This is the second article in a two-part series on recording techniques.The first article was published in the September issue of SBO and can be viewed online at www.sbomagazine.com/technology.html. MIDI sequencing and digital audio music technology applications were the subject of part one of this article in the September, 2002, issue. These software applications can be a very creative tool for the music educator. Before you purchase what looks good for your needs, I suggest that you try downloading some demo software versions of the products you’re interested in or try them on consignment from your local music technology dealer. Also, try some dedicated or integrated hardware so that you can get a better idea of how they work. If you need a reference book to get you going faster, try “Sequencing Basics” or “The Art of Sequencing,” both by Don Muro, published by Warner Bros. The first book even has a companion video that thoroughly explains the contents. Once you discover that sequencing can play a role in your curriculum, the following information will guide you to recommended software and dedicated hardware and integrated hardware. The products can be very powerful and will be priced variously from free shareware to professional levels. Software Recommendations If you already have a computer, then software is a logical place to begin. There are many sequencing software products today that offer both MIDI and digital audio recording capabilities. Sequencing recording software packages have become very sophisticated. If you went out and evaluated just the mixing/editing hardware equivalents of these software products, you’d be amazed at how much money in hardware equipment (mixers, editors, etc.) can be replicated with software modules at a fraction of the cost. And in some cases, you can also update the software at a more modest cost compared to purchasing and upgrading all new hardware. Entry Level
Looking for a particularly good buy for entry-level software sequencers at the lowest possible price? PowerTracks Pro Audio by PG Music (www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm) is now in version 8.0 and is a pretty powerful, seamlessly integrated digital audio/MIDI recording sequencing program with built-in music notation for the PC platform. It harnesses the power of the popular DirectX audio plug-in format with DirectX support, 48K sample rate support, improved resolution in the audio edit window and a new CD-R burning feature that easily edits and overdubs any audio track. Its mixer has a new master volume control that allows you to change overall levels without affecting individual tracks, keeping your mix intact. I like the tutorials built into the manual, making it a winner for the novice and entry-level sequencing person. I use this software in my entry-level sequencing clinics because of these user-friendly tutorials. Unfortunately for users of the MAC platform, there are no affordable sequencing products that I can recommend for entry-level sequencing except for a shareware program, MIDIGraphy, which can be found at www.harmony-central.com. This is a full functioning shareware program. (I believe the author asks $25 for the program.) When you download it, everything works. It’s a sequencer that probably has one of the best event list editors you will find. The piano roll view allows for multiple track display in different colors so that you can work on multiple tracks simultaneously. For PCs, Anvil Studio (www.anvilstudio.com) has a freeware sequencer, and if you are going to be doing MIDI recording it’s a great way to start. Since it’s a free download, students have easy access to a nifty sequencer. Also, Anvil has plug-ins available for a nominal fee that expand its basic structure to include notation printing, audio recording and others. The budget-minded person should check it out. Also consider Yamaha’s XG Works for the PC platform, which is a suite of program modules that work together. This one program has a sequencer, a TWE audio editor, a XG Voice editor, a Voice-to-MIDI converter, notation, an auto arranger, a chord-entry program with styles, and a lot more. The TWE Audio even allows wave forms to be broken down for analysis and editing. This program also converts a monophonic audio track source like a woodwind, brass, or string instrument to MIDI data, a valuable addition to this package. It lets instrumentalists record a melodic idea into the program and then see it in notation or use it for the next step in song creation. After converting a melodic line into MIDI (or just recording a melody with a MIDI keyboard or step entry), XG Works has a program called Auto Arranger that will take that melodic line and, based on your choices of musical style, create an entire backup band to go with the melody. This auto-arrange function chooses the chord progression, gives alternatives, adds intros and endings, and uses the choices the user makes to create a full arrangement. This is an excellent tool for not only encouraging composition by students, but it also spurs discussion as to why the computer makes its choices. This is great for analysis. Another part of this package is the XG Editor. This editor allows the user to edit any part of the sound. As mentioned in the section on XG, you can change the timbre of the voice to get subtleties in the sound that recreate the acoustic instrument on playback. Having a graphic editor within the program structure means easier access. The event list editor in this program is outstanding. It will show all data in the order it was recorded. Unlike other programs that do not list Meta events and reorder sys-ex commands, XG Works shows it all and leaves it the way you intended. Built-in notation and karaoke lyric editor features editing in standard music, printing of basic music sheets and adding lyrics to a song file. The lyrics feature can also be used for placing directions into a file for the performer. Another excellent entry-level sequencer that I still use in my primer-level MIDI sequencing clinics is: Master Tracks Pro, formerly by Passport Designs and G-Vox. It is a very good, intuitive, entry-level MIDI sequencing application for both Mac and PC Windows platforms. With MasterTracks Pro, you can record, edit and play musical compositions on your computer with exceptional ease and accuracy. You can play back up to 64 tracks of music with independent track looping. The program’s wealth of powerful features, combined with its easy-to-use interface, helps to make it a great choice for entry-level students and educators.
Intermediate/Professional Levels There are higher-priced, professional-level programs like Sonar by Cakewalk, Steinberg’s Cubase VST, Digital Performer by Motu and Logic Audio Platinum by E-magic. These have just about every bell and whistle you can imagine, including an unlimited number of tracks, effects processing, automated mix-downs and the ability to interface with many popular hardware devices. Cakewalk makes two excellent sequencers for the PC platform: Sonar (advanced level) and Home Studio (entry-level). The Sonar digital multi-track recording system is a new generation of professional audio technology from Cakewalk, a leading developer of music and sound software for the Windows platform. Sonar is a good choice for recording, editing, mixing, and delivering music and sound projects for CDs, film and video scores, the Internet, or any multimedia project. What I like about it is that you can do all of your audio and MIDI recording, editing, arranging, mixing and delivery, audio loop construction, editing, and integrated DXi soft synths in just one place via its streamlined track view, which is the heart of the program. It can also convert a MIDI file into a digital audio file so you can create practice CDs for your students, which can streamline your instruction more than you can imagine. [See sidebar for step-by-step instructions.] Steinberg’s Cubase VST/32 (www.steinberg.net) is the complete professional music recording system for extremely high-resolution MIDI recording as well as audio recording in 16-, 24- or 32-bit studio quality. With its VST interface, Cubase VST/32 offers comprehensive, seamless integration of real-time audio effects. Because it also incorporates the latest low-latency ASIO soundcards, Cubase VST is an ideal environment for using sample accurate VST instruments and virtual effect processors. The new 5.1 version distinguishes itself through optimized program codes for AMD Athlon, Pentium III, IV and AltiVec as well as a large range of integrated VST instruments and virtual effect processors. Cubase VST is not just an audio recorder; it is a complete audio studio with 32-bit audio recording capacity. The audio channels are connected to the outputs of a virtual multi-track recorder. Each of the channels has a level fader, a pan control, solo and mute switches, effects, equalization controls and five-stage dynamics section. Featured highlights include integrated synthesizers with advanced analog modeling, studio quality virtual effect processors, superior MIDI timing with Steinberg’s Midex and LTB, interactive real-time graphic editing, and real mixing desk feel with the VST Mixer and Score printing. Digital Performer by Moto is an integrated digital audio and MIDI sequencing production system. It provides a comprehensive environment for editing, arranging, mixing, processing and mastering multi-track audio projects for a wide variety of applications. It allows you to simultaneously record and play back multiple tracks of digital audio and midi data in a totally integrated, creative environment. Unlimited audio and midi tracks let you record as many tracks as your hardware will allow. You can view your MIDI and audio tracks in a single, unified mixer with up to 20 effects inserted per audio channel and 32 stereo busses. Digital Performer includes dozens of real-time DSP effects with easy-to-use graphic controls and complete automation. Logic Audio Platinum is E-magic’s flagship sequencer/digital audio software that supports 24-bit recording and up to 192 kHz sample rate. Logic Audio Platinum, (www.emagic.de) has an unlimited number of MIDI tracks, up to 128 audio tracks, effects processing, automated mix-downs and the ability to interface with multiple popular hardware devices. Note: E-magic has just been purchased by Apple and will be producing exclusively for the Macintosh platform. E-magic will discontinue its development for the Windows platform, but will continue to service and support all Logic Windows owners according to the standard product warranty policies. Dedicated Sequencing Hardware Considerations When you factor in the computer system, the larger hard drive that is needed, and the “time” that the computer takes, you may find that a dedicated sequencer is faster and easier to get your music down. I have tested computer sequencers and hardware sequencers and have found the computer takes longer to do a task. It’s difficult to do two things at once with a single cursor. For example, if you are editing a file and changing volumes in the mix, it’s very difficult to control more than one slider at a time. With a hardware sequencer, I can work more than one slider at a time and do everything by knobs. Interestingly, some computer sequencers have plug-ins to work with the mixers that address this issue. Cakewalk, Digital Performer, and others have plug-ins for the Yamaha Pro-Mix 01, for example. In tests involving one person recording a line, editing, and playing back a sequence, the hardware sequencer won out in time saved. Consider what must be done on a computer to record just one track: •
Look at the screen With many hardware sequencers, you just: •
Select the sound Dedicated hardware can be attractive. For example, Yamaha has a 24-track sequencer with drum machine, accompaniment generator, XG, voice editing, mixer, and more. It’s about the size of a VCR cassette so it’s part of the new “PDAs” for music. Go to www.yamaha.com and look up the QY100. This thing is great to use on a plane as it’s battery-operated. While there, check out the QY700, a 48-track sequencer with all the trimmings. Want to do audio? The AW2816 is a 28-input pro workstation with hard drive and CDRW. The advantage of this box is that it works just like a mixing console. It is also a lot easier to move from site to site for recording. By the time you add all the inputs to the computer, and get the programs to work together, you could be done with a project using this. Roland’s digital studio, BR-532, is an affordable, simple four-track digital recording studio with 32 virtual tracks. It has an onboard rhythm guide with realistic drum sounds and patterns plus easy “Boss-style” operation. Just plug in and record with guitar, microphone (XLR and 1/4-inch) and stereo line inputs. And it is battery-powered with built-in mic for recording any time, any place.
Superscope Technologies is a company that has focused attention on dedicated hardware for making remote “live” digital audio recordings easier and more affordable. They have two particularly exciting technologies: the portable direct-to-CD recorder and the portable solid state recorder. The Marantz CDR300, from Superscope (www.superscopetechnologies.com), is the first truly stand-alone system for recording directly to blank CD-R (write-once) and CD-RW (rewritable) discs. It includes a built-in microphone as well as stereo XLR and 1/4-inch mic inputs. It can set record levels automatically and filter out unwanted background noises. The dual-well Superscope PSD300 version includes a CD recorder drive and a CD player drive that includes the powerful performing arts controls of the PSD230 portable CD player from Superscope. It’s ideal for changing the tempo or key of any CD, playing along, and recording the mix of the manipulated CD with live accompaniment direct to CD. Afterward, you can turn around and duplicate audio CDs on the machine at two times the speed. No question about it, this dedicated CD Recording System is the hottest portable digital recording hardware on the market for recording your music groups and students directly on a CD and then posting it to the Internet via MP3 file conversion. If you are not really into technology but want to start recording your music groups with minimum errors, try this piece of hardware and in a short time, you will have amassed a wealth of digital recordings for processing a CD of your music program and still have these recordings available for Internet posting. The downside is that you can’t edit the audio files created by the PSD300 but you can record your school music groups in the most user-friendly manner that can be later edited in a digital audio recording software application. Marantz Professional’s solid state recorders, the PMD680 (mono) and PMD690 (stereo), record to PC cards, compact flash, or IBM Micro Drives. Recordings can be easily transferred to computers for immediate editing, mixing and post production without having to wait for a real-time audio download. Just insert the card into your notebook computer’s PCMCIA slot or desktop computer PC card reader peripheral, and drag the file to your hard drive. From there, you can play back the file using standard audio software, edit it using common editing programs, burn it to CD, or post stream audio on a Web site. The PMD680 and PMD690 record audio as uncompressed wave files or MP3 files utilizing various compression settings to fit more minutes of recording on smaller capacity cards. You can record many hours without changing media. The option to use either XLR or 1/4-inch microphones provides high-quality digital audio recordings. These versatile pieces of equipment are highly portable, and also very practical for use in a home or school music studio. Integrated Sequencers Integrated sequencers are built into electronic musical instruments such as synthesizers, digital pianos and drum machines. Many of today’s electronic instruments contain powerful integrated sequencers. The Korg Trinity is a digital keyboard containing a powerful integrated sequencer that can store up to 800,000 notes. Other popular instruments with integrated sequencers are manufactured by Ensoniq, Kurzweil, Roland and Yamaha. A good buy for the money for school and home use is the Yamaha PSR–550 keyboard. It comes with a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive that can both save and read standard MIDI file format, which makes this integrated sequencer compatible with other MIDI sequencers. This model also boasts some very effective digital effects that can enhance your performances with reverb (rich, spatial ambiance of various performance halls), chorus (enriches the voices by making them sound warmer and thicker), DSP (such distortion or tremolo) and harmony/echo (alters your right-hand melodies with a variety of special effects). An integrated sequencer’s main advantage over hardware sequencers and software sequencers is portability. Everything you need to record, play back and play along with your music is in one piece. It also has 215 panel voices, 12 drum kits and 480 XG sounds plus 106 musical styles with rhythm and accompaniment patterns. Important note: XG is not an extension of Roland sounds. XG is a standard that was proposed based on the industry standard general MIDI sound set. It’s interesting to look at the “standards.” You will find that both general MIDI and GS read more like guidelines whereas XG really defines every single part of the standard in great detail. If you want an all-in-one instrument, look at the “MOTIF” by Yamaha. It comes in three sizes, 61 keys with Aftertouch, 76 keys with Aftertouch, and an 88-key Balanced Hammer Action with Aftertouch. It has a 16-track audio/MIDI sequencer built in and does what only computers did before. It has a plug-in for Cubase, Logic, Cakewalk, and Pro Tools. Alternative Sequencing Option: Notation Software Technology Even though notation software applications are not designed to compete with sequencing software applications, all of them have sequencing capabilities. To better facilitate both recording and writing opportunities, I would suggest you have both sequencing and notation applications available for your students to use. If you can only afford one sequencing/notation application, you might consider using one of the following notation programs for your sequencing needs. Notation programs like Finale 2003 (www.codamusic.com), Sibelius (www.sibelius.com), Musicator 4.0 (www.musicator.com), Igor Engraver (www.noteheads.com), Play It (www.musictechnologies.com) and others can excel in creating and modifying printed music. If your main focus is creating performances, I recommend that you use sequencing rather than notation applications. Although most sequencers have the ability to show and edit music in traditional staff format, notation programs usually are the choice of musicians for working with large ensembles. There is one notation program that offers an unusually powerful sequencing component for a notation application by including both MIDI and audio sequencers. It is Musicator (www.musicator.com) and it can handle 255 tracks and 32 audio tracks in stereo or mono plus an unlimited number of plug-ins per mixer track. It even has a multi-track arranger window, a piano roll, and an event list. Musitek’s SmartScore Pro Edition version 2.03 (www.musitek.com) is a unique program with fully integrated music scanning, scoring and MIDI sequencing. This product allows you to scan sheet music with up to 32 staffs per system in minutes and convert it into standard MIDI files, complete with all the written articulations, music symbols, lyrics and notation. The file can then be modified using a sequencer and played back on a computer or musical keyboard. It is compatible with all MIDI-based software programs plus can export SmartScore files directly to Finale 2000 or newer versions. One important point that should be brought up is that notation software is not a sequencer software. No package can do both well. By definition, a sequencer is concerned with what the music “sounds” like while notation programs are concerned with what the music “looks” like. This is an important distinction. Sequencer programs have ways of manipulating the performance to such a degree as to have the music sound exactly the way you want it to sound. Notation programs lack these sound-editing capabilities. Just look at the number of notation programs that have very poor sys-ex editors (or none at all) and no event list editing. On the other side, note the number of sequencers that do not give you the total control over the graphic elements of a score. If you want both, use a sequencer to get the song the way you want it to sound, then import it into a notation program to edit for notation. If you ever need to use both sequencing and notation applications interchangeably, note that Finale 2003 can retain all the original sequencing parameters intact, including volume, instrument patch-plays, correct instrument, pitch bend, duration, velocity, and more. This is not the case with most notation applications, which automatically strip down sequencing files of their original performance parameters. Consequently, you don’t want to open up sequencing files in a music notation program and then save and use them again in a sequencing program because the original parameters will be missing. Sequencing Teaching Resources Books on Recording Technology • “Sequencing Basics,” by Don Muro, Warner Bros., Miami, Fla., 1998. I use this text in my basic instruction book for my primer-level students. • “The Art of Sequencing,” by Don Muro, Warner Bros., Miami, Fla., 1993. This is a step-by-step approach in 157 pages. I use this text as my basic instruction book. • “Tech Terms,” by George Petersen and Steve Oppenheimer, Hal Leonard, Milwaukee, Wis., 1993. This book contains all the technology vocabulary you will ever need to know. • “Teaching Music Technology,” by Thomas E. Rudolph, GIA Publishing, Chicago, Ill., 1996. This book presents a great overview of music technology for the educator. • “Practical Recording Techniques,” by Bruce and Jenny Bartlett, Focal Press. • “Yamaha’s Sound Reinforcement Handbook,” by Gary Davis and Ralph Jones. Good encyclopedia of sound. Very detailed. • “The Art of Mixing,” by David Gibson, Mix Books. It is a great intro to mixing theory and has an accompanying video. Videos on Recording Technology • “The MIDI Sequencer in the Classroom,” by Thomas E. Rudolph and Ken Peters, GIA Publications, Chicago, Ill., 1997, 45 minutes. This is a good video for educator applications in the classroom. • “The Art of Sequencing,” by Don Muro, Warner Bros., Miami, Fla., 1993. This step-by-step approach to sequencing fundamentals, with a 157-page companion book, is very clear and organized. • “The Basics of Home Recording,” volumes I, II, III and IV, MVP Home Entertainment, Canoga Park, Calif., 1997. This video provides explanations of how to set up and use a home multi-track recorder, a MIDI studio and how to use different types of outboard gear and how to mix recordings to sound their best. URL: www.mvphomevideo.com. • “The Basics of Digital Home Recording,” volumes I, II and III, MVP Home Entertainment, Canoga Park, Calif., 1999. Learn PC-based and hard disk recording. Learn about choosing software, PC requirements, MIDI, virtual vs. audio track from beginning, intermediate to advanced recording techniques. URL: www.mvphomevideo.com. Recommended Web Sites Featuring Recording Techniques/Technology ArtistPro: www.artistpro.com. Great recording education Web site, including MixBooks, EM Books, and others. Electronic Musician: www.emusician.com. This Web site has back issues from 2001 online at no charge and is a fantastic resource for students and teachers alike. Mix Magazine: www.mixonline.com. This Web site has all back issues online on a purchase basis; a very good resource. Closing Comments No question about it: MIDI sequencing is still the mainstay of the current music education recording scene, especially for teaching the fundamentals of recording technology and for entry-level applications. The learning curve is easier than with digital audio recordings. If computers are your primary interest, then MIDI technology is very appropriate, especially with the various playback options. Any data conforming to standard MIDI will be played accurately on any general MIDI-compatible tone generator, soundcard or synthesizer from any manufacturer on any software. Audio recording with digital audio is rapidly becoming an exciting norm to mix with MIDI recording technology. Computer processors are becoming exceptionally fast and inexpensive and hard disk drives are getting cheaper and larger. It is no longer required that hard disk drive recording (digital audio) have the expensive SCSI hard disk drive since IDE hard disk drive technology is becoming so fast, efficient and inexpensive. If you get into dedicated hardware and integrated systems for digital audio recording, the learning curve can be even easier to master. Never before has recording technology become so attractive for music educators and their students with MIDI sequencing, dedicated hardware and integrated sequencers. In future columns, we will focus on how to put together a home and/or school music studio that can burn CDs for your music groups, make college audition CDs, post audio and video streaming on your school Web sites, record compositions with MIDI and digital audio components and much more. SIDEBAR Converting MIDI Files to Audio Files for Instructional CD Burning Ever wish you could make practice CDs for your students to use at home? Sequencers are a fast way to create MIDI files of essential practice exercises from notation, sequencing and performance accompaniments via Band-In-A-Box, for example. The trick is in converting the MIDI files to audio files, which can be a complicated procedure. Fortunately, Sonar and Home Studio 2002 by Cakewalk offer some direct and powerful ways to do it from your MIDI files from either a notation program, sequencing applications or automatic accompaniment generators. Here are some standardized instructions for creating audio files from Sonar projects containing either audio, MIDI, or both. I recommend using Sonar’s or Home Studio 2002’s synthesizers (with Dxi) to render the MIDI Tracks, details of which I’ve included below. Creating an Audio File from a Sonar Project Containing MIDI MIDI is simply an instruction set, like words on a page, with no inherent “sound,” other than that created by a synthesizer. Depending on the synthesizer, the quality and other particulars of this sound can change. To allow easy distribution such as MP3s, CDs, etc., you will need to capture this sound as a waveform. There are many ways this can be done; however, the easiest way is to use a DXi (DirectX Instrument) in Sonar. This is a “virtual synthesizer.” When you export your file, all of the MIDI tracks playing through the DXi will automatically be converted to audio. How to Insert, Set Up, and Assign DXi in Sonar 1.
Create a new audio track. (Insert > Audio Track) Creating an Audio File from an Audio-Only Sonar Project You can create an audio CD from any wave file (extension.wav) of up to either 74 or 80 minutes, depending on the recordable CD media you have. If your projects are audio only, you can simply mix down to a stereo wave file. Once you have all the stereo wave files you want to include on your CD, you are ready to burn a CD. Most CD burners come with CD burning software; if yours does not, you will need to buy CD burning software, like Cakewalk’s Pyro. To download a free demo of Pyro, visit the Cakewalk Web site at www.cakewalk.com. To Export Audio to Wave File Format 1.
Set all volume, pan, effects, and automation settings just the
way you want them.
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Cakewalk
Home Studio 2002Cakewalk Home Studio 2002Lower-priced, entry-level
software sequencers like Cakewalk Home Studio 2002 (
exotic
functions. Cakewalk’s Home Studio 2002 is Cakewalk’s
entry-level version, which offers everything you need to turn
your PC into a powerful multi-track studio. Its intuitive tools
make it easy to quickly edit, arrange and mix quality recordings
of music.
Music
Master by DatasonicsMusic Master by Datasonics is an unusual sequencing/notation
software application manufactured in Australia, where it is in
more than 1,000 schools. The American distributor is Electronic
Courseware Systems, www.ecsmedia.com. This product is published
in three versions: Professional, Performa and Publisher (
Bose
BR-1180CDMy favorite Roland entry/intermediate level digital studio
piece of recording equipment is the BR-1180CD, which is a digital
recording studio. The BR-1180 Digital Recording Studio takes BOSS’
manual concept to the next level. This powerful digital studio
gives you eight playback tracks, a stereo master track and 80
virtual tracks for recording. There’s also a 20GB hard drive
and an available internal CD-RW drive to burn your music to a
CD. And with slick BOSS effects and a separate rhythm track with
sampled drum sounds, there’s not much you can’t do.