Heavenly Music's range of standard MIDI files on disk include quality drum and bass patterns. Derek Johnson puts them to work.

Many of you will already be familiar with Heavenly Music through their respected library of songs in MIDI File Format, arranged as faithfully as the GM/GS format allows. However, Heavenly the company was more or less launched with one disk — Dr. Beat, a collection, in MIDI File Format, of well-programmed drum patterns in a wide variety of styles. Another volume followed, as did the two other disks reviewed here, Beat 'n' Bass and Ramjam. Beat 'n' Bass follows the Dr Beat format and adds typical bass line and guitar patterns, whereas Ramjam is a little different in that it is a collection of preset patterns to improvise to.

To use any of Heavenly's disks your sequencer must be able to read standard MIDI files, since this is what the disks contain. The other thing you need — and you'd be surprised at the number of people that miss this point — is a MIDI controllable, multi-timbral sound source.

DR. BEAT 1 & 2

Basically Dr. Beat aims to provide the MIDI musician with a selection of high quality drum patterns in a wide variety of styles. You could look at the disks as the preset section of a drum machine, except that they are somewhat better and more interesting.

The patterns were originally written using a Roland U20 and Steinberg Cubase; the drum map used on most Roland gear is more or less equivalent to that found in General MIDI, though the patterns are constantly being tweaked and the current versions are in fact 100% GM/GS drum map compatible.

Right, down to work... Go to your File menu, select 'Load MIDI File', and pick a pattern — try one of the demos first. The first thing you'll notice is that the drum parts are split into several tracks. The basic kit sounds may be on one track, but anything interesting in the way of extra percussion is found on its own track, allowing you to mute or cut and paste at will. This is part of the whole ethos of Heavenly's patterns: experimentation. Using the different patterns and intros and fills, it is possible to piece together interesting and realistic drum parts. And don't hesitate to slow tempos down or paste together parts from different patterns to create all-new patterns.

Space is too short to go into too much detail about individual patterns. However, I can venture to say that the presentation is excellent, as is the documentation (which is on the disk). The quality of the patterns is uniformly high — they feel right. Latin patterns are especially good (just have a listen to the Latin demo)

Volume 1 has the patterns saved into 14 style-specific folders: Afro, Caribbean, Dance, Funk, House, Jazz, Latin, Latin Rock, Reggae, Rock, Soul, Swing Beat, South American and Techno, plus a folder full of fills. Heavenly claim the total number of patterns to be over 150; I think there are actually rather more, at least by my count.

Dr. Beat 2 doesn't have quite as many patterns as the first selection, but the 40 or so patterns are actually complete songs (typically up to 60 bars in length) as opposed to the 8-bar chunks provided in Volume 1. It's up to you to chop and change the various sections into something that suits your needs. Patterns here include 3/4 Ballad, Chacha, Latin Swingbeat, Acid Swing, Salsa, Afro Dance, Beatle Drum(!), Thrash, Philly, and Toto Swing, amongst many other more everyday offerings of the pop, rock, soul, house, dance variety.

As I said at the start, the range is still growing: just out are Dr Beat 50s & 60s Vol 1, Dr Beat World Rhythms Vol 1, Dr Beat Rock Vol 1 and Dr Beat Soul and Dance Vol 1, all for £13.95 each. Every computer musician should have at least one!

BEAT 'N' BASS

The Beat 'n' Bass disk is similar to the Dr. Beat series, but adds a bass line and a guitar part. There are almost 60 patterns on the disk, and the air of musicality and quality of the Dr Beat series is again evident. However, I'll say right out that it's a little harder to work with. The way in which Heavenly have designed the bass lines means that you, the musician, need to work a little bit before the patterns become useful. In their raw state, all bass lines consist of one note played over and over in a rhythm appropriate to the pattern. The work comes in transposing notes and selections of notes to fit the chord sequence that you want to play with. The same goes for the guitar parts. This is a logical way of doing it, and the Read Me file offers a lot of advice, with a few examples for you to try out if you're at all confused.

The result is that by default, the patterns become customised to your needs as you use and modify them. Once again a wide range of styles is provided, with the usual range of Latin, dance, pop and rock styles. Definitely worth the effort.

RAMJAM

Ramjam is a different kettle of beats entirely: a collection of 10 drum and bass patterns in a variety of styles for you to, well, jam to. The object is simply to have fun or, if you haven't got as much access to other musicians as you'd like, to hone your improvisatory skills. I've said it before, and here it comes again: Heavenly's disk-based documentation is exhaustive and helpful, and in this case it not only tells you what to do with the disk and the patterns, but offers a comprehensive tutorial on improvising as well! Talk about value for money.

The patterns range from Blues to Funk, to Fusion, to R&B to Salsa, and even a Jig, should you require it. To get started, load up a pattern, and have a listen — a solo is already in place. These are so well-programmed that this is rather a pleasant experience. If you decide you can do better, mute the solo instrument, and play along. To assess just how great (or bad!) is your soloing, set a track into record and listen back to the unquantised truth. This is a very valuable experience and is applicable to any instrument, since you could jam along with guitar, sax or whatever, not just a synth sound. As Heavenly say "It's the only way to get your chops together... next to a real band."

Heavenly's range continues to grow in all directions — there's already a Ramjam Volume 2, for example, and I can't wait to hear it.

THE FINAL FRONTIER

All four disks reviewed here can be summed up in one word: quality. Both Dr Beat disks would provide you with an excellent collection of drum patterns to work with — think of them as a superior breed of preset — and may provide more than a little inspiration if you're just not good at writing your own patterns.

Beat 'n' Bass is a little harder to assess, although the patterns are again excellent. There's not such 'instant' gratification as with the Dr Beat disks, but the patterns can be just as inspirational given a little preparation. If you haven't got a clue how bass lines and guitar parts work or should be programmed, then Beat 'n' Bass should give you some valuable insights. And Ramjam? This was the most fun I've had with my sequencer for ages. I can recommend it for this purpose alone or as an excellent and useful teaching aid, given the helpful documentation. Again, it requires a little effort on your part, but is very rewarding. At under £20 a disk, all four are good value. So what are you waiting for?

Further information

Dr Beat 1, Dr Beat 2 and Ramjam £13.95 each, + £1.50 postage.
Beat 'n' Bass £19.95 + £1.50 postage.

Heavenly Music, (Contact Details).