Newbie in Midi....what do I need?

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Nutdotnet

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So I want to get into Midi, and I need to know what is needed to get started in the Midi world.

What I have right now is a more than capable computer and a TB Santa Cruz sound card.

I want to keep this fairly inexpensive, I don't need the best and biggest Midi Keyboard Controller out there but I also don't want something that is going to break in a few days.

So what should I look for and what price-range? Would the Santa Cruz be sufficient? What kind of software would I need for sounds? I have Cubase already so I imagine I can use that for laying tracks.

I will be primarily wanting to use the Midi setup for Acoustic Drum sounds and some "ambient" sound. I write a lot of Acoustic Guitar driven songs so I won't be using the Midi setup for techno type stuff.

Any suggestions would be great!
 
First, look at used equipment.... for example, the new Roland XV series left a lot of use JVs in stores (and some new ones they aren't moving)... to save money avoid the "latest and greatest" syndrome. Get a controlled like an Alesis QS, may QS6 if you are not a keyboard player.... I'm sure others here will offer suggestions. consider a soundfont system to offer some sounds in addition to sound modules. Also go to:http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/
or
http://www.sonicspot.com/

to scope inexpensive to free software including softsynths etc. It's a start... have fun!!!
 
Hey thanks for the help!

Now with soundfonts, wouldn't I have to have a SBLive! to utilize it?

And could someone give me a ballpark figure on how much a basic midi setup would cost?
 
OK, you already have a MIDI interface on the Santa Cruz, I believe... you might need to get the adapter thing that allows the game port to serve as a MIDI port that so many of these cards have, and usually have as an option to keep the base price of the card as low as possible.

Absolute minimum is some sort of controller -- a keyboard, and some nice DLS sounds for the TB card. These are much the same as Sound Fonts, probably a little harder to find. Plus a MIDI cable to connect the keyboard to your computer.

There are a zillion keyboards you can get used or new, ranging wildly in price. You might prefer a small inexpensive keyboard that will let you play in melody lines and such. If you play keyboard these will probably be frustrating and you will probably want at least a 61-note keyboard. You can get a controller only (no sounds on board) or a keyboard with its own sounds. There are probably a lot of good candidates you can find used. If you get one that has its own sounds on board, you will want another MIDI cable to be able to receive MIDI messages back from the computer.

Or you might prefer an alternative controller like the Roland GR-33 guitar synth system or V-Drums... but now we're getting into serious money.

If you expect to expand to more MIDI devices over time, you will at some point need a multiport MIDI interface or MIDI patchbay. But you can get started as I described above for, oh, let's see...

$25 for the gameport-to-MIDI adapter (if necessary)
$50 or less for a small batch of terrific DLS sounds
$??? for a keyboard -- anywhere from $100 or so up several hundred dollars for something like a Fatar controller keyboard.
 
On second thought, now I'm not so sure that the Santa Cruz supports DLS...
 
Hey thanks Al!

Do you have any idea where I could find out if the Santa Cruz supports DLS Sounds?
 
Check Turtle Beach's website. They might have a discussion group.
 
Midi is a subject on its own.

The first thing you need to do is get a fundemental undertsanding of the midi protocol, ie channels, controlers, patches, etc. Nearly every computer soundcard comes with a midi interface and standard sound set of 128 patches and all you should need is a sequencing program or recording software that integrates midi to start learning. Also, there are several good books that might help get you started.

A sequencing program that I have is called "Massiva" and you can download a trial version of it, and should you decide to keep it is about $30.00. There are probably alot of other shareware programs available as well that you could find by doing an online search. But this program will give you a good start and may well be all that you ever need.

Since, you already have the computer and sound card ( your sound card has a gaming port that you can use for the interface but you will have to have an adapter cable ) the next thing is a midi interface hub if your controler or keyboard dose not have a direct to computer out or you wish to hookup other sound modules and expand your tracks from 16 to 32 etc.

Here is a list I've suggested in the past.

Computer/soundcard.
Keyboard or controler. (samething as a keyboard but has now sound engine)
Sound modules.
Microphone.
Assorted cables for connecting it all.

With the exception of the computer you can spend around $1000 to $1200 dollars for a midi studio like I've outlined. If you haven't already spent your money or searched the other forums I would suggest you do that. Spend your time before you spend your dime! There will be a learning curve and some frustrations. Be patient, this midi thing puts a level of creativity in the hands of musicians that we have not had in the past and in my opinion is well worth the cost.

Keep the faith :cool:
 
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Use Soundfonts.

Soundblaster LIVE! Value: $50
49 key Controller: $100 - 150

Lite Sequencer (Cakewalk, Logic, Steinberg, etc.): $50 - 100

There are literally tens-of-thousands of FREE soundfonts available on the web, and many inexpensive sample or soundfont CDs you can purchase for $10 - 100. You have to sift through them to find the best ones, but it's worth the time.

You can even buy (or find for free) soundfonts of the most popular outboard synths at a fraction of the price.

So, for a $200 - 300 investment--and some time--you can have a very nice MIDI studio.

http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/E5F90F70241EFF6D862566B20024C532

http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/E8FC6F1272005BC0862568D700634565

http://www.soundfont.com/

http://hammersound.net/cgi-bin/soundlink.pl

http://soundfonts.com/
 
I don't know if I already said this or not in a previous post but I already have a TB Santa Cruz Soundcard. I HAD a SBLive but when I upgraded my computer the chipset that I bought had some major conflicts with the SBLive so I am not going to be using an SBlive.

Where should I look for a $100-$150 49-key controller? I live in Anchorage and we have absolultley nothing here.
 
Nut,

any cheapo Yamaha/Casio type keyboard that has Midi/In out will work as a controller.....the GM sounds of the onboard synth may/may not be your cup of tea, but you can deal with that later....
 
What about "software-based" synth modules? (If there is such a thing)
 
yes there are soft-synths but the better ones require a pretty powerful computer or you will experience latency (hit the keys and they wont sound for like a second or so)...not good.....to see how good your card plays midi go to a free midi download site and play some files.....it will give you an idea of what the Santa Cruz's midi sounds are capable of....
 
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