MIDI .... an introduction - please help!

[montster]

I'm wondering if any of you folks savvy with designing music in the MIDI world can give me any hints on where to begin understanding how to use these tools to enhance and develop my music. I have keyboards (an older Korg Triton and a Yamaha S80) and programs (Pro-tools and Finale) that handle and are designed for MIDI to be used as tools for music production. I feel that these tools will take my productions to another level, but I'm in the dark as to how to use them effectively.I've been recording in the analogue / digital world for quite awhile, and know a bit about music production. I even have a basic intellectual grasp on the way MIDI works, yet haven't a clue how to get the gear to work right.For instance:In Pro-tools, I can get the stuff hooked up and see signal on an armed MIDI track. Sound? not yet In Finale, I just figured out how to input notes in a score via the keyboard. How can I take my score into pro tools and use that as a foundation for tracking live instruments?These are just a couple issues/ ideas for starters. Any help including recommended reading to expand my hands on understanding would be so great!! Thanks for your time and troubleMonty

[ibanez468]

Monty,While not being familiar with either tool, sounds like with protools, you're close to getting there, I would think. If you see a signal registering on the meters, then that's a good sign. Now comes the tricky part. Something needs to be set in protools to get the audio coming through your speakers, or it very well may be something you have to set on your computer, or maybe even both. Can't really say. But that's what it sounds like to me. It's gonna' take some foolin' around with the computer & protools until you stumble across the right settings that eventually get the audio to kick in on your speakers. Maybe you have something that needs to be set in the computer that protools is looking to have access to. At the same time, there may be something that needs to be set in protools that the computer is looking to make a connection with. As far as Finale, I would assume you call up a MIDI track in protools, and then import your saved Finale file (as a SMF or .MID file, if it's capable of being saved that way) into protools on the MIDI track. Or maybe it's possible you just import the .MID file and protools creates it's own MIDI track. There again, I'm just speculatin' as I have neither one of these tools, but they all generally seem to work about the same, to some degree. For either situation, it's gonna' take a little trial & error before you figure it all out. But patience & persistence is definitely gonna' be required for both tasks. One may end up being fairly easier than the other. Hope this gives a little insight into the matter.ibanez468PS-- BTW, when you do get everything goin', make sure you take some notes as to how you got everything runnin'. It's easy to forget after several months, and should you have to do it all over again in the future (which you probably will), you'll at least have some notes on the settings that you made, and you won't have to do alot of guessing all over again. If Finale works the way I described, then that won't be hard to remember. But the other stuff with protools will be. Here's a website that has a variety of reading material related to music, if you don't already know about 'em.http://musicbooksplus.com/-c-.html?osCs ... 25e31329d5

[montster]

Hey ibenez468Thanks for the direction! I figure its definitely bound to take a lot of time and patience to get over this learning curve. Just gettin into it by trial and error I know needs to happen further. Thanks for the link too Peace

[hummingbird]

Quote:In Finale, I just figured out how to input notes in a score via the keyboard. How can I take my score into pro tools and use that as a foundation for tracking live instruments?You should be able to export your score as a MIDI file and import that into ProTools.For example, I have Finale Notepad. When I've completed a score, I can save it, and then do a "Save As". Underneath "file name" in the "save as" box, there is "save as type". Change that to Midi.Voila.

[trentoliphant]

I am not at my recording computer so I may not get the exact terms right but this is the general way to get MIDI to work in ProTools.If you are using a software MIDI instrument:If you have it set up as a MIDI track, you need create a second track that is an AUX input track where the instrument is setup. You then select that instrument as the output of the MIDI Track (it should show up in the drop down menu on that button) On some instruments I have to set the input of the AUX track to the Mic/Line 1 (or 1/2 if a stereo instrument). You can combine both of these tracks into a single track by making it an Instrument Track but you still have to do the routing of the output of the MIDI portion to the instrument you set up.For an outboard instrument:It is similar except your second track will be an Audio Track that takes its input from the audio output of the instrument. You select the MIDI out device for the output on the MIDI track. You can also do this in a single Instrument Track but I've never used it that way so can't tell you specifics of how to set it up.It took me quite a while before I could set up MIDI instruments without having to search the manual. I'm still not super great at using ProTools and some of it's MIDI functionality seems a bit harder to use than other programs, but I'm getting better at it.Hope that helps.Trent

[montster]

Wow this takes the idea of "signal flow" to another level.. does it not?I appreciate your tips guys thanks!

[trentoliphant]

When you import a MIDI File into ProTools (on the File menu) you can either have it put into tracks for you or it will just import the tracks as regions to your region list and then you can drag and drop them onto your MIDI (or Instrument) track. I haven't worked with the region list much so I usually just import them directly into tracks. As far as reading go - I'm one that likes to read the manuals - but the Manuals stuff on MIDI isn't always helpful to really understanding it. (By the way - the whole documentation isn't installed by default - in fact I may have had to download it - I don't remember exactly, but I know it didn't install the first time I installed the software.)Trent

[trentoliphant]

Quote:Wow this takes the idea of "signal flow" to another level.. does it not?That is trueI was talking to a friend of mine who teaches recording at the university and they recently went back to an analog console (24 track) from a digital console, because they found the students weren't thinking about signal flow (and all things affiliated with that). I agreed that it was a good move - teach the principles of recording and signal flow - they can learn digital stuff later (or at the same time on their own)As you are finding out, there are some challenges when first entering the digital recording world - but you should be able to get it fairly easily because you understand the principles behind it. Trent

[arkjack]

From the sounds of it, you have your keyboard seet as the midi input device, but you also need a midi output device designated. You can use the soundcard in your computer as the midi output and that will let you hear the sound that the midi input/playback is making. The midi input will also record to the midi track. It doesn't record as an audio signal. Instead Midi is a set of instructions to a device to make a certain waveform at a certain point in time, time being synchronized to a master clock. It is actually a program that tells a device how and when to reproduce a sound. If you want to use the keyboard as both the midi input device and the device for playing back the sound, you have to be careful of the instructions on both ends. Both the midi in and out need to be connected. the midi out from the keyboard to the midi in on the computer, and the midi out of the computer to the midi in of the keyboard. You need to tell protools that the keyboard is the designated output device. Also, most of the time, you need to set the keyboard to 'local off'. The reason is that with local on, the keyboard makes its sound, and sends the instructions to be recorded in the software, and the software sends the message back out to the keyboard to play the sound again. It tends to muck things up with local on. With local off, the keyboard is only sending an instruction, and receiving back an instruction to make a noise. I recommend you cloister yourself in the studio for hours on end reading the manual and experimenting and keeping notes. I am going through this right now myself..... and if it is older equipment, the programming may be a bit more intricate.ArkJack

[ibanez468]

Monty,Hey man, no problem. We all need help sometimes. Here's a more specific link for you. I just got through lookin' around, and they have a nice selection of material related to Protools. So, take your pick. Plenty of info. http://musicbooksplus.com/tools-tutoria ... 6ibanez468