150 likes | 304 Views
Jin-Yong Lee. Methods of Music Creation on Computers. #1: MIDI. Basically, a series of messages that are sent to a host synth or sound generator for play. Very small file size. Catch: will sound different depending on synth!
E N D
Jin-Yong Lee Methods of Music Creation on Computers
#1: MIDI. • Basically, a series of messages that are sent to a host synth or sound generator for play. • Very small file size. • Catch: will sound different depending on synth! • Also lots of different interpretations of the standard between DAWs, hardware, synths....
So a little early history. • 1987: Roland MT-32 (dedicated synth unit) • Designed for amateur musicians but was also used a lot in games • Also the AdLib sound card (but that was more FM synthesis)....
General MIDI Era (1991 - 1999) • 1991: MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA), Japan MIDI Standards Committee (JMSC) create General MIDI 1 standard • 128 instruments, 1 drumset, 24-note polyphony minimum, 16 MIDI channels at once (#10 reserved for drums) • Quickly outpaced specialized synths such as the MT-32 • Proved rather limiting, so Roland and Yamaha created their own GS and XG standards, respectively, in addition. • 1996: MSFT licenses parts of Roland's Sound Canvas-55 (SC-55) sound map (albeit at considerably worse quality ^^') • 1997: AAPL licenses same, but the implementation is slightly different.
General MIDI Level 2 Era (1999 - ) • 1999: GM2 standard introduced • 256 instruments,10 drumsets, 32-note polyphony, still 16 channels • Tried to balance out against GS (317+ ins., 10+ drums) and XG (676+ ins., 9+ drums) standards • But now MIDI was to the side as CD audio and trackers became more prevalent.
But it still lives very strongly • Hardware synthesizer boards and drum controllers still rely on MIDI controls • Software synthesizers (Steinberg VSTi, Creative SoundFont, Apple Audio Units) have grown significantly...and MIDI control support is very common among them to allow for easier porting. • Still a vibrant MIDI community around.
Examples of MIDI • Hardware: MT-32, Sound Canvas series, PSR/MOTIF series • Software: S-YXG50, VSC-MP1, TTS-1 • DAW: Cakewalk, Cubase (MIDI-centric), Logic, FL Studio (secondary)
#2: Tracker • Music is not written in standard notation at all! Instead, it's typed and written/read vertically. • Generally uses samples and/or chip sounds, though this is changing recently • Samples are kept alongside the modules. • Very popular among demoscene, chiptune, electronic music enthusiasts
Brief history? • Took off in the mid-1980s with the Commodore Amiga • Its 4-channel sound chip (Paula), which relied on samples, proved popular for electronic composers – tended to use Ultimate Soundtracker and later Protracker • Soon trackers for Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum created – used the chip's sound generator (PSG) instead for the most part due to hardware limitations.
Amiga -> DOS Transition • 1990s – the growth of wavetable-based soundcards such as the Gravis Ultrasound (GUS) and SoundBlaster 16 (SB16) led to a migration to the DOS ecosystem • Along with this came new software – Scream Tracker, Fast Tracker, Impulse Tracker. • Even used in some games (notably Unreal Tournament)
Post-2000s • Also declined with the growth of storage space, CD-quality audio • However, the community, while much smaller than the MIDI one, still lives through their genre, as well as the demoscene • Growth in attempting to create trackers and/or modules for other old systems (GB, NES, Megadrive are common) • In addition, emulation of older chips has expanded their growth among chiptune fans.
Examples of tracker software • Classic: FastTracker, Impulse Tracker, ProTracker • Modern: OpenMPT (Windows), Renoise, Milkytracker. • Most newer ones retain a classic Amiga/DOS-style interface, OpenMPT being the major exception. • Thus OpenMPT tends to be popular among newer users for its native Windows interface.
#3: Loops (briefly) • Use of a repeated waveform or note sequence in a work • This is not new to music at all, really • But in the case of computer music, it helps by giving prefabs to allow composers to focus on other areas. Or, just make music entirely out of them!
Quick rundown • Started with Sonic Foundry's ACID in 1998 • Its revolutionary use of ACID Loops propelled the use of loops in other DAWs and general music making • Logic began using Apple Loops in 2004 – over 20k packed in, comes with easy utility to make your own • Also frequently used in GarageBand.
...and is that it? • ...not really, but these are three of the main ways. • Even here there are a great number of variations – in MIDI, for instance, once can drag notes, use piano rolls, have keyboard controllers, even import info from a tracker, etc.