The CDPD Public Domain Collection for CDTV 4/CDPD_IV.bin/amfm/amfm9/text/midiarticle2.txt.pp/midiarticle2.txt

Text File | 1994-06-20 | 10KB | 180 lines

A Beginner's Guide to getting a MIDI setup Started

Part II

By Kon Wilms


Well folks, I presume that you have read part one of this article which
appeared in AM/FM #7. If not, check it out. It should provide you with some
good pointers pertaining to getting low cost and useable equipment.

Now what I plan to do here is provide some good guidelines for any prospective
MIDI equipment buyers. Be sure to take these points into GOOD consideration;
as the first-time buyer is more than certain to be culled into buying a
piece of equipment which is not suited for his/her use. Often this can be very
off-putting to first time buyers. So don't pay attention to the very nice
pics of that 'hot gear' in the newest Keyboard mag or the great-sounding
specs offered... sure it might be amazing but not necessarily what you wanted,
not so?

Coming up then are the main categories of equipment and points worth noting.


Synths / Workstations.

1. Old <> outdated. Don't be fooled into thinking that old gear isn't 'hip'
   or won't meet with your needs. This is a mistake often made. I'll bet you
   didn't bother to think where the good old analogue sounds on those hip
   synths come from? More than likely a golden-oldie like an OB-8. So you see
   old should never be compared to outdated.
2. Don't be fooled by the 'workstation' image give by new synths. A software
   sequencer on your Amiga outstrips any synth-sequencer by leaps and bounds.
   That's a fact. Of course this goes for a lot of other features too; as
   I'll explain further on.
3. Synths with sample-RAM? Sounds great doesn't it? Well stop jumping around
   in fits of excitement because its not all what it's cut out to be. You'll
   find that sample-RAM synths often just have this feature to add extra PCM
   to the synth ar a low cost. Many new buyers think that they are getting
   what seems to be a sampler-synth combination although granted the synth
   with the sample-RAM cannot always sample directly and more frequently
   requires PCM-disks of data instead. This is wrong. Sample-RAM <> sampler.
   Don't be fooled.
4. Lastly, PLEASE PLEASE don't make the mistake of buying a synth that offers
   rinky-dink or basic sounds for example your standard DX-rhodes or plinky
   marimba or cutesy orchestra hit. A sampler is your best bet if you want
   short samples. In this respect; when you're checking out a synth...
5. Take NOTE of the RAM onboard and PCM options. More than often low RAM
   (1-2mb) means little variety in sounds. ie you'll always get the same
   type of bass sound popping up here and there in patch-banks etc. BUT there
   are the exceptions to the rule. (Let's take Ensoniq's SQ-1 as a good
   example of that!)
6. From the abovementioned make sure you ALWAYS take out a prospective
   purchase on Apro and test it out thoroughly. After all you are paying for
   the equipment and you have a right to know what you're getting, or not
   so? Make sure you put it through it's paces and experiment with programming
   features. A good idea is to make a simple patch and run through all the
   basic built-in waveforms AS IS (ie without effects-processing etc). This
   will give you a good idea of what you'll be able to do with the synth.
   Which leads me to...
7. Effects. Take off the effects. Do the sounds still sound as good? If not
   don't waste your time with the synth if you plan to use it multitimbrally.
   But if you plan to use single patches in a big rack setup this makes little
   or no difference.
8. Expandability. Don't be fooled. A synth doesn't have to be expandable.
   It all depends on you. If you're happy with the gear that's what counts.
   On the other hand; if you are the kind of person that always searches for
   new sounds as a basis for ideas then you should consider a synth that is
   expandable as far as PCM RAM goes.


Drum Machines

1. You've seen that new drum-machine with the 500 sounds. Great not so? Not
   really. Think of the effort required to sift through all those sounds.
   It almost makes you want to give up. This brings me onto my next point...
2. Factory setups on drum machines.
   If you've used a few you'll be aware that the factory might setup what it
   considers your 'hip hop bank', 'rock drumset' etc. There are many musicians
   happy to use these but take note: A musician should be creative; not
   dictated to by 'arrangements' such as this. It goes against the grain of
   originality. Ever tried using the 'Rock drumset' kick with the 'hip hop
   bank'. If I can remark here... what I've just mentioned is what hip-hop
   and such music was built on, not so? So you'll agree that drum-machines
   with their hundreds of sounds in cute little arranged banks is just not on.
   Of course not all drum machines are like this... BUT
3. Unfortunately whenever you buy a drum machine you'll NEVER use every one
   of the sounds it has (we're speaking SR-16, Procussion, etc here, guys)
   AND more than likely in the next month a new drum machine comes out with
   better and more hip sounds. So the solution?
4. A cheap sampler is the purchase you should definitely consider in place
   of an expensive drum machine. Bear in mind that you are buying the sampler
   to be used as a 'dedicated drum-machine'. But how to go about doing this?
5. Build yourself a library. Use a variety of sources. You should aim at a
   concise library of say 10 disks. This should give you a wide range of
   sounds you (a) think are good and (b) will find a use for. So you see
   a cheap sampler outstrips any drum machine.
6. Basically in this context of use you can use ANY sampler. Complexity is
   not essential here and the features are not that important. You're looking
   for replay and sampling and that's about as far as you need to go in this
   area.


Samplers

1. Memory. You should ALWAYS consider memory if purchasing a sampler. It's
   the thing you'll most often run out of. So here expandibility plays a
   part.
2. Editing. Graphic is ALWAYS better. On the other hand you might have a
   editing sample tool on your Amiga (sample-wrench, anyone?) but most of
   the time a sampler which can dump through MIDI has a LCD anyhow.
3. Polyphony. If you've dont Amiga music you'll know that you can sample
   nice chords and such but lets think about this. You're planning to invest
   some cash in the sampler and if you're not a techno nut or disco freak
   you'll want to do something CONSTRUCTIVE (not that techno or disco is not
   constructive!) :-) with your equipment. So in this case polyphony of at
   least 16 is recommended. (But you're bound to cheat with chords at one
   time or another anyhow!)
4. Budget. If you want to use a sampler instead of a synth but cant afford
   a good one rather go for a synth.
5. Use. Samplers are good for quick short and easily looped sounds. So...
   when you take out a synth you like and test it out see what kind of
   sounds it offers. ALWAYS see if the sounds you like can be sampled. Most
   often they can be. In this way you can rather invest in a sampler; giving
   you the sounds from the synth  that you want an a lot more.
6. Samplers offer the most variety. You're not fixed to any specific sound
   or the ROM-constraints of a synth. This must always be kept in mind.


Effects units

1. These don't come cheap. I reccomend that if your synth produces adequate
   effects for your use you need not invest in a effects unit.
2. A bit of reverb adds a lot of spice. You don't really need '5 simultaneous
   effects'. If you're stuck for cash a small reverb unit will do. You'll
   find that it will help to bring your sources more together in a mix;
   especially if you're using various effects on your synth(s), drum machine
   etc.
3. Samplers without built in effects often benefit from simple effects. If you
   are on a tight budget a simple unit will help bring uniformity to your
   samples (as they will naturally be from different sources) and it can also
   disguise noisy samples. (Not very 'ethical' is it? But then again sampling
   is usually not at all ethical... and that's what makes it fun, hmm?) :-)
4. Ofcourse the last thing that need be mentioned here is that effects units
   will breathe new life into your mixes. If you have the synth equipment you'd
   be pretty silly not to invest in a good effects unit.


Mixers

1. You WILL need a mixer (and good quality speakers). If you're serious
   about your music Hi-Fi speakers will not do. Professional monitor
   speakers are an essential purchase. They will show you your errors
   rather than disguise them like Hi-fi speakers often do!
2. OUTPUTS on your synth/sampler/etc play an important part here. Don't
   go an buy a host of synths and samplers with multiple outputs and then
   discover you don't have the money for a 20-channel mixer.
3. Other options like Midi-control, noise levels and effects sends should
   also be investigated according to what your needs are.



Out-tro :-)

Well hopefully I've succeeded by now in giving you some useful tips about
the categories listed above, as well as some pros and cons of interest.
I've gone into as much depth as I found necessary here; and it should be
born in mind that everyone has different tastes. Well hopefully I've
succeeded in listing global tips which won't put me at anyone's mercy. But
if you beg to differ feel free to write us a letter with additional tips.

I ended off the last part of this series saying that part two would have
listings of good budget setups. Well I decided that It's pointless doing
that as each of us prefers something different to the other most of the
time.

Anyhow these points should put you on the right track to getting your
modest Midi setup up-and-running in no time!