Midi and the MAC 101

 

Intro: David and Victor introduction and talk a bit our respective musical backgrounds

 

What is MIDI:

 

Wikipedia defenition: (We can paraprhase)

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface, IPA: /ˈmɪdi/) is an industry-standard protocol that enables electronic musical instruments, computers, and other equipment to communicate, control, and synchronize with each other. MIDI allows computers, synthesizers, MIDI controllers, sound cards, samplers and drum machines to control one another, and to exchange system data.

MIDI does not transmit an audio signal or media — it transmits digital data "event messages" such as the pitch and intensity of musical notes to play, control signals for parameters such as volume, vibrato and panning, cues, and clock signals to set the tempo. As an electronic protocol, it is notable for its widespread adoption throughout the industry, and for continuing in use since its introduction in 1983.

 

MIDI and the MAC

 

Hardware

 

KeyBoard Controllers

These are just keyboards that do NOT have any capability of making any sounds on their own. They are used to generate MIDI data and the sound comes from extenal synthesizer modules (which we will talk about later) or from software based synthesizer which are nothing more than software that acts like a sound module.

 

MAudio makes some good onesI use the a usb based one called the Keystatio 61ES http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Keystation61es-main.html

This has a weighted keyboard and its touch sensitive. That keyboard goes for about $170 US over at Sweetwater

 

However you can get others for under 100 just Google Keyboard controllers

 

On the other end you can go as high as more than $1000 . If you are a prosummer something like the

Roland A37 MIDI Keyboard Controller 76 key for about $400 US is very good.

http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/keyboards/keyboard-controllers/

 

Stand Alone Synths

Stand alone synthesizers or keyboards are just that, they are musical keyboards that have not only the ability to produce MIDI output but also have thousands of sounds built in to them and they also let you creat your own custom sonnds. Again here the brands that I'm most familiar with , in the days of me playing and producing are Roland and Yamaha.

 

Sweetwater sound has a ton of what they call Portable arranger keyboards anywhere form $149 to more than $3,000. I'll put a link on the show notes to their keybaord section

http://www.sweetwater.com/c500--Portable_Arranger_Keyboards

 

 

Rackmount Synths and sound modules

 

As their name implies these are hardware synthesizers without the keyboard. They are triggered by either stand alone Keyboard controllers, wind controllers or a stnad alone synthesizer. These modules are used to layers sounds together and often musicisians wil have 3 or more of these modules to create signature sounds from "old school" moog synth sounds to newest and coolest sounds coming from samplers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software

A music sequencer (also MIDI sequencer or just sequencer) is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music. Many sequencers have features for limited music notation, so as you play music they can literally let you see what the music score to what you just wrote looks like

 

Garage Band (David, I've not used GB as a MIDI device ever so maybe you have)

 

Logic

Logic Express is a limited-functionality version of Logic Pro, a MIDI sequencer and digital audio workstation software application maintained by Apple that runs on the Mac OS X platform. Logic Express 8 comes with 36 software instruments and 73 effect plug-ins, including almost all of those in the Logic Pro Package.

 

Reason is a popular music software program developed by swedish software developers Propellerhead Software. It emulates a rack of hardware synthesizers, samplers, signal

processors, sequencers and mixers. Reason can be used either as a complete virtual music studio, or as a collection of virtual instruments to be played live or used with other

sequencing software.