Styles vs Backing .mid

[Tone_Deff (Musicmaker)]

I always use 'Backing Mids' stored on the hard drive of my keyboard, in place of 'Styles' - which I find terribly repetetive.

Some of the mids I sequence myself, but the majority are from this site and many others on the internet. I re-voice to the keyboards panel voices, and alter the volumes and panning to suit my keyboard, and then play along iith the .mid, until I have got it right, and then remove the 'lead' tracks. I now have about 2,000 of these on the hard drive.

I would willingly share these .mids, with members, but they are specifically voiced for my particular keyboard, and would only work in Yamaha Keyboards 2000, 2100, 9000, and the Tyros's.

I don't see this as 'cheating' in a performance, as - what are styles? - they are also really backing mids, and worse, they have been made by someone else!! - at least I have made (sequenced - or re-voiced etc) them myself. More importantly, they are 'song specific' and designed for the song I am playing. There is another bonus, in that my left hand is free to do additional 'flourishes, press buttons, or use the Pitch bend.

Do any other players have any views on this subject ?

Kind regards,

Tony

[mark]

Hi Tony
I do pretty much what you do because you are quite right in saying that the styles are very repetitive. I change the keys and take out lead lines and tailor them to siut me. And as you say you have your other hand free to create add ons. I am currentl making a few midis which I will send in when I have them right.
All The Best
Mark

[arman]

Tony

I entirely agree with you. I know many people consider using a backing midi as cheating, but are them quite happy to go ahead and use inbuilt styles, which are just "chopped up" midis. Like you I use some of the excellent midis available on this site and elsewhere, and 'tweak' them for use on my Tyros, adjusting the voice, panning volume sfx etc (no disrespect to Glen!!), to match my particular set-up. Many gigging singers use midi backing tracks and play the guitar as well, so what's wrong with us playing the keyboard to a midi backing track - the overall performance is so much more professional. Having said all that, I do use styles as well, specifically for dance medleys where the length of the medley will depend on how well it's going and how many dancers are on the floor. Using a style in this instance gives me the flexibility to play a piece(s) for as long or short as I wish, whereas with a midi you are stuck with a fixed length.

Many happy returns for your recent "coming of age" (well some age!!!)


Regards

Mike

[rickmabus]

Hi Tone! On your post about using midis you said that you would be willing to share your redone midis with anyone who would like them? I would love to have the redone midis because I don't know how to do all of these technical things and as a singer as well as a keyboardist they would be invaluable to me! One thing that I have noticed with most midids are..they need to be a little longer if possible and also they end too abrut..they would sound alot better if the endings gradually faded out someway..of course, I usually slowly start turning the volume button down to simulate an ending, but sometimes this doesn't work out too well...Anyway, I would so much appreciate your midis and thank you in advance for the kind offer..here is my [e-mail]..PS..I have a psr 2100..Have a Great Day!...Kaye and Rick

[oldsage]

even the top artists use backing bands and added backing tracks,to enhance their performance.they use their band and use an orchestral strings and timpani drums to add dimension and dramatic effects to their performances.so why should you or antbody else be any different.you only have one pair of hands,so how do they expect you to play lead,rhythm,drums,strings the list can go on.

[rogerb]

I absolutely agree. In the days before sequenced music we had biigger bands to achieve the sound. Now we have the technology to do it with less why not use it. Audiences are not really aware which bits are being played live and which are on midi. Having said that I've just started gigging with a six-piece and playing everything totally live. More than anything since I started working on my own I've missed the buzz and craic that I always enjoyed with a band. I'll still use midis on solo gigs and feel lucky to have the choice to do both.

[tpf]

I concur with previous speakers.
It seems to depend entirely on what you want from the end result. If it is to be absolutely flexible about what to play (and when, and for how long ie dance medley or to accompany someone else) and want to "take the lead" then a style seems to be the way to go. If you are simply happy to play along then using a backing track (midi) is the right solution. The major difference I see to the end result is the extent of embellishment/orchestration/etc that occurs in a backing track (midi). Yes they often sound better than using a style.
tpf

[acre]

Hi Tony!

First off, let me say how much I admire your ability to construct a whole tune on an Arranger keyboard instead of using the built in styles. I'm running a Tyros II and CP33 stage piano for my performances and you're right, in that the styles can get a little boring, even well put together styles found on the Tyros II.

As an alternative to building the song from scratch and it took me a little time to discover this technique, I use the Registration Banks as a single slot for storing styles for one song. Instead of storing 8 songs in one Bank, I now have one song per Bank. This leaves 7 variations per song that can be activated at the touch of a button. Add to that, I have created a few new styles of my own and now I'm "sort of" doing what you're doing. It does tend to break up the monotony of a straight style.

The added bonus of keeping one song per Bank is that when you hit the "VIEW" button, the Registrations show up in a list, in alphabetical order.

Do you sequence 100% on your keyboard or do you use a DAW? I'm using Cubase SE through the M-Audio Delta 1010 audio/MIDI card. Regards..........Lee

[acre]

One other note Tony (no PUN intended )

I have used commercial MIDI tracks before on the T2 and it does free me up to play both hands on the CP33. The sound is much nicer when you can play left hand piano instead of changing chords on the fly!.........Lee