Tag: MIDI

If you are a music producing lover, it is not rocket science that you will want to know everything that music encompasses through music producing schools. If you are a music enthusiast and you are looking to take a career path in the music line, it is now easy to do that. The internet has really revolutionized everything; you can now enroll to an audio program and perfect your prowess in music production.

For students to make it in the music producing course, there is a systematic method that they use so that students can get it all right. Creation of soundtracks, using digital or analogue equipment for music production are some important topics for the students. The schools have to prepare the individuals for the music world, hence the numerous programs they design.

Audio production and engineering, sound design for visual media, enthusiastic pro tools, music and entertainment business are the main programs that will be part of the curriculum. The use of a microphone, sound controls and studio equipment handling are additional course that you will have to cover.

Composing music is one of the first steps, the schools have the lessons designed to tackle the basics all through to the end. There are different tools and techniques in music production; covering contemporary music which a student must learn how to use them all. Theory and practical lessons are put in place. Using glitch, dub, trance, drums, electro and bass are varieties of music that students are taught to use and apply.

Videos go synonymously with audio productions these days. Due to that students are made aware of the different series of video production. Times are always changing and people change with the time. The taste in music needs to be at par with the times. People can only love music if it is appealing to them; the schools teach the music students how to apply knowledge in technology to make music that is loveable to all.

Composing music and producing are two diverse topics by themselves. A student will be taken through the different aspects and approaches to contemporary music including audio and MIDI editing, synthesis, groove, beats, processing effects, mixing, performance and sound design. Since a lot is required to cover the course, the students might be required to purchase software to facilitate easier learning of some modules.

After the course, the student will have learnt how to create compound edits with a sequencer, master, remix and mix music. One will also have learnt how to compose, produce and understand the different styles of music such as techno, down-tempo, electro, trance and bass. Keeping up with the latest trends is one thing that the student will have understood as he will have learnt how to analyze music.

If you are looking to enroll for one of the many music producing schools, you can do so quite easily. Research on the best schools and settle for the one that has got what you want in terms of learning and how much you have budgeted for the course. Go ahead and make true that dream of becoming a renowned music producer.

Music notation software helps you to compose music quickly and easily. Maestro Notation is one of the leading solutions and it’s much more affordable than many competing products too. It provides you with everything you need to create professional-quality music. Maestro Notation allows composers, teachers and students to easily and quickly create a sheet music. There are a variety of input methods including complete support for MIDI keyboards. MusicXML files which have been scanned over from other software can also be imported into Maestro Notation. You’ll no doubt be amazed by how quickly you can create sheet music using this solution thanks to its many input methods and handy features to help make your life easier.

Maestro Notation prides itself on being one of the quicker and easier programs in the world of music notation software. To provide a versatile solution to users, there are a variety of flexible input options. You can use the mouse, keyboard or MIDI keyboard to enter musical notes in step-time or real-time. The Quick Input method offers the fastest way of getting your compositions done in minimal time. It’s also possible to drag and drop articulations and other musical symbols directly into the sheet. Markings can be attached to any note with just one click of the mouse. Once you’ve made your changes, you can listen to a completely accurate and professional-quality playback of the audio.

Maestro Notation provides everything you need to keep your music high-quality to a professional standard. Crisp and clean notation is provided courtesy of flexible templates, the possibility to easily add multiple articulations and dynamics and much more. There are also dozens of instruments to choose from. Additionally, various special score markings are supported including guitar finger diagrams and tablature. Adding these markings is simply a matter of a few clicks of the mouse.

Maestro Notation provides some of the most powerful flexible design and layout tools available. All of the tools that you need to get the job done are organized in a user-friendly and easily accessible way in pallets at the bottom of your screen. You don’t need to spend time searching through menus to find the tools you need. Contextual right-click options are also provided to make editing any part of your music easier than ever. The music notation software makes it possible to customize the beaming of barred notes as well. The design tools provide the possibility of adding images into the score. You can customize the entire look and feel of your sheet music with various options so that you get exactly the results you want.

Once you’ve completed your project, you can take advantage of a wide choice of output options. The finished notation sheets can be saved in the program’s own format SFD, MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke or PDF. Many graphical file formats are supported too, including TIFF, PNG, GIF, BMP, WMF and JPEG. It’s easy to publish live scores online, using Maestro OnLine plugin.

Maestro Notation provides a user-friendly support system to help you if you get stuck using any particular feature. The help system is contextual and intuitive, following your actions and providing suggestions as required. Learn more about music notation software at music-notation-software.com.

It seems like every industry has tools to help consumers be professionals, and the music industry is no exception. Todays fans have more access to the tools these musicians and producers use to create their craft especially in the world of music loops and drum machines for hip hop — than any generation of fans in the past.

In short, it is now very possible to create professional sounding music loops with drum machines and launch a music production career
with little help from traditional music industry gatekeepers.

1)Beat Thang

Where to start with this product? A drum machine at its most basic, its the only portable, battery powered device that is small and compact enough to be transported in your backpack and capable of recording samples anywhere. Released by Grammy award winning beat maker Dallas Austin and Beat Kangz electronics, Beat Thang is arguably the best bang for your buck on the drum machine / music loop hardware product for music production careerists in the market right now.

Considering Beat Thangs extremely intuitive interface, this drum machine is a great buy for anyone intent on building a thriving music production career.

2)Roland MV 8800

This drum machine offers all you need from song conception to release, including components designed for tracking, mixing, and mastering any and all music loops you design. Perhaps most beneficial is that it comes loaded with Rolands legendary instrument and effects models, all of which can be used to create amazing music loops. Many music production careers have been born out of using it, and theres no reason it cant do the same for your music production career.

3)Akai MPC 2500

Similarly to Roland, Akai is another stalwart brand for those with music production careers, known best for its various high end drum machines.

It comes with less RAM than Beat Thang (128 MB vs. 256), but still has on board effects processors and MIDI connections (in case you wanted to write your own music loops on a MIDI keyboard). Whats cool about this one is that its possible to synchronize samples of different lengths without changing pitch.

4)Korg M3

This synthesizer, while not strictly a drum machine, packs just as much punch as the other items that are more geared towards hip hop and electronic music loops and beats. With so many applications and features that become easier to use as your music production career progresses, the possibilities with the Korg M3 seem endless.

However, while its versatility may be an advantage, the time it takes to learn the drum machine and all of its nuances is a disadvantage. Masterin it is not for the faint of heart, though doing so will do more for your music production career than just learning basics on other music loop software.

5)Fruity Loops

Fruity Loops is standalone software specifically for creating music loops that is installed on a computer, not hardware. But, its nearly a household name because of its ease of use. If youre really just looking for the basics that a cut and paste looping software can offer (for relatively cheap), then Fruity Loops is your best bet. But, dont expect to progress too far in any music production career if thats all you know how to use.

Setup:
Assembly
To be able to connect the Music Instrument Shield to the mainboard, some soldering is required. The Music Instrument Shield needs to be soldered on some headers. Once it is done, connect it to your arduino.

Software/Firmware
If your arduino IDE version is 1.0 or later, the NewSoftSerial Library is installed so you won’t have any trouble at all.If you have an earlier version of the IDE, you need to upgrade or install the library.
Example Code:
#include
NewSoftSerial mySerial(2, 3);
byte note = 0;
byte resetMIDI = 4;
byte ledPin = 13;
int instrument = 0;

void setup() {
Serial.begin(57600);
mySerial.begin(31250);
pinMode(resetMIDI, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(resetMIDI, LOW);
delay(100);
digitalWrite(resetMIDI, HIGH);
delay(100);
}

void loop() {
talkMIDI(0xB0, 0x07, 120); //

/*
//Demo Basic MIDI instruments, GM1
//
Serial.println(“Basic Instruments”);
talkMIDI(0xB0, 0, 0x00); //Default bank GM1
//Change to different instrument
for(instrument = 0 ; instrument

Serial.print(” Instrument: “);
Serial.println(instrument, DEC);
talkMIDI(0xC0, instrument, 0);

//Play notes from F#-0 (30) to F#-5 (90):
for (note = 30 ; note
Serial.print(“N:”);
Serial.println(note, DEC);

//Note on channel 1 (0x90), some note value (note), middle velocity (0x45):
noteOn(0, note, 60);
delay(50);

//Turn off the note with a given off/release velocity
noteOff(0, note, 60);
delay(50);
}

delay(100);
}
//
*/

//Demo GM2 / Fancy sounds
//
Serial.println(“Demo Fancy Sounds”);
talkMIDI(0xB0, 0, 0x78);
//For this bank 0x78, the instrument does not matter, only the note
for(instrument = 30 ; instrument

Serial.print(” Instrument: “);
Serial.println(instrument, DEC);

talkMIDI(0xC0, instrument, 0);
//Play fancy sounds from ‘High Q’ to ‘Open Surdo [EXC 6]’
for (note = 27 ; note
Serial.print(“N:”);
Serial.println(note, DEC);

noteOn(0, note, 60);
delay(50);
noteOff(0, note, 60);
delay(50);
}
delay(100);
}

/*
//Demo Melodic
//
Serial.println(“Demo Melodic? Sounds”);
talkMIDI(0xB0, 0, 0x79);
//Change to different instrument
for(instrument = 27 ; instrument

Serial.print(” Instrument: “);
Serial.println(instrument, DEC);

talkMIDI(0xC0, instrument, 0);
//Play notes from F#-0 (30) to F#-5 (90):
for (note = 30 ; note
Serial.print(“N:”);
Serial.println(note, DEC);

noteOn(0, note, 60);
delay(50);
noteOff(0, note, 60);
delay(50);
}
delay(100);
}
*/
}
//channel ranges from 0-15
void noteOn(byte channel, byte note, byte attack_velocity) {
talkMIDI( (0x90 | channel), note, attack_velocity);
}
void noteOff(byte channel, byte note, byte release_velocity) {
talkMIDI( (0x80 | channel), note, release_velocity);
}
//Plays a MIDI note. Doesn’t check to see that cmd is greater than 127, or that data values are less than 127
void talkMIDI(byte cmd, byte data1, byte data2) {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
mySerial.print(cmd, BYTE);
mySerial.print(data1, BYTE);
//(sort of: http://253.ccarh.org/handout/midiprotocol/)
if( (cmd & 0xF0)
mySerial.print(data2, BYTE);

digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
}
There are sixty “notes” that can be played in this bank, with values from 27 to 87. In order to “play” a note, we need to send the Note On command with the value of the note we want to play. This is the next MIDI instruction in the example code:

noteOn(0, note, 60);

After the noteOn() call, there is a delay of 50 milliseconds. This means that whatever note we chose will play for 50 milliseconds. After the delay, we have to tell the chip to turn the note off. Hence, the noteOff() function call:

noteOff(0, note, 60);