Programming MIDI tracks

Spy · Post by **Spy** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 7:14 am

Hello guys,
I'm not good at playing keyboard. It also eats a lot of time when I record MIDI tracks by playing the keyboard and then fix all the "typos" I made.

The question: is there any software where I could program MIDI tracks (like in those old, pattern based mod trackers), where I could not only place a note, but also other MIDI parameters?

I tried programming a song in MadTracker, then load the mod in ModPlug Tracker and convert it to .mid, then load it in Cubase SX... But converting cuts the end of each track somehow (but again, I can only program the notes, nothing else), and there's a problem with tempo - if i have 120 BPM in tracker - it has nothing to do with 120 BPM in Cubase SX. So when I want to turn on the metronome to record live instruments into the same project the tempos of Cubase project and midi file I created are not the same

Thanks for your time.

Post by **Neil B** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 2:58 pm

Well, that's a fair set of questions, Spy.
BTW welcome to the Planet Z (it's your first post anyway).
I appreciate what you are saying about typos - isn't it a shame that no-one has invented virtual fingers yet to overcome the problem of bum notes

Anyway, I'll try to tackle a part of your question(s).
I'm making the assumption here that you have and own Cubase. In that case you have the programmability that you need. I'll try and break it down though.
If you use the normal edit mode you can move into steptime mode and edit or paint notes in. Using your keyboard you will be able to do the same in this step time mode, although it stifles feel and creativity.
Without step mode you can still use the pencil tool to draw in notes, change note lengths and so on.

With regard to typing in other midi stuff as opposed to notes - again Cubase is easy for this.
In the same editor click on the symbol in the bottom left corner. You can now select the type of data that you want to insert or edit. As an example select Volume data. Set you quantise and snap values to, say 16.
Right click in the bottom of the editor and choose the "X" symbol. Hold ALT and draw an ascending line. You now have the volume swelling in.
Even using the pencil instead of the cross you can paint controller values in, so this should satisfy your requirements too.
To be fair, the cubase manuals are quite good for this.
A couple of other tips. We all have off days when our hands change into epileptic spiders and can't play note perfect. Just keep playing and recording or else you'll forget the idea and mood that you were recording. Once the idea is down, then edit it - you have time then. Try the AQ button - autoquantise on the transport bar - should help some of the notes land in the right place once you've set the snap and quantise values

Regarding the tempo variations between different software/imported midi files etc - I'm not much help there because I am unfamiliar with the other packages that you mention. The same happened to me in the past with transferring SY77 midi files into an older version of Cubase. I'm sure that someone will come to your aid over this subject.
Hope that helps a bit anyway.

_________________
Neil B

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Neil B on 2003-01-27 15:01 ]</font>

Spy · Post by **Spy** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 5:27 pm

Neil B: thanks for your help. I really appreciate it... I'm a newbie in making music this way while I'm playing live instruments and singing for about 20 years.

I can program what I can't play live - this is what I wanted

and you really saved me a lot of time.

I'll work on "step programming" now and then will try adjusting other things and see what happens.

Maybe one day I'll let others listen to my masterpieces

Have fun and good time.
Spy

Post by **Neil B** » Tue Jan 28, 2003 2:10 am

Hi SPy,
This really should be in the problem solving forum, but anyway......

I had a thought about your midi bpm problem.
Instead of importing the midi file into Cubase and having the timing going out, try playing the midi file into cubase whilst recording from cubase - in this way cubase is the master and may correct the timing problems.

Neil B