1120 Chapter 29
song tempo before recording a sequence. I bring this up
because most sequencers are able to output a click track
that can be used as an accurate, audible guide for
keeping in time with the song’s selected tempo. It’s also
critical that the tempo be accurate when trying to sync
groove loops and rhythms to a sequence via plug-ins or
external instruments.
Editing. One of the more important features that a
sequencer (or sequenced MIDI track within a DAW) has
to offer is its ability to edit tracks or blocks within a
track. Of course, these editing functions and capabilities
often vary between hardware and software sequencers.
The main track window of a sequencer or MIDI
track on a DAW is used to display such track informa-
tion as the existence of track data, track names, MIDI
port assignments for each track, program change assign-
ments, volume controller values, etc.
Depending on the sequencer, the existence of MIDI
data on a particular track at a particular measure point
(or over a range of measures) is often indicated by the
visual display of MIDI data in a piano-roll fashion
(showing the general vertical and length placements of
the notes as they progress though the musical passage...
as shown in Fig. 29-29.
By navigating around the various data display and
parameter boxes, it’s possible to use cut and paste
and/or direct edit techniques to vary note, length and
controller parameters for almost every facet of a section
or musical composition. For example, let’s say that we
really screwed up a few notes when laying down an oth-
erwise killer bass riff. With MIDI, fixing the problem is
totally a no-brainer. Simply highlight each fudged note
and drag it to it’s proper note location. We can even
change the beginning and end points in the process. In
addition, tons of other parameters can be changed
including velocity, modulation and pitch bend, note and
song transposition, quantization, and humanizing (fac-
tors that eliminate or introduce human timing errors that
are generally present in a live performance), as well as
full control over program and continuous controller
messages. The list goes on.
Playback. Once a composition is complete, all of the
MIDI tracks in a project can be transmitted through the
various MIDI ports and channels to plug-ins, instru-
ments, or devices for playback. Since the data exists as
encoded real-time control commands, you can listen to
the sequence and make changes at any time. For
example, you could change instrument settings (by
changing or editing patch voices), alter volume and
other mix changes, or experiment with such controllers
as pitch bend, modulation or aftertouch, even change
the tempo and key signature. In short, this medium is
infinitely flexible how a performance and/or set of
parameters can be created, saved, folded, spindled, and
mutilated until you’ve arrived at the sound and feel that
you want.
Another of the greatest beauties of MIDI production
is its ability to be altered at any later point in time. For
example, let’s say that 5 years ago you laid down a
killer synth riff in a song that made it onto the charts. A
couple of weeks ago a producer came to you in hopes of
collaborating on a remix. Of course, technology
marches on and your studio has improved over time.
First off, even though a lot of the setup parameters have
been saved with the original sequence, let’s assume that
you were smart enough to keep really good setup notes.
One big change, however, is that you have a new soft-
ware synth that has a patch that sounds better than the
original patch. Since the remix is to be used in an
upcoming film track, MIDI can be used to tweak things
up a bit by splitting the riff into two parts: one that con-
tains the lower notes and another the highs. By sending
the lows to one patch on the synth and the highs to
another, not only have you improved the overall sound,
you’ve filled it out by expanding the soundfield into
surround. Without MIDI, you’d have to arrange for a
new session and hope that it all goes well, with MIDI,
the performance is exactly the same and improvements
are made in a no-brainer environment. This is what
MIDI’s all about—performance, repeatability, easy
editing, and cost-effective power!
I now have to take time out to give you a few
pointers that will make your life easier when dealing
with MIDI production.- Remember to set the session to the proper tempo at
the beginning of the session. Although tempo can
Figure 29-29. The presence of MIDI message data will
often appear as a series of highlighted areas within a
sequence track or a window. Courtesy of Steinberg Media
Technologies GmbH, a division of Yamaha Corporation,
http://www.steinberg.net.