# Cognitone Synfire (not a DAW but a Rapid Prototyping software for music)



## HiEnergy (Jul 6, 2017)

In another thread on Artificial Intelligence for composing I mentioned using Synfire.
Here are some tunes I created using Synfire:


Who else uses this and what is your experience with this kind of software?


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## Bohrium (Jul 6, 2017)

HiEnergy said:


> In another thread on Artificial Intelligence for composing I mentioned using Synfire.
> 
> ...
> 
> Who else uses this and what is your experience with this kind of software?



So ... do you start with the chords and then fill the rest in ... or start with a pattern ... or even start with a guide track played in by hand and analyzed by Synfire?

I have done all of those, but I'm still not sure that I'm faster with it than without


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## HiEnergy (Jul 6, 2017)

I usually start with some type of accompaniment using pre-analyzed or self-made patterns I've stored in a library. After building a main progression and sketching a basic song structure with a container hierarchy I add stuff like transitions, modifications, melodies and counter-melodies.
For auditioning while working in Synfire I use my trusty old JV1080 in GM mode. Working with plugins and drones in Synfire can be distracting.

The final touches and drum/percussion tracks are then added in the DAW.
I try to restrict automation to modulation, pitchbend, volume and sustain so I can keep those consistent between Synfire and the DAW.


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## Bohrium (Jul 6, 2017)

HiEnergy said:


> I usually start with some type of accompaniment using pre-analyzed or self-made patterns I've stored in a library. After building a main progression and sketching a basic song structure with a container hierarchy I add stuff like transitions, modifications, melodies and counter-melodies.
> For auditioning while working in Synfire I use my trusty old JV1080 in GM mode. Working with plugins and drones in Synfire can be distracting.
> 
> The final touches and drum/percussion tracks are then added in the DAW.
> I try to restrict automation to modulation, pitchbend, volume and sustain so I can keep those consistent between Synfire and the DAW.



Nice ... I like the idea of auditioning with a hardware synth.
I gave up on the drones and sending MIDI to a DAW for actually listening through the final plugin making the sound.
For auditioning I usually use some SoundFont player, but I never thought of hooking up one of my hardware synths.


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## ChristianM (Jul 6, 2017)

another example in other style (from me) : polynegram


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## jonathanparham (Jul 7, 2017)

have the demo for synfire, but it's really hard for me to wrap my head around


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## Bohrium (Jul 7, 2017)

jonathanparham said:


> have the demo for synfire, but it's really hard for me to wrap my head around


We've all been there ...

It gets easier once you don't think of it like a DAW. It is not supposed to be a multitrack recorder 

As I stated above I found 3 approaches to working with it:
1. you start with a guide track you played (analyse the midi and create the phrases)
2. you start with a pattern/riff or a couple of those and expand that
3. you start with a chord progression and flesh it out

As the others stated it is easiest to make the backing track and the transitions and add percussion and/or drums later in your DAW.
Most of the time I replay the melody/solos in the DAW if it needs to sound 'organic'.

It really is good for getting the creativity going ... 
I don't think I have a track I have actually made in Synfire, but I have started quite a few in it and then redone the whole thing later when I had a clear picture where I wanted to go with it since it's so easy to 'prototype' in Synfire. (like change some chords on all tracks, repeat a pattern but with another harmony, double the speed on a pattern while keeping the harmony in place and step one track from the notes of another ... stuff like that)
You can do all this stuff in a DAW ... but it gets you there faster in Synfire and then you export the MIDI and have a guide track for your piece for working on it some more in a DAW ... mixing (which you cannot do in Synfire)... etc.


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## jonathanparham (Jul 7, 2017)

Perhaps I'll give it a go again. I had some general midi files that I imported but could only get one track imported (was trying to see if the software could analyze an 8 part section). I looked at some youtube users to get some ideas but. . . yeah definitely aint a daw tho the results seemed laid out as such


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## HiEnergy (Jul 8, 2017)

Jonathan: Keep going! It's worth it.

This is a track for a contest I'm currently working on:


Of course my track is being prototyped with Synfire. It's not yet finished.
The contest requires a certain quirky synth as the only sound source... (https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=487228)

What do you guys think of that track?


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## jonathanparham (Jul 8, 2017)

HiEnergy said:


> Jonathan: Keep going! It's worth it.
> 
> This is a track for a contest I'm currently working on:
> 
> ...



interesting. Didnt study the contest rules tho. Ill look at synfire again. Also thought the harmony software was interesting as well


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## HiEnergy (Aug 22, 2017)

HiEnergy said:


> This is a track for a contest I'm currently working on:


The finished track is here:

Everything except for the drums was prototyped with Synfire Pro.


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## HiEnergy (Jan 22, 2018)

Sorry for pulling a necro...
I just finished a video on my workflow with Synfire and Ableton Live:


Be sure to enable the subtitles which I've abused for explaining the work steps.


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## HiEnergy (Feb 8, 2018)

Here's my latest video with Synfire:

This time there's no DAW involved as it's all about the compositional workflow.
Please enable subtitles for explanatory text.


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## HiEnergy (Feb 18, 2018)

HiEnergy said:


> Here's my latest video with Synfire


This video now also has german subtitles.


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## HiEnergy (Feb 24, 2018)

My latest Synfire workflow screencast showcases its MIDI import feature and some pitfalls within.

A MIDI file gets imported into a Synfire library phrase suitable for piano accompaniment.
The shown steps are

setting up import parameters
correcting harmony recognition
doing a figure recognition
adjusting the result
adding bass notes
storing the phrase in a library
I hope this video makes for some insight.

No subtitles this time as the explanatory texts are edited into the video.


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