midi sucks

I use midi regularly. I've got two midi controllers, a keyboard and a drum pad. They both worked as soon as I plugged them in. I have no midi complaints.

What the fuck, do I live in an alternate universe or something?
 
EZ, I also have a CTK-601 and I use the MIDI capabilities all the time :)

I think one thing I had trouble with is that it's not in GM mode by default, and you want it to be.......

Also, it uses MIDI channel 1 by default

Apart from that, it's just plug and play :D
 
ez_willis said:
I don't understand the channel thing.
Click to expand...

Whoa man. I thought I was bad!

OK, MIDI primer for Midiots like me and you. People that actually understand this, please correct me. But I can explain it in analog-man's terms :D

OK, a MIDI channel is just like a TV channel, except there are only 16 of them. Pretend like it's old-time broadcast VHF TV. Let's say 700 Club is on channel 13. You don't want to watch it? Turn the channel!

MIDI data can be broadcast on any or all channels. Most controllers will
default to channel 1. What is MIDI data? Let's keep it simple and just talk about a few: note data, program change (switching between patches), bank change (switching between banks of 128 patches). That is probably most of you want to do.

Now, you have a hardware synth, it has some cool sounds, you want to record them. Why should you use MIDI? Well, if you want to sequence inside your computer, it needs the MIDI data. So you plug in your synth and play away. Your synth is sending all kinds of note on (press a key) and note off (let go) info to your PC. That data also includes velocity info, expression, pitch bend, anything you are doing to that keyboard and its pedal, wheel, stick, what have you, it's going to the PC.

On Channel 1. But let's say for some odd reason your software is watching Pat Robertson on channel 13. It doesn't care what's on channel 1.

Now, the software CAN record all 16 channels at once. It's like TiVo or something. But if nobody tells it to listen in on Channel 1, it doesn't record your performance.


So why would you want more than one channel? Well, if you playback your whole track with lots of recorded MIDI data, and you have a lot of different parts, the softsynths and/or hardware synths gotta know what part they should play. Otherwise all of them would play all the parts! So each part gets its own channel.

On the input side, you could be jamming away on two different controllers, and capturing their MIDI data separately by setting them to different channels and have your PC record both channels.


More here:

http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tutr/whatmidi.htm
 
mshilarious said:
Whoa man. I thought I was bad!

OK, MIDI primer for Midiots like me and you. People that actually understand this, please correct me. But I can explain it in analog-man's terms :D

OK, a MIDI channel is just like a TV channel, except there are only 16 of them. Pretend like it's old-time broadcast VHF TV. Let's say 700 Club is on channel 13. You don't want to watch it? Turn the channel!

MIDI data can be broadcast on any or all channels. Most controllers will
default to channel 1. What is MIDI data? Let's keep it simple and just talk about a few: note data, program change (switching between patches), bank change (switching between banks of 128 patches). That is probably most of you want to do.

Now, you have a hardware synth, it has some cool sounds, you want to record them. Why should you use MIDI? Well, if you want to sequence inside your computer, it needs the MIDI data. So you plug in your synth and play away. Your synth is sending all kinds of note on (press a key) and note off (let go) info to your PC. That data also includes velocity info, expression, pitch bend, anything you are doing to that keyboard and its pedal, wheel, stick, what have you, it's going to the PC.

On Channel 1. But let's say for some odd reason your software is watching Pat Robertson on channel 13. It doesn't care what's on channel 1.

Now, the software CAN record all 16 channels at once. It's like TiVo or something. But if nobody tells it to listen in on Channel 1, it doesn't record your performance.


So why would you want more than one channel? Well, if you playback your whole track with lots of recorded MIDI data, and you have a lot of different parts, the softsynths and/or hardware synths gotta know what part they should play. Otherwise all of them would play all the parts! So each part gets its own channel.

On the input side, you could be jamming away on two different controllers, and capturing their MIDI data separately by setting them to different channels and have your PC record both channels.


More here:

http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tutr/whatmidi.htm
Click to expand...

great analogy
 
mshilarious said:
Now, you have a hardware synth, it has some cool sounds, you want to record them. Why should you use MIDI?
Click to expand...
Yeah, why should I use midi? If the hardware synth had some cool sounds that I wanted to record, couldn't I just plug a 1/4" cable into my mixer and record it as an audio file?

mshilarious said:
Well, if you want to sequence inside your computer, it needs the MIDI data.
Click to expand...
Define Sequence.

Sorry. :o I'm not trying to waste your time, I'm trying to understand this red-headed stepchild of my hobby, and it's like high school algebra, if you miss one thing you're fucked for the rest of the year.
 
ez_willis said:
Yeah, why should I use midi? If the hardware synth had some cool sounds that I wanted to record, couldn't I just plug a 1/4" cable into my mixer and record it as an audio file?


Define Sequence.

Sorry. :o I'm not trying to waste your time, I'm trying to understand this red-headed stepchild of my hobby, and it's like high school algebra, if you miss one thing you're fucked for the rest of the year.
Click to expand...


The answer to both questions is the same: 'sequence' meaning editing or looping what you play after the fact.

Let's say you've got a killer hardware patch, but you are lazy (and I know you are lazy), so you play the part once, and loop it in software. Sure, you can do that on the synth too, but personally I can't deal with 4 line LCD displays. Plus you might want to screw around with patches during mixing, maybe mix it up later in the song, maybe layer some softsynths in with the hardware patch. Maybe you figure out that it didn't work in the mix and you want to change it, whatever. It's like deciding whether or not to compress on the way in.

So instead you just fire up a crummy GM patch for monitoring, and lay down the MIDI tracks, and take the rest of your life to decide between your 1,000 free softsynth libraries :o Or you decide to use the hardware, and you send the MIDI out during mixdown/render and record the analog signal back in while you have a beer and listen.

That's the theory, anyway.
 
ez_willis said:
Yeah, why should I use midi? If the hardware synth had some cool sounds that I wanted to record, couldn't I just plug a 1/4" cable into my mixer and record it as an audio file?


Define Sequence.

Sorry. :o I'm not trying to waste your time, I'm trying to understand this red-headed stepchild of my hobby, and it's like high school algebra, if you miss one thing you're fucked for the rest of the year.
Click to expand...
you dont have to use midi especially if u are only using one keyboard but its useful especially if you are using more than one. The best thing you could probabaly do is just dive in head first to really get a good understanding of what midi does its a really great tool. Its a lot more than time correction. Sequencing is just another way of saying arrange. a time sequence in otherwords.
 
Thanks.

I'm going to connect the keyboard via midi to my computer and open another thread. When I hit a roadblock I'll post the problem and hopefully get a solution.

I don't want to ruin the intent of this thread with usefull info. :p
 
MIDI can be VERY useful for a whack of stuff if you know how to properly use it. Sure, it's a very old standard, but at least it's a STANDARD that will work with most digital gear. It's quite a mindfuck to get your head around at first, and surely could have been made a lot more intuitive, but it's a blessing for many reasons, and the fact that it's standard across the board makes it even better. Esp, if you use a lot of outboard digital gear, or do live performances with computers, effects boxes or video, even if you want to have a custom lightshow.
 
Monkey Allen said:
Midi is just like DOS willis...you DO know all about DOS don't you?
Click to expand...

hahahaha I remember DOS. I once had a 286 that only ran DOS... midi probably serves more purposes than what DOS became (an archaic piece of software that made up for a newer OS that didn't work properly for the coke bottled glasses wearers to brag about how they can actually use their computer as intended, instead of actually using something that works right)
 
X man Da Legend said:
midi is nothing more than communication of devices lol. it has nothing to do with if u can play or not. midi controllers that control soft synths are controled via midi. u dont have to quantize and it doesnt have to fake it for u lol. a motif is a midi device because u can sync it with any other midi device u want to. it has nothing to do with actual playing skills your ignorance is laughable.
Click to expand...


hahaha yeah no kidding. I use midi with my controller keyboard, more for the fact that, even in the mix I can take my performance, and change the synth sounds at will... instead of destroying synth sounds with too much eq or what not, I'll just try endless combinations....as well as the fact that you can go back to your performance and edit the automation of synth parameters at will.

Beyond that there is so much else you can do that doesn't even involve playing a note of music. Such as if you use digital outboard gear, putting messages in your project to control the effects box instead of spending all the time to write down the box's settings and then manually twisting the knobs and parameters every single time you switch a song...or even try automating the same box a few times in a song... or there are control surfaces, ones with faders, or knobs, so you can not only have something to grab onto but...gasp... you can hold onto two controllers at the same time, instead of just having one mouse.

Then beyond this... if you want to use multiple computers, so that you can get more power, you can use midi to make everything synced perfectly...

or with midi you can save presets on your digital hardware synths by saving it as sysex on your computer, and vice versa... you could even download sysex files from the internet of sounds made for your synth and dump them to your synth...or upgrade your firmware of your synth to get new features and what not...

And beyond that... if you do live performances with computers or digital gear, it's very possible to say, automate the vocal or guitar effects to fit the performance without stomping on and manipulating pedals all night (provided it's a midi compatible effect)...making it so you can concentrate fully on playing your instrument and not stomping on buttons...or perhaps if you had midi controlled lights, instead of paying for someone to run your light show constantly, just sit down and program a light show that will always automatically follow your music, or if you want video with your show...that can be perfectly, and automatically synced as well...

the uses are endless, regardless of your playing ability. Does it show a lack of musical ability to write music on paper in notation? It's exactly the same (and in fact with some DAW software you can actually write midi in notation form if you wish)
 
ez_willis said:
If sticking a carrot up my ass while mixing my drum tracks would make the end result better, I'd do it.
Click to expand...

The end result for the bunny rabbit not looking so good at this juncture. :D

“Hey! Where you goin’ wit my f**kin’ carrot, my man?”
 

Attachments

  • cool rabbit.jpg
    cool rabbit.jpg
    46.6 KB · Views: 28
um

"maybe i was and am but i have a challenge for you. record something using midi, a drum track, piano, etc. something very dynamic. listen back and see if what goes in is what comes out."


um ahh well this whole in and out thing has got me kind of hot but, just so I’m with you here I’ll tell you what I use midi for, I use midi to .....Trigger a sound....so what goes in is a piece of information and it says "play this sound now .......or pretty soon" (sorry latency joke.)

so I guess midi is crap if you are trying to get it to represent a sound???
If not it's just data information triggering a Pre recorded sound or emulated synth.

yes?

the sound comes from the majics of the little people inside the Computer processor…..of course that's just an analogy there’s not actually little PEOPLE inside the computer processor it's of course just ONE little person but as processors progress more and more of his little friends will be able to move in and Midi sound will improve.

It all comes down to global economic property prices and the housing bubble for little people it’s really as simple as that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top