How To Use Band On Demand

Please read this tutorial carefully. There are key concepts throughout. Also, feel free Contact Us with any support questions.

Latest video tutorials

• Band On Demand Overview
• Producing a Song with Band On Demand Part I
• Producing a Song with Band On Demand Part II
• How to Install in GarageBand & Logic
• Using Loops in the "Full Strums" folder
• Editing Band On Demand Loops

Installation
For most programs there really isn't any. You just copy the contents of the disc onto your hard drive and drag and drop loops into your recording software. Some programs, like Cakewalk, preview and access loops via the Loop Explorer Window. Others, like Pro Tools, call it the Workspace Window. For Garageband and Logic you should install each Song Set folder one at a time. Do not install one big folder with all of the Song Sets in it. After doing so, you access the Song Sets under "My Loops."

The basics
Each of the six Song Sets (or kits) in Band On Demand(tm) I provides loops for the most common major and minor chords in two different keys, as well as the flat seventh for both keys. So, for the kit "114 BPM in A and E" the loop chords are: A, B, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m, F#, C# and G. The choice of keys we made it in was based on the basic guitar riff or song style. Choose to create your song in the key that is most comfortable to you. Here are some links if you want to learn more about common chord patterns in pop music.

Set your project to the original tempo of the Song Set you've chosen and build your song at that BPM. Loops have been tempo tagged in Acid® and Apple Loops format so can change the tempo a bit faster or slower without noticeable degradation, but we recommend you keep the tempo at the original BPM.

In each of the six Song Sets, there are generally several acoustic guitar parts, several electric guitar parts, 1-2 bass parts, piano, synth (pad), percussion and a Drums On Demand Song Set with plenty of drum loops to choose from. After setting your software or DAW to the "snap to grid mode" (or something similar where the loops "snap" to the measure markers,) drag and drop the loops to build your song.

Put your song together using just one main drum loop and then when the song is more completed, build out the drum track using as much variety in drum loops as possible. The variation of the drum loops will give your song a realistic feel. If you have other Drums On Demand drum loop volumes, feel free to try other drum loops in your project. In our beta testing this worked and really changed the character and potential of any song kit.

If you have not used our drum loops before, then read the !readme Drums On Demand PDF on disc or in your download so you can understand how they are organized.

Editing loops
Most loops are two measures (bars) long. You can use the loops as is, or using your recording software, you can edit -- by peeling back the front or back end of the loop -- down to one bar, a half a bar and sometimes more. Sometimes the first measure of the loops is exactly the same as the second measure, sometimes there is a variation.

When editing, choose the part of the loop that best loops or fits what you need for your song. Experiment. In our beta testing we found success in things like combining the first half of the first measure with the second half of the second measure and so on.

We have tried to play, record and tighten the loops so they can be cut up without extensive hand editing. This type of cut-and-paste editing will be covered in more forthcoming YouTube tutorials. Do a search for "Drums On Demand Band On Demand" on YouTube for the latest. If you are editing the length of a loop extensively and you get a small "click" or "pop" at the end of the loop, don't worry, any small clicks will generally be covered up by the drum track as you build the song out.

Full strums folder
Use the full, open-ended strums (1-4 bar) in any particular Song Set or those in the "Full Strums For All Kits" folder for intros, bridges, breakdowns, etc. Selectively using the whole note strums here and there can add significant realism to your track. If a regular guitar loop sounds chopped off or "abrupt" at the beginning or end of any sequence in your song, use full note strums as a "patch" or "band aid" to give your track better flow.

The strums in the open strums folder were recorded at 100 BPM and have not been tempo tagged. They are designed to work across all of the Song Sets in this volume. The strums include: acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic, electric guitar, high-strung acoustic guitar, power electric guitar, bass and piano. Single bass notes are in the full strums folder so you can also build your own basic bass lines if wanted.

Important: Because full strums on guitar actually start before the down beat (not bass and piano) when you lay them into your project and they snap to the grid, they will not be in time. They will be late. So after you lay them in, you will need to move the full strums forward just a bit until they sound natural, like a real guitarist would play them. This is true for the open strums in the open strums folder as well as those full strums in individual Song Sets. Just turn off "snap to grid" and slide any of the full strum notes a few fractions of a second forward in the timeline.

Because the chords in the full note strums folder are meant to be used across all Song Sets and keys, remember that C# is the same as Db, Eb the same as D#, etc.

Pitch Changing
Although we designed Band On Demand so as not to require pitch changing, if needed you can probably get away with some pitch changing 1/2 step up or down, depending the capabilities of your recording software. Melodic instrument loops have not been tagged with a specific key. So don't use "global key changes" in your recording software to change the pitch of a loop, use the pitch change function.

More on drum loops
The drum loop set is one of our regular Drums On Demand Song Sets. Keep in mind that .alt loops might not have the right kick drum pattern to match the overall groove. So be careful with those. Remember the main DOD grooves have an ! at the front of them !Verse, !Chorus, !Bridge in this case. There are many drum loops with various descriptions (crash, fills, intro, rim, etc.) to round out your track, including a few percussion loops and other single hits. Use .crash loops at the beginning of 4 and 8 bar sections (after fills, etc.) LL are Loop Layers that can be used for breakdowns (or to build your own grooves). Building a drum track with variations is the final key to making the loop-based track to sound as realistic as possible. Again, read the !readme Drums On Demand PDF.

Other notes
Some loops sound more "loopy" than others. Especially when you are soloing them. But as you build the song out things will start to paste together so to speak. Also, keep in mind that the DOD drum loops really add a live feel to the entire song as those vary a lot (compared to music loops). The more variation you can create as you add drums, the more realistic your song will sound. Adding full strums here will help provide realism as well.

While not required to create a great song, you can add even more creativity to your project by looking for loops in other Song Sets outside the one you are working with (but near that BPM).

If there is no "m" chord in the set that means it is either a bass loop or it's a guitar chord that is played so that it will go with the major or minor chord.

Use different loops in different sections of the songs to build momentum and realism. Think like an arranger.

License and legal notes
FBI WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction, distribution or re-sale of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

License
A license is granted for use and performance of Band On Demand and Drums On Demand audio loops in the buyer’s new or existing musical compositions -- commercial and otherwise. The license does not include use in making and selling any music loops, samples or backing tracks for musicians (jam tracks and competitive products). Any use, distribution, rental, re-sale or reproduction of these loops, or any part thereof, for any other purpose is expressly prohibited.

Thanks,
The Band On Demand Team

Liability
Total liability shall not exceed the amount of the suggested list price or actual price paid for the license to use these loops, whichever is lower, regardless of any form of the claim.