Question for Allan in NE

Nancy Howell · Aug 13, 2009

What's a midi?

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

Mornin' Nancy,

"midi" stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and is a language that allows any computer or “midi device” to interrupt and play back a set of instructions which will reproduce sound.

Since music is nothing more than a ‘series of events happening at a specific time’, these “events” can be recorded and played back digitally. All recorded music you hear nowadays is midi in one shape or another be it TV, radio, or whatever.

There is a downside to midi tho. Quality.

If one should play a midi file on a little Casio piano or Wal-Mart computer, it’s gonna sound cheap and very cheesy indeed because of their limited playback capabilities. If on the other hand however, you play the same file across a $4K Italian sound module, you cannot tell it from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

I plugged my bass guitar into my computer and recorded the first 10 measures of the bass line of the song “In the Mood”. This is the list of events that the computer heard/saw/recorded.

Subsequently, I can now take that file, feed it into my stage sound module and it allows me then to play my guitar "over the top" "of myself" playing bass.

Clear as mud, huh? :>)

Allan

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

Here's a link to that same song recorded in audio format.

You'll notice that "midi" language also allows me to change the sound of my guitar to an alto sax and a B3 organ at different points in the lead line.

It was this song that prompted me to go midi years ago. Was looking for a bass player and when I said that I wanted a Gb Major in the intro and a G#diminished at the bridge, I just got a "blank stare".

Okay fine, I'll play it myself. :>)

Allan
In The Mood

Anonymous-0 · Aug 14, 2009

Digital captures a numeric value for a sound wave at a specific moment in time. This is called a "sample." As soon as that moment is gone, though, the numeric value for that sample has no further use. You have to read a new sample for the next moment, and another sample for the next moment, and so on. Instead of being a complete record of the sound, samples are a series of dots along the sound wave. The number of samples each second is called the "sampling rate." A high sampling rate produces better quality sound, but it also produces a large file. "CD quality" uses stereo sampling (two separate audio values) at 44,100 samples per second. In rough figures, this will require 10 megabytes of disk storage for every minute of music. To low a sample frequency and the sound gets distorted like the old movie sample rate which had the wagon wheels going backwards due to the frames per second rate at which they were capturing the action. That sample rate was producing what is known as aliasing or an alias of what was truly happening.

DownSouth · Aug 14, 2009

Dang it, I should have known it would have a technical answer.
I figured a midi was a belly button that was somewhere between an ini and an outi.
Oh well.......:<)

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

Yes Sir,

What you say is true in regards to "audio". However, there is NO SOUND in any way, shape or form having to do with midi. None.

midi is merely the language/code or "instructions" to reproduce sound. The end device will use it's prestored "audio samples" to create the sound from those instructions.

Thus, the difference in quality from one device to another.

Allan

Anonymous-0 · Aug 14, 2009

Adding this to my list of "Never debate with Allan and think you'll win " stuff ..lol

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

LOL!

We're not debating. We're just vistin'. :>)

Allan

NEsota · Aug 14, 2009

Allen, you are the reason Les Paul cashed in his chips, he could not stand your competition.

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

Well Heck NO!

Wasn't he somethin'? We lost one there fer sure!

Allan

Anonymous-0 · Aug 14, 2009

Yup, it's amazing stuff and a wonder it works so well. Can't even fathom the speed that this stuff works at.

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

If I understand it right (and that's always highly questionable), think electrons move at the speed of light.

I can sing into the mic, send a midi instruction to a splitter. That splitter will then take the note, jump it to the proper harmony note and kick it right back out into the PA system along with my original voice.

Allows me to "sing harmony" with myself. :>)

I just love the darned technology even if it is getting a bet "dated" now. :>)

Allan

Nancy Howell · Aug 14, 2009

Thanks, Allan and others.

gitrib · Aug 14, 2009

Allan I had some casette tapes of my wife playing the big church organ. They were recorded back in the 80's. They had laid around and I decided I wanted to make a CD of them. I checked and the cost was high. I found a program that was availble that would clean all of the hisses and carbage and make a MP3 CD it worked wonderful and saved these old cassetts. Electonic technology is wonderful. If I figure out how to post some and not offend some one I will post one,
gitrib

Anonymous-0 · Aug 14, 2009

Let that be a lesson to you. Only hire band members that have taken piano lessons. Instrumental players seldom learn anything about chords.

James Howell · Aug 14, 2009

And all this time I thought it was a short dress with a <s>hymn</s> <s>him</s> hemline just above the knee.

Mike (WA) · Aug 14, 2009

Having been a "barbershopper" for years, I'm intrigued by the harmony generator. There's about eleventeen ways that 4 guys can harmonize to a note, depending on circumstances in a song- does yours just select a third above, or is it more sophisticated?

James Howell · Aug 14, 2009

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James Howell · Aug 14, 2009

Thanks for playing the music "In The Mood".

Now that's entertainment!

Walterdavies · Aug 14, 2009

Dang I thought it was one of those things the girls where so their Boobies don't hang out. Then in my day it was short skirt.
Walt

Allan in NE · Aug 14, 2009

Back in the old days of the 386s and 486s, once in awhile a note would "stick on". That button in the software would kill that hot note.

Doesn't happen anymore, but the button has carried forward in the software.

Allan

Old Roy · Aug 14, 2009

Gitrib you wont offend me as long as I can save them, to my media player.

Allan!!! Dang you !!!

We Played "In The Mood" Long time ago for intro.
When you went to the organ sound I tried the lead guitar. dad burned nearly broke my best three fingers. of course Arther wasn't helping much either.

To be serious All the sounds that are in any posts, I understand as you just keep playing over your self correct? Awesome !!

Allan in NE · Aug 15, 2009

Hi Mike,

Above, below, any number of voices and any mode under the sun.

You're absolutely right. Most of those machines sold end up in the trash bin because folks just don't understand how harmony works.

It has to be fed a triad so that it knows what you are singing and "where you are going next".

Also, at certain times, I send controls to vary the pitch about 3% to allow it to "slur" into and out of each individual harmony note/voice.

By sending a series of pan control numbers, I can also make the harmony singer(s) move from one side of the stage to the other.

Allan

Allan in NE · Aug 16, 2009

Hi Roy,

Yeah, I run a drum channel, a bass channel and once in a great while a rhythm piano or guitar. Also have to run a separate channel to feed data to my harmony machine.

At that point, I save and lock it as a midi file.

Any lead work or vocal is then "live" over the top of "myself". :>)

Allan

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