Im a person who plays the keyboard and has always wondered what those MIDI ports do on the back. I'm aware they plug into computers and can unleash endless potential, trouble is I have limited knowledge on how to do this. I would ultimately like to start recording (analogue), creating synths for my keyboard, creating backing tracks etc. So I have a few questions for any computer musicians:

Whats the best way of connecting the keyboard to the computer - to the soundcards gameport? To the usb?

I have a soundblaster pro soundcard - would I need to upgrade?

I have 1.3 gig processor + 256 Mb ram - is this enough to get started?

What software is good? And I don't have thousands of pounds (or tens of pounds really) so where can I get something inexpensive?

I notice that SoundControl are doing M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496 PCI for £60. Anyone know anything about these cards?


Thanks!

Hi,
first you need a midi port, you can buy these from a small computer store, they plug into your gameport connector, on your soundcard and give you 2 or three midi ports, and are inexpensive £5 - £10.
You may need a couple of midi leads as well, but then you can plug your keyboard into your PC.
Then you need software like cubase which will use the midi interface as an integral part of the input method to programme musical information into musical projects.

I have recently upgraded my desktop music computer, but the one before worked fine on a pentiumII 266mhz processor and 256M ram with soundblaster 256. I upgraded because I was using 12 tracks of analogue audio with effects and it crashed when I tried to record another audio track onto it, but with my soundblaster it would happily play loads and loads of tracks of midi..

Are you aware of any good synth software? Which provide good synth sounds as well as allow editing/creation of new synths?

Also, will I need to install any extra drivers for the midi input?

If you use cubase VST you can download synth instruments which you can control fully automatically.

If you are running with a soundblaster card, you can load a huge range of soundfonts into it which can be non standard or specific, e.g. Hammond organs, mellotrons, moog etc....
And guess what, Cubase VST has built in soundfont managing.

If you have decent sounds on your existing keyboard synthesiser, you can use those along side the sounds stored in your soundblaster soundcard. With a simple mixer you can listen to the lot in stereo out of your speakers.

Therefore using cubase, you can combine real analogue samples like tape tracks e.g. a guitar part which lasts for 4 minutes alongside the track, soundfonts, built in soundcard midi instrument sounds, cubase analogue instrument plug ins, and any sounds that your keyboard makes too.. Hows that for a start?

You don't need any extra drivers your synth midi interface will just work when you have the settings right.

Sounds good (no pun intended). I'll haul my ass down to a computer shop tomorrow I think...

I once had a quick go with cubase, and managed to get absolutely nowhere. Is it easy to pick up?

Cubase is really easy if someone shows you the ropes first. You can buy specialist desktop computer magazines which give you little lessons etc.. or they do short courses at Red tape studios which are really great.

I often use it for final mixing music I have recorded on my roland portastudio. Or sometimes I do a whole project using a drum pattern I have worked out. The key to Cubase is it's editor page though and if you like making drum sequences, or programming computer music it is a doddle.

this page has two songs on with my band which I mixed on cubase, although most of the recording apart from my keyboards and backing vocals ( done later in bedroom ) were done in a practice room and recorded on my roland portastudio.
Two Hats Songs 2005 (http://www.borracho.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/2hats/)

This is a pure midi file I made on cubase which is a jazzy silly version of a Metallica song, which starts off like metallica. just fun, stuff like this is easy. Orion Muddycoffee version (http://www.rocknroll.f9.co.uk/solos/orion.mid)

This is another one I wrote which demonstrates how you can alter the tempo of a song to amusing effect. I called it Perculiar Music NOW FIXED !! (http://www.rocknroll.f9.co.uk/solos/perculiar.mid) It sounds a bit like a Blur B side..

I have a spare MIDI lead here if you're interested.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
this page has two songs on with my band which I mixed on cubase, although most of the recording apart from my keyboards and backing vocals ( done later in bedroom ) were done in a practice room and recorded on my roland portastudio.
Two Hats Songs 2005 (http://www.borracho.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/2hats/)

This is a pure midi file I made on cubase which is a jazzy silly version of a Metallica song, which starts off like metallica. just fun, stuff like this is easy. Orion Muddycoffee version (http://www.rocknroll.f9.co.uk/solos/orion.mid)

This is another one I wrote which demonstrates how you can alter the tempo of a song to amusing effect. I called it Perculiar Music NOW FIXED !! (http://www.rocknroll.f9.co.uk/solos/perculiar.mid) It sounds a bit like a Blur B side..

Some interesting music there MC. I like the midi metallica. V amusing!