Composing longer tracks // Synthstrom Deluge Tutorial

[@MattiaPiola]

Thank you. Today has been a rough day, I've been to my old friend's funeral. He was my best friend in primary school, but then life got in the way, and we drifted apart. He was just 32yo. The worst thing is that I couldn't take part in the actual ceremony for covid-related reasons. It was really sad. After the funeral, I came back home and started watching this video to calm down a bit, and check the workfow of the deluge, as I've been doing for a while, since I'm really tempted by it. But instead of just getting a tutorial, you gave me this wonderful piece of music. I know it's almost improvised, and you made it just to show the instrument, but I found it to have these incredibly melancholic and childish vibes, that instantly took me back to those past days with my late friend. I know it's probably just me being in a weird mood, but I wanted to thank you nonetheless for giving me this much needed moment of catharsis.

[@RonCavagnaro]

I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. I'm glad the music helped!

[@MChristian]

Are you a mind reader? I think you're a mind reader. Thank you so much for this video that exactly covers something I've been interested in with my deluge. The copying and pasting t to a new root note is new for me and utterly brilliant. Your instruction videos are always super useful, easy to follow, and very inspirational. Thanks again!

[@Wackyracer109]

Took me a while to get my head around the zoom/copy/paste but now i have I find it incredibly quick to compose using the methods described here. 👍🏻

[@Jimantronic]

Thanks Ron, super helpful as always :)

[@redbirdsaraceno]

Great stuff ! Very Helpful.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Maybe you could help me out - I want deluge to be the brain triggering two other synths (Peak + XD) BUT I would like my arturia keyboard to trigger Peak + XD + Deluge (don’t always want to use pads to play the deluge + I would like to use pads to trigger some of the synths) individually. I got the basics: Arturia Midi In to Deluge then Midi Thru to other keyboards. Is this going to be a matter of setting each clip to its own midi channel? So for example, I want to just play the Peak - would it it simply be a matter of switching arturia to channel 2 then going to that midi clip (set to channel 2)? Would I even have to be on that midi clip to trigger it - just simply have each clip on its own midi channel and switch Arturia channel to trigger various machines? Thanks for any help.

[@RonCavagnaro]

Yes it should be ok to work this way. Check my deluge template video I think it shows how I have mine set up. But yes you change the channel to 2 and off you go.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Ron Cavagnaro thanks! I think the problem I’m having right now is that there is a lot to learn and every time I a problem, even simple as midi setup, is encountered and solved...there’s a new one that appears that makes me have to go back to the manual. lol

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Ron Cavagnaro Eurika - when you press [learn] and audios to sync up a keyboard it automatically adjusts to the midi channel that is being received. So if the arturia is sending channel 3 then that clip will be set to channel three. Crazy awesome.

[@RonCavagnaro]

@@GrootsieTheDog yes make sure to watch the templates video, in other words you can set up the learns for each and then load it when you want to make a new song :)

[@jonasiv3587]

great tutorial! thanks!

[@adamoliver82]

I've watched quite a few of your vids now since I got my deluge(you remember a few weeks back when you commented on my comment then that dick head waded in?), they're very helpful, this one especially so. Thanks for the effort Ron.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Can the deluge have different length tracks that loop individually so one can do classic phase looping...like Eno for example? So for instance, a track that loops every 5 measures and a track that loops every 3 measures - so that each time they repeat, they phase.

[@RonCavagnaro]

Yes

[@ywenp]

Do you have a way to copy/paste not the whole screen, but only a range of columns (like from column 1 to column 12)?

[@RonCavagnaro]

If you want a range then zoom and copy the screen. It doesn't do it by selection.

[@ywenp]

@@RonCavagnaro Ah yes but the zoom works by x2 increments, so I can't use to copy like the 3/4ths of the screen

[@RonCavagnaro]

@@ywenp you'll have to copy the best range you can and paste in. Zoom in so you're looking at 1/4 copy each 3. Or zoom 2/4 copy paste then zoom 1/4 copy paste.

[@TristanBaldi]

1 minute in and bam : first notes of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds haha!

[@shadowhenge7118]

Any tips for getting around the 16 section limit?

[@RonCavagnaro]

12 section limit. You can save and make a new song, use arranger view, make longer tracks, manually mute things, record sections to audio clips, then mute unmute clips

[@GearAddict90210]

I found that you can move your clips into arranger, delete them in song view and start creating new clips / sections

[@redbirdsaraceno]

Every time I try the second copy and paste at around the 5 min mark it copies it but it slows the tempo by half . I was following your procedure step by step and had it in 4ths pre copy and past. Ill just keep retrying to copy your steps. oh ok , i got now . For some reason the first time you copied in this vis you only had to press learn and the side scroll push then on the second copy it appeared that you hit shift+learn the side scroll push , and when i followed that my timing remained the same . Oh I guess the first go round was duplicate not copy , that must be where i got tripped up. Nice procedures to for sure .

[@RonCavagnaro]

Always remember if you mess up just undo by pressing back button

[@redbirdsaraceno]

Ron Cavagnaro I just realized the hard way that the overlay that comes with the Deluge is way to dark for me read at normal bedroom light levels unless i use a flashlight so i ordered a custom overlay that i can actually see in low light. I followed your video and then messed around for a couple hrs got something that sounded cool and i thought i hit saved but i guess not as Im having difficulty seeing whats what on the overlay . My eyesight isn't great so an overlay with better contrast and definition of commands will help me learn this machine a lot easier until I remember the commands . Very fun though. It really sucks you in and time flys by on it .

[@redbirdsaraceno]

Ron Cavagnaro The undo back button doesn't always work for like i mentioned in an earlier comment , it every once in a while just sort of freezes up on me.

[@RonCavagnaro]

@@redbirdsaraceno are you on the latest firmware? It rarely happens to me

[@redbirdsaraceno]

Ron Cavagnaro at the moment i'm on 3.1 but I will update it once I get my sd card usb adaptor for my pc . I did notice a couple updates saying some rare glitch fixes were made.

[@aslegu]

Good tutorial. Clear voice. Could possibly lower the volume of the Deluge bit.

[@aslegu]

One thing I find frustrating with Deluge is the clip length editing. The duplicating, length adjusting, how to do it on a single clip, then on a whole song section would be v useful. Don't really need a fancy tune or anything, just this basic functions on how make clips, clip variation and combining them together into an arrangement. Oh well, I probably just have to sit down and learn it.

[@RonCavagnaro]

Thanks this was a very old video , volume can be tough after recording:)

[@RonCavagnaro]

@@aslegu look up my deluge bootcamp playlist that will help

[@nicholasdaniel9496]

Thats Jesus Christ by brand new lol. The first 2 bars you lay out haha Great song

[@RonCavagnaro]

It's what by who? That's just made up on the spot!