[Daniel]

I know a lot about computers and I know the basics for digital recording(ive done some of me with my guitar using Pro Tools).

But i have never been able to figure out what MIDI exactly does. I know it is a music file type, that is kinda cheezy. But i see that keyboards have MIDI jacks on the back of them. My main intrument is my !!Taylor!! guitar, but i can play basic chords on the keys. I'd like to know a little more about it, so i can record better stuff.


Thanks

Daniel

(i bet keyboard freak knows, he knows everything)

[Nate]

Hey, I guess I'm getting a reputation around here..... cool! Anyway, MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface", or at least I'm about %99 sure about that.... I guess I could be wrong though, somebody tell me if I am. Anyway.... basically MIDI is the way that keyboards communicate with each other, with sound modules, with computers, basically with any other piece of high-tech gear. Some things that MIDI does are....

1) Carries information such as what note(s) are being played, how loud they're being played, how long they're played for, etc, etc.

2) Carries information about what sound is being used on the keyboard

3) Carries information such as whether the sustain pedal is on, whether the modulation wheel is being used, what the pitch bend wheel is doing, etc, etc.

4) Allows you to edit what you've recorded.... taking out wrong notes, changing note lengths, adding more notes, etc. This is something you usually cannot do with typical audio recording (Running from the 1/4" jacks)

Some things that MIDI does NOT do.....

1) It does NOT carry any sound!! You cannot pick a sound on your keyboard, and hook up MIDI cables to your computer.... record something, and then unhook your keyboard and play back the recording and hear the same sound you recorded with. Well... in most cases anyhow... I'll explain later.

2) It usually does not allow you to use effects, at least not while recording. You can't, for example, hook up an effects processor in your "MIDI Chain" going to your computer. You can usually add effects after you record though.

3) It does not allow you to use any sound you want (on higher end keyboards anyway)...... especially complex sounds.


Ok.... first I'll explain the sound thing. Each MIDI compatible device has a "GM soundset" on it. A GM soundset is a set of 128 standard sounds.... the exact timbre (what it sounds like) changes between instruments... but the instrument remains the same. For example, in the GM soundset... sound #56 is a trumpet.... in every single instrument that has a GM soundset, #56 will be a trumpet... it may sound slightly different on each instrument.... but it's always a trumpet. There are usually other sounds in a keyboards banks (where the sounds are stored), but these are not universal..... if you hooked up say a Roland XV-88 (my keyboard) to a Korg Triton (Another good keyboard) and picked a NON-GM sound on the XV-88.... you could not use MIDI and get the same sound on the Triton, hope that makes sense. By recording with MIDI... you can record a piece of music, then feel free to change the instrument to any of the other 128 GM sounds. Like I said before, you can also edit other stuff... such as remove wrong notes, add more notes, change durations, etc, etc.


Ok, now I'm gonna contrast recording with MIDI to typical audio recording (Recording from the 1/4" jacks.... like you would with a guitar) By recording from the 1/4" jacks.... you can run through mixers, effects, etc... all before you even begin to record. You also have the advantage of recording exactly what you're hearing.... so if you have some really weird sound you like, you can record it and play back the same exact thing. These are probably the two biggest benefits, IMHO, of typical audio recording. With MIDI... you cannot do either of these things, no effects usually... and you're stuck to using the 128 GM sounds (for the most part). You also are usually stuck to using the GM soundset on your computer (or whatever you're sequencing [recording via MIDI] on)... which is usually a pretty junky sounding soundset. Here are a few pro's and con's

MIDI Pro's:

1) Is very reliable, no signal degradation.... is very universal also, just about every keyboard now-a-days has MIDI.

2) You can edit just about everything after you've recorded something. From what instrument you use.... to what chords are being played

3) MIDI files are usually quite small.... thus very easy to share.

MIDI con's:

1) You are stuck using the pretty generic sounding GM soundset

2) It is kinda confusing..... most people, like you... don't really understand it.

3) You can't use effects.

Audio pro's:

1) You get exactly what you put in...... if you have a really nice piano sound on your keyboard.... you can record something with it, and then hear the exact same thing when you play it back.

2) It's really easy for most people to understand.... you rarely hear someone asking "Please explain to me what audio recording is?"

3) You can use any kind of effects you want.

Audio con's:

1) You get exactly what you put in...... you can't delete wrong notes, you can't change a note's length. And if you decide you want to hear that as an electric piano rather than a grand.... you have to do another take.

2) You are subject to many kinds of background noise... such as hiss, pop, fuzz, etc.

3) Audio files tend to be on the large side.

Ok, hope some of all that made sense.... I'm sure you've got some more questions, fire away!!!

[Daniel]

At first I thought I didnt have a midi jack on my sound card, but i now found out my joystick is the midi input also, weird

But since im a guitar player, i dont have a keyboard with midi output on it, heck i dont have a keyboard at all

Thanks for AAALLLLL that info


Daniel

[Basszilla]

I know this is an old thread, but there are a couple of things I want to mention.

Originally posted by KeyboardFreak
Hey, I guess I'm getting a reputation around here..... cool! Anyway, MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface", or at least I'm about %99 sure about that.... I guess I could be wrong though, somebody tell me if I am.

That's right.

3) It does not allow you to use any sound you want (on higher end keyboards anyway)...... especially complex sounds.

Actually, most high end keyboards will let you save your own sounds to different banks. You can use any sound, but it won't be compatible with other keyboards (or even the same keyboard if the patches are in different places)

1) You get exactly what you put in...... if you have a really nice piano sound on your keyboard.... you can record something with it, and then hear the exact same thing when you play it back.

You can do the same with MIDI, just record the MIDI file, play it back through the keyboard, and send the actual audio signal from the keyboard to the tape, or DAT, or whatever you're recording to.

2) You are subject to many kinds of background noise... such as hiss, pop, fuzz, etc.

Not if it's recorded right. As an aspiring audio engineer, I have to say that.

Originally posted by Daniel
At first I thought I didnt have a midi jack on my sound card, but i now found out my joystick is the midi input also, weird

But since im a guitar player, i dont have a keyboard with midi output on it, heck i dont have a keyboard at all

Thanks for AAALLLLL that info


Daniel

On most computers the joystick/MIDI jack is the same.

If you want even more info, check out: http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/


Kevin

[Nate]

Originally posted by Basszilla

Actually, most high end keyboards will let you save your own sounds to different banks. You can use any sound, but it won't be compatible with other keyboards (or even the same keyboard if the patches are in different places)


You can do the same with MIDI, just record the MIDI file, play it back through the keyboard, and send the actual audio signal from the keyboard to the tape, or DAT, or whatever you're recording to.


Not if it's recorded right. As an aspiring audio engineer, I have to say that.

YES, I know all that. I am a keyboard freak after all!!! But when you record a MIDI file onto your computer...... it will NOT play back with the same sound....... you'd have to either hook the computer back up to the keyboard.... or do the audio recording thing. My point was, that if you were to play back that MIDI file on someone elses computer.... or without the keyboard hooked up......... you wouldn't get the nice pretty expensive keyboard sounds that you were playing while you recorded!!!! I know all the ways to get MIDI into audio format..... but I've never done enough recording to need those steps. Oh..... and about the hisses, pops, and buzzes...... not everyone is an "aspiring audio engineer"....... most people would have no idea how to eliminate all that noise. Anyway..... had to defend my knowledge....... since I already knew everything you said!

[Basszilla]

Originally posted by KeyboardFreak



YES, I know all that. I am a keyboard freak after all!!! But when you record a MIDI file onto your computer...... it will NOT play back with the same sound....... you'd have to either hook the computer back up to the keyboard.... or do the audio recording thing. My point was, that if you were to play back that MIDI file on someone elses computer.... or without the keyboard hooked up......... you wouldn't get the nice pretty expensive keyboard sounds that you were playing while you recorded!!!! I know all the ways to get MIDI into audio format..... but I've never done enough recording to need those steps. Oh..... and about the hisses, pops, and buzzes...... not everyone is an "aspiring audio engineer"....... most people would have no idea how to eliminate all that noise. Anyway..... had to defend my knowledge....... since I already knew everything you said!

Well defended! I wasn't talking about MIDI files for everone. From Daniel's first post, it says he was thinking about recording. I don't know if he was talking about high end recording, or just something at home on a 4 track or something. If he was thinking about high end, it would probably be best to send it through a synth.

It's a good thing that not everyone knows how to eliminate that noise, it they did, there would be no use for people like me It could have been made a lot clearer in my post, but it was more directed to Daniel, since I assumed you would have known all of that (and I was right)


Kevin