How to record MIDI

Find how to record midi and how to use a virtual instrument

This is the second week assignment from the Introduction To Music Production course.

Transcript

1. HOW TO RECORD MIDI AC-55-4F-83-46-5F-9C-4D-4F-AF
2. WARNING For this lesson, I used REAPER, a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) which is available on Windows and Mac. So all example will be illustrated with screenshot from the Mac version of REAPER, but it shouldn’t far from operating system and your DAW. If it’s in REAPER, it may be in your DAW (no instrument was injured during this presentation)
3. Me ! I live here Me ! (when I’m dreaming)
4. MIDI IS DATA (THAT COMPUTER CAN HANDLE)
5. 93-45-4F This is a data (Middle-A note over MIDI channel 3 with a velocity of 79)
6. Plug your midi keyboard into your computer. It will send data to it
7. START REAPER ! (BY CLICKING ON THIS ICON)
8. ADD A NEW TRACK TO KEEP DATA SEND BY YOUR KEYBOARD
9. AND SELECT YOUR KEYBOARD AS YOUR INPUT Click here and select your keyboard
10. TRY TO PLAY SOMETHING !
11. NO SOUND ?
12. BECAUSE DATAS ARE NOT A SOUND (IT’S JUST DATA)
13. WE HAVE TO ADD A VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT WHICH TRANSFORM A DATA TO A SOUND
14. (LET’S BACK TO REAPER)
15. Click here to add an FX to your track
16. Select an virtual instrument here
17. A VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT CAN GIVE YOU A SOUND OF A PIANO, GUITAR OR EVEN A DRUM
18. Check that monitoring is ON
19. AND TRY (AGAIN) TO PLAY SOMETHING !
20. YOU SHOULD GET A SOUND !
21. SO NOW ... ARMED YOUR TRACK AND RECORD
22. Tada ! This is midi datas
23. Double click here to display midi editor
24. it doesn’t follow the tempo ?
25. click here to use quantification (that will «stick» your notes to your grid)
26. select when & how it should stick to the grid
27. REMEMBER
28. MIDI IS DATA (THAT COMPUTER CAN HANDLE)
29. IT’S MEANS THAT YOUR COMPUTER CAN EASILY CHANGE YOUR DATA
30. SO YOU CAN EDIT YOUR MUSIC (add/remove/edit each notes after recording)
31. OR YOU CAN TRANSPOSE YOUR MUSIC (add or remove semi-tone)
32. AND YOU CAN EVEN CONTROL OTHER EQUIPMENTS WITH IT (LIKE TURN THE LIGHT OFF WHEN YOU’LL PLAYING A SPECIAL NOTE)
33. thank you for reading !
34. Credits • Icons used come from Faenza Gnome theme : http://tiheum.deviantart.com/ art/Faenza-Icons-173323228 • DAW Used : REAPER - http://www.reaper.fm/ • Some pics come from http://www.nin.com • midi keyboard : http://www.flickr.com/photos/polytropia/2448281959/sizes/ o/