How to create a song in Note Block Studio

by Bentroen

This guide will walk you through the process of creating a song using Note Block Studio! By the end of it, you'll learn how to use some of the most important features of the app to create a song that you can upload to Note Block World.

Overview

Note Block Studio is a free, open-source music editor that lets you create songs using Minecraft note blocks. We'll be using it to create a song that we can upload to Note Block World!

Download and install Note Block Studio, a free and open-source tool for creating songs in the Note Block format.
Launch Note Block Studio and click 'Create a new song' to start a new project.
Use the piano keys at the bottom of the window to select a key. Then, click on the workspace to add notes to the song.
Change the instrument by clicking one of the instrument icons in the toolbar at the top, and add a few more notes.
Use the toolbar to play, pause, stop, and loop the song. Drag the playback marker to navigate through the song.
Save your project by clicking the "Save" button in the toolbar.

You've learned the steps to create a simple song! Now, let's dive deeper into each feature of Note Block Studio to create more complex and interesting songs.

Keys

On the piano keys at the bottom of the window, you can select the key of note blocks you're about to place on the workspace. By joining note blocks set to different keys, you can create melodies, harmonies, and chords.

Click on a key to select it. The selected key will be highlighted in blue.

Note keys that are tinted red on the piano are out of the range supported by Minecraft note blocks. You can still use them in Note Block Studio, but you won't be able to play these notes in Minecraft (if that's your goal). You can also transpose notes to bring them back into the supported range.

Instruments

Note Block Studio comes with 16 different instruments that you can use to create your song, each one corresponding to a note block instrument available in Minecraft. Each instrument has a unique sound and key range, allowing you to create songs with a variety of tones and textures.

To change the instrument you're working with, click one of the instrument icons in the toolbar at the top of the screen, or use the keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+1 through 9 for the first 9 instruments, and Ctrl+Shift+1 through 7 for the other 7). It will be selected and used for the next note you add.

To change the instrument of existing notes, click and drag to select the notes you want to change, right-click the workspace, hover over the "Change instrument..." option, and select the desired instrument from the menu.

You can select all notes with a specific instrument by selecting it in the top bar, then right-clicking the workspace, and choosing the option Select all <instrument>. This is useful for making changes to all notes of a specific instrument at once. In the same way, you can select all notes except those using this specific instrument by choosing the option Select all but <instrument>.

You can also create custom instruments to use any sound file you want in your song! This will be covered in a future guide, so keep an eye out for it.

Selections

Working with selections is an important part of the workflow in Note Block Studio, as it allows you to manipulate notes in bulk - arguably the best thing about working with an editor rather than directly using note blocks in Minecraft!

To select a single note, hold Ctrl and click on the note.
You can select multiple notes by clicking and dragging on the workspace.
Holding Ctrl while dragging will add notes to your existing selection instead of starting a new selection.
You can also drag while holding the right mouse button to remove notes from the selection.

Once you've made a selection, you can:

Move it by clicking over one of the selected notes, and dragging it to a new location.
Copy, cut, paste, or delete it using the toolbar at the top of the screen, by right-clicking, or by using the usual keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V, and Delete, respectively).

Selecting notes also lets you change them in other ways, all of which are available in the context menu that appears when you right-click the workspace, or by using the keyboard shortcuts below:

Transpose: You can transpose the selected notes up or down by a certain number of semitones. This is useful for changing the key of a section of the song, or for creating harmonies.
- Transpose up (Ctrl+R): Transpose the selected notes up by one semitone.
- Transpose down (Ctrl+F): Transpose the selected notes down by one semitone.
- Transpose one octave up: Transpose the selected notes up by one octave (12 semitones).
- Transpose one octave down: Transpose the selected notes down by one octave (12 semitones).
Change the instrument: You can change the instrument of the selected notes to any of the 16 available instruments. Right-click the workspace, hover over the "Change instrument..." option, and select the desired instrument from the menu.

Layers

Layers are a powerful feature in Note Block Studio that allow you to organize your notes into different sections. Each layer lets you set a name, volume and panning values, as well as mute and solo the layer.

Layers are created automatically as you place notes. You can add a new layer between two existing layers by clicking the + button next to the layer name. This is useful for separating different sections of the song, such as the melody, harmony, and bass.
In the same way, you can delete a layer by clicking the trash can button next to the layer name. This is useful for removing sections of the song that you no longer need.
You can also reorder layers by clicking the up and down arrows next to the layer name. This is useful for changing the order of sections in the song in a way that makes sense to you.
To name a layer, click on the layer name box and type a new name. This is useful for keeping track of which section of the song each layer represents!
To select all blocks in a layer, click the dotted square icon next to the layer name. This is useful for making changes to all notes in a layer at once.
You can lock a layer by clicking the padlock icon next to the layer name. Locking a layer mutes all of its notes and prevents you from selecting them. This is useful for focusing on one section of the song at a time, or for comparing different sections.
You can also do the opposite: solo a layer by clicking the exclamation mark icon next to the layer name. This is useful for isolating a section of the song to hear it in more detail.

Conclusion

This tutorial has covered the basics of creating a song in Note Block Studio. By using keys, selections, layers, and instruments to your advantage, you can create a whole range of musical ideas to bring your songs to life!

Although the features covered here are just the beginning, they provide a solid foundation for creating songs in Note Block Studio. You can go a long way with just these tools!

In future guides, we'll explore more advanced features, such as macros, stereo panning, velocity and custom instruments, to help you take your songs to the next level.

Still need help? Reach out to us!