Utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller has some incredible advantages, and we have talked about a number of of them earlier than. Along with these, there are extra fantastic methods through which you need to use this methodology to reinforce your recording.
Let’s discover methods to get probably the most out of utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller.
MIDI Controllers: A Fast Recap
In the event you’re new to this and are not sure of what a MIDI controller is, or methods to use your keyboard as one, we would strongly advocate studying our article on using your keyboard as a MIDI controller.
On this article, we’ll construct on some earlier factors (corresponding to “VSTs”) and in addition embody some new ones, permitting you to get probably the most out of your new MIDI controller.
As a fast recap, a MIDI controller means that you can enter music by way of a MIDI connection, selecting up digital data, corresponding to what word you performed, how onerous you pressed it, and the way lengthy you pressed it for. It then creates a sound based mostly on that.
You possibly can simply use your keyboard as a MIDI controller, normally by connecting it on to your pc or by utilizing an audio interface. We define this in our article on how to record your keyboard in GarageBand.
With this in thoughts, let us take a look at a number of methods through which you will get probably the most out of utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller.
1. Positive-Tune the Sound of Your Digital Devices
There are a ton of VSTs on the market and whereas that is nice for alternative, generally it may be actually overwhelming.
Thankfully, you’ll find an enormous variety of digital instrument VSTs which are extremely customizable. The great thing about that is that when you’re searching for a selected sound, however do not wish to undergo 1,000,000 VSTs to seek out it, there are many nice VSTs that actually allow you to fine-tune your sound.
That is good when you’ve discovered a digital instrument that you just actually like, but it surely’s not fairly there for you. It is value going into that digital instrument’s settings and seeing what you possibly can tweak. This may fluctuate from VST to VST, but it surely saves you time in trudging via a great deal of VSTs and enhances your talent.
2. Open Up Experimentation With Simple-to-Set up Plugins
After utilizing the identical VSTs for some time, you could be trying to attempt one thing totally different. Certain, there are many VST iterations of pianos, synths, strings, and rather more, but it surely’s value simply selecting one thing utterly out of your consolation zone and seeing how you discover it.
As VSTs are fairly simple to put in and might be completed with simply your pc, this removes hurdles that will have been turning you away from experimenting with totally different sounds.
These days, it is simpler than ever to put in quite a few VSTs and check out them out, in addition to match results plugins with digital devices to create distinctive combos. It is an fascinating and enjoyable jigsaw puzzle that is properly value your time, particularly in case your current VSTs are starting to really feel a little bit stale.
3. File Your Concepts at Night time
In the event you put on headphones when taking part in in your keyboard, you will respect the quite a few advantages—a key one having the ability to play with out disturbing anybody or being disturbed your self.
You may as well play at nighttime with out waking anybody up, which opens up an entire new world of taking part in, writing, and now, recording. By utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller, you possibly can create, experiment with, and report music at nighttime (i.e. when most individuals are sleeping). All this takes is to easily begin up and join your keyboard and pc, plug in your headphones, load up your favourite VST, and begin taking part in!
In the event you’re a songwriter who’s impressed past the witching hour, then utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller is an ideal strategy to get your concepts down at nighttime, all with out compromising your taking part in or your sound.
4. Mix Totally different Strategies to Push Your Sound
Utilizing all of the factors above, along with your present practices, you possibly can discover, develop, and push your sound. There are such a lot of issues you are able to do with a MIDI controller. When mixed with taking part in in your keyboard, you possibly can push the boundaries of each your keyboard taking part in and your sound.
Combining totally different VSTs, simply modifying errors, and the liberty to report anytime with out distractions, amongst different issues, creates a strong workflow. It will probably encourage you to experiment and develop your sound in methods you may not have thought attainable or have been too intimidated to attempt prior to now.
MIDI data is extremely malleable. The extra you employ your keyboard to create MIDI tracks, the extra freedom you will notice you will should create the sound that you really want.
5. Multi-Observe File With Stay Devices to Enhance Your Mixing Approach
Recording multiple live tracks at once, with one being your MIDI keyboard, is an effective way to enhance your mixing potential.
Regardless of the very fact that you’ll get high-quality, clear audio from each your MIDI observe and your microphone observe (supplied it is a good microphone), they won’t sound pure collectively, as your MIDI observe is digitally reproduced.
That is going to occur in case your MIDI observe’s EQ does not match or complement your reside observe’s EQ. For instance, when you report your vocals in a small room however use a piano VST with plenty of reverb in your MIDI observe, your challenge will not sound like an natural reside efficiency.
Nonetheless, this offers you a chance to hone your mixing expertise by tweaking your MIDI and reside tracks till they sound like reside devices recorded on the place on the identical time.
This takes effort and time. Nonetheless, it’ll finally be an extremely rewarding expertise as you discover ways to combine your synthetic MIDI tracks to enhance reside devices.
Discover MIDI Recording Past Your Keyboard
Utilizing your keyboard as a MIDI controller is an effective way to introduce your self to the world of MIDI recording.
As you develop extra conformable with MIDI recording, you would possibly think about using a devoted MIDI controller as an alternative. In the event you love working with MIDI tracks and are searching for an improve over your keyboard, then a devoted MIDI controller could be the way in which ahead.
Read Next
About The Writer
