Next we talked about the 6 basic types of MIDI software programs you can get. They are as follows:
Sequencers - Allow you to store your performance from any MIDI input device. Once the performance is stored as MIDI data, you can use the sequencer to make changes to the information at any time. You can change the pitch of a note, how hard you played it, and even change the tempo at which the note was played.
Notation - Gives you the power to create and print professional quality full scores and individual parts in 1/10th the time it would take you to copy out all the parts by hand. Start by importing a MIDI file, or just start from scratch and build your own song using the mouse, the keyboard, or a MIDI keyboard. Most packages allow you to add lyrics to your music, and transpose to different keys. Even some of the more basic programs offer more features than you might think.
Educational - Adds an exciting element to learning music that intrigues and inspires the student. Software for learning music can be used to supplement traditional methods, or on their own. Can be used to help you learn to play piano, guitar, and other instruments.
Auto-accompaniment - Type in the chords to any song, pick a style, and press Play. It's that easy to make a song using auto-accompaniment software. Many professional musicians use this type of program to accompany them while they play at live performances. Others use it to practice with, and some use it just to create new songs.
MIDI Players - If all you want to do is play music on your PC, then there are some great MIDI Players that are a lot of fun to use. Some simply play the music, while others make your screen dance, and others will show you the notes that are being played.
Scanning - You can convert any printed sheet music into multi-track MIDI files, using just your scanner and some software. The note and rest durations, note pitches, chords, ties, accidentals, bar lines, clefs, key and time signatures will all be recognized with 80- 90% accuracy. Then you can tweak it manually until the electronic version is exactly the same as the printed one, only you don't have to stop there. You can then transpose the music, or rearrange it, then print it back out.
The November meeting will be about using video cameras for teleconferencing. The December meeting will be on MP3 music files. Come join the fun at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here