{"id":15537,"date":"2021-03-30T18:53:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T22:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=15537"},"modified":"2026-02-13T13:14:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:14:26","slug":"use-randomization-in-your-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/use-randomization-in-your-music\/","title":{"rendered":"3 simple ways to use randomization in your music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We tend to think of musical compositions as collections of carefully calculated decisions that work together to express an idea.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, it can also be creatively useful and invigorating to incorporate a level of randomization into your music-making process. This isn\u2019t a new idea, as we discussed in our overview of the history of randomness in music;<\/a> composers have been using randomization as a compositional tool for centuries. Yet, often the default \u201crandom\u201d settings on digital music creation tools can yield results that are, well, too<\/em> random-sounding to be musically useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this piece, we\u2019ll take a look at three easy ways you can start using randomization to give your productions some musical interest. We\u2019ll be using Ableton Live 10 to demonstrate, but most modern DAWs will have their own native devices with similar capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Splice is now integrated into Ableton Live\u2014discover how to search, filter, and audition Splice sounds, all synced to your project\u2019s key and tempo.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Randomize octaves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll start off nice and simple. I really like to add the Random<\/strong> MIDI device to pretty much any MIDI melody, and set it to transpose notes up an octave at random. It\u2019s very easy to program this\u2014simply set the device to have one choice and 12 steps in the Scale<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"randomness-octave-in-post\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jumping around the octave will give our melody some added interest without changing the MIDI pattern at all. Add some delay for a little extra emphasis, and it\u2019ll sound something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use sample-and-hold LFOs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many stock Ableton devices have randomization capabilities built directly into them\u2014one of the most common features is the \u201csample-and-hold\u201d LFO pattern. You may have heard the term \u201csample-and-hold\u201d before; it\u2019s used commonly in the audio world (especially in synthesis) to indicate a random selection that’s held until another random selection is made. The output of a sample-and-hold LFO looks kind of like a irregular set of stair steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t mind using Max for Live devices, you can map the LFO device to any parameter in Live. But, for this example, we\u2019ll take a look at Operator<\/strong>, where this functionality is already built in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Randomization<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the top-right corner of this Operator preset patch, you\u2019ll see the LFO control panel. Select S&H<\/strong> from the drop-down menu, then tweak the Rate<\/strong> and Amount<\/strong> knobs to your liking. In this case, I\u2019ve set the LFO to re-trigger each time a note is played, so that each MIDI note generates a new random value for the LFO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we\u2019ll need to select a destination (Dest. A<\/strong>). This is the parameter that will be manipulated by the LFO. In this patch, I chose C<\/strong> and FIL<\/strong>, meaning that the LFO will randomly manipulate Oscillator C<\/strong>‘s level and filter frequency parameters. This should make our sound a bit more varied and ‘organic.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what the patch sounds like without the randomized LFO:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Get creative with slicing audio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For this technique, record some raw audio of any percussive sound.<\/a> This could be as simple as whacking something in your house repeatedly with a stick, or you could use existing samples and recordings. In this example, I\u2019ve recorded myself smacking some snow on the ground with my portable bike pump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Slicing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, we\u2019ll add a simple MIDI pattern, all playing the same note: C#1, which triggers the second audio slice. Here\u2019s what this sounds like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Implementing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, our simple MIDI pattern will randomly select one of the slices, transforming our boring percussion into a much more lively and interesting rhythmic idea:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully this piece has helped you realize that randomization in music doesn\u2019t have to be confined to avant-garde compositional techniques or synth modules. If you\u2019re interested in using these examples as a template, you can download a Live session with all of these techniques included here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any questions about a specific technique that was covered, or any randomization tips of your own that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Explore royalty-free sounds from leading artists, producers, and sound designers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Join Splice today<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We take a look at three simple but effective ways to start adding some musical randomization to your productions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":15549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1851,1850,1696],"tags":[1633,1641],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3 simple ways to use randomization in your music - Blog | Splice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We take a look at three straightforward but highly effective ways to start adding some musical randomization to your productions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/use-randomization-in-your-music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 simple ways to use randomization in your music - 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