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:
- a decent computer, preferably one dedicated to recording.
- an interface, preferably one that records both Audio AND MIDI.
- software, preferably software that allows recording of audio and MIDI
- a MIDI controller, whether a MIDI keyboard, MIDI guitar, MIDI drums, MIDI horn.
- a decent microphone, preferably a recording microphone.
- decent amplified speakers
- 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!