Mix down with live MIDI sounds or recorded?

[AlanW]

Hi, I just bought CW and everything works but I have a general question: When you do the final mix, do you record the sounds from your MIDI instruments ahead of time or do you mix with the instruments playing live? I thought I would run the live instruments thru the mixer but I can't figure out how to do that. I'm sorry if this issue has already been covered - thanks

[AlChuck]

AlanW,

If you're talking about a final mix on the computer, to a stereo WAV file, you have to record the MIDI tracks to audio tracks first.

-AlChuck

[drstawl]

You can do it either way, but using the synth's output instead of a digital audio recording of the synth's output introduces an extra level of complication that doesn't get you any better recording. You still end up with a digital audio recording of the synth.
Do you really need to edit the MIDI file in the middle of tracking the next instrument?

[AlanW]

<<Do you really need to edit the MIDI file in the middle of tracking the next instrument?>>

no I don't. I guess it makes sense to record everything. I can always re-record it later if I want to change instruments etc...It was a bad assumption, but I thought that was the way it was done because the Cakewalk demo's came with just the MIDI tracks. Is there ever a need for live monitoring during tracking??... what about the metronome??

[drstawl]

Reason to use MIDI and Audio live? Yeah- if you're a CW rep doing a demo for a potential customer.....
Metronome? That too can be converted to an audio track.
And your CD of CW didn't come with .bun files with both MIDI and audio demos?

[garrigus]

Hi Alan,

Take a look at the following article on the Cakewalk web site about converting your MIDI tracks to audio: http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/faq.htm#28

Best,
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Power! book, and Publisher of the DigiFreq music technology and Cakewalk newsletter. http://www.garrigus.com/