Challenge #1

Hello there! I'm Keith the Koala, and I'm here to challenge you. If you succeed, I'll be yours to keep in your digital achievements case to show everyone how awesome you are.

My challenge falls under the Bizarre category, and it goes like this.

Using arrangement view, create a tune with only 1 MIDI track, containing a Simpler with just one kick sample.

How the dingo dong dangled shitballs do I do that?

Send / Return tracks and Ableton Effects, remember you've got up to 12 Send / Return tracks available, and with the right effects you could create almost anything out of that kick drum.

Here's an example, you've got your kick doof doof doof doofing along, but we need a high hat on the off beat.

1. After 32 bars send that doof to Return Track A.
2. Add a Simple Delay, sync the delays together and set them to [2] (2 16th notes)
3. Turn the Dry / Wet up to 100% and leave the Feedback at 0
4. This will create a single delay, 2 16th notes after the kick plays, or exactly in between the two original kicks.
5. Now you have a double kick happening, try adding a Frequency Shifter to it and turning up the frequency, the delayed kick will pitch up and sound nothing like the original.
6. Throw an EQ8 after it all and bring out everything in the lows and mids
7. Try giving it a short Reverb?
8. Try bit crushing it with a Redux?
9. What else can you think of that might help turn this sound into something that resembles a hi hat?

See how far you can get with your 12 Send / Return tracks ... Snares, Basslines, Pads, Chords, even a Melody if you dare! You can use as much automation and modulation as you like, just remember, I only want to see ONE MIDI track in the entire project.

All genres are accepted except power noise and related genres that sound like a knife caught in a garbage disposal.

Best of luck, and if you have any questions, head over to the Challenge forums.

- Keith

p.s. Here's a video Tom's made of how he went about it.

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