired by Nature pack as the virtual player.

[@Aona_Music]

This is honestly genius and I hate that I'd never thought to try it before lmaoo

[@AdamJohnWilliams]

Dude this is utterly brilliant, and in response to your question about whether it can be called Classical Music; I would suggest that it probably falls under the umbrella of the classical subgenre with the somewhat confusing name “New Music”

[@_Udaya_]

Contemporary classical?

[@bigupz6818]

Ooft this is enjoyable. Patreon no brainer 🎉🎉🎉

[@boysofsilence1808]

Cool

[@1cenobite]

Every episode i imagine a podcast by webb, writing music for super Hans.

[@StevenJamesBurks]

another way you can musically modulate between metric divisions (16ths, 8ths, 1/4s, etc) using the arpeggiator is to draw automation for the dial in a clip, or use the lfo and give it a specific range ... an additional approach that i like to use is to assigm specific metric modulation values to a computer key ... (ae approach)

[@Hollandvancewright]

My strategy would be to make a rack like he did, but distribute the chain selector instead and assign it to a random LFO. That way you don't get unwanted triplets, and have more control over each arpeggiator

[@tojaniktinny]

Brilliant stuff! Is there any Chopin in it? The 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition will take place in Warsaw in October 2025. It would be extremely difficult to make you Ned look 28 (thats oldest age bracket for pianists competing), conceal the computer and speakers, and make it look as if YOU’re playing the piano but certainly not impossible. I am not one one of the judges but you have my vote nevertheless.

[@mollykeane2571]

This was amazing whatever it is! Don’t forget Ableton’s MIDI capture function.

[@Dekoherence-ii8pw]

4:00 "Let's TAKE THAT (and party!)", That's a very old reference, lol. Child of the '90s, haha! 🙂

[@apostatatheprovost3041]

🔥❤️

[@matesandorzalan960]

Around 15:30 it actually sounds like some legit piano composition. At least to my absolutely untrained ears...

[@podval.studio]

that is sooooooo cooool dude, thanks a lot for this vid

[@eugenecheegarev]

GOD

[@TaiBaSs40]

Ned "Mozart" Rush !! 🙃Another nice stuff to try !! Thx It sound like classical music for sure !!

[@_matteoamadio]

I wish a group of pianists wrote down the score for this and then played it live with the video. I would go see it

[@adamswierczynski]

When can we get a Ned Rush 24/7 livestream of this. I bet you could use a slow sawtooth LFO to trigger a scale change at the peak of the wave every few minutes, maybe even trigger a change in tempo, too.

[@meucanalmix]

genius!!!

[@erikm5753]

Just started something like this a few days ago with just an arpeggiator and made myself dizzy. Glad you did this. So exciting. What is music other than patterns and “generative nonsense,” with critics, lovers, and haters abound?

[@JoshuaPickenpaugh]

A new score to Steamboat Willy version 2.0. Sounds great!

[@HeSaysMoe]

You could take this concept and start the Artificially Intelligent Dance Music genre :)

[@Trem.official]

Goood Damn

[@deliciousdoyle]

Cecil Taylor!

[@mechanicom]

This is incredible and I’m also kind of into it. Could you create some original classical trumpet concertos please. I would say this is classical.

[@MultiMam12345]

More reduction using probability applied to anything would help humanizing it. Also tempo changes. Octave changes. Poly to mono. Anything is possible. But just an amazing demonstration of generative midi. Hats off at 40% 😂

[@erolbrown]

Hello everyone and welcome to my new vi- PUNCHES LIKE BUTTON

[@afternoon]

I’ve taken to singing along.

[@chinchiIIa]

I dont understand any of that stuff att the bottom but you're a realy good pianist!!!

[@notnoaintno5134]

He's not playing anything its computer generated, hence the title of the video

[@simonsanchezkumrich8489]

​@@notnoaintno5134are u joking or u didn't understand the joke lol

[@felixgrudge7195]

This is great. But when you duplicate the arps, only the first one is mapped to the expression control. I set the Arp Style Randomization to a maximum of 78% so it cant get in chord-mode, left the different synced Arp out, and put x-ponder by manifest audio at the end of the midichain before the scale. A m4l device that generates notes in a call and response style and has a humanization and a syncopation feature.

[@chipwillis]

For whatever reason the thought pops up, Dammit, you blew it all up! hahaha

[@jankalinowski6767]

Tschaikowski First digital .... Ha Ha... Cool,nice intresting !

[@Soulmachine72]

I got curious how it would sound with a beat repeat at the end of the chain? 🙂

[@ManfredGerhard]

Damn you played Ableton 100% through 😂

[@scruffy032893]

When i try to record the midi i just the get the repeated C3 to trigger the midi rack. However i did end up grouping the scale, minor harmonic and instrument after the midi rack. Would that have made a difference?

[@Aona_Music]

You need to set the input channel to Post FX for whatever device you're using. I had the same issue, and fixed it by setting the input on the recording channel to Kontakt - Post FX, as opposed to the global Post FX input

[@apzzpa]

Ableton is truly a beast. Great stuff. In the latest Ableton you can't map an expression control to the arp style or note length it seems which is a shame

[@NedRush]

Yes you can.

[@apzzpa]

@@NedRush Interesting. Whenever I do it it says something along the lines of 'mapping unsuccessful and cannot map to this parameter'. I'll have to have a look into it

[@NedRush]

Switch it from modulate to remote.

[@apzzpa]

@@NedRush Oooooh. Recent Logic convertee here. Thanks. Would love to see more generative ambient stuff

[@JonMurray]

My iMac overheated just watching this.

[@JonMurray]

Absolutely incredible by the way! Beautiful Rachmaninov/dark Chopin feel! From one midi note haha! New subscriber ✌🏻

[@penderfynydd4335]

I think I heard Tigran Hamasyan somewhere in the middle 😅

[@samlisson]

vary the tempo as you go and I think you could really humanise it

[@sp00k-sr1oe]

garbage in, garbage out : GIGO

[@johnnyjules2008]

I like these comments more than those on Reddit.

[@monstrohorrivel802]

Nedthoven meets Rushard Wagner

[@tombpunk]

Where can I find hoppy skippy jazz tho

[@NathanielPrinceCoulter]

Alc link? 🙏🏾

[@monocore]

Pyotr Ilyich Autechre

[@listenandgrow4775]

damn

[@NickWritesMusic]

Hey you need someone to engrave and/or orchestrate this I'm super down