Sound modules - The very basics

  • Thread starter Thread starter MC Groves
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MC Groves

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Can someone please explain to me (or suggest a website containing) the very basics of sound modules and how to use them, necessary equipment, compatibility, etc.
 
A sound module is basically a synthesizer in a box that needs an external controller to trigger its sounds via MIDI. For example, I have an Alesis DM5 drum module that is controlled by a drumKAT. I recently borrowed a Proteus module from a friend of mine, and tried it out by connecting a MIDI cable from my Korg X5D.
 
You dont necessarily need a controller to use a sound module. Since it responds to MIDI, anything that outputs MIDI can trigger it. IOW, you could record MIDI data in any sequencer or use a MIDI file and trigger the sounds in a module that way as well.

Think of a sound module as a synth without a keyboard. Or, another way to look at it is to try to understand that a keyboard is simply one, albeit the most common, method of sending input to a MIDI device. There are countless other methods- breath controllers, MIDI guitars, MIDI drums, etc, etc.

Ted
 
MIDI is a protocol that the manufacturers agreed upon to allow intercommunication between different brands. Their hope was, and it turned out to be correct, that by making it possible to interconnect everything everyone would sell more equipment.

A controller, as we're discussing it here, is simply a means of transmitting MIDI messages to a MIDI equipped device. I suppose that, technically, when you use a sequencer to transmit the messages, it is acting as a controller.

I was just trying to clarify that you don't necessarily need a physical controller (i.e. a keyboard) to use a MIDI sound module as well as pointing out that there are other kinds of controllers.

Ted
 
Thanks a lot for the replies, cleared things up a bit :)

So basically, I could buy a MIDI keyboard with no patches or anything (as I'm planning to do at the moment), and later if I feel like expanding and playing with different sounds I could buy a sound module and hook them up via MIDI? Also, is it easy to link the module and controller to a PC for live recording?
 
Yes, you can use a dedicated keyboard MIDI controller. There are a number of them on the market at various prices depending on functionality. M-Audio makes quite a few different ones in particular.

It's not difficult to connect MIDI devices to your computer. You'll need a MIDI interface. They're available in many different configurations from 1x1 to 8x8 from several manufacturers. Most of them work on the USB bus. Some soundcards and audio interfaces also include MIDI I/O.

Once you have this all working. You'll also have the option of using VSTi and DXi synthesizers (plug-ins or stand alone). There's a huge number of different offerings out there covering just about every method of synthesis imaginable. Generally speaking, these will be considerably less expensive than their hardware counterparts (many of them are freeware or shareware, but don't let that fool you, some of them are incredibly powerful).

It's a great time to be an electronic musician! :D

Ted
 
haha :D

I've been playing around with plugins for some time, though not often with a MIDI keyboard to control the sounds (usually I use matrix editors to program and trigger samples). I prefer to go for hardware though, because recently (i.e. the past few months) I've found that using software synths makes me really tired, both physically and mentally. Endless twiddling of controls with the mouse just gets to me really badly. I much prefer the feel of a really fader or dial, makes the whole process seem a lot more fun and involving. Stupid, I know, but whatever :)

Thanks a lot for your help, I appreciate it
 
MC Groves said:
haha :D

I've been playing around with plugins for some time, though not often with a MIDI keyboard to control the sounds (usually I use matrix editors to program and trigger samples). I prefer to go for hardware though, because recently (i.e. the past few months) I've found that using software synths makes me really tired, both physically and mentally. Endless twiddling of controls with the mouse just gets to me really badly. I much prefer the feel of a really fader or dial, makes the whole process seem a lot more fun and involving. Stupid, I know, but whatever :)

Thanks a lot for your help, I appreciate it
Click to expand...

That's why many of the new MIDI keyboard controllers have knobs and sliders on them! You can program them to manipulate almost any parameter you desire and it's very simple to set up (most of the time, it's as simple as picking a parameter and then moving the controller you want assigned to it).

You can also get dedicated boxes to perform this function.

There's almost always an answer! lol ;)

Ted
 
Ah, stuff it, I'll stick to my guitar :D

Cheers for the help everyone, I'm going to look into some possible right now ;)
 
tedluk said:
It's a great time to be an electronic musician! :D
Click to expand...

No shit.

Think of what our older brothers (not even a generation ago) had to go through to set up a single patch --- something that's available to us at the click of a mouse.

And I worked for YEARS on a Sequential Circuits Pro One and now have a better sounding, more stable version in the RGC Triangle II soft synth! With unlimited patch storage! Whoo hoo! And it was free!

It was within my working memory that the Ensoniq Mirage was considered the bomb. Now it looks like an antique toy with a postage stamp memory.

Just a little truck down memory lane. Didn't mean to hijack the thread...
 
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