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midi / notation software [message #92415] Mon, 05 November 2007 12:01 Go to next message
Ed is currently offline  Ed
Messages: 199
Registered: February 2006
Senior Member
Hi Guys and Gals. I am an old school musician and I never ventured into the
electronic realms of midi and all that stuff. The closest I came to this
was running a midi cable from my Roland A-70 to an old Akai synth. The synth
played some nice strings while I played chords. Very simple.

I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so upset.
Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with it
looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know everything
about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a .mid
or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
that I really truly need and want.

Here is my question... is there a semi-easy notation software out there that
will easily setup... and record what I am playing. So I can dub anonther
midi track over that? Everything seems to be directed at pre-made midi,
or notation software when you have to manually change the bar, beat, note,
etc. I want to hit freakin "record" and hear a pre-selected tempo, play
chords along with my midi keyboard and it record the darn thing. I don't
want to stop and change things.. I want the software to know what I am changing
and record it...

Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely these midi files were not created note
or staff at a time. Of course, my notebook's soundcard is limited and that
is my only playback... but maybe the sequencer software can enamble me more
sounds?

Is there anything out there that is like that? I tried the Finale freebie...
but that's a no-go. I play to try the Notation Composer which claims to
do this (but so did Finale).

Any midi/Notation gurus out there?
Re: midi / notation software [message #92416 is a reply to message #92415] Mon, 05 November 2007 12:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ed is currently offline  Ed
Messages: 199
Registered: February 2006
Senior Member
Oh Shoot! I think I found what I was trying to find...

Anyone familiar with this software?

http://www.wildcat.com/Web/Wildcat/Html/Site/Homepage.htm

I am gonna get it and try it... Hopefully it is not a waste of my time and
especially my money...


"Ed" <askme@email.com> wrote:
>
>Hi Guys and Gals. I am an old school musician and I never ventured into
the
>electronic realms of midi and all that stuff. The closest I came to this
>was running a midi cable from my Roland A-70 to an old Akai synth. The
synth
>played some nice strings while I played chords. Very simple.
>
>I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so upset.
> Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
>the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with it
>looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
>except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know everything
>about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a .mid
>or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
>that I really truly need and want.
>
>Here is my question... is there a semi-easy notation software out there
that
>will easily setup... and record what I am playing. So I can dub anonther
>midi track over that? Everything seems to be directed at pre-made midi,
>or notation software when you have to manually change the bar, beat, note,
>etc. I want to hit freakin "record" and hear a pre-selected tempo, play
>chords along with my midi keyboard and it record the darn thing. I don't
>want to stop and change things.. I want the software to know what I am changing
>and record it...
>
>Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely these midi files were not created
note
>or staff at a time. Of course, my notebook's soundcard is limited and that
>is my only playback... but maybe the sequencer software can enamble me more
>sounds?
>
>Is there anything out there that is like that? I tried the Finale freebie...
>but that's a no-go. I play to try the Notation Composer which claims to
>do this (but so did Finale).
>
>Any midi/Notation gurus out there?
>
Re: midi / notation software [message #92452 is a reply to message #92415] Tue, 06 November 2007 18:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Sarah is currently offline  Sarah   UNITED STATES
Messages: 608
Registered: February 2007
Senior Member
I use Sibelius. I like it.

S

"Ed" <askme@email.com> wrote in message news:472f687d$1@linux...
>
> Hi Guys and Gals. I am an old school musician and I never ventured into
> the
> electronic realms of midi and all that stuff. The closest I came to this
> was running a midi cable from my Roland A-70 to an old Akai synth. The
> synth
> played some nice strings while I played chords. Very simple.
>
> I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so
> upset.
> Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
> the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with it
> looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
> except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know
> everything
> about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a .mid
> or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
> that I really truly need and want.
>
> Here is my question... is there a semi-easy notation software out there
> that
> will easily setup... and record what I am playing. So I can dub anonther
> midi track over that? Everything seems to be directed at pre-made midi,
> or notation software when you have to manually change the bar, beat, note,
> etc. I want to hit freakin "record" and hear a pre-selected tempo, play
> chords along with my midi keyboard and it record the darn thing. I don't
> want to stop and change things.. I want the software to know what I am
> changing
> and record it...
>
> Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely these midi files were not created
> note
> or staff at a time. Of course, my notebook's soundcard is limited and
> that
> is my only playback... but maybe the sequencer software can enamble me
> more
> sounds?
>
> Is there anything out there that is like that? I tried the Finale
> freebie...
> but that's a no-go. I play to try the Notation Composer which claims to
> do this (but so did Finale).
>
> Any midi/Notation gurus out there?
>
Re: midi / notation software [message #92568 is a reply to message #92452] Fri, 09 November 2007 08:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ed is currently offline  Ed
Messages: 199
Registered: February 2006
Senior Member
Ok... why do you like it? Does it do what I was trying to achieve? What
makes it better than say, Finale?

I haven't tried that Wildcat program yet... I got involved in something else...
and I see that Sibelius 5 is $499. Not sure I want to spend that much unless
I know it is going to take me into another freakin dimension! In fact, I
don't think any software is worth $499! That is ridiculous! And they wonder
why people are pirating and enjoying the newsgroups! I can not fathom paying
500 bucks for buggy software... that's prolly pounded with DRM! Unbelievable!

"Sarah" <sarahjane@sarahtonin.com> wrote:
>I use Sibelius. I like it.
>
>S
>
>"Ed" <askme@email.com> wrote in message news:472f687d$1@linux...
>>
>> Hi Guys and Gals. I am an old school musician and I never ventured into

>> the
>> electronic realms of midi and all that stuff. The closest I came to this
>> was running a midi cable from my Roland A-70 to an old Akai synth. The

>> synth
>> played some nice strings while I played chords. Very simple.
>>
>> I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so

>> upset.
>> Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
>> the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with
it
>> looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
>> except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know
>> everything
>> about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a
.mid
>> or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
>> that I really truly need and want.
>>
>> Here is my question... is there a semi-easy notation software out there

>> that
>> will easily setup... and record what I am playing. So I can dub anonther
>> midi track over that? Everything seems to be directed at pre-made midi,
>> or notation software when you have to manually change the bar, beat, note,
>> etc. I want to hit freakin "record" and hear a pre-selected tempo, play
>> chords along with my midi keyboard and it record the darn thing. I don't
>> want to stop and change things.. I want the software to know what I am

>> changing
>> and record it...
>>
>> Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely these midi files were not created

>> note
>> or staff at a time. Of course, my notebook's soundcard is limited and

>> that
>> is my only playback... but maybe the sequencer software can enamble me

>> more
>> sounds?
>>
>> Is there anything out there that is like that? I tried the Finale
>> freebie...
>> but that's a no-go. I play to try the Notation Composer which claims
to
>> do this (but so did Finale).
>>
>> Any midi/Notation gurus out there?
>>
>
>
Re: midi / notation software [message #92608 is a reply to message #92415] Sat, 10 November 2007 09:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Edna Sloan is currently offline  Edna Sloan   UNITED STATES
Messages: 304
Registered: October 2005
Senior Member
Hi Ed,

"Ed" <askme@email.com> wrote in message news:472f687d$1@linux...
>
> Hi Guys and Gals. I am an old school musician and I never ventured into
> the
> electronic realms of midi and all that stuff. The closest I came to this
> was running a midi cable from my Roland A-70 to an old Akai synth. The
> synth
> played some nice strings while I played chords. Very simple.

I'm sure you know that MIDI is not sound, but a code of instructions a MIDI
instrument interprets to play sounds. You don't have to be a programmer to
make use of it though.

> I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so
> upset.
> Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
> the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with it
> looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
> except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know
> everything
> about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a .mid
> or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
> that I really truly need and want.

You might try to contact Korg for a manual. Unless you need to write
arrangements or sheet music in standard music notation, you shouldn't
require a notation program. A software, or hardware, sequencer should be
all you need. I still use an onboard hardware sequencer in my workstation
to make quick rough MIDI compositions, which I import into my software
sequencer for further editing and such.
>
> Here is my question... is there a semi-easy notation software out there
> that
> will easily setup... and record what I am playing. So I can dub anonther
> midi track over that? Everything seems to be directed at pre-made midi,
> or notation software when you have to manually change the bar, beat, note,
> etc. I want to hit freakin "record" and hear a pre-selected tempo, play
> chords along with my midi keyboard and it record the darn thing. I don't
> want to stop and change things.. I want the software to know what I am
> changing
> and record it.

I would think any of the standard software sequencers would work, Cubase,
Cakewalk, Logic, Reason, etc. You might look at some older versions of
these. Some have virtual instruments(VSTis) included. You can also find
free VSTis online. You might download a demo of Reaper and see what it will
do (a $40 software).
>
> Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely these midi files were not created
> note
> or staff at a time. Of course, my notebook's soundcard is limited and
> that
> is my only playback... but maybe the sequencer software can enamble me
> more
> sounds?

MIDI files can be created either by programming (step sequencing a note at a
time) or by playing or both. I assume that your laptop has a MIDI in, so
you can use your MIDI keyboard, and that you are playing the laptop's
soundcard synth? If your Korg has sounds, you could get a USB MIDI
interface for your laptop, so it could play the Korg or other external MIDI
devices. Of course you would also need some playback amp/speakers for this.

Edna
Re: midi / notation software [message #92609 is a reply to message #92608] Sat, 10 November 2007 11:21 Go to previous message
Neil is currently offline  Neil
Messages: 1645
Registered: April 2006
Senior Member
"Edna" <edna@texomaonline.com> wrote:
>> I recently purchased a small 25-key Korg midi keyboard... and I was so

>> upset.
>> Just like my bundle with the Roland A-70 when I purchased it back in 98,
>> the instructions are absolutely the pits. The software that came with
it
>> looks nice on my screen, but there is ZERO instruction on how to use it...
>> except description of knobs and such. It's not that I want to know
>> everything
>> about midi... I just want to understand it and play... not download a
.mid
>> or .kar file. I tried a few Notation software and I can not find anything
>> that I really truly need and want.
>
>You might try to contact Korg for a manual.

Go here...

http://www.korg.com/service/support.asp

And click on "Documents", from there you can pull up a ton of
their products & doc for same, including manuals. maybe they'll
have the one for whichever model keyboard you have.

Neil
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