Midi Lesson for Beginners # 2—Using Real Band

By David Snyder

The Very Basics

Since I posted my Midi Lesson 1 for Beginners, there have been some great replies from seasoned Midi experts on the Beginner’s Forum, so you may want to keep your eye on this forum for more.

Here is a site from a member that is particularly useful:

https://pghboemike.wordpress.com/2016/12/11/getting-music-ideas-from-your-head-to-band-in-a-box/

Also, here is the original post to Midi Lesson 1:

http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=380438#Post380438

After you have refreshed your memory on the first post go here:

BASIC MIDI IN REAL BAND

Real Band is a phenomenal tool for beginners to begin exploring midi.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the information in Lesson one, simply do this.

1) Save the BIAB midi file I put in drop box (using the Dramatic Orchestra Sample) to a location.

Here is the link again:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y4ujowwpqh5y42t/AABnCcRP8YYL6ydXzoebe2Nza?dl=0


2. Now open it Real Band.

3. You will see the entire midi tracks assigned to their current patches in Real Band.

4. You can left click in the triangle under the track number to open up the panel a bit, and see the VST selection button.

5. See the first screenshot blow

Here is where you select the synth you want to use to play the sounds. (The default is Coyote.)I am using Aria as an example in this tutorial.

Whatever synth you select (such as Sample Tank, which comes with Real Band) you do NOT have to choose the same instrument as the patch indicates (like French horn).

Inside the instrument panel for the synth you open, you can simply chose another instrument to play that part as long as the instruments plays in the same range. In most synths, a keyboard will pop up in the synth window at the bottom up to show you what the range of notes is and whether is it in the range of the instrument you have selected. You do not have to change the patch name.

But you DO have to make sure the instrument you choose in the synth is on the same channel as what you see in Real Band.

OR, if you want you can right click on the track in Real Band and CHANGE the channel. This is helpful if you are going to save the midi and then open it up in another program and you want the French horn to be on track 11, for example and not the current track.

(If you want to save your “doctored” midi file for use in another midi app, save it as midi, not a .seq file. I usually save it as both a seq. file and midi file so I have easy access to both.)

But, no matter what program you are in, the channel number of the instrument in Real Band or another program has to be the same as the channel number in the synth.

This should be self explanatory from the screen shots.

6. There may be cases in which you don’t like the way the MIDI file you have found is hardwired with controls That is, the composer may have put a control in so the timpani drum only stays at a certain volume, and doesn’t stay put when you move it and try to save it with new setting on the volume fader.

If this happens, click F2, and delete all the lines that say Control, Volume Control, Velocity Control, Volume Node Control and so forth. You may either leave the other controls as they are or delete them (such as chorus and reverb.) Your call.

Deleting these volume and velocity controls will allow you to set volumes where you want them and apply your own mix level settings as you become familiar with the mixing board and saving fader movements. (That lesson is for another day.)

But if you like it the way it is, stay with it. Again, your call.

The main point here is, if the file is always acting up and not doing what you want it to, you probably just have to hit F2 on the offending track and delete the controls.

7. Playing it all back through a synth.

See Aria template I used as an example, in last screenshot.

Once I find a board I like for a particular BIAB style, I save those settings in whatever synth I am using. Like Aria.

Again this is self explanatory from the screenshot.

Then, when I press play, this is what I get.

https://soundcloud.com/david-snyder-mixing-lab/dramatic-orchestra-demo

Conclusion

That is pretty much it for the beginner stage, and there is so much you can do with just that.

I am sure the experts will pipe in now.

Have fun.

Drop Box link to files and lessons

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y4ujowwpqh5y42t/AABnCcRP8YYL6ydXzoebe2Nza?dl=0



Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
Midi Lesson 2_A.jpg (184.8 KB, 41 downloads)
Midi Lesson 2_B.png (353.08 KB, 41 downloads)
Midi Lesson 2_C.png (438.52 KB, 42 downloads)
David Snyder
Songwriter/Renaissance Man
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