In this article, we’ll explore what MIDI is and why you should give it a try.
If you’ve been performing with hardware keyboards for years, you’ve already used some incredible technology. But sooner or later, many players become curious about software instruments and effects and how to use them in their live setups.
And that’s where one four-letter acronym appears everywhere: MIDI.
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For some musicians, MIDI feels mysterious or overly technical. In reality, it’s much simpler than most people think—MIDI is is a means for representing what you play on your keyboard and send that information to some other device.
MIDI does not contain sound. Think of it as a set of instructions. For example, when you press middle C on your keyboard, the keyboard sends a message that says: “Play note C4 with this much force.”
The actual sound is produced by whatever receives that message, for example, a software instrument (audio plugin), a hardware synthesizer, or another keyboard.
A good analogy is sheet music:
MIDI works the same way. It tells an instrument what to do, but it doesn’t contain any audio itself.
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To see how it works right out of the box, you can connect your keyboard to a computer running Gig Performer and try the included templates. The templates are convenient because they are complete projects with virtual instruments and effects already included in Gig Performer.
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Nowadays, you can connect most hardware keyboards, digital pianos and MIDI controllers to your computer using a USB cable. Virtually any PC (starting with Windows 7 and later) and Mac (starting from macOS 10.14) will work.
For a basic demo, you can use your computer’s built-in sound card and speakers as the audio output.
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Download Gig Performer and start your free 14 day trial: https://gigperformer.com/download
Then select a template, e.g. the Illuminated piano:
When the template loads, click Window -> Global MIDI Monitor to see what messages your keyboard sends. Press C4 and then release it:
You can see the MIDI messages in the Global MIDI Monitor and should be able to hear the sound. Note: if you can’t hear the sound, check the FAQ section below.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully used your keyboard as a MIDI controller and played on a virtual instrument!
Now you can try adjusting the knobs using your mouse and adjust (say) reverb and EQ parameters and continue playing. It’s already exciting!
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MIDI can send many different kinds of instructions. The most common ones are:
Note On – This message means: “Start playing this note.” When you press a key, your keyboard sends a Note On message.
Note Off – This means: “Stop playing this note.” When you release the key, a Note Off message is sent.
Velocity – Velocity describes how hard or fast you hit the key. A soft touch might produce a gentle piano sound. A stronger strike could trigger a louder or brighter sound. Velocity values range from 0 to 127.
MIDI Channels – MIDI includes 16 channels. You can think of them as 16 different conversations happening at the same time.
For example:
An audio plugin or hardware synth can listen only to the channels that matter to it.
On the screenshot above, you can see the mentioned Note On, Note Off, and Velocity “happening” on the MIDI Channel 1.
Program Change – Program Change (PC) messages tell an instrument to switch presets.
For example:
Many live performers already use Program Changes without even realizing they’re using MIDI.
In the Gig Performer world, sending a Program Change message will select a patch (“Rackspace”) or a song.
Control Changes – Control Change messages—often called simply “CC messages”—are used for knobs, sliders, pedals, and buttons.
Some common examples include:
When you press your sustain pedal, you’re usually sending CC64.
Stay tuned, in the next article, we’ll talk about audio plugins, designing patches, and how to change them using MIDI messages from your controller.
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First, make sure that your keyboard is recognized:
If your keyboard is recognized, make sure that your integrated sound chip is selected as an active device in Audio Options.
From a player’s perspective, the experience is not fundamentally different from playing a hardware synth. You’re still pressing keys, using pedals, changing sounds, etc.
The difference is that the sound engine now lives inside your computer instead of inside a physical keyboard.
Yes, you can build a hybrid rig. This video demonstrates many concepts that live performers use to build a hybrid rig:
The biggest misconception about MIDI is that many musicians assume that moving to software means learning complicated computer concepts.
In reality, if you’ve ever controlled one keyboard from another, created keyboard splits, layered multiple sounds, you’ve already been working with MIDI. You may simply have never needed to think about it explicitly
Understanding a few basic concepts makes the entire world of VST instruments far less intimidating.
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If you have any questions or want to share your feedback, please see this Community thread.
Please share it to help spread the word! 🙂
Own the Stage® with Gig Performer®
Nemanja Pudar
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Related topics:
– How to change sounds and control plugins from your MIDI controller
– Supercharge Your Hardware: Build the Ultimate Hybrid Rig with Gig Performer
– Gig Performer is Extremely Easy, Intuitive, and Fun to Use