What is this whole MIDI thing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chewie
  • Start date Start date
Chewie said:
Well there has been a lot of information given and I'm thankful to all. But me more specifically explain my problem.
What I want to do is really record drums but I do9n't have so I was looking into MIDI to create the drum tracks.
I was using Fruity Loops but I don't know how to get specific timings like dotted notes and so on.
What software could I use to generate the frum tracks and could it be very specific in timimngs.
Plus how can I get the most realistic sounding drums from MIDI?
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused. Earlier you said you wanted to record strings. :confused:

There are innumerable methods to record drum tracks. Do you have any sequencing software other than Fruity? What instruments do you have? What kind of music are you making? Do you have a computer even? You really haven't given us much information to work with. You'll find that the more specific your questions and the more you tell us, the better the answers you'll receive.

Ted
 
Ok. I do want to do strings but drums are more pressing.
I have a computer.
I'm interested in a software solution.
My main concern is a program to create the drum tracks and I'll record them with something else.
 
Kryptik Chewie indeed! It's hard work getting you to give us information.

OK, from your last post it sounds like you want a program that will help you create drum patterns? Is that correct?

One plug-in I use is Music Labs Slicy Drummer. You can download a demo HERE. But this requires a host program like SONAR or any other program that supports MFX. This program works great with FXpansion's DR008.

You asked how to get the most realistic sounding drums from MIDI and Cloneboy was right. But another important factor would be the quality of the samples you use. The most realistic pattern will still sound like crap if you use the GM synth on the built in soundcard for the drums.

Ted
 
Chewie said:
Ok. I do want to do strings but drums are more pressing.
I have a computer.
I'm interested in a software solution.
My main concern is a program to create the drum tracks and I'll record them with something else.
Click to expand...

You can do it all in software.

Cubase SX as the sequencer
Native Instruments Battery for drums
Native Instruments Kontact for sampling

Poof... now you don't even really need MIDI (hardware wise anyway).
 
midi - drums - something

hi there

would agree with cloneboy - Battery is fantastic - especially when you use a hardware pad controller with it (dead easy to map) - ah - unpoof! we're back to MIDI again.

why do all roads lead there.

even said - like many have said - Battery or anything is only as good as the way you programme the drums.

golden rule - natural drums come from remembering that real drummers have two sticks and two feet. hitting five things at once will make drummers ears prick up.

i don't care so much and always break my own golden rules - i'm a guitarist for goodness sake - i spend all my time battling off 12 year olds shouting "well i could've played that!"

just have fun and practice
 
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tedluk said:
One plug-in I use is Music Labs Slicy Drummer. You can download a demo HERE. But this requires a host program like SONAR or any other program that supports MFX. This program works great with FXpansion's DR008.

You asked how to get the most realistic sounding drums from MIDI and Cloneboy was right. But another important factor would be the quality of the samples you use. The most realistic pattern will still sound like crap if you use the GM synth on the built in soundcard for the drums.

Ted
Click to expand...

What's MFX?
What's the GM synth and what should be used instead?
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
You can do it all in software.

Cubase SX as the sequencer
Native Instruments Battery for drums
Native Instruments Kontact for sampling
Click to expand...

Trying not to sound too dumb but what's all that?
 
Chewie said:
What's MFX?
What's the GM synth and what should be used instead?
Click to expand...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cloneboy Studio
You can do it all in software.

Cubase SX as the sequencer
Native Instruments Battery for drums
Native Instruments Kontact for sampling

Trying not to sound too dumb but what's all that?
Click to expand...

Ok, we're all about trying to help newbies here, but I think it's time you started to do a little research.

I'll give you definitions, but you're going to have to make an effort to learn what it all means.

GM= General MIDI
MFX= MIDI Effects
Cubase SX= Steinberg's premiere sequencing product. A direct competitor to Cakewalk's SONAR on the PC platform.
Native Instruments= A third party developer of plug-ins and applications for computer music.

Don't take my post in the wrong way, but that you didn't know any of these things tells me that you really need to do some homework. Before you go and spend a small fortune on things you don't even know if you need and have no idea how to use, get busy online reading everything you can on audio and MIDI recording.

Ted
 
Doing a little practice.

Ok. There are two ways I've found to do the drums that I like. One is using Fruity Loops and the other is using Guitar Pro.

I like Fruity Loops because the drums sound real and there are different kits you can use.

I like Guitar Pro because it allows you to create the drums using guitar tabs or that stave thingy they use in music. This is good because you can get specific timings (like crochets and minims and stuff.) However, I don't like at all how the drums sound here. Plus I don't know how to record them directly into Adobe Auditon (that's what I use.) But I can export a MIDI file of the drum track.

So my question is how can I:
1) Use Fruity Loops and change the timing of each note
or
2) Get a better drum soound from Guitar Pro
or
3) Use a whole other program to create and record drum tracks with specific timings.

When I say specific timing what I mean is the length e.g. two short notes in a space that would also hold one long note. I can't do that in Fruity Loops.

Can someone help instead of making me feel like an idiot?

By the way. I also want to do strings so I would like a solution that also apply to strings but if not the drums are more important.
 
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chewie. not now - but sometime - when youve done a little reading - try band in a box. and muck around with the demo.
while others are still laying the first two audio tracks in a piece of multitrack software within 20 minutes it will give you a full backing arrangement of drums, keyboard, strings, bass or whatever instrument you choose.
its used by music educators, professors of music and thousands of musicians around the world. and will help you understand midi in more detail tthan i can describe in words.
heres a midi tutorial....
http://www.garys.web.st/midibasics.htm
and you will see by the following links why its popular.....
http://biab.8m.com/
http://www.nortonmusic.com/
http://www.kuzmich.com/band-in-a-box3.html
http://www.meister.u-net.com/dixie/band_in_a_box_songs.htm
http://a.webring.com/hub?ring=bandinaboxusers
http://www.jazzguitarfaq.com/FAQ00018.htm
http://www.genlink.org/bb/
http://www.menc.org/publication/articles/academic/genmusarticle/howoneclass.html
http://www.aei.ca/~denisl/link_ang.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/music/harmonica/biablinks.html
notice the web ring for users. you can learn a lot about midi from all this.
peace.
 
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