Making the Most of Midi is a Midi book unlike any other. It explains the fundamentals of Midi and Midi sequencing for the beginner, and it goes much, much further, dealing with issues that will be of help to more established users. Advice on Midi fault finding, on the less obvious tricks used by experts, and even help for musicians using sequencers with live bands. Learn about the structures of the Midi messages and the internal arrangements used in Midi files. And for the more advanced user there is even Midi and Midi File programming material provided. The author, Paul Overaa, who has more than a dozen books to his credit, is also a competent programmer, well able to both understand and explain the technical complexities of Midi. Above all else, though, he is a musician who has come to terms with Midi in all its shapes and forms. So, whether you are a keen first time user or a Midi veteran, there will be something in this book to interest you.
Author(s): Paul Overaa
Publisher: Bookmark Publishing
Year: 1996
Language: English
Pages: 243
City: Bedford
Introduction
1 Making a Start
Setting the Scene
Some Midi Preliminaries
Making Your Own Midi Cables
Midi Communications
Status versus Data
Midi Channels
2 Basic Equipment
Voices, Sounds and the Midi Connection
The Multi-timbral Equivalent
Extra Notes on Synthesizer Controls
The Sequencer
Choosing Computer Hardware
Choosing The Software
Computers and Live Bands
3 Making the Right Connections
When Your Midi System Starts To Grow
Merge Units
Midi Switchers
Midi Patchbays
Last Words
4 How Your Sequencer Works
Sequence Editing
Quantization
Transposition
Automated Voice Selection
Re-Chan nell i ng
5 Drums and Percussion
Recording and Playback
Block Style Drum Notation
Boring or What?
Track Shifting
Randomisation
Using Midi clocks when recording
6 Additional Software and Hardware
Guitarists
Effects Unit Control
Midi Filters
SMPTE!TimeCode Applications
Wireless Midi
Specialist Midi Cables
Lighting and Other Midi Control Applications
Midi to DIN Sync Conversion
Still Only Scratching the Surface
7 Midi Implementation Charts
8 Midi Fault Finding
The StudioMaster MA36 Midi Analyser
Hand-held Midi Message Transmitter Units
9 General Midi and Roland GS
The Roland GS Standard
Moving Towards A Goal
10 Tips and Tricks
Midi and Sequencing
Midi Files
Percussion Units
11 Messages and their Meanings
Real-Time Messages
System Common Messages
Channel Messages
Voice Messages
Note-Off Messages
Program Change
Polyphonic Aftertouch (Polyphonic Key Pressure)
Channel Aftertouch (Channel Key Pressure)
Pitchbend (Pitchwheel) Messages
Midi's Controller Messages
Switch Controllers
Continuous Controllers
Mode Messages
Midi Clogging
Status Byte Structure
12 Sysex Messages
Using Sysex Control
Last Words
Making a Start
Enter the Midi File Proper
Overall Chunk Arrangements
Header Chunks
14 Track Chunks
Midi Events
Sysex Events
Meta Events
Last Words
15 Some Parting Advice
Appendix 1 Hexadecimal Numbers
Appendix 2 Notes For Hackers
Appendix 3 Even Basic CanDo
Collecting Midi Messages
And There's More ...
Glossary
