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Output Creator User Guide
Updated over a month ago

Getting Started

Welcome to Output Creator. We are excited to introduce this new application to help you do what you love most: make music.

Don't have Output Creator installed yet? Learn how to install Output Creator here.

Need help with a term that is new to you? Check out our Glossary at the bottom of this page.

Output Creator Walkthrough Video

Quickstart Tips

Tip #1: Choose one of the Starters on the Home page or type in any vibe you are looking for into Output Creator to create a custom Starter project tailored to you. Starters contain 4-6 curated tracks of sounds like Chords, Drums, Bass, Vocals, etc that go well together. We recommend choosing a starter to get right into making music.

Tip #2: Each Starter comes loaded with 4-6 cohesive tracks. Each track contains a Kit, or a curated selection of sounds, which includes 15 sounds per Kit. For example, a kit with drums includes 15 drum sounds you can hold down and play on your QWERTY keyboard.

Tip # 3: Try out what sounds you like in each track, then combine and arrange them together into something you like. You can always add or remove a track.

Tip #4: Try something new. You can experiment with new sounds, genres, and vibes by recording a track and then using the Alternate Kit selector arrows at the top right of your screen. This keeps all recorded data but will change the samples in that track.

Choosing a Starting Point

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Home

Welcome home. On this page, you can push your boundaries with cutting-edge Starters, make a new song with a blank slate with Start From Scratch, or open a recently saved project.

Describe a Vibe

Type in any vibe or style you're looking for and Output Creator will create a custom palette of sounds for you to work with automatically.

Starters

Starters offer a fast, easy way to get your song started. You can think of them as templates or kits. We’ve curated them to inspire and help you make a cohesive track as quickly as possible.

To select a Starter, go to Home at the top navigation of Output Creator, then choose a Starter from a section that interests you. The application will load four hand-selected kits in a new session so you can start making music instantly.

Start From Scratch

Selecting Start From Scratch on the Homepage allows you the opportunity to start on a blank slate and have Output Creator build a custom tailored session for you. Once selected, you will be met with a text prompt, where you can type in any vibe or style you're looking for and a project will be built automatically to your specs.

Open A Project

This option will open a window that allows you to choose an existing Project from your computer. Next to this section, you will also see Recent Projects, a fast way to select your most recent projects to load and continue.

Making Music with Output Creator

Adding a Sound

Whether you’ve kicked off your session with a Starter, created a blank project, or have opened a recent project, you can refine your sound by choosing the fitting kits for your track. Each track can be loaded with a kit, each with 15 samples.

Adding or Deleting Track

Press the "Add Sound" button on the left panel to add a new track and start searching for sounds. This action will open the Browser so you can add a Kit to that track.

To delete a track, hover over the track you wish to delete. Then, click the trash can icon on that track to delete it from your session. This will also erase all sounds contained on that track.

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Browser

Whether you’ve loaded a starter or are editing an existing project, you can always change the Kit you have loaded into a track.

To browse the entire Kit collection, click the "Add Sound" tile on the left hand side of Output Creator.

Once in this window, you can use filters to hone in on a more specific type of instrument you seek. For example, let’s say you’d like to add bass to your track. You can select “Basses” and then explore a section that best fits the type of bass you are looking for, such as Synth Bass, Clean Electric, etc.

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Use the “Show More” button at the bottom of each section to load more options.

On the left of each Kit, you will see a play button. Select this to preview the kit before you load it into your session.

Recording Audio

To start recording your own audio, click the "Record Audio" tile on the left panel inside any session.

You will need to follow the prompts in order to properly setup your input and output for audio recording.

On Mac, click "Allow" when prompted to grant permission for Output Creator to use your microphone.

We recommend using headphones when recording audio in order to prevent feedback and ensure a good recording.

Note = Bluetooth headsets are not currently supported when recording audio.

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Configuring Output Creator

An input device is required to record music in your session. Output Creator will use your already-existing computer keyboard so you can make music right away. On the Create page, you are met with a keyboard layout corresponding to the left half of a US QWERTY keyboard. These keys correspond to a different sample within a loaded Kit, so you can start recording immediately and without an external MIDI controller.

MIDI Controllers

If you have a MIDI controller, setup is easy. Before launching Output Creator, connect your MIDI controller to your computer using a direct cable or Bluetooth, and you should be ready to play.

To verify that your MIDI controller is connected, open Settings, then check the Active MIDI Inputs section. If you have multiple MIDI devices, be sure that the one you wish to use is selected. If your Bluetooth device is not shown, select the Bluetooth MIDI button to find, pair, and select your MIDI device.

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Editor

Output Creator is packed with intuitive, easy-to-discover ways to edit your recorded samples in the editor or clips in your timeline. In the menu bar, you will find several options with their corresponding keyboard shortcuts for your system. Below are a few ways you can use the edit features to improve your music production experience:

  • Selecting: Simply click, then drag your mouse over samples to highlight your desired area. To select entire samples in the editor or clips in your timeline, click on the desired sample/clip.

  • Extending sample and clips: Simply move your mouse to the end of a sample or clip to reveal this tool. When using this tool on a sample, you will notice visual cues on when a sample will begin to loop or repeat. Extending a clip will reveal more space to record samples in that clip.

  • Copying: You can copy/paste your selections to speed up your editing process. Move the playhead to the desired location where you wish to paste your selection. When you paste a selection, the sample or clip will paste wherever the playhead is located.

  • Copy-Drag: To speed up editing, we’ve built in copy-drag to duplicate your work quickly. When holding down the option key on a Mac or CTRL on a PC, click then drag your sample, clip, or custom selection to a new location in the editor or arrangements sections of your session.

  • Undo/Redo: Did it sound better a few edits ago? Undo some edits. Did you change your mind after undoing an action? You can redo it. Use the Edit menu in the Menu Bar or use the Undo/Redo shortcuts.

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Toolbar/Transport

The toolbar and transport area offer several easy-to-access and powerful features to help you edit and manage your session. Here you can:

  • Change the tempo, or BPM, of your song

  • Change the key signature of your song

  • Enable/disable the built-in metronome to help stay on beat

  • Reset the Playhead position to the beginning of your track

  • Start or stop playback

  • Enable or disable Looping

  • Undo and Redo edit actions

  • Zoom in and out of your timeline

  • Reveal or hide the keyboard feature

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Looping

Output Creator allows you to loop any given length of your song in your timeline to easily add more samples to your track without stopping playback. Looping a section of your song is a great way to iterate, build, and further brainstorm your song.

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You can enable looping by pressing the Looping button. You can change your looping start and stop points by dragging the looping elements, as shown below.
Press the Looping button to turn off Looping, and your track will play back normally.

Arranging and Mixing Your Song

Clips

Your music will appear as a clip or multiple clips in each track. For example, you can have one large clip for each track, or you can record a more complex clip and then copy/paste that clip into your timeline if you wish to duplicate parts of your song. The option is there for you.

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Clips can be extended, shortened, copied, or deleted altogether. In order to commit samples to a clip, those samples must be captured before the end of each clip, or a new clip will be generated to accommodate your new recording.

Mixer & FX

To refine the tracks in your song further, use the Volume, Pan, and FX controls at the top of each track on the timeline. You will find track headers and several options to modify your song here.

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Track Headers

Track headers will display the Kit name, type of instrument, and the artwork associated with the loaded Kit. Additionally, you will find:

  • Mute: Mutes the selected track. This track will not play back.

  • Solo: When enabled, you will only hear the solo-enabled track or only tracks that have solo enabled. All other tracks will be muted. Visual dimming of each track helps represent which track or tracks will be audible.

  • Volume: A volume slider is available to edit the amplitude of each track. A decibel value will show where your levels are. The lower the value, the quieter your track.

    • Slider: Changes the value in quantities of 1db.

    • Double-Click Value: You can refine custom values to a tenth of a decibel.

  • Pan: Panning determines where the audio of your track is living in your mix (e.g., where you hear sounds– to the left, right, or center). By default, each sound lives in center stage. To stage your track Left (negative value) or Right (positive value), move the slider in the desired direction.

    • Slider: Changes the value in quantities of 1%.

    • Double-Click Value: You can refine custom values to tenths of a percent.

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Sharing Your Song

Sharing your song in Output Creator is easy. Once you are ready to share with the world, exporting your music is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

  1. Click the Share button at the top right of Output Creator

  2. Your song will begin rendering.

  3. When the render is complete, you can hear your song or Download it to your computer to save the file wherever you would like on your computer.

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Glossary

  1. Alternate Kit: A secondary set of sounds or instruments used in music creation to provide variety or alternative options to the main Kit.

  2. Amplitude: The extent or magnitude of a sound wave, representing the volume or loudness of a musical element.

  3. Arrangement: The organizational structure and sequencing of different sections, patterns, or musical elements within a composition, determining the overall flow and progression of the music.

  4. Audio Buffer Size: The amount of audio data stored in a buffer, affecting the processing speed and efficiency of real-time audio playback and recording in music production.

  5. Browser: A tool or window in music software that allows users to browse and select various sounds, samples, or presets for use in their compositions.

  6. Capture: The process of recording or capturing a musical idea, performance, or snippet for later use in a composition.

  7. Clip: A segment of audio or MIDI data that can be manipulated, arranged, and repeated in music production software.

  8. Editor: A feature, tool, or section within music software that enables users to modify, edit, or refine audio or MIDI content.

  9. Kit: A collection of curated samples or sounds grouped together for use in creating cohesive musical ideas.

  10. Loop: A repeating segment of audio or MIDI data that can be used to create continuous and repetitive patterns in a composition.

  11. Looping: The technique of using loops to create repetitive and continuous musical patterns in a composition.

  12. MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface - a protocol that allows electronic musical instruments, computers, and software to communicate and control each other.

  13. MIDI Controller: A hardware device used to send MIDI messages to control various aspects of music software, such as synthesizers, virtual instruments, or digital audio workstations (DAWs).

  14. Mixer: A feature in music production software that allows users to control the levels, balance, and processing of individual tracks within a composition, facilitating the blending and shaping of the overall sound mix.

  15. Mute: To silence or turn off the sound of a specific track or instrument in a composition.

  16. Pan: The adjustment of the stereo position of a sound within a mix, controlling its placement between the left and right channels.

  17. Playhead: A visual marker in music software that indicates the current playback position within the timeline, allowing users to navigate and locate specific points in their composition during playback or editing.

  18. Sample Rate: The number of samples of audio carried per second, influencing the audio quality and frequency response in digital music production.

  19. Solo: To isolate and listen to a specific track or instrument in a composition while muting all other tracks.

  20. Starter: A basic set of tools, sounds, or instruments to help beginners initiate their music creation process.

  21. Timeline: A visual representation of the chronological arrangement of musical events and elements in a composition.

  22. Toolbar: A collection of icons or tools in music software used for various editing, arranging, and mixing functions.

  23. Track: An individual channel or layer within a music composition, representing a specific instrument or sound source.

  24. Track Header: The section of a track in music software where essential information and controls for the track are displayed.

  25. Transport: Controls in music software for playback, recording, and navigation through the timeline of a composition.

  26. Waveform: A visual representation of the amplitude of an audio signal over time, commonly used for editing and analyzing audio in music production.

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