midi for newbs - sequencer
MIDI starts getting interesting when you introduce a midisequencer.
it's a computer program that sits in between your keyboard controller and your sound module. It's usually a program you install on your PC. But some (lame) ones exist on keyboards. Lame due to their terrible user interface.
It records all the midi events coming in, Plays em with "backing tracks" of prerecorded midi events. Shows em on the screen in a fancy note/control display. Saves and loads the events to a midi file.
Sitting in the middle there, a sequencer can listen to the midi coming from the keyboard controller and record it into a "track".
A track is similar to a midi channel, but there's no "16 max" limit on tracks. You tell a track to listen to a midi channel (or set of em) and record all the notes and controls it hears.
These are played out together (sequenced) with other already recorded tracks. You can...
display the tracks' notes on screen
save em in a .mid file
(If you need a .WAV or .MP3, install Audacity and have it capture what your synthesizers are putting out.)
(If you need a .WAV or .MP3, install Audacity and have it capture what your synthesizers are putting out.)
load em from a file
edit em on screen
add auto accompaniment
juggle which track has which sound
juggle which tracks go to which sound module channels
The midi sequencer is what gives the keyboard player the capabilities of a whole orchestra. Well, you know, not a real one...
If you need a way fancier sequencer than PianoCheetah, hit google. But with PianoCheetah, I can help ya.
Okay, that's all I got for ya on midi.
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