MIDI - Need info on getting started. Please.

[thedonald]

Hello,
I was wanting to do MIDI with the bass and was needing advice on what equipment that I needed in order to get started. I plan on purchasing the Sibelius G7 software...what other items must I buy to get started? Thank you, and have a good evening. thedonald

[Der Bluten Kat]

try guitarport.. thats an easy way to record into the computer that's pretty midi friendly.. using a mic next to ur amp works as well.. as far as software goes i use cakewalk sonar 5.0 which has a ton of softsynths and various patches with a lot of eq control.. you should check it out

[seamonkey]

What are you looking to do?

Do you mean like a "guitar to midi controller"?
http://audioen.terratec.net/modules....=article&sid=1
These take a special pickup that gets an independent signal from each string. There can be problems with the controller figuring out the pitch and converting it to a midi note.
These trigger best with guitar strings tuned an octave higher, then you can lower the pitch with midi. They also work best with a pick. Some bass players seem to get them to trigger a regular bass fine. Once it's in midi, you can trigger any sound, a sampler or synth. You can also get it to write out the music for you.

Another alternative is to "model" your sound. This uses your bass as a signal generator and the software models different instruments. It's not triggering sound, so there's no issue with conversion, but you can't take advantage of midi triggering and music conversion.

[Grimlock]

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread, but I was gonna ask the same thing...

Originally Posted by seamonkey

What are you looking to do?
Do you mean like a "guitar to midi controller"?
http://audioen.terratec.net/modules....=article&sid=1
These take a special pickup that gets an independent signal from each string. There can be problems with the controller figuring out the pitch and converting it to a midi note.
These trigger best with guitar strings tuned an octave higher, then you can lower the pitch with midi. They also work best with a pick. Some bass players seem to get them to trigger a regular bass fine. Once it's in midi, you can trigger any sound, a sampler or synth. You can also get it to write out the music for you.

Another alternative is to "model" your sound. This uses your bass as a signal generator and the software models different instruments. It's not triggering sound, so there's no issue with conversion, but you can't take advantage of midi triggering and music conversion.

Is there some device that's 1/4 to USB that converts the voltage of the note into MIDI? Is that what you mean by "modeling"?

Forgive me if my questions seem ambiguous, but I'm just a self-taught guitarist who loves electronic music, and I just want to record "that horn line I wrote" with the the guitar I wrote it on.

How much of the essence of what is played is lost during the MIDI conversion? I can see the dynamics being spot on, but what about bends? Is vibrato and tremolo lost?