Why MIDI?

I've used an MPC (2000xl and 1000) off and on since 2003. My process is to get parts together, patterns of tracks overlaid w/each other, etc., and then track out the audio through a mixing console into my DAW. Depending on the track, I'll do beats first, and then EQ each part as I record it in. Generally I don't have much tweaking to do EQ-wise once everything is in the box; at that point I do some heavy editing, usually record new parts into the MPC and repeat the process described above. I've never once utilized MIDI recording or even hooked up a MIDI cable to the MPC.

My question/inquiry is this: I see over half the topics on the front page of this forum are about various MIDI issues, something I still have never bothered with. What is the advantage of using MIDI? Why not just track out your audio and then move on in the process? Mostly I'm just curious and need a reason to go that direction, but can't come up with one. Please describe the flexibility/advantage that MIDI affords you.

Thanks!!

locking or syncing devices together in one easy discription. Too much unecessary work and processes doing it manually.

you can pipe a track/sample out of one of the analogue outs and tell that program to also output midi to a certain channel. by doing this, you can use ccs to automate VST effects over your mpc's sample tracks.

i do this to drop a great VST lowpass filter (at 100 open by default) on all of my incoming MPC tracks, bypassing the inferior internal filter.

likewise you could do it with delay, and at some times in your song ramp up the crossfade for a transition or effect.

lots of effects can be left on these tracks in an "off" position, turned on by various cc tweaking.

then there's the obvious "why" of using reason and vstis...

I usually record like you, and i know very little about MIDI, but one cool thing that i have been using it for is if i lay out a bass line from my synth and want to try other sounds but with the same notes, all i have to do is change my program and the sound will change but the note data will stay.

if you don´t use midi you probably don´t need it...

but if you read a bit about it and try to use it a whole world of possibilities opens up.

midi is not just for the point and click musician (but can be of great help) - it can be used in a milion ways...
even tho you are right the forums are full of the always same questions mostly about hooking up gear.

if you don´t use midi then think about one or two things you would like to do with your current setup but can´t because you only have two hands... every automation might be realized thru midi.

and last if you sequence your drums with the mpc you are using "midi" inside the machine (a .seq file is like a .mid file just a set of instructions "when to play what, and with which velocity").

peace jo

A lot of people like to use the MPC to control/sequence other insts and samplers.
e.g. Primo using a MPC60 and 950 together, all his sounds are in the 950.

selecta,

do you have any links to webpages or other sources of info to read about this world of possibilities? I'm very interested, that's why I asked in the first place. As for automation though, I have the ability to edit each audio track in my DAW, so automation doesn't really appeal to me (any more than it already does with JJOS2's native capabilities). I'm pretty used to the process of listening to my song and making minor adjustments to individual tracks as needed. I'm not sure why one would use automation to replace this process.

I've never once had a problem lining up tracks after recording them in one by one. My DAW has an amazing ability to zoom in to a sample level (I use Cool Edit Pro 2.0, circa 2001 or 2002. Super advanced stuff). I know where the 1 is on each track. Done. I read numerous posts here about jitter and related issues and how people can't seem to get their tracks to line up between their various machines when using MIDI. This is all completely mysterious to me on anything besides a conceptual level.

Nym, I have a copy of Reason but haven't installed it yet. I assume many people find it helpful. Maybe that will cause me to use MIDI in my recording process (?).

Thanks guys.

reason's just a module, good for that and not much else (Certainly not as a sequencer)

As for automation though, I have the ability to edit each audio track in my DAW, so automation doesn't really appeal to me (any more than it already does with JJOS2's native capabilities)

it's not for mixing, but for use of effects as instruments. to use the effect as a compositional element instead of a fine tuning. this isn't about eqing as you compose (mostly a waste of time to try to make it sound like it's playing off a cd when you're writing the song) but instead about transition, space changing and articulation. even os2's automation is weak compared to what you can do with ccs and freeware vsts.

I use the MPC as my master sequencer and as a drum machine..the sequencer element controls all my MIDI synths.

Here is a PIC I did for a friend just replace the computer with an MPC and ignore the USB keyboard...the novation KS-5 will be your master keyboard

@trunk: start here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/how_to_get_started_with_midi.html and then proceed to other chapters involving midi on that page. that should cover all the basics - come back with specific questions if you come to the conclusion that midi might save your life...

peace jo

i control 4 rack modules and a keyboard all with my mpc and all sounds are availible to use on any track i work on at the same time.

It would be cool to say that there's infinite possibilities with the use of midi, but that wouldn't be so much of a true statement.

@dabmeister: have a look at this video of the new moog pedal http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2009/02/03/wnamm09-moog-multipedal-refresher/. i bet most people who are using midi in an "mpc-some modules-daw" fashion everyday and gain good results, and even know some tricks within the midi specifications, haven´t heard half of the things the guy in the video refers to. and that is just midi... add some vc stuff and then make use of some clever max/msp programing there are really lots of possibilities.

for instance when i record i like to track every instrument i record not only on audio but whenever possible also capture midi data of the performance, so i can change or replace or add things later. sometimes i use the midi data of a performance to trigger effects at certain points. sometimes i need a couple of variations fast and midi lets me edit easily without the need to play and record every one. with midi i can use every keyboard in my room as a controler for everything (that accepts midi data).

limitations are the amount of things one can do at a time and the useful number of devices in midi chains before the lag hits the performance.

peace jo

Nym wrote:you can pipe a track/sample out of one of the analogue outs and tell that program to also output midi to a certain channel. by doing this, you can use ccs to automate VST effects over your mpc's sample tracks.

i do this to drop a great VST lowpass filter (at 100 open by default) on all of my incoming MPC tracks, bypassing the inferior internal filter.

likewise you could do it with delay, and at some times in your song ramp up the crossfade for a transition or effect.

lots of effects can be left on these tracks in an "off" position, turned on by various cc tweaking.

then there's the obvious "why" of using reason and vstis...

i'm just trying to understand this post; when you say "tell that program to also output midi to a certain channel" - what exactly does that mean? what "program" are you referring to?

and what is "ccs"?

I feel like I can kind of grasp what you're saying (and therefore the possibilities of MIDI, as I am clueless just like the original poster), but I'm mostly confused here.

If u understand midi u can work faster and even make sortcuts when working on the mpc for a start. Using midi can really helps u think out of the box. And of course midi can make a multitrack recording session an easy job