MTV Music Generator 3: This is the Remix
- July 06, 2004 20:39 PM PST
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Mix up the beats with this crafty music creation program from the fine minds at MTV and Codemasters.
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In its most basic form samples are like the audio equivalent of LEGO bricks. Self contained beats, samples can be assembled by dropping them into the mixing program and then playing the resulting file. Arranging samples chronologically allows for a simple song, while a more complex piece can be created by placing multiple samples on different tracks at the same point in time. Samples that occur at the same time will all play together, allowing for some complex audio trickery.
Experienced song writers will no doubt want to start with a blank slate -- and the game allows you to do so -- but beginners will find the remix mode a much friendlier option. In this mode (accessible from the main screen) you can choose one of ten well-known songs to load into the mixer. From there it is a simple matter to start adding and subtracting sounds in order to customize the mix to your liking. While subtle changes may go unnoticed, with a little work you can create a remix that sounds completely different than the original track.
The songs featured in MTV Music Generator 3 include:
Once you have gotten familiar with moving samples around in the main remix interface, you can start the studio with a completely blank slate. It is somewhat daunting at first -- and a four minute song suddenly sounds like an eternity -- but a blank canvas gives you a freedom that simply isn?t present when you are remixing someone else?s work. The one limitation on studio mode has to do with the sample banks. You have to choose one of the 10 songs as an overall style, and you can only use samples that fit said style.
Experienced mixers will no doubt be frustrated by this, however the limitation is in place for a very good reason -- timing. All of the samples that are in a track library are matched for tempo. Mixing samples of different tempos requires a lot of skill and by keeping things limited the developers ensured that beginners would not be overwhelmed.
If the included samples are not complex enough for you to play with, you can create some of your own thanks to the built in ripping applet. This applet will load up any song stored on the Xbox hard drive and allow you to clip a certain section. It is important to make sure your sample begins and ends on the same note so that it will loop seamlessly. In addition to the ripper, budding maestros can also create some phat beats in the beat box, generate a melody with the on screen keyboard or open the wave editor and tweak any sample to perfection.
Because there is no easy way to output your creations (an option to copy a mix to the Xbox hard drive as a custom soundtrack would have been HIGHLY appreciated) you can only listen to them from within the game. Thankfully there is a player application included on the disc so you can queue up all of your masterpieces and then let them play while a number of visualizations scroll by on the screen. The interface is simple, but effective, and you can include your own creations or any of the many demo songs found on the disc.
Creating music is a challenging task, but the MTV Music Generator 3 makes it possible for anyone to produce listenable tunes in short order. It may be somewhat of a departure from a "typical game" but if you have any interest whatsoever in music it is certainly worth picking up. No, it will not replace a professional sampler and remixing program for the PC, but for a casual user the provided tools are more than enough to get things done and the ease of use cannot be beat.
