How to Assess Your Personal Recording Needs, Part III

This month we discuss loop-based versus live performances, the differences between digital audio and MIDI, plus tips on putting together a computer-based studio.

Looped or Live?

The mobility of laptops makes them ideal for live performances. Today’s live performances consist of live instrumentation, MIDI sequencing, and manipulation of equipment in real time. This can include controlling effects routings and sends, remotely tweaking knobs on electronic music equipment, and programming on the fly.

A popular program for live performance is Ableton’s Live. Programs with this type of capability have opened up sonic vistas for performers, allowing them to reproduce studio-quality sounds and effects with an element of real-time control. Although Live is a loop-based performance tool, the ability to control almost every single parameter of the software via MIDI allows the user to elevate a loop performance into the area of live performance. The distinction between loop-based and live performance is no longer clear, and many musicians are finding new territory in the combination of these forms.

Hard disk vs. MIDI control

If you’re a novice, you may not yet completely understand the difference between digital audio and MIDI. A computer outfitted for digital audio acts much the same way as the classic multitrack tape decks. Audio cards like our Delta, USB and FireWire lines convert analog audio into digital signals the computer can store and manipulate, then convert that information back to analog audio. Given a powerful enough computer, an audio card with multiple inputs can be used to record more than two channels of audio simultaneously. On the output side of things, multiple tracks can be mixed down internally to stereo outputs or, given a more sophisticated interface such as our Delta 1010 and 1010LT, individual tracks can be sent to discrete output for independent routing to an external mixer.

MIDI, on the other hand, is control information used to communicate performance information between MIDI-compatible devices—including computers outfitted with MIDI interfaces. MIDI communicates which notes are triggered and released, along with other performance parameters such as sustain pedal, pitch bend and control knobs and sliders. MIDI is used with the computer for sequencing and/or control of instrument parameters.

To connect MIDI to your computer, you’ll need either a dedicated MIDI interface like those in our MIDISPORT line, or a digital audio card that also has MIDI I/O. If you're using your computer as a musical instrument via software like Reason, you’ll also need to make sure the outputs of your audio card are routed to your recording device or monitors.

Planning your computer-based recording set-up

For sake of simplicity, you should consider dedicating a computer to music in order to avoid system conflicts. Consider the following as the beginning of a great computer-based studio:

• Propellerhead Reason (software synths, samplers, drum machines, etc.)
• Ableton Live (loop-based audio composition/recording software)
• M-Audio Delta (PCI), USB or FireWire audio card
• M-Audio MIDISPORT MIDI interface (if the audio card you choose doesn’t feature MIDI)
• M-Audio preamp (such as the Audio Buddy or DMP3)
• M-Audio USB MIDI controller (such as the Oxygen8 or Radium49)
• M-Audio Studiophile active monitors
• Good quality headphones
• Mixer (unless you are mixing within your software)

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