MIDI and COMPUTERS – WHAT YOU WILL NEED

So, I know you’ve all been busy looking under the hood of your keyboard to see what’s in the MIDI setup! Hopefully you’ve found a few things in there that I mentioned so far…MIDI Transmit channel (MIDI TX), MIDI receive channel (MIDI RX), LOCAL CONTROL (ON/OFF), etc. There are more controls, i.e., continuous controllers, system exclusive, MIDI Global and others. At some point, I’ll tell you about each of those, but only if you really want to know. Sometimes it’s better not to delve into stuff you’re never planning on using.

Anyway, I’ve been showing lots of examples using all hardware. I used a Roland MC500MkII sequencer for many years until computers started to become the standard for music production. My studio is based around a computer as many of your project studios out there are as well. For those of you who are just getting into using a computer as your music production nucleus, here’s some starter info for you.

Most computers and software these days are capable of recording MIDI and audio. Here it is, your be-all end-all solution for making your own music with professional results in the comfort of your spare bedroom, basement, or wherever, while in your underwear. Sounds great? It is. A few things we MUST have in order to begin doing this. First, get some underwear…oh, wait…we’re talking about the music here…First thing we MUST have is a way for our music to get INTO the computer. There are no real pro-music-friendly plugs on a computer with the exception of the 1/8” jacks on the sound card for a microphone and a headphone/speaker output. These are typically average quality and not really suitable for the type of quality you are going to want for your audio…but first, the MIDI inputs. Well, you won’t find any. 

An INTERFACE is a connection from one thing to another, and we need one. We need a MIDI INTERFACE, or adapter. Some are as simple as a USB plug to a double set of MIDI cables coming out of it, one for MIDI IN, one for MIDI OUT. These are cheap, reliable AND most computers will recognize what it is automatically when you plug it in. Next, we need some sort of MIDI recording software. This is available from FREE to zillions of dollars, depending on what you want to be able to do with it. (More on this later.) With a paltry investment of around $30, you can begin recording MIDI into your computer with your MIDI keyboard or other MIDI controller.

The coolest things out there in the INTERFACE world are the AUDIO/MIDI INTERFACES. These boxes handle a lot of the processing work that frees up your computer to handle the software and many other goodies like plug-ins. The necessary drivers come with your interface and updates for those drivers are always available by the manufacturer online. The interface can be simple, that is, an audio input, a volume knob and MIDI plugs. There are interfaces that allow 2 audio inputs, or 4, or 8, or more. There are interfaces that are small mixing console style with controls that correspond to assignable tracks on the screen when using software that allows it. There are rack mounted interfaces, there are full console interfaces, there are keyboards with interfaces built in…it goes on and on.

 

Bottom line is, they all do two important things…they get sound in and out of your computer and has MIDI connections. So, which interface to get? I would most certainly recommend one that will allow audio input, not just a guitar type plug, but also an XLR microphone plug. Another factor that will help you determine what you want is to know if only YOU will be recording…will you be recording two people or instruments? Four? Do you want to record a drum kit with several mics? Here, you may want to consider an interface with enough inputs to handle your needs. General rule of thumb; you need as many inputs as you will have simultaneously recording at any one time.

I have been using an M-Audio Delta1010LT card in my computer as the interface. It allows 8 inputs simultaneously and has 8 separate outputs. This works perfectly with the software I use, Cakewalk’s SONAR X1. In my examples, I will use screenshots from SONAR to illustrate different points. Much of the software out there works similarly. With this combo connected to my computer (a Core2 Duo PC running Windows XP), I am easily able to record limitless tracks of MIDI and AUDIO side by side, playing back seamlessly.

General info about computers; It doesn’t require much computer power to record, edit and play back MIDI. That’s been done for close to 30 years now, straight through every iteration of computer. The biggest consideration is audio. Audio soaks up lots of memory on your system. Even bigger a resource hog are the plug-ins. These include effects, signal processors and software instruments. All this stuff will be explained in upcoming blogs.

To sum it up, to record quality audio and MIDI to a computer, you will need:

1. a decent computer, preferably one dedicated to recording.
2. an interface, preferably one that records both Audio AND MIDI.
3. software, preferably software that allows recording of audio and MIDI
4. a MIDI controller, whether a MIDI keyboard, MIDI guitar, MIDI drums, MIDI horn.
5. a decent microphone, preferably a recording microphone.
6. decent amplified speakers
7. Optional, a mixing board.

Next time, I will show some set up, and prep to get any audio/MIDI computer system up and running. Until then, PLAY LOUD!