Recording with MIDI

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and was created in the early 1980s. It was developed so that the music industry would have a standard protocol that all musical instruments, regardless of the manufacturer, could use to effectively communicate with one another.

The digital recording revolution of the 1990s created an increase in the number of high-quality , one-man project studios. Many of these home studios are located in bedrooms. That usually doesn't leave much room for a full band or to set up a drumkit. MIDI and the use of sequencers provide a way for a single person to program and record many different instrument parts without a band . A sequencer is a device that records MIDI data and plays it back through a MIDI keyboard or other type of MIDI sound module.

All of the VS recorders have fairly extensive MIDI capabilities and can be synced to drum machines, stand-alone sequencers, and computer sequencers.

There are two types of MIDI sync you can use to link your VS to MIDI gear. VS units can slave to MTC only, not MIDI Clock. VS units can generate (act as Master) MTC, and MIDI Clock.

• MTC=MIDI Time Code: MIDI Time Code is a time-based system that allows MIDI devices to sync together using the actual time frame information (minutes and seconds) of recorded material. This is the most accurate way to sync MIDI gear. It is most commonly used for syncing audio to video productions where absolute accuracy is a must. It is also used when syncing devices to certain software applications that do not work well with MIDI Clock.

• MIDI Clock: MIDI Clock sends bar/measure/beat information with which devices can communicate. In most cases, this is sufficient to sync basic MIDI gear with your VS recorder.

Recording a MIDI Drum Track

You can sync your VS-1680 to any drum machine that supports MIDI.

To sync a drum machine to your VS-1680, you will need at least one MIDI cable. You can usually get these from any musical instrument store. Use the MIDI cable to connect the MIDI OUT jack of the VS-1680 to the MIDI IN jack of the drum machine. That's it!

No matter which VS recorder you are using, you will always have to set the same three parameters to sync to a drum machine. Those parameters are MIDI Thru set to OUT, Syn Generator set to MIDI Clock, and the Tempo Map set to the desired tempo of the song.

To set those three parameters on the VS-1680, do the following:

1.	Hold SHIFT and press F5 (SYSTEM).
2.	Press F4 (MIDI). Use the cursor keys and the jogwheel to set MIDI Thru to OUT.
3.	Press F6 (EXIT).
4.	Press F6 (SYNC).
5.	Use the cursor keys and jogwheel to set the Syn Gen to MIDIclk.
6.	Press F3 (T.Map). Use the jogwheel to set the correct tempo for your song.
7.	Press F6 (EXIT) two times.
8.	Press PLAY/DISPLAY to exit the system screen.

Set your drum machine to receive a MIDI Clock signal. The terminology for this setting varies from drum machine to drum machine. It is usually referred to as external sync, slave, or MIDI. Consult your drum machine's owner's manual for the proper setting.

If you have set everything properly, your drum machine will start playing in perfect sync when you press PLAY on your VS-1680.

To make a recording of your drum patterns, connect the drum machine's audio outputs to the VS-1680's analog inputs and route the input signals to whatever tracks you wish to record on. If you want a two-track stereo mix of your drum machine parts, make sure the VS two-track stereo pair is linked together so that the tracks are panned hard left and hard right. You can find the link setting under the TRACK SELECT button and then look for the MIX setting.

When everything is connected and routed properly, check your recording levels on the Pre Level input screen and then make your recording.

Using Pattern Mode Versus Song Mode

If your drum machine is in Pattern mode, it will not stay in sync when you press STOP on the VS-1680 and then press PLAY again. You will need to rewind the VS-1680 to the beginning of the song to get the units back in perfect sync.

The only way to keep the two machines in perfect sync after pressing STOP and PLAY on the VS-1680 is by putting your drum machine in Song mode. This is the mode that allows your drum machine to arrange a series of drum patterns together and play them back as a song. The terminology used for this mode varies from one drum machine to another.

Consult your drum machine's owner's manual to set it to Song mode operation. This is true of any MIDI Clock master device, not just the VS-1680.

Recording with a Sequencer

There are three types of sequencers you can use:

• Software computer sequencer: This is a computer software application that is specifically designed to record MIDI tracks to your computer. Some examples are Cakewalk, Sonar, Cubase, Logic Pro, and Reason.

• Stand-alone hardware sequencer: This is a dedicated hardware box that usually only allows for the recording of MIDI tracks. There are some hardware sequencers that have more than one purpose, such as the Akai MPC series and now the Roland MV-8000, as shown in Figure 9.8. Some examples of hardware sequencers are the Yamaha QX-21, QX-5, and QX-1; the Roland MC-50 and MC-500; and the Alesis MMT-8.

  Figure 9.8. Roland MV-8000. This is a complete MIDI production center that provides powerful MIDI sequencing and editing capabilities. It also has extensive sampling features and can be used as a drum machine

  

  
  

• Keyboard sequencer: Many keyboards have built-in sequencers. They are usually self-contained units that have all the sounds necessary to make a complete recording. These sequencers can usually trigger sounds from other sound sources. Some examples of keyboards with onboard sequencers are the Korg Triton series, the Yamaha Motif series, the Roland Fantom series, and the Ensoniq EPS16 Plus and ASR-10.

Regardless of which sequencer you decide to use, they all function similarly. They will record MIDI information on up to 16 different MIDI channels, and some will record up to 32 MIDI channels. Each channel is assigned to a different part or "voice." Remember that MIDI is not sound ”it is merely information that is transmitted to a device (keyboard or sound module) that can read that information and translate it to a sound you can hear.

To sync your sequencer to your VS-1680, you will need to set the same parameters you did for syncing with a drum machine.

Some software sequencers require that you use MTC. If that is the case, instead of setting the Syn Gen to MIDIclk, you will set it to MTC. Consult your sequencer's owner's manual for setting your sequencer to receive MTC.