Getting Stuff In There

Audio vs. MIDI

When we say audio, generally we are referring to a file on your computer’s hard drive. This file has most likely been recorded into a format such as mp3, aiff, or wav. It is like a record or a tape recording.

MIDI is a different animal. MIDI stands for “musical instrument digital interface”. Unlike a true recording of a sound, MIDI is merely a set of instructions like a piano roll or the cylinder of a music box.

A MIDI ‘recording’ dictates (to an electronic instrument) what note to play and when to play it. It is no more a sound than, say, a page of sheet music (until—of course—a musician reads and performs it).

Because of this, MIDI affords us great flexibility. It allows us, after having captured a performance, to change individual notes: their pitches, length, how ‘hard’ they should be played (velocity #glossary), and even allows us the opportunity try out a performance with an entirely different instrument.

Live actually has a few other types of tracks, but for the moment, we are only concerned with the two we have just discussed: MIDI and audio. A new Live set comes pre-configured with two MIDI tracks and two audio tracks. These tracks will house your MIDI and audio clips.

The track type is indicated on the track title bar as well as the track’s input/output section*.* Once you have somewhere for your audio or MIDI tracks to go, the rest is a piece of cake.

If more are needed, new tracks can easily be inserted in the following ways:

• from Live’s ”Create” menu
• from the contextual menu (right-click) in the tracks area of the Session View
• by dropping clips or files on unoccupied track space in the Arrangement or Session Views
• or by using the ⌘ + T (new audio track) or ⌘ + ⇧ + T keys (new MIDI track) key commands.

A Few Words of Warning

Live Loves to Warp Having said that, it’s important that we mention the following caveat: Remember all the nifty tempo-warping, key-morphing, everything-magically-goes-together stuff that we told you about? The stuff that people go totally crackers over? Well, that stuff is definitely in play here and you may find that things either sound unbelievably good in the context of your song (as in, “Blimey! That shouldn’t have worked so well. What happened?”), or you may find that your audio clip doesn’t sound the way you remember.

We discuss this in great length in our chapters on Warping, but if either of these things happen to you now, we’d rather you be neither worried nor surprised. Live’s propensity to adapt material into the key and tempo of your project is something you must always keep in the back of your thoughts. It’s exceptionally useful.

Except when it isn’t.

As you move forward, there may be times when you want to prevent live from changing things from their original state. For now, just enjoy it!

Tempo, Tempo, Tempo Because Live will be actively matching everything you make and import to the tempo of your Live Set, we’ll just point out — again — where that get’s set: Right here!

We just thought you’d like to know. (Pssst! Turn the metronome on and play (spacebar) to hear it.)

MIDI? Audio? Who Cares? And one other thing. It may seem obvious that we are going to be putting audio clips on audio tracks, and MIDI clips on MIDI tracks. Indeed, this is true.

But Live, ever eager to please, will do its darnedest to accommodate you if you decide not to follow this logic. For example, placing an audio clip on a MIDI track will result in the creation of a MIDI instrument, loaded with your audio clip as a sample (see Sampling, along with a MIDI clip containing a note instructing your new sample to play. Phew! This is generally a very, very good thing. But if it isn’t what you are expecting, we don’t want you to be caught off guard.

Using Pre-existing Recordings

Be it audio or MIDI, the process here is largely the same. Pulling previously recorded material into Live is as simple as locating a clip or a file in Live’s browser (or anywhere else on your computer) and dragging it to a track. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Pre-existing Content From a Folder The most straightforward thing to do might be to find a pre-recorded audio clip and simply drag it in there! This is as simple as navigating to the folder where the asset is stored and pulling it into a track or an empty space in your session.

Don’t worry; the file won’t be moved. Live will reference the source file in the location it started. (To make a copy and save it with your set, see #link Housekeeping: “Collect All and Save…”) In fact, this is normal behavior for most DAWs. A DAW typically keeps track of hundreds, if not thousands of little (and big) files of all different types. Live manages the relationship of all these files, playing audio clips from whatever start-point you tell it to, and usually handling adjustments in a ‘non-destructive’ manner (meaning that changes are often made on the fly, without affecting the original, referenced file). This also means that, typically, if you drag an audio clip into your Set, and proceed to duplicate or loop it, you are not actually accumulating lots of space-hungry copies of said file.

Pre-existing Content From the Browser For added flexibility, you may choose to employ Live’s browser to do the same task. Doing so has the added benefit of letting you preview (audition) the clip in the tempo and key ( #glossary ) of your song as well as taking advantage of Live’s generous, categorized and searchable catalogue of packs, loops, clips, samples, instruments and effects. ( #glossary)

Either way, the process is the same. Simply drop the asset directly into either the Session or Arrangement Views on either an existing track, clip slot, or an empty space below existing tracks to create a new track with a clip on it.

Not only that, but clips may be dragged from one view into the other, creating new Arrangement sections and Session scenes with minimal fuss.

That’s it!

Recording Stuff

New recordings require a couple other steps. Nothing extraordinary. But this chapter is a general discussion on the subject of getting stuff in there, so keep in mind that the procedures for making recordings will be discussed in greater depth in the chapter Recording Basics. But let’s get acquainted with the concept.

When the time comes to record your own content, you can accomplish this directly onto a track (or clip slot) in either Arrangement or Session View. As with pre-existing recordings, recording new material is largely the same for audio and MIDI. But there are a couple potential deal-breakers before you begin.

Preparing to Record Audio

If you are recording audio, you will need something to capture the audio signal. In all likelihood you will be using a microphone and an audio interface. The audio interface actually combines a few different components (such as a microphone preamplifier) **that make everything work together smoothly.

Your computer probably has a simple interface. After all, it probably has a microphone and speakers optimized for basic things like video conferencing and web-browsing. In a pinch, the peripherals built into your computer may work for some things, but it’s far from ideal. An audio interface gives you additional flexibility to record other sources: an electric guitar, bass, keyboard, or even a record player. All of these signals operate at a lower level than what is known as ‘line level’ Such signals just need a little help (See the chapter, Audio Engineering: Transduction, Gain, and Digital Audio. A dedicated audio interface is probably just the thing. In fact, depending on the interface you choose, it may even have MIDI connectivity (see below).

Preparing to Record MIDI Recording MIDI requires a few things as well:

• A MIDI controller
• A MIDI interface
• A MIDI instrument

  

MIDI Controller This just means something to generate the MIDI signal. In all likelihood, you will be using a MIDI controller keyboard. These come in all shapes and sizes and typically make no sound of their own. The vast majority are laid out like piano keyboards — some identical in size to an actual piano keyboard, others wee-tiny things. Other flavors exist as well, such as guitar controllers, wind controllers (think ‘electronic saxophone’), and some that are too weird describe here and look unlike anything you’d find in an orchestra.

Thankfully, these days, one thing nearly all MIDI controllers share is a built-in USB port. That means they have a MIDI interface — the next item on the list — built in. All you need is a cable to connect the controller to your computer Bob’s your uncle!

MIDI Interface A MIDI interface is the device responsible for getting the MIDI data into your computer. If you remember what “MIDI” stands for — and if phrases like ‘PIN number’ or ‘ATM machine’ make you see red — you are correct: A MIDI interface is a “musical instrument digital interface-interface”.

Yeah, whatever.

In all likelihood the MIDI interface-interface may actually be built into your MIDI controller. If not, your MIDI controller will have a standard, five-pin DIN type MIDI socket. That, dear friends is for a bona-fide MIDI cable (pictured above in yellow). Plug one end into the back of your MIDI keyboard controller; plug the other end into a MIDI interface and you’re in business. If all else fails, you can get a simple, inexpensive cable like that grey one pictured above. It has MIDI in/out connectors on one side and the ubiquitous USB A-type connector on the other. You’ve got options.

MIDI Instrument You need something to generate sounds when you press a key. Otherwise, you are sending a message into the DAW saying “Play this note!!” and nobody is home. More on instruments later (Instrument Basics ) but you’ll need to load one of these onto a MIDI track by choosing one in the browser and dragging it to a MIDI track (or the device viewer).

More Ways!

Computer MIDI Keyboard There are a few other ways to get stuff into Live. For example, see that little piano icon on the left side of Live’s control bar? That button activates Live’s ‘computer MIDI keyboard’. This handy feature allows you to repurpose your computer’s keys — the ones you type on — as piano notes. While nobody is going to mistake your playing for Liberace, it’s a perfectly serviceable way of getting MIDI into Live. It’s our go-to on an airplane.

Drawing While we are on the subject, it’s only fair to mention that MIDI data can also be painted in using the mouse. More details on this in Clip Editing: The Basics .

Resampling I’m probably going to regret mentioning this, but there is one other thing that Live can record: Live*…. Itself.* That’s pretty ‘meta’, right? We’ll talk about this more in the Recording: Punching, Overdubs, and Looping section, but it’s a massively powerful technique. Think about it: You’ve just made a new, complex, and brilliant sound or loop. Pipe that back in to the DAW as a clip or sample and off you go!

Recording

Now that you know what you can record, and with your equipment set up, you have only to record it. In either Session or Arrangement View, you will need to ‘arm’ a track.

This prepares the track for recording and allow you to hear yourself or your instrument. To complete the undertaking, we will also have to choose things like which clip slot to use as well as stuff like punching in/out and overdub modes. But these are covered in the chapters Recording Basics and Recording: Punching, Overdubs, and Looping. For the purpose of just ‘getting stuff in there’, you know just about everything.

It’s time to play!

Handy shortcuts for ‘getting stuff in there’: ⌘ + T : make new audio track ⌘ + ⇧ + T : make new MIDI track B: toggle drawing mode for MIDI in clip view M: toggle computer MIDI keyboard

`X`: computer MIDI keyboard up one octave
`Y`: computer MIDI keyboard down one octave