PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Unhappy with MIDI sounds

Nice demo Peter.

The solos have come a long way since you introduced the RTs. I'm a live player and prefer to play the solos myself though (If I didn't have to respect the other players in the band, I'd be a solo hog and do them all.)

And yes, I see room for RTs and MIDI, depending on what you are doing with them.

For my personal applications, MIDI is better, because I can edit them. Listening to the rhythm section of your excellent demo, there are things I would change for my own personal tastes. And I mean my own personal tastes, which of course are mine and mine alone (for better or worse). But then, I bought BiaB and my MIDI sequencers to play with, not for plug and play. Again, that's just me.

Also, I play in a duo for a living. There are other duos in our area who use karaoke tracks they purchase on the 'net. Nothing wrong with that either. However, IMHO having real instruments in the backing track sounds like karaoke. Something about the timbre, the mix, and the blending of the instruments sound like a recording instead of a live performance. Judging from the comments our audience members, many audience members know the difference too, because they tell me comments like, "Band X is only doing karaoke". The word only is the killer to my ears.

On the other hand, if I were doing song-writing demos to send to record companies, I'd probably use mostly Real Tracks, because I know the A&R people are definitely prejudiced against MIDI demos.

Different tools taken out of the tool box for different applications.

I'm definitely not dissing the RTs, they have their use, and I'm happy that we have both tools at our disposal. I just get a little irritated when someone thinks MIDI sounds bad. As most of us know, MIDI has no sound, synthesizers have sounds. The difference between the sound card on your computer and a Kurzweil is like the difference between a kazoo and a trumpet.

The MIDI sounds on the demo I posted sound 'almost live' to me. The have more separation than the RT background so they don't have that 'karaoke' blend for live performances (which I feel makes them more appropriate for an on-stage performance), and I was able to edit the BiaB output:

• I entered the top sax note and let BiaB's excellent harmonizer do the 'mule work' of harmonizing the part -- then I exported the MIDI to a sequencer for further editing
• Edited the bass line at the end of each progression, because it plays notes on both an upbeat and the following beat, something native BiaB cannot do without an expanded style
• Manually entered (played) the walking bass line for the places where I wanted to play a guitar solo. This changes the feel over teh solo part and IMHO adds both interest to the song and drive to the solo section.
• Added a touch of humanizing (randomization) to the harmonized sax parts because BiaB puts the harmony notes on exactly the same beat. I don't think the audienc would know the difference if I didn't, but I know the difference and I play this tune every couple of weeks on the gig.

This is minimal editing, but it couldn't be done with RTs. Other backing tracks I make have extensive editing: song specific licks, changing the instrument patches, adding a crescendo, diminuendo, accelerando, ritardando, and/or fermata, getting all the instruments to play a kick instead of a shot or hold, and so on. But as I said before, I bought BiaB and my MIDI sequencers to play with the music.

Back in the 80s when I first started sequencing, my MIDI sequences were pretty crude. Since then it's been an adventure and a learning experience. As I learn new ways to manipulate the MIDI data and hear something new or exciting, I get great satisfaction and a feeling of "Hey! I did that!" pride. To me that's what making music is all about. Of course, not everybody plays with the music the same way.

Playing with the MIDI data and getting different instruments to express themselves like the analog equivalent has opened my ears to how each instrument expresses itself. The subtle nuances that make sax express itself different from a trumpet or guitar. This in turn has increased my enjoyment of listening to music. I can listen to an old LP or CD that I've heard a million times and hear something new.

So while there is nothing wrong with the RealTracks, there is also nothing wrong with MIDI tracks either. MIDI doesn't sound good or bad, but different MIDI synthesizers sound good or bad. And many synths have both good and bad voices built in.

The synthesized pianos, organs, drums, and other instruments that superstars use on their records and in their live shows are virtually all MIDI based instruments. These people have roadies and can use anything they want. If the Hammond XK-3c synth didn't sound as good as a B3, they wouldn't use it.

The different tools in your toolbox are for different applications. You can use the big crescent wrench to hammer a nail, but a real hammer will work better.

For the newbies, repeat after me, neither MIDI nor GeneralMIDI sounds bad. The sounds are in the synthesizers.

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