(1) MIDI for beginners.

[growe]

Thanks John,
I am sure there are loads out there like me who just need this type of info to make things clearer, I amnot a good manual reader, or maybe it is because the manuals are no good?
I await your next session with interest.
Regards,
Gordon

[Tiny]

hi john
a big thank,s from me also this will be a great
help for me as the old grey matter is slowing down LOL
thank,s mate rgd,s Tiny ;D

[JohnG]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know I'm hitting the right spot, at least for some of you.
It would also be good to know what other topics you might like covered. I've got a few in mind but I'm unsure what people want. The next article is about half written.
Regards to all the readers.
JohnG.

[steveb]

Hi John, all I can say is EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT,

[paulhcctt]

this is a priceless addition!!!!! way to go john!!!!

[JohnG]

Hi Paul,

Priceless = without value?
Hope you mean the other one! Thanks for the comment. ;D
Best regards,
JohnG.

[rogerb]

Excellent John. I look forward to the next gripping installment. There's not one of us too old to learn something new and although I've done some elementary stuff, I know there's lots I don't yet know how to do. Keep it coming please.

[modbod]

Great stuff John. I look forward to next instalment.

Kind Regards, Michael

[keith]

hi john would it be possible to have an exercise that we beginners can do to understand how to work with midi notes / tracks etc . I play guitar and do not have a keyboard so i would have to input notes via piano roll . I know this is a tall order but i guess there are a lot of people out there the same as me - stupid when it comes to creating music via the computer .

regards keith

[weeo]

Hi John
Hope you picked up my post on the drum volume thread.
I have sequenced a few midifiles but i don't understand about the controls that have been mentioned.
Perhaps you could explain in layman's terms how they work etc.
I'm sure there are many in the group that would appreciate a few pointers in the right direction.
btw thanks for your past input ,very well constructed and put across in terms we can all understand.
regards---weeo

[JohnG]

keith said:

hi john would it be possible to have an exercise that we beginners can do to understand how to work with midi notes / tracks etc . I play guitar and do not have a keyboard so i would have to input notes via piano roll . I know this is a tall order but i guess there are a lot of people out there the same as me - stupid when it comes to creating music via the computer .

regards keith

Hi Keith,
Sorry for the delay in replying, I've been away recharging my batteries!
Yes, an excellent idea. I'd had a similar thought but wasn't sure where to start. I'll take a look at this and try to put together a little tutorial for you. It may become 2 or 3 articles as I expand upon the techniques. Watch this space as they say.
Best regards,
JohnG.

[JohnG]

weeo said:

Hi John
Hope you picked up my post on the drum volume thread.
I have sequenced a few midifiles but i don't understand about the controls that have been mentioned.
Perhaps you could explain in layman's terms how they work etc.
I'm sure there are many in the group that would appreciate a few pointers in the right direction.
btw thanks for your past input ,very well constructed and put across in terms we can all understand.
regards---weeo

Hi weeo,
Thanks for your kind comments, much appreciated.
I've been across to read the drums thread and think I understand what you need.
What I thought I'd do first is to give a general explanation of the ways of controlling sound level and then, probably as a separate article, take a look at setting up a MIDI file to allow maximum flexibility when either performing or recording. This might also allow those people who find the overall volume level of their MIDI files to be too low to "turn it up!"
Look for an article pretty soon.
Best regards,
JohnG.

[Sean]

John,

Just to let you know this thread is alive and kicking. You have the knack of getting the operating theory across to us in laymans terms untill we catch up with all the terminology.
Thank you for your concise and descriptive format.

Sean

[JohnG]

sean454 said:

John,

Just to let you know this thread is alive and kicking. You have the knack of getting the operating theory across to us in laymans terms untill we catch up with all the terminology.
Thank you for your concise and descriptive format.

Sean

Thank you Sean,

Glad to hear it's been useful. Yes, it can be very daunting when you first set out to learn MIDI. I do remember my first faltering steps with an Atari ST and a Yamaha TX81 later added to with a Cheetah MS6. I'd always wanted a layman's guide so that's what I set out to write for the forum.

I've a long article on the set-up measure in the making which I'll post very soon. I hope you'll find that interesting too. Again I've tried to write it at a beginner's level. I must admit, when I started to do this, I didn't realise quite how difficult it can be to explain rather complicated things in a simple way!

Watch this space.
Best regards,
JohnG.

[violet]

Hi John! Thank you so muchfor your very informative articles on midifiles..all your hard work is much appreciated...violet Songbird

[JohnG]

violet said:

Hi John! Thank you so muchfor your very informative articles on midifiles..all your hard work is much appreciated...violet Songbird

Hi Violet or should I say Songbird,

Funny, it's my pet name for my partner but in German - Singvogel.

You are most welcome.
And thanks for the response, it always spurs me on to write more when I get positive feedback. ;D

I've been working for several weeks on the next article (out any day soon) when it hits the MidiMart site you'll see why it's taken me so long. Lots of reference work done in the MIDI specification, XG spec and GS manual etc. I'm going boss eyed.

I should add that if there's any parts you don't understand or need clarification on, please ask away. I'll do my best to answer.

Thanks for your post, most welcome,
Enjoy your singing little songbird,
JohnG.

[kemo]

Hi JohnG, today I have sat through a lot of your tutorials and I have to say what a credit it is to have someone like you on this forum. To be truthful my midi knowledge is basic to say the least, but I think as a lot before me has said the foundations have been well laid for improvement. I just would like to on a personal note thank you for taking (so much of your time) to sit down and author this for us. I also would like to say that as a midi user for the past 10years I maybe have taken advantage of the people who take up so much of their time in developing these files, without understanding the fundamentals of midi. With your excellent steps, walkthroughs, which have been explained so well I hope that I can one day, become a sequencer myself.


Best Regards
Kemo (Kieran)

[JohnG]

Hi Kieran,
Many thanks for the kind words. They're much appreciated believe me, and, for me, they're always an incentive to get on with the next article. I'm sure you're aware that it's not a trivial job to take something as complicated as MIDI undoubtledly is and turn it into a simple tutorial. But I do try. When I re-read them some weeks later I usually end up thinking "there's a better way of explaining that!" But you have to let go sometime.

Do get yourself a sequencer at some point and have a go. It's what I did goodness knows how many years ago with an Atari ST and a Cheetah MS6 synth, and now I mess around with MIDI pretty well every day and get a lot of personal satsfaction from it.

Thanks very much again for your kind words,
Best regards,
JohnG.

[JazzCat]

johng11 said:

When I re-read them some weeks later I usually end up thinking "there's a better way of explaining that!"

When I think of a better way of wording, or a better way of explaining, I go back and edit it. Often I edit my posts on the forums, not just when I catch a typo but when I feel I've got a better way to say the same thing. That's the one thing I do like about forums. I can go back and edit a post for any number of reasons.

I guess a book is never finished till it's been printed. LOL

[JohnG]

Yep! So do I, often, but not always. Especially if it means a rewrite of a number of paragraphs. What I often do is to look at it and then say "but does it do the job?" If the answer is "yes" then I leave it alone and move on, otherwise I'd be forever editing.

As to the book, I'll let you know JazzCat.
Best regards,
JohnG.