1118 Chapter 29
cated from a standard music keyboard. In these situa-
tions, wind controllers can often help create a dynamic
feel that’s more in keeping with their acoustic counter-
parts by using an interface that provides special
touch-sensitive keys, glide- and pitch-slider controls,
and real-time breath sensors for controlling dynamics.
MIDI Guitars. Guitar players often work at stretching
the vocabulary of their instruments beyond the tradi-
tional norm. They love doing nontraditional gymnastics
using such tools of the trade as distortion, phasing,
echo, feedback, etc. Due to advances in guitar pickup
and microprocessor technology, it’s also possible for the
notes and minute inflections of guitar strings to be accu-
rately translated into MIDI data. With this innovation,
many of the capabilities that MIDI has to offer are avail-
able to the electric (and electronic) guitarist. For
example, a guitar’s natural sound can be layered with a
synth pad that’s been transposed down, giving it a rich,
thick sound that just might shake your boots. Alter-
nately, recording a sequenced guitar track into a session
would give a producer the option of changing and
shaping the sound later in mixdown! On-stage program
changes are also a big plus for the MIDI guitar,
allowing the player to radically switch between guitar
voices from the guitar or sequencer or by stomping on a
MIDI foot controller.29.4 SequencersApart from electronic musical instruments, one of the
most important tools that can be found in the
modern-day project studio is the MIDI sequencer. Basi-
cally, a sequencer is a digital device that’s used to
record, edit, reproduce, and distribute MIDI messages in
a sequential fashion. Most sequencers function using a
traditional track-based interface, separating different
instruments, voices, beats, etc. in a way that makes it
easier for us humans to view MIDI data as though they
were linear tracks on a DAW or tape machine.
These virtual tracks contain MIDI-related perfor-
mance and control events that are made up of such
channel and system messages as note on/off, velocity,
modulation, aftertouch, and program/continuous-
controller messages. Once a performance has been
recorded into a sequencer’s memory, these events can
be graphically (or audibly) edited into a musical perfor-
mance, played back and saved to a digital storage media
for recall at any time.Integrated Sequencers. Some of the newer and more
expensive keyboard synth and sampler designs include
a built-in sequencer. These portable keyboard worksta-
tions have the advantage of letting you take both the
instrument and sequencer on the road without having to
drag a computer along.
Integrated sequencers are designed into an instru-
ment for the sole purpose of sequencing MIDI data, and
include integrated controls for performing
sequence-specific functions. Ease of use and portability
are often the advantages of a hardware sequencer, most
of which are designed to emulate the basic functions of
a tape transport (record, play, start/stop, fast forward,
and rewind).
These devices generally offer a moderate amount of
editing features, including note editing, velocity andFigure 29-27. Trigger Finger 16-Pad MIDI Drum Control
Surface. Courtesy of M-Audio, a division of Avid Tech-
nology, Inc., http://www.m-audio.com.
Figure 29-28. DM5 Electronic Drum Kit. Courtesy of Alesis,
http://www.alesis.com.