How To Use MIDI

1. Launch your DAW

Start by opening your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). DAWs come with built-in MIDI recording and editing capabilities. If you need access to a DAW, follow along with a free download of Pro Tools Intro to get started.

2. Create a MIDI track and add a virtual instrument

Inside your DAW, you'll find the option to create various types of tracks, including audio and MIDI tracks. While audio tracks are designed for capturing live instruments and microphones, MIDI tracks are used to record virtual instruments. To initiate MIDI-based recording, create a new MIDI track within your project. Then, insert a virtual instrument or software synthesizer to the MIDI track. This instrument will receive the MIDI input and produce sound based on the MIDI data you create.

3. Record your MIDI sequence

With your virtual instrument loaded on a MIDI track, you're ready to record. Follow these steps to initiate recording:

• Arming the Track: Before recording, you need to arm the MIDI track for recording. Locate the track you want to record on within your DAW and click on the "Track Record Enable" button. This action prepares the track to receive MIDI input from your controller.
• Record Button: After arming the track, click the record button in your DAW's transport controls to enter recording mode. If you're MIDI controller has a "record" button, you can press that instead to trigger recording.
• Play Your MIDI Controller: With the track armed and recording engaged, play your MIDI controller to perform the desired musical passage. The MIDI data, including note pitches, durations, and other performance details, will be captured as you play. If you're not using a MIDI controller, you'll have to draw in your notes on the MIDI clip with your computer's mouse or track pad.

4. Edit MIDI data for musical precision

After recording MIDI data, you may need to refine and edit it. Whether it's adjusting note durations, timing, velocities, or pitches, MIDI editing provides granular control over musical elements. For example, with MIDI you can easily hear how your track sounds in a different key by easily transposing the MIDI notes of your instruments. You can also adjust the velocity and timing of individual notes to recreate shape dynamics.

Here's how:

• Access MIDI Editor: Open the MIDI editor within your DAW for the recorded MIDI clip or track.
• Quantization: Use quantization tools to align notes to a grid, ensuring precise timing. Adjust the quantization settings as needed.
• Note Adjustments: Modify note lengths, velocities (how hard a note is played), and other attributes to fine-tune your MIDI performance.

5. Tweak virtual instrument parameters

Now that your MIDI data is recorded and edited, it's time to shape your sounds using your virtual instrument's parameters:

• Instrument Selection: Experiment with different instrument presets within your virtual instrument. Virtual instruments typically come with a library of presets you can audition and browse through to find what you're looking for. By cycling through your library of presets, you can get better at selecting the right sounds for your project.
• Parameter Tweaking: Adjust parameters like filter cutoff, resonance, envelope settings, and effects to shape the character and expression of your virtual instrument. If you have a MIDI controller, you can control your virtual instrument parameters via the knobs and faders on it rather than using a mouse.

6. Create dynamics and expression with MIDI automation

You can further shape your sound with MIDI automation. MIDI automation refers to the process of changing various parameters of musical instruments, synthesizers, effects, and other MIDI-compatible devices over time. It's a valuable tool in music production as it allows you to add a sense of movement and expression to your music. For example, you can use MIDI automation to change volume, panning, filter cutoff frequency, pitch bend, modulation, and other parameters across a specific time frame. To automate sliders, knobs, buttons, and other controls, follow these steps:

• Select Your Parameter: Choose the specific parameter you want to control, such as filter frequency, volume, or pitch bend wheel.
• Create an Automation Lane: In your DAW, create an automation lane dedicated to the chosen parameter. This lane serves as a visual representation of how the parameter will change over time.
• Draw Your Automation: Use the DAW's automation tools to draw in the desired changes for the parameter. You have the creative freedom to shape how the parameter evolves throughout your composition.

By leveraging MIDI automation, you can infuse your music with expressive and dynamic qualities, enhancing your compositions and allowing your sounds to come to life.

7. Experiment with MIDI Effects to create new ideas

MIDI effects are a category of tools used in music production to manipulate and enhance MIDI data, adding creativity and complexity to compositions. Unlike audio effects that alter audio signals, MIDI effects operate on the instructions (MIDI messages) that control virtual instruments and synthesizers. Try experimenting with these effects to create unique musical ideas:

• Arpeggiators: Arpeggiators automatically play a series of individual notes from a chord in a defined pattern (up, down, random, etc.). They can transform basic chords into intricate arpeggios, creating rhythmic and melodic interest.
• Chord Generators: Chord generators allow you to trigger complex chords with a single key press or MIDI input. They're handy for musicians who may not have extensive music theory knowledge, enabling the creation of lush harmonies effortlessly.
• MIDI Quantizers: Quantizers snap incoming MIDI notes to a predefined scale or key, ensuring that your melodies and harmonies stay in tune and within the desired musical framework. They're particularly useful for achieving clean and coherent compositions.
• Note Repeaters: Note repeaters rapidly trigger a note at a user-defined rate, introducing rhythmic patterns and variations. They're commonly used for creating stuttering and rhythmic effects in electronic music.
• MIDI Transposers: Your DAW's MIDI editor typically comes with a MIDI transposer that allows you to shift notes up or down by a specified number of semitones. They're useful for creating musical variations or shifting the pitch of MIDI compositions with ease.

8. Convert MIDI to audio

As your music production progresses, you'll inevitably find the need to convert your MIDI compositions into audio. While this conversion can occur at the final stage when you're ready to bounce your mix for mastering, there are reasons to consider converting MIDI to audio at various points while recording music. Here are some to consider:

• Freeing Up Resources: MIDI tracks can be resource-intensive, especially when using complex virtual instruments. Converting MIDI to audio allows you to "freeze" or render MIDI tracks, freeing up CPU and RAM resources for smoother project playback and improved system stability.
• Collaboration: When collaborating with other musicians or producers, sharing audio tracks is often more practical than sharing MIDI data. Converting MIDI to audio simplifies collaboration and ensures that everyone can work with the same audio files.
• Sound Design and Manipulation: Once in audio format, you can manipulate and edit your sounds further in novel ways. This includes time-stretching, pitch-shifting, and applying creative audio processing to achieve unique sonic textures.