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Table Of Contents

MIDI: Recording and Playback

Flow of MIDI Signals

Typically, a keyboard is used to play in MIDI data; however

Guitar-to-MIDI and Drum-to-MIDI controllers are also

available. Your keyboard probably has an integrated sound

generator, or perhaps you are using a master keyboard

controller without an internal sound generator in connec-

tion with one or more MIDI sound generators. The MIDI

sequencer will record the notes you are playing on the key-

board. During recording and playback, the sequencer will

trigger the connected MIDI sound generators. Unlike au-

dio recordings, MIDI tracks do not record any sounds.

They record information, such as the time at which keys

on the keyboard were hit, the strike speed and the release

speed. Using the sequencer, this information can be ed-

ited in any way desired, or played back as is. Even though

MIDI tracks can only be played back on MIDI instru-

ments, the MIDI sequencer offers a multitude of advan-

tages over an audio recorder. There is one thing about

MIDI recording that should always be kept in mind:

The sequencer always plays the instruments live, so the in-

struments always need to be present. For example, if a

synthesizer voice is required by the bass, it cannot play

anything else. By contrast, audio recorders use multiple

tracks to record entire choirs, or to record multiple parts

with one synthesizer voice. Consequently, MIDI record-

ing requires many voices. It is quite typical to have 64

voices in one sound module. If you are working with sev-

eral MIDI sound generators, the significance of the num-

ber of voices will become apparent very quickly.

An exception are the new “audio instruments”, accessed

via the new, correspondingly named track objects. Seen

from the “input aspect”, these are MIDI instruments, as

they are “played” via MIDI commands from the se-

quencer. Seen from the “output aspect”, they are audio in-

struments, as their output signal is directly generated and

played back by the computer, just as the audio tracks.

Advantages of MIDI Recordings over Audio Record-

ings:

– You may change the sound, either of the sound gener-

ator’s sound program or the sound generator itself,

anytime after recording.

– You may insert, delete, or change notes, even if the

notes are sounding on the same track. From a

sustained C-major seventh chord you can create a C