Practical MIDI

I read some of the readers’ comments to my “Practical Midi” columns and it got me to thinking. One reader wrote that he had recently abandoned his full group to play with MIDI files. My hat’s off to you, bud. It’s the wave of the future. This reader also mentioned that for demo purposes he used a software program called “Band-In-A-Box” to help lay down the drum tracks. He stated that he wasn’t totally satisfied with the results but that was the best he could come up with.

Don’t give up just yet.

There are alternatives to “Band-In-A-Box” drum tracks, you know. There are literally thousands of sites on the web that offer drum beat samples that are maybe six to ten measures long. That’s long enough to get an idea of the overall sound, but not long enough to use as the backbeat of one of your demos. Think about it for a moment. Most drum parts on songs are just repetitious patterns of beats played throughout the song. Every now and then for accents the drummer will throw in a roll or fill or a series of trills (actually called paradiddles in drum language) There may also be a fancy ending like I used to do when I drummed live with my band. You know the kind—where the drummer makes the rounds on all the drums, splashes a few cymbals and finally, on a nod from the lead player, will hit a final beat that the other musicians can all end on at the same time.

Okay, so those parts may not be easy to sequence. No sweat. Here’s what I do when I’m working on a sequence and need a drum part. I have my computer hard drive labeled with several directories coming off my MIDI directory. One of those sub-directories is called DRUMS and beneath that are several more branches with labels like ROCK, COUNTRY, JAZZ, 6/8, SHUFFLE, FILLS, ENDINGS and so on. In these directories I save samples of all the different drums beats I can find for free on the web. When I sequence my song, I select one of the loop samples and insert it into one of the tracks. Then I cut-and-paste it throughout the entire song.

Hold on, I’m not finished yet. That same pattern for the entire song could become monotonous and repetitious. That’s where my samples from the FILLS directory comes in handy. I’ll listen to a dozen or so fills and find what I think fits into the song and paste it into the right spot. I’ll continue to do this wherever it is called for then I’ll listen to the track. When I find a spot that I think needs some variety, I’ll go back to my FILLS directory, cut and paste another variation and insert it into the track. Just the right selection from my ENDINGS directory pasted at the tail end of my sequence and I’m all set.

Keep in mind, though, that these sequences won’t hold a candle to any of Flash’s efforts. The process I’m describing is time intensive and requires a working knowledge of music and midi sequencing. Your time could be better spent doing more important things. If that’s your situation, you’d be better off joining Cybermidi and getting Flash’s expert MIDI files. However, if they don’t have what you’re looking for or may not sequence that obscure file you want or if you just want to do your own original song, then this method may be for you.

Go ahead, grab a couple and take a stab at it. After all, George Martin, the Beatles’ producer, has been interviewed numerous times about producing The Beatles’ records. When mixing of “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite” he had a recording technician take a length of tape containing random circus and fairground sounds, cut them into two-inch lengths, throw them up in the air and reassemble them. The result was the “whirlygig” sound you hear in the background. This drum track cut-and-paste method I’ve described is similar and if it results in a successful tune for you, so much the better.

©2004 Bill Bernico for CYBERMIDI.com Downwind Publications