Recording MIDI

Recognizing the limitations of fixed PCM samples in music synthesizers, the Downloadable Sounds (DLS) specification was added to MIDI. This provides a means to load PCM into a synthesizer and use MIDI commands to play it back. Essentially any instrument/percussion sound can be replaced with arbitrary PCM, making it possible to control large amounts of recorded sounds. The emergence of software synthesizers on PC platforms has made the use of DLS more feasible than in earlier days when the samples were contained in a static ROM within a hardware synthesizer. 

While recording an audio source is a fundamentally different operation firom recording MIDI data, the procedure for doing so is very similar. Audio is recorded as sounds, and MIDI is recorded as data that can be used to recreate the performance (for example, what note was played, how hard the key was pressed, and how long the note lasted). MIDI can be recorded into individual tracks or multiple takes can be recorded into a single file by looping the playback. MIDI setup and configuration are dealt with in much more detail in Chapter 10. 

MIDI instruments come in many varieties, the most common being a keyboard or synthesizer. Many MIDI instruments have internal circuitry to produce sounds, which are sometimes of a very high quality. If you want to record the actual sound that comes out of a MIDI device instead of recording the MIDI data, use the procedures described above that are used to record any audio signal. The following deals exclusively with recording MIDI data ... 

In the Record dialog box, select the MIDI option Record type. 

Tirack 2 is a MIDI track that was recorded into ACID. 

As mentioned previously, the basic process of recording MIDI is similar to recording audio, but the type of data recording and how it is configured is completely different. See Chapter 10 on MIDI for a full explanation. 

In ACID, MIDI means MIDI data and not the sound produced by your MIDI instrument. If you have a high-quality keyboard with excellent audio output, you may want to record the audio signal into ACID, just as you would record any audio source (see Chapter 6). MIDI files, MIDI tracks, and recording MIDI data in ACID are MIDI data issues. 

Just as you can record an audio performance into an audio track in AQD, you can also record a performance from a MIDI device into a MIDI track. In this case, MIDI data is recorded (note, duration, instrument, and so on) and not audio data. This is an important distinction, since audio data takes up much more space on your computer hut can also he manipulated in different ways. Audio data, for example, can he modified with envelopes and routed through auxiliary busses, while MIDI data allows you to change the voices and instruments used. 

Recording the performance data from a MIDI instmment live while a project is playing hack is perhaps more simple than recording audio data. The procedure is much the same (see Chapter 6) and you don t have to worry about the many problems snrronnding recording audio through a microphone, such as ambient noise and recording levels. To record MIDI data from a performance while an ACID project plays back ... 

In the Record dialog, select the MIDI option Record type (see Figure 10.7). At this point you should be able to play your MIDI device, the meters should jump, and you should be able to hear the audio. If you can t hear anything, hut the meters jump, see the following section on Monitoring. ... 

A MIDI file is saved to your computer and a new track is inserted into the project with an event that contains the recording. The name of the file and the location where the file is saved can be set up in the Record dialog box in the File name and Record folder boxes. It is a pretty good idea to set up a folder dedicated to holding your recordings instead of using the default location where ACID was installed. 

The files are automatically named and numbered according to a default scheme Record Take l.mid, Record Take 2.mid, etc. While the fde name can be changed in the Record dialog, ACID defaults back to this numbering for every take. As with all tracks, the name of the track is taken from the name of the associated media file. If you alternately record both Audio and MIDI data, the file names will continue to increment (for example. Record Take l.mid. Record Take 2.wav, Record Take 3.mid, etc.). 

Unlike audio recordings, MIDI data cannot be recorded into separate takes by turning on Loop playback mode while recording. This is because regions cannot be saved with the MIDI file but only with the project. 

The MIDI Thru device for recording is used to monitor MIDI performances. 

While you can turn the volume up too loud on a MIDI track and cause clipping, it is not possible to cause clipping on the meters in the Record dialog box by playing MIDI data too loudly. 

The MIDI data recorded into AQD is recorded without a specific instrument selected. To change the voice or the instrument used in the track, open the Track Properties dialog box for the newly created track. Then go to the Voices tab and, under the Program data field, click the arrow and select a Bank and instrument (voice), as shown in Figure 10.9. This new instrument information is not saved with the MIDI file, even if you click the Save button at the top of the window. Instead, instrument information is project specific and will be saved with the project that contains the media file. To make this a permanent part of the MIDI file, you will need to use a MIDI file editing application. 

Recording Audio Output from MIDI playback... 

In your sound card s mixer, find the Record settings or Windows Record Control panel (see Chapter 6) and isolate the output from the MIDI device (see below). This will not he the MIDI output (which will be your sound card s default MIDI). This is the most difficult step, and it is discussed in more detail later. 

In the Record dialog, make sure the Record type is Audio. Remember, you want to record the audio signal, not MIDI data. 

This only briefly reviews material covered in more detail in Chapter 6. Keep in mind that you are recording an audio signal. The hardest part is going to be figuring out how to isolate the audio from the MIDI device for recording (Step 3). This may require some trial and error, because every sound card is different. Here is an example using one of the popular SB Live series of cards ... 

You can leave the Record Control dialog box open while you record the MIDI track to an audio file in AQD to adjust the recording gain. For this sound card, the Wave option is any sound produced by the sound card that will be output to the speakers. In this case, the signal will be very clean since it will go from the sound card directly to the recorded audio file on your hard disk. 

The MTC Output tab corresponds to the Generate MIDI Timecode settings item and allows you to configure which messages are sent to the slave device. In most situations, it will be necessary to generate Full-frame messages only on start and stop of playback and record. In almost all situations, you should not use internal timer, as this can cause the applications to drift out of sync. 

The MIDI thru device for recording is the device (such as a MIDI keyboard connected to the MIDI In port) that is used to record MIDI performances as MIDI data to a. mid file and into a MIDI track and event in ACID. 

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