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• Music Tech Tip: What is MIDI Anyway?
• by G.W. Childs IV
• For someone who’s been doing this a long, long time, I often forget that some of the new talent that comes into electronic music may not know certain building blocks...

• Pro Tools 10 112
• Advanced Editing Techniques
• Becoming a Pro Tools editing Ninja requires mastering the tools of the trade. Join Certified Avid trainer Mike Watkinson as he explores the art of editing and managing clips in Avid’s Pro Tools 10...

• Final Cut Pro X 201
• Multicam Editing
• Learn the art of Multicam Editing in Final Cut Pro X in the 23-video tutorial created by our in-house, Final Cut "X"pert, Michael Wohl...

• Media Composer 6 103
• Advanced Editing Techniques
• Media Composer is filled with tools and techniques that will get you cutting and trimming video fast! Join MC expert Jeff Greenberg as he opens up his editor's toolbox and shows you everything you need to know...

• Media Composer 6 102
• Basic Editing Techniques
• Learn the fundamentals of editing in this 36-video, Avid Learning Partner tutorial by Media Composer expert Jeff Greenberg...

• Reason 6 106
• FX, EQ, Automation and Mixing
• The instruments are smoking. The rack is exploding. Now it’s time to pull it all together and make musical sense of all this Reason 6 mayhem! In this tutorial, Hollin Jones get’s you into the mixer and exploring the FX, EQ and automation...

• Pro Tools 10 105
• Exploring MIDI
• MIDI is the virtual heartbeat of every DAW. Explore MIDI in Pro Tools 10 in these AVID Learning Partner tutorial-videos with Pro Tools Certified Trainer Mike Watkinson...

• Pro Tools 10 104
• Editing Audio
• You’ve recorded the tracks. Now let’s get into editing! Get the basics of audio editing in Pro Tools 10 in these AVID Learn Partner tutorial-videos by MPV’s Scott Freiman...

• Motion 5 106
• Editing In Motion
• OK. So you’ve got all this wild text, multiple objects, particles, generators and replicators silently flying around the screen. Now what? In this tutorial by Michael Wohl, learn how to Edit, Retime and add Audio to heighten the power and “emotion” of your motion graphics...

• Reason 6 103
• Working With Midi
• MIDI is the fuel that powers all of Reason's mind-blowing instruments. Join Reason MIDI master, Hollin Jones, and learn how to harness the power of MIDI to accelerate your tunes into Hyper Production...

• Cubase 6 104
• Working With MIDI
• Cubase is one powerful MIDI machine! Harness that power by joining Cubase Master-of-the-Universe, Matt Hepworth, as he explores Cubase 6’s world of killer MIDI tools and awesome MIDI functions...

• Final Cut Pro X 104
• Advanced Editing Techniques
• Final Cut Pro X, with its easy-to-use, freeform timeline, is truly revolutionary. However, with new ideas come new challenges and tools. This in-depth editing tutorial by expert editor Michael Wohl, dives beneath the “Magnetic” timeline’s surface to show you FCP X’s many incredibly powerful editing modes and tools. Get this tutorial to learn all about the new, Advanced Editing Techniques in Final Cut Pro X.

• Final Cut Pro X 103
• Editing In The Magnetic Timeline
• FCP X’s timeline is not only “Magnetic” but also redefines the whole concept of what a timeline is and how it works! Join Michael Wohl, one of the original designers of Final Cut as he shows how this amazing new video editing canvas will make your editing easier, faster and more fun!

• MIDI 101
• MIDI Demystified
• If you use MIDI and always wondered how - and why - it works, MIDI 101 is for you! Informative and entertaining, "MIDI Demystified" is a required tutorial for anyone looking to get the most out of their MIDI hardware and software.

• Final Cut 7 105
• Sound Editing in Final Cut Studio
• Learn how to make perfect Audio for your Video productions in this 2-hour tutorial by Michael Wohl …

• Logic 104
• Flex Time Editing
• Flex Time Editing is one of the most exciting and anticipated features of Logic Pro 9. Star macProVideo.com trainer Steve H. shows you how it works!

Preview these Reason Tutorial-Videos

In my last article on MIDI, I filled you in on what MIDI is, isn’t and how it can benefit you. In this followup article, I’d like to show you a feature found in most every DAW, but especially Garageband, that can make your MIDI life much, much better.

This particular feature, as the title above gives away, is known as Quantization. And, if you’re getting in to music production on a computer... You really need to know about it.

Step 1 - Double Click Your Recorded Region

When you record MIDI in Garageband, the recorded part appears as a small colorful region with little dots in the middle of it. The dots, of course, represent notes you’ve played. 

When you double-click on a recorded region, you open up the Piano roll editor at the bottom of the Garageband interface.

Step 2 - Enable Quantize Note Timing in Piano Roll

If you look closely at the notes that I’ve played, you’ll notice that they are inside a grid. 

The grid lines indicate proper timing, as the computer sees it. The notes, themselves, are sometimes within the grid lines, sometimes not. This is MY timing. When you play back the recorded part with my timing, it can sound good sometimes... and very bad sometimes. If I use my mouse to move over notes that are not lined up in the grid, this will fix MY timing. Though, as I mentioned earlier, having to move every note to it’s proper place in time can be an exercise in patience.

Here’s where it gets fun... Turn on 'Quantize Note Timing' over in the left hand corner of the piano roll. Notice how all of my notes are exactly on the grid lines now... Cool, eh? Let’s hear it too!

I’ve set my timing to 1/8th note, because I’m actually playing in 8th notes. I know this... But, if you’re not sure about your timing, just choose some settings and see what works. The most common settings are 8th and 16th. These are good starting places, but I always recommend experimenting. Quantization can even give you new ideas!

Conclusion

Now, you may notice that it sounds a little too tight, in some cases. This is where quantization can take a little of the humanity out of your music. In the next tutorial, I’m going to talk to you about humanising computer recorded MIDI. See you there!

There's so much more to MIDI that most of us think. Take an entertaining journey into the world of MIDI with Logic expert, MIDI maestro and successful composer, Peter Schwartz in MIDI 101 - MIDI Demystified.

Preview these Reason Tutorial-Videos

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G.W. Childs IV

Sound Designer, Musician, Author... G.W. Childs has worn many hats. Beginning in the U.S. Army back in 1991, at the age of 18, G.W. began learning electronics, communications and then ultimately audio and video editing from the Department of Defense. Upon leaving the military G.W. went on to work for many exciting companies like LucasArts, Lucasfilm, Propellerheads, Cakewalk, Midway, MTV. With all of these exciting companies he's either worked as an editor, or sound designer, even sometimes as an actor. G.W. is currently working as an author for Cengage Publishing. He has written the titles 'Creating Music and Sound for Video Games', 'Rewire: Skill Pack', and 'Using Reason on Stage: Skill Pack'. As a musician G.W. has played for years in the band Soil & Eclipse on COP International Records. Additionally, he's worked as a remix artist for acts like Gene Loves Jezebel, Ray Charles, James Brown, Chiazm, Razed in Black, and more.

Quantize, Garageband, Garageband tips, Garageband tutorials, Edit midi, MIDI, Midi editing, MIDI editor

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