is is possible to randomize the start of a multi-instrument? I use it to randomly trigger “addendum” sounds in my “base” music cue, but right now they are all lined up at the beginning of the music loop (1). I like the instruments to start anywhere in the timeline.
Yes, it’s possible. If you select the instrument and look at its panel in the deck, you’ll see the words “Trigger Behavior” written sideways. Clicking on those words expands the trigger behavior drawer. In the trigger behavior drawer, there’s a section labelled “Delay & Quantization.” In your case, you want delay, so click on the “Time” button. This will give you a ribbon slider that lets you specify the minimum and maximum time after the instrument is triggered that it should start playing.
You’ll also want to set the instrument to be asynchronous, so that it starts playing its assets from the start instead of from part-way through.
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thanks a lot - much apreciated.
let’s make it more complicated:
Aside from the randomization, can I snap it to the bars or randomize it by beats instead of time?
You can, yes.
In that same trigger behavior drawer, if you select the “quantization” button, you’ll be able to specify what beats or bars the selected instrument is allowed to start on. To determine the locations of beats and bars, FMOD uses the tempo markers on the event’s timeline: Each tempo marker defines the time signature and BPM of the section of timeline to the right of that tempo marker. You can see the beat and bar markers in the timeline by clicking the “beats” button in the transport controls.
However, as you’ve probably noticed, delay and quantization is an either/or thing: You can’t specify both delay and quantization for the same instrument. If you want to randomize when an instrument plays and ensure that it only plays on specific beats and bars, you’ll have to use some other method of randomizing when it plays - like, for example, giving it a parameter trigger condition based on a parameter with velocity and a random modulator, such that that parameter starts at a random value and so takes a varying amount of time to reach the value that meets the instrument’s trigger condition; or alternatively, giving the instrument a parameter trigger condition based on a parameter with an LFO modulator set to “noise” mode, such that its value changes randomly at regular intervals.
not completely sure if I understood that but can I use a trigger condition in combination wirh bar-numbers? f.e. defining random bar number between 1-50?
Yes.
- Create a parameter that runs from 0 to n, where n is 50 bars in seconds. (The exact value will depend on your BPM; as an example, I’ll assume n is 98.)
- Set the parameter’s initial value to exactly half-way through its range. (For our example of a parameter that ranges from 0-98, I’d set its initial value to 49.)
- Set the parameter’s velocity to 1. (This means that the parameter’s value will increase at a rate of one unit per second.)
- Add a random modulator to the parameter’s value. Set the random modulator to 100%. Combined with the fact that the parameter’s initial value is half-way along its range, this means that the parameter’s initial value could be anything within its range.
- Add a parameter trigger condition to the instrument. Set the min and max values of the trigger condition to the maximum value of the parameter (so, for using our example of a parameter whose max value is 98, it’d be 98-98).
- Add a tempo marker to your event (if you haven’t done so already).
- Select the instrument, and set it to be quantized to the bar.
Assuming your tempo marker is set to 120 BPM, this should result in the instrument starting to play at a random bar between 1 and 50.
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thanks for the amazing help. I will rebuild and testing it right away.
I created the paramenet “Rdm_Bar” and it seems to work, but I select the RND MOD range to full and not to the maximum (see in picture [1] ) and use the CHANCE value instead. If I am not wrong, it does the same.
In my demo I use a 10 bar 4/4 track at 100bpm.
I now have the problem that my multi-instrument triggers 2 waveforms [2] but will mute the older one, even that I have set the polyphony to 2 [3]. What do I miss here?
Update: I might be wrong on my assumtion that everything works. It is always triggered on bar 1 and has no triggering inbetween the main music.
Maybe there is a demo project file I can see this on ? I am pretty new in FMOD and probably have just to understand it correctly
I can see a number of issues in your screenshot that would prevent your event from working as you want:
- The range of the parameter trigger condition is set to the full range of the parameter. This makes the parameter trigger condition always met, instead of only met under specific circumstances. This is almost certainly why the instrument is always triggering on bar 1 instead of on a random bar between 1 and 50. To fix it, click and drag its left handle to the right. As I said in my earlier post, you should set it to the parameter’s maximum value.
- You have set the random modulator to a value other than 100%, as evidenced by the teal bar extending over the full range of the parameter in the parameter’s list on the right side of your screenshot. You need to adjust it so that it stretches ove rthe full range of the parameter.
In addition, I’m not sure what you mean by this:
I created the paramenet “Rdm_Bar” and it seems to work, but I select the RND MOD range to full and not to the maximum (see in picture [1] ) and use the CHANCE value instead. If I am not wrong, it does the same.
What do you mean by “RND MOD?”
The chance property found in an instrument’s trigger conditions is not the same as any other property. It randomizes whether the instrument should be triggered when all its other trigger conditions are met. As such, it cannot be used to randomize when an instrument plays, only whether it plays.
Does that help?
