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BeatMaking Unit: Choosing Sounds 3.0

Activity Option 3

  1. Go to websynths.com and try out different “patches” and “presets.”
  2. Explain to students that a preset or patch is a way of configuring a Synthesizer such as WebSynth to generate a sound like a particular instrument. For instance, the WebSynth can be configured to sound like a Trumpet, a Bass or a String sound.
  3. At the very top of the interface, click where it says “001: light show”, then click on the categories of sounds where it says “all”.
  4. Listen to the different sounds and try to identify their types.
  5. Discuss in relation to students’ music, students’ questions & perspectives, and the generative questions

Extension

  • Have students start out with the same patch
  • Then have students experiment with the different parameters they chan change lower on the page by moving the sliders in different ways
  • Have students listen to each other’s sounds that they create and design by changing the parameters with the sliders
  • This could possibly lead to some additional conversations or activities related to sound design