please don't think I am stupid question

  • Thread starter Thread starter yoshi
  • Start date Start date
well, I have really simple question.

Well, I am hoping into strange and wide world of MIDI directly from normal piano. I am planning to purchase controller, sound module, and speaker. I will ultimately connect use computer with it. and so what are other accessories I need to buy to make it happen? I know this sounds really dumb but at stores I get really overwhelmed because they just start showing "cool things" these machines can do when you have this accessories and that accessories. So I get confused. I think I want end up playing somesort of fusin between folk, jazz, and punk type of music...
 
Well, If you plan on using it with your computer eventually, you will need a few things.

1. A midi cable to hook into the sound card on your computer. Usually comes in the form of a Y type cable, plugs into the game port on your sound card.

2. Software. Software to capture your performances from your midi controller keyboard. This will allow you to edit the performance, effect it (depending on the software), play it back and print it out in notated form.

Emeric
 
N-Track is popular for multitrack recording, it appears to support midi. Voyetra makes a lot of software for midi capture.
www.voyetra.com

On the upper end of the price scale, you could get, Cakewalk 8.0, Cubase VST, or Logic 4.0, and others.

Emeric
 
You might look for older versions of Cakewalk . They are much cheaper than V8 and the MIDI functionality is basically the same from V6 on.
 
I use an older cakewalk ver3.01 for my midi and will say I find it easy to use. Some programs are not this easy. I still use it for midi and import this midi file into Logic Audio where I do Audio (Guitar and vocals) on top. I would also suggest an older version of cakewalk that you could pick up for cheap. Try www.ebay.com I have seen some there for great prices. With a sound module and controller all you will need is a speaker system and a midi cable or 2 and your groovin.
 
well, thanks for replys but I guess I want to add to the question. What exactly is interface? Some instructions seem to use it going into computer and others seems not to. so I am assuming it can be prcahsed in both forms. Is the hooking up directly to computer inferior? or is it something that's trivial?
 
There are many reasons why you'd use an external interface instead of just the MIDI
interface built into a soundcard. My reason is to gain access to the 2 port capability in my synth module. Basically the MIDI language defines a MIDI port as 16 independent channels controlled simultaneously by a stream of MIDI data. If you want more channels (and your synth module supports it) you need another MIDI port. This one extra port also allows you to use TWO different drum sets without creating a non-standard MIDI map. A map defines what sounds will be triggered by what patch number on each channel by your synth module. Drums are usually on channel 10, but they don't have to be. It's just an accepted standard in the MIDI community. The extra port gives you two different channel tens. 10A and 10B. If you defy the standard, then nobody will be able to play your MIDI file without a long list of instructions that they probably won't ever understand how to use.

[This message has been edited by drstawl (edited 08-30-1999).]
 
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