A GUIDE ON MIDI AND LOGIC EXPRESS

About this booklet

-This booklet provides important basic background
Information that can help you understand MIDI and how to use it.
-The importance of MIDI and how it helps musicians.
-The basics on how to work logic express, with and without
Using the midi keyboard.
-How to write simple compositions with examples.
-about MIDI messages
-DAWS
-how MIDI has changed music
-This booklet will include step by step guides with pictures.
Introduction
MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) was developed in the
1980s and now its technology is everywhere e.g. inside musical
instruments, computers, tablets, smart phones, stage lighting and
audio mixers. MIDI is how recorded music is usually made even for
music for films, TV and video games. To make music with MIDI, you
need music production software that is compatible with MIDI as
MIDI nothing more than data that carries messages to softwares
such as Logic Express, these messages could be the notation, pitch
and velocity. But MIDI is not just for keyboards other include digital
drums and guitars. Its not just computers that you can make music
from, there are hundreds of programs you can get for making music
and you can use these programs on your tablet, smart phone, iPad
and iPhone. Tables and smart phones also have the ability to play
recorded MIDI data.
Midi key boards
Before we start health and safety is first.

How to warm up for a practice session on a keyboard?
-Hold your hands in front of you with a loose wrist and slowly
circle your hands both clockwise and counterclockwise.
-Play a wide variety of scales, chords, and arpeggios
-Bring your hands together in front of you like you're praying
then slowly rotate your wrists so that your fingers point toward
you, and then away from you.

Correct position when using a music keyboard?
-Place the seat at the right distance and height for you size
-Back straight and up right.
-Neck upright and keep it still.
-Hands upright with curved fingers.
-Wrists above piano keys.

Why is correct posture important when using a music keyboard?
-it allows you to feel comfortable so you enjoy your practice
more.
-It protects your spine and your arms from cramp tension
related injures
-allows you to have a great power of expression
-it makes it easier to play and saves time and effort
-gives you confidence to unlock new possibilities
-and freedom to explore your horizons
A MIDI keyboard has a variety of knobs, sliders, buttons and wheels
that will make it easier to input notes than trying to draw in the
notes with your mouse. The MIDI keyboard allows you to put notes
into your software quickly and easily.
What does a MIDI keyboard usually consist of?










Different inputs
Mic gain
Out volume
headphones/speakers
Pitch wheel/modulation
wheel
Octave
stave
Level
compressor
Assignable knobs
Keyboard

Messages
How much do MIDI keyboards cost? Why might some be more
expensive than others?
Considering MIDI and the capabilities of the system the cost of
setting up a MIDI system is relatively low. The price of a budget
system is about eighty to a hundred pounds.
What MIDI messages does a keyboard send?
A MIDI keyboard will make it easier to input notes than trying to
draw in the notes with your mouse.MIDI is all about instructions.
Its one MIDI device telling another one what to do e.g. Note on
and note off messages, When you let go of Middle C, the
keyboard sends a Middle C note off message to the module,
and the module stops playing its Middle C note.
That is just the beginning, MIDI controllers can tell the velocity of
which you play a note this is how hard you play a note and its
not just one note at time it can be many notes.
It can instruct a note to raise of lower it pitch this is a pitch bend
message this is done by a wheel that is on the keyboard and this
can also generate a string bend on a guitar.

How can we manipulate MIDI messages within Logic software?
Creating data with a MIDI keyboard it can be recorded into
sequencer and you can edit the sounds by changing the
velocity, length of the note, pitch, panning

What is sampling and how is MIDI used with this?
A sample is a digitally recorded sounds of an instrument, and
noise thats on a loop you can record these in to another piece of
music to combine them. These samples can be triggered by a
MIDI controller.

Daws
What is a DAW?
DAW (digital audio workstation) is a computer program that is for
recording, editing and playing of audio files. A DAW allows you to
edit and mix multiple audio tracks on a musical timing grid and you
get to see how they line up over time.
Garage band, logic express, cockos reaper are some of the digital
audio work stations.
What other equipment and cables do you need to use MIDI?
-sound generator this allows you to hear the music.
-MIDI controller this controls the MIDI instruments.
-sequencer this records and plays you pieces that are
programed into it
-MIDI interface this enables your computer to send and receive
MIDI data.

Midi history
What does MIDI stand for and when was it invented?
MIDI stands for musical instrument digital interface and the creation
of MIDI in 1983 it was first announced to the public in 1982.
In 1983, the MIDI Specification was only about 8 pages long and
defined only the most basic information like how to play notes and
how to control the output volume, etc. Very quickly it created
demand for new MIDI messages that gave you greater control of
synthesizers but also for control of other recording gear.
Older systems and the complexity of it meant that only a few people
had them. But with new MIDI technology it is possible to set-up a
"home studio" quickly and relatively cheaply. This encourages the
development of experimental music.



How midi changed music
What are the benefits of using MIDI for composers?
MIDI is very compacted an entire song can be stored with a few
hundred MIDI messages. Its easy to modify and change
without having to record e.g. change notes, velocity, and
duration you can easily change the instruments as MIDI only
describes which notes to play you can put these notes on any
instrument.
The development of MIDI has had a considerable impact on the
development of electronic music. Modern dance music, Techno,
House, Drum and Bass etc., could not have developed in their
current state without this technology.
Older systems meant that only a few people had access. With MIDI it
is possible to set-up a "home studio" quickly and relatively cheaply.
This encourages the development of experimental music, which is
how modern dance music started.
MIDI is everywhere like in our computers, smart phones, audio
mixers and stage lighting and in international companies like Google,
Apple, Microsoft and Yamaha.
MIDI is very useful and are the core components of professional
recording because you can control many instruments at the same
time and edit every aspect of sound. Its not just a keyboard is could
be digital drums, guitar etc. The file sizes are smaller easier to
contain. When recording there are no interference of background
sound and you dont need musicians/instruments to create a song.
MIDI is everywhere like in our computers, smart phones, audio
mixers and stage lighting and in international companies like Google,
Apple, Microsoft and Yamaha.
MIDI is very useful and are the core components of professional
recording because you can control many instruments at the same
time and edit every aspect of sound. Its not just a keyboard is could
be digital drums, guitar etc. The file sizes are smaller easier to
contain. When recording there are no interference of background
sound and you dont need musicians/instruments to create a song.

Composing with MIDI was very efficient for me as once you had all
the basic down it was quite quick and easy but dose take a lot of
practice in memorizing everything, even though I have much more
to learn about MIDI. I find that when have to change the mouse with
the drop down box it gets a bit confusing. But everything I founf
pretty easy.

Step by step guide on how to use MIDI with logic express
To start of a track on Logic Express go on empty project.


This is where you can pick how many tracks you want, you can always add some later. This is how
many layers of instruments you want.
You can also pick what type you want software instrument is where you can create you own music
either through a MIDI keyboard or to draw it in yourself and audio is where you can import your
music through mp3.










It will come up with a empty page, this is where you will make your music.



You can zoom in and out of the page using the arrows you drag them forward or back to zoom it in
and out.






In the middle left is where you have your track the red R means record so when thats on you can
record using the MIDI keyboard, M means mute so you a certain track and still have the others
playing, S is sound if its pressed it will com up yellow and it will only play that track.













You change the sound on the tracks by using media and then looking through the library and double
click on the sounds and you can hear this sound by playing with the MIDI keyboard.










When you have picked a sound in the library theres two ways of imputing the music. This is the first
way.

You can also add tracks using the plus sign.

Or you can duplicate a track using the button next to the plus sign.





You can draw in a couple of bars to write music on to by using the pencil tool and clicking the page.
To bring up this menu bar press Esc on your keyboard.


They will look a box you can glue theses boxes together using the glue tool by highlighting the boxes
and pressing on them. E.g. you can glue the same sections together if you repeated something and
have different part of music separately.









you can also crop these bars by using the scissor tool and pressing on the bar on where you want to
crop it or section something separately














You can use loop to make it easier to write music because you dont have to keep playing it from the
start you can also put this loop anywhere and you can loop a single bar or a few. To do this there is a
faded box at the top if you press on it will go green then pull it from left to either extend it or
shorten it and press it from the middle to move it about.










If you dont want to play a part of your track you use the same faded box from the loop but pull it
from left and it will go a stripy green and press it from the middle to move it around.





If you double click on the box if will bring up to the piano roll this is where you can in put music by
using the pencil tool or edit it using other tools, using the pencil tool you can draw in a piece of
music.



When you have drawn e.g. a melody you can change the sizing of the notes by just hovering over a
note and dragging it over.



You also can change the velocity using the velocity tool, you press on the note and either drag it up
or down.









Once you have e.g. a melody you can listen to it using this bar where you can rewind, stop, and play.








The second way of imputing music is to record it in so when you have picked your sound press the
record button and play it in using the MIDI keyboard.

To do this you can use the metronome to play in the backing ground when recording the metronome
wont actually record in.

And to change the tempo press this and drag it up or down

When you have recorded your piece you can quantize it afterwards so its all in time do this by going
on your piano roll highlighting your notes then pressing the Q


When you have written some music in you can fade the music in using the fade tool and use the tool
and drag it from the outside of the box to however far you want the fade in.