template or accompaniment download?

frank12 · Post by **frank12** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:48 am

Hi can someone recomend a site where I can download a template or accompaniment for triton le? i searched the download section but it only has the instruments. thanks.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:28 am

Are you looking for a song or sequence template? By accompaniment do you mean the arp patterns?

I'm not sure there is loadable template data. I'm not a big sequencing guy, but my recollection is that there are several song templates that can be pulled up automatically - you are correct that there are few (ok, none) posted at the download section, but I think that's because they aren't generally even considered as needed.

As to the arp patterns, one or two of which are used to generate accompaniment, you can find them on most full .pcgs (i.e., those that include global data - examples: "factory" and EXB .pcg files). most of the time you only load the prog/combi banks, but the other data is there, lurking.

If you are looking for ways to hack the Triton's system, there are ways. On my Classic I reorganized the arps to cut out many of the patterns I had no use for (string and strum patterns) in favor of drum patterns from several EXB's -- you can load the drum patterns even if you don't have the EXB board installed. If you have a capable librarian you can also lift individual drum patterns (arps) from the Triton Extreme, tho you can't load the whole Extreme .pcg directly.

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frank12 · Post by **frank12** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:13 pm

thanks for the reply. i'm looking for a song and also some templates. for example, i want to play a song with a bossanova beat. similar to accompaniment loaded on some yamaha psr keyboards.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:01 pm

Frank12,

OK, what you're talking about is "styles" in Korg-speak and the LE, while very capable, does not really support this as a strong suit - it is much more suited to straight up 4/4 dance/pop/hip-hop stuff (~75%), 4/4 pop/ballads with other styles making up almost all the rest (almost)... as it comes from the factory.

For fuller "styles" type accompaniment you'd want an i-series or PA-series synth or module. The new M-series has drum tracks that support in much larger range, a variety of styles including the latin and jazz tracks you might be looking for.

And you are correct in noting that there are few of these "style" oriented combis for the LE/Triton series - they're not completely non-existent, just difficult to find. One problem is the lack of "straight" or strict-style patterns like bossa-nova, merengue, cha-cha or waltz in the arp section. Even mid-tempo rock patterns are difficult to find good examples of.

You're limited to two arp patterns in the Triton series. So you need to know what the patterns are and what they do... and how to tweak 'em.

What I recommend you do is look at the few examples you do have of the styles you want and mine them for ideas on how to generate your own patterns.

For instance changing the resolution of one pattern to triplets can give you a 3 against 4 pattern that's got a more latin feel. Look at adding swing in amounts between 10 and 20% to get a more loose feel than the "machine" 4/4 of some of the dance patterns. Limiting the drum kit ranges until just bass and snare playcan pare down the "busy" dance patterns into something that is more useable in other styles. Listen to patterns at 60, 90, 120 and 135 BPM - the character changes with tempo, as it also does with drum kits.

And speaking of drum kits - learn to write one - then generate a couple that are just random (A) clicks, brushes and shakers (softer), and (B) hand percussion, latin/world drums (harder) and use those kits with some of the dance patterns and tune the kit up or down to get different and more varied results.

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frank12 · Post by **frank12** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:54 pm

@billbaker

thank you for the comprehensive explanation. i'll do what you suggested. is there any chance of downloading styles for the i series and then transfering it to the smartmedia so i can use it in triton le?

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:49 am

The Triton series is very unlike anything in the I- or PA- series from the standpoint of synth architecture so there is NO provision for simply transferring data between platforms and the LE has no provision for generating or playing multi-track interactive accompaniment.

The closest it comes to that is that bass and synth arps can be made to follow a root bass note and will to a greater or lesser extent (depending on parameters) "read" your playing and select notes to arpeggiate based on that.

In the plus column, generally speaking, most Korg formatted sequence data regardless of platform can be also be saved as a .mid or .smf midi file so you can always just download and play midi files. You could record a neutral (just drums) backing track for styles you want or import them into your LE's sequencer section.

Using a computer based sequencer you can quickly strip out drum patterns from standard midi files - again regardless of origin - midi is midi.

Many examples of the exact patterns you want can be found on the web (search: free midi drum patterns, and check out www.groovemoney.com, twiddlybits and other sources for free as well as paid patterns, look for .mid or .smf song files by title to find useable source material (drum patterns).

Those patterns can be played and accompanied by you in real time just as you would in playing along with a drum machine. The advantage being that you can have variations in pattern, break beats, bridges, fills, intro/outro, fadeouts etc. The limitation is that these are set and non-interactive patterns so a fill, for example, that happens every eighth measure will play regardless of whether the section you just played was 8 or 12 bars long.

By a somewhat byzantine method you can import these midi sequence data into another platform (your LE) and convert that data into user arps the simplest of which to do are drum patterns. Again, with LE you are limited to 2 simultaneous arps so you need to really think on what you want patterns to do how long they are, etc.

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You could also sidestep the whole issue by getting an accompaniment program to use with you computer along side the LE.

Something like 'Band-in-a-Box' has (as of the last time I looked at it) a couple of hundred styles and enough interactivity that you'd be able to use it live as well as in studio. B-i-a-B includes not only a comprehensive spectrum of "standard" style patterns including some really good Jazz patterns(*), but also many genre/artist specific styles so you could play stuff that sounds like instant Jimmy Buffet or Steely Dan or Motown.

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(*) the whole "Real Book" used to be available as B-i-a-B formatted accompaniment files - a great rehearsal tool for instrumental soloists.

frank12 · Post by **frank12** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:13 pm

I really appreciate your help. thank you very much. i may also try this band in a box software. if i try the band in a box, would this allow for an interactive pattern if my triton is connected via midi in/out? may i also ask other 3rd party alternative other than band in a box? thanks again.