MIDI Sequencing Hints by Robert Finley

Midi Sequencing Hints

by Robert Finley

On this page I will give you some ideas how you can make your sequences more musical and appealing to audiences. I have divided this list into several categories and will add to it every few days. Please let me know if you find this useful.

Architecture

Beforeyou attempt to make a sequence, listen carefully to a real performance and notice the phrasing, melodic lines, harmony, rhythm, expression, tempi etc. Try to imitate this in your sequence.
In repeats, it is tempting to save time by making a loop or by copying and pasting a section into the sequence that repeats earlier material. A cardinal rule is to never make the repeat sound the same as before. Always make something different about it (tempo, volume etc). The same applies to phrases: Never make two phrases that repeat exactly the same. The surest way to bore an audience is to do something the same way twice.

Melodic Lines

The melodic line should not necessarily have all notes at the same level. Notice the variation in dynamics in a real performance. Adjust velocity values and/expression controllers to achieve this effect.
If a melodic line is a legato sequence of notes, make the duration of each note last until the next note starts or slightly beyond (to account for slow attack time of some patches)
In a piano sequence with slow sustained notes, notice how volume of each notes dies away with time after it is struck. Make the next note match the volume at the end of this time, ie not suddenly too loud or too soft.
Where the melodic line of a string section of orchestral sequence changes from arco to staccato, use patch change from string ensemble 1/2 to staccato and back. Insert patch change commands into the track. For portamento, make the duration of the notes shorter than for legato so that the notes sound detached. Experiment to get the best effect.
Where a line of notes includes two adjacent notes that are the same, be sure that the duration of the first note does not extend beyond the second note otherwise the second note will not sound. A small pause is necessary between the decay time of the first note and the attack time of the second for both notes to sound.

Harmony

The notes which harmonize with the melody should not necessarily be at the same volume. Usually the melody and the bass notes should be more prominent with the inner parts at a lower level. This is especially true in a piano sequence.
In an orchestral sequence, balance the melody with the harmony using volume controller 7 at the beginning of the track and expression controller 11 at suitable points during the sequence.
When lines of the orchestral parts have the same notes played by similar instruments, eg the same note played by 1st violin, violas etc, do not allow the same note to be played on more than one track with the same patch. If for example violin 1 on channel 1 plays a C5 and the viola on channel 3 also plays this at the same time, and they are both using string ensemble 1, eliminate one of the C5 notes. Having the same note played on several tracks simultaneously using the same patch can cause some strange harmonic effects to be heard.

Phrasing

Music has some similarities to speech. There are pauses in between phrases and sentences. Without this, speech would be difficult to understand. The same applies to music. Make it clear where phrases begin and end. A small pause may achieve the desired effect. This can be achieved either by slowing the tempo between phrases (inserting tempo changes) or by cutting and pasting the next phrase slightly later in time.

Expression

Music is not just a series of notes, and a sequence should not sound mechanical, especially in romantic or impressionistic music. Make good use of velocity variation, use variable expression controllers (easy to include using Cakewalk) to achieve crescendos and diminuendos.
Accents can be easily made by increasing the velocity value of a note.
Try to imitate a singer. Notice how the dynamics of the phrases increase and decrease as does the tempo. Try to reproduce this in your sequences.

Recording Techniques

Two ways to produce sequences are by step recording ( ie note by note) and by playing the notes on a keyboard (the technique I use). When recording in real time, do not worry too much about making wrong notes (unless the "take" was a disaster). These can be corrected during the editing process.
In technically difficult passages, it is possible to record at a slower tempo and then to speed the playback up to the correct tempo. Any inaccuracies in rhythm will be magnified depending on how much faster the playback is, but this can be corrected with editing techniques (see "Rhythm" section).
"Punch in Punch Out" is an invaluable technique which allows one to add or correct (replace) a section in a sequence by setting the time when the sequencing program goes into the record and playback mode. One can play along with the sequence when it is in the "play" mode, and then continue playing when it is in the "record" mode to make the new section match the rest of the sequence. Midisoft "Studio" has this feature.
I use a "notepad" sequence which I work on and then copy and paste the section into the main sequence. This is a convenient way of working.
For orchestral "tuttis" in concerto sequences, I play the melody on the piano, copy those notes to the sections of the orchestra, adjuct note velocities and durations and then delete the notes on the piano.
Before pasting in a section from a "notepad" to the main sequence, I sometimes use a "marker" note to find out where the notes to be pasted in should start. When I am satisfied that this is at the correct time, I find out it's midi time, delete it and paste in the new section to occur at this time.
When pasting in new sections to the main sequence, be sure that everything matches for tempo, dynamics and patch type. The "trick" is to not make it obvious that sections have been pasted together.

Patch Choice

In an orchestral sequence it is important to choose a patch that sounds as close as possible to the real instrument. (This is difficult though due to the poor quality of some GM patches on most synthesizers) In a string section where the notes are moving slowly, string ensemble 2 is a good choice. It is not a good choice for fast notes as the slow attack time will cause the melody to be sluggish and to lag behind. String ensemble 1 would be a better choice. Some of the General Midi solo string patches sound quite bad and should be avoided.
Patches can be easily set using Cakewalk or Midisoft Studio. They can be changed within a track by inserting a patch change command.

Reverberation

Reverberation can make a sequence sound more life-like. The controller 91 can be included at the beginning of each track. The amount of reverb is continuously variable betweenis 0 - 127. In an orchestral sequence, different sections of the orchestra may require more or less reverb, so experiment to get the best effect.

Editing Techniques

Copy and paste is a valuable technique especially in orchestral sequences. Look in the orchestral score for sections of the orchestra which have similar lines (eg the violin 1 may be similar to the oboes). In this example, copy the violin section, paste it in to the oboe section.so that it starts at the correct midi time (everything is synchronized), change the channel number to be correct for that track, and then alter the notes in the midi list of the oboe sction so that they are correct.
Rythmic inaccuracies can be corrected by several techniques: 1) adjust the tempo between two adjacent notes by inserting a tempo changes at the midi time of each note to speed or slow down the time the next note is played; 2) Adjust the midi time of the notes within a group by editing the midi list events (this is easy with Midisoft Studio, just by repeated mouse clicks in the time field of the note); 3) cut the section from the note which is too soon or too late to the end of the sequence and paste it back in either sooner or later. Listen to the result and make adjustments as necessary.

Orchestral Scores

When working from a orchestral score it is important to understand which instruments are "tranposing instruments" so that the correct notes are sequenced. For example a clarinet may be a B flat instrument in which a "C" sounds as B flat. In an orchestral piece in C major for example, the violin part will be in C major and clarinet will be in B flat major. It will be necessary to transpose the notes of the clarinet so that they are correct in the sequence. Other transposing instruments include the trumpet and French Horn.
It is necessary to be able to read from the C clef. The viola and cello often use them.
Pay close attention to the notes in the score to make sure that they are correct. During playback, listen for any dischords, slow down the playback and identify where the wrong note is, correct it and play back again to make sure it sounds correct.
Also pay attention to dynamics, tempi, note types (eg legato, staccato, portamento, arco, etc) and reproduce this in the sequence.

Synchronizing Orchestra with Piano

It is best to play the piano part first (or step record it) and then fit the orchestra to it. In a real time recorded sequence, examine the orchestral score, relate this to the midi event list for each line of the orchestra to determine where the notes coincide.
In places where notes of the orchestral accompaniment occur before, after or in between the notes of the piano solo part, it will be necessary to calculate their midi times and note durations.

Pan Effect

Pan creates the spatial stereo effect of the orchestral instuments postioned on a stage. The values of pan are between 0 and 127. The central position would be 64 (such as the piano soloist) and 64 would be the 1st violins on the left of the stage, and 127 the double basses to the right of the stage, for example. Using "Cakewalk" the pan values can easily be inserted into each track, giving the sequence a realistic stereo effect.

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