ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/MAGAZINE/MISC/MNFEB91.ZIP/MIDI

Text File | 1991-01-26 | 7.6 KB | 217 lines

This article uses some terms that make sense to those involved with MIDI, but
don't mean much to the average person.  Please bear with us.  You can benefit
from the message promoted here, i.e., make the most of what you have!

MICRONEWS









                        TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF MIDI

                            By John Miller Whitney


     There's a lot of new, high-tech new equipment out there. Each manufacturer
promises that theirs will do more than the last version of the world's most
powerful miracle synth. That one promised to do more than the last most
powerful miracle synth, which was supposed to be the most powerful synthesizer
in the world!

They promise everything  . . . except to replace the money in your already
thinning wallet. You can save by learning to take full advantage of the
equipment you've already paid good money to own. There are cheaper ways to
bridge the multimedia gap in an already tight economy.

     Automated mixers -- The stuff of the new digital dream world. But if
you're like me, you start to dream about what bank you can hit to help finance
the purchase. During the get-away you begin to realize that the money from the
hit may not even be enough to cover the purchase. That's when despair really
hits. But there is hope! MIDI is a powerful medium, yet so many people don't
realize the strength of MIDI beyond 'note on/note off' playback from their
sequencer.













     There is power beyond the those cool patches, folks!  We'll take a look at
a simpler, but VERY effective way to do automated mixing using your existing
MIDI equipment.













                         AUTOMATED MIXING MADE SIMPLE

     The easiest way to set up automated MIDI mixing is to buy a unit dedicated
specifically for that purpose. For a couple of hundred bucks, there are a few
good dedicated MIDI-controlling units designed to supplement your existing
keyboard configuration. Both the JL COOPER Fader Master and the Lexicon MR-C
are fully programmable and can handle a great deal of synth controller informa-
tion besides volume (Controller 7). In their simplest program, you can set the
eight of so faders to 8 different MIDI Channels. They work exactly like the
faders on a sound board, this way your AUTOMATED MIX can be captured on one or
more tracks on your sequencer and then played back with the rest of your note
data when your song plays.

     For this reason, I set all my synth patches to their top volume of 100
(127 if you are using the D-220 or various other synths). That way all of the
mixing data is stored on a separate track in the sequence and I do less patch
configuration.







                               FIX IT IN THE MIX

     The soundboard scenario is great, but here's the power I was talking
about. Some Drum machines like the Roland R-8 have a variety of SYSEX (System
Exclusive) capabilities allowing for some really interesting special effects.

The R-8 will allow you real time control over Nuance (The area on the drum head
where the stick will hit.), Panning, Modulation, Volume (controller 7) and
Decay, not to mention real time access to changes in the 'Human Feel Patch'
mode. With my existing setup, and no peripheral controllers, I have done major,
dynamic MIDI fades, accessed 8 or more controllers at the same time, and didn't
have to shell out a penny for extra equipment. All it takes is a little study
time and a decent sequencer and you're set. You just can't beat that type of
flexibility, especially if your goal is to create exceptionally dynamic and
professional mixes.












                       HOW TO ACCESS IT FROM YOUR SYNTH

     The bad news is not all Synthesizers are capable of altering the control-
ler information sent from the Modulation/Bender wheels. The good news is, if
your synthesizer has been released in the last 4 years or so chances are it's
capable of that kind of programming. Your synthesizer manual should have a
section in it that has detailed information on it's sysex capabilities. Most
synths respond to controller 7 (volume) information, it is not wise to repro-
gram this controller number for the sake of equipment compatibility. Some
synths respond to panning, some do not, so get your manuals out and do a little
study.






                         SETTING UP CONTROLLER PATCHES

     Currently, I use my D-50 as a controller. You can use any synthesizer you
want provided that the documentation tells you what you need to know about
accessing controller information.

     The first step is setting up 16 patches that won't send output to your
keyboard mixer. In case you haven't guessed, we assign each of the soundless
patches to a different MIDI Channel (1-16). You can do this just by assigning
the volume in each patch to 0. These are dummy patches and are used only to
send note/controller information to your other synths and sequencer. Now name
the patches Channel 1, Channel 2, etc. (I also use the same set up for my
E-max, just in case I want to use that as the controller keyboard.) I put 16
controller patches on the same disks with my samples and play my samples from
the controller patch and not the sample patch! Now you can control all your
synths from your one keyboard just by changing patches.

     The next step is determining what controller information you want to send.
If you already have another pedal that sends VC data to your synth then I would
leave the pitch wheel as it is and set the pedal to handle Controller 7
information. You can then set the modulation wheel to alternate between
panning, nuance, etc.












     Now, go to the very beginning of the tune. If your sequencer doesn't have
controller reset (and some don't), then in the foremost part of the tune, place
a string of controller 7 reset sends on your controller track. I usually save a
small "Reset" pattern that I can load into any tune that I am working on when I
am ready. This way, if you do a full instrument fade at the end of your tune
then you won't have to go through and manually reset all Controller 7 informa-
tion.






                                     DO IT

     Now you're ready! Fly real time panning on the Cabasa during verse one.
Bring the low pads out on the chorus and alternate the nuance of the snare.
Pitch shift the congas, anything goes! Just dedicate a track for your control-
ler information. My partner sometimes prefers to 'blend' the controller
information to the same track as the instrument. This is the preferred method
if you are using a program like 'Texture' (Magnetic Music), where you can see
all of the information for a selected track without switching windows. Texture
also lets you easily filter out any controller information from an existing
track without compromising the integrity of the track, leaving only note data
if desired. There are pros and cons to both methods, but I'll leave it up to
you to decide.

     From here on in it's fun time. Don't stop with volume control automation.
Experiment with panning, nuance and all of the other features of your synthe-
sizers and drum machines. The point is, with a little probing in your synth
manual, you will find changing controller setups an exceptionally easy task. It
will broaden your production ideas and may even change the way you write songs.
These changes can mean the all the difference between a good MIDI production
and an exceptional one. Dig in, the only limit is your imagination.


(c) 1990 John Miller Whitney     Biographical sketch of the author...<BIOJMW>