BY RCA MILES HIGH

rcamileshigh.110mb.com

Tutorials
-How to Record a Midi Sequence

©2008 RCA Miles High

-So you got your midi keyboard all setup, and your playing a melody that will become the basis/filler of your beat. How do you add it to the sequencer?  The answer is to record it directly into the sequencer. However, remember that midi does not transfer audio, it only transfers the notes that are being struck on the keyboard. What this means is, when you hit the note C for example, it will trigger your sample within the sequencer to play that note. For this tutorial I will be using the generic FL BooBass sample, but keep in mind that you can use any sample you want.

-Click the Record button to activate recording mode.

-When you click the Play button this will initiate live recording. The metronome will count down 4 beats just before you actually begin playing/recording. If you took music class or were/are in a band then you will already know what to do. MPC users as well will understand the metronome count. If you have absolutely no music experience, or don’t play an instrument,  then let me explain. Otherwise skip to the next part of the tutorial.

-Usually in a band the drummer will hit his sticks 4 times(to the tempo of the song) or another player will “sound off“ the numbers verbally before beginning the song. This is like a ready check for all the players, and let’s them know the tempo before they all come into the song. This is how all the players are able to come in perfect sync.

-Once you hit Stop, your melody will be recorded directly into the piano roll.

-You will notice that there is a slight lag between what note you strike on your midi-keyboard, and what position it gets recorded to within the piano roll. This is midi lag, due to latency issues. To fix this try lowering your DirectSound buffer by accessing Options—Audio Settings from the FL menu.

-Another alternative is to fix each sample inside the Piano Roll. You can move each sample up to the line to make them hit right on beat, and stretch each sample for the duration each note lasts. This is time-consuming but it will ensure quality. Sometimes however you will want those notes to sound off-beat to “swing”.  If this is the case then you will either need to move them manually, or re-record until you have the sequence pattern desired. To move the samples manually select “(none)” from the Snap dropdown menu.

-Once you’re done recording and/or re-arranging your melody, you can start adding your drums/breaks/other instruments/samples along side your melody. You can also “double up” your melody by adding another sample, and loading the “Score” directly into the Piano Roll. The score is your melody exactly how you’ve arranged it. To save the score, click on the Piano Roll options menu and select File— Save Score As. To load a score on a different sample within your sequencer select Open Score.