BPM202: Digital Music Production II - Quiz #3: Editing! (MIDI)

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

• Protocol released way back in 1983

• Allows Performance info from a MIDI device (like playing a piano keyboard) to control another MIDI device

• Designed to allow different types of music equipment to talk to each other

MIDI Channels

• Carry performance information up to 16 unique MIDI channels → only operates on one direction & sends information “blindly” (so the transmitting device will not know if there is a receiving device or one connected at all!)

MIDI MESSAGES

1. “CHANNEL”

2. “SYSTEM”

3. “CONVERTING MIDI TO AUDIO”

MIDI MESSAGES

1. “CHANNEL”

• Note on/off (Note number, velocity)

• Aftertouch (keyboard pressure)

• Controller information (such as a fader, Joystick, Sustain Pedal)

• Pitch Bend (14bit)

• Program Change (changing a patch, not common on VI's)

MIDI MESSAGES

1. “CHANNEL”

   • MESSAGES (N.C.P.A.)

1. Note on & Off

• Note Number ranges from 0 – 127

• Also contains a Velocity value from 0 – 127 (how hard is the key pressed

2. Control Change (CC’s)

• There are up to 127 different Control Change messages available

• Each can have a value of 0 to 127

3. Pitch Bend

• a value of 0 is “no pitch change”

• +8191 is full pitch bend up

• -8192 is full pitch bend down

• it's up to the receiving plug-in to determine how this will modify pitch

4. Aftertouch

• Pressure on the keyboard DURING your performance. Value of 0 - 127

MIDI MESSAGES

2. “SYSTEM”

• Sync: (for synchronizing drum machines or sequencers)

• System Exclusive: (custom messages such as patch settings)

MIDI MESSAGES

3. “CHANNEL”

• MIDI is NEVER sound.

• It is a control protocol and nothing more. There is no sound to convert! 

• You can compare MIDI to the pegs on a music box or a player piano paper roll → It is the raw data.

• It must 'trigger' a sound source for you to hear anything

MIDI Steps!

1. Create Instrument Track

2. Add an instrument plug-in on Insert A

3. Some Virtual Instruments require a preset to be loaded

4. Record ‘Arm’ the track

5. Play MIDI keyboard to verify signal

6. Record!

7. In the Mixer → MIDI input is set to “All” (so Pro Tools will listen for MIDI data from ANY connected device)

Manipulating MIDI Notes

• Click anywhere to create a MIDI Note (Use Pencil Tool)

• Click & Drag to move MIDI note!

MIDI Sequencer

• A device to capture MIDI information → allows musicians to manipulate the ‘sequence’ of MIDI information

• Can record audio at a later time after manipulating + perfecting the performance data!

MULTI-TIMBRAL Synthesizers

• Synthesizers with multiple independent sounds simultaneously!

• A single box can produce up to 16 sounds at once! (If each sound was set to a different MIDI channel)

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

• What we use today to create music on a computer!

• Merges: MIDI Sequencer, digital audio recording, editing, processing, & virtual instruments

  

TRACKS FOR MIDI!

1. MIDI

2. AUX

3. INSTRUMENT

TRACKS FOR MIDI!

(1) MIDI

• Record + Edit MIDI performance data

• Record, playback & manipulate MIDI data

• But doesn’t do much

  

TRACKS FOR MIDI!

(2) AUX

• Looks like any old Aux input track

• For 1 or more MIDI tracks

• Use multi-timbral plug-in instruments this way!

TRACKS FOR MIDI!

(3) INSTRUMENT

• Special type of track → combo in function of a MIDI track + AUX track, can record MIDI data & host virtual instrument plug-in

• Combo of MIDI track + Aux Input track

• Record, playback & manipulate MIDI data

• Can hose a virtual instrument + output the plug-in’s audio that’s “triggered” by the MIDI dara

• Perfect for single sound (ex: Piano, Bass, Violin, etc.)

  

MIDI Editor Area (and Window)

• Can open MIDI editor by double clicking a CLIP with the Grabber Tool to open a floating window, or click on the little “up” arrow at the bottom-left of the Pro Tools Edit Window

“Real-Time Properties”

• To adjust all MIDI note data for a track in a single stroke, turn on “Real-Time Properties”

  • Quantize, Note Durations, Delay, Velocity & Transpose clicking the corresponding buttons

“Event Operations”

• TO adjust specific MIDI note data → Open “Event Operations” Window (Events → Event Operations → Event Operations Window)

“Restore Performance”

• If you want to RESTORE your original MIDI data (incase you made a booboo) → Restore Performance

  • Highlight over MIDI data you want to restore

  • Tick the boxes of what you want restored & press “Apply”

“Flatten Performance”

• MIDI Version of “Consolidate Clip” → will commit adjustments permanently to the MIDI data/CLIP (no way to undo) “baking it in!”