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Even More Free MIDI Files to Download!

Please feel free to download these files and use them in your music. If you like them, consider buying the MASTER COLLECTION MIDI file set to support this site. This new collection of MIDI drums contains 950 great sounding styles that you can easily import into your projects. Treat yourself by buying the best package of MIDI Drums to date. You can purchase the full collection of 950 great sounding styles right here.

File List for the full set

8 beat (22 files) – 16 beat (24 files) – 3/4 time (25 files) – 50s & 60s (35 files) – 6/8 time (25 files) – Ballads (20 files) – Classics (21 files) – Contemporary (70 files) – Dance (82 files) – Ethnic (52 files) – Folk (192 files) – Jazz -n- Blues (65 files) – Latin (106 files) – Misc (20 files) – Rock (67 files) – Swing (40 files) – Upbeat 110-150bpm (25 files) – Variety (21 files) – World (38 files)

Free Samples

Jazz-n-BluesZip Files
12bar1 12bar4 12bar6 12bar7 Blues10 Blues2 Blues7 Jazz1 Jazz12 Jazz5Jazz_Blues
Purchase More: Jazz and Blues MIDI Drum Tracks $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Latin
Latin9 Latin6 Latin39 Latin29 Latin24 Latin21 Latin2 Latin15 Latin34time1 Latin68time1Latin
Purchase More: Latin Drum Tracks $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Rock
Rock3 Rock30 Rock33 Rock42 Rock49 Rock7 Rock13 Rock16 Rock20 Rock26Rock
Purchase More: Rock MIDI Drum Beats $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Folk
folk1 folk13 folk18 folk30 folk33 folk34 folk38 folk42 folk46 folk5Folk
Purchase More: Folk MIDI Drum Beats$11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
3/4 and 6/8
34time13 34time19 34time2 34time23 34time8 68time10 68time15 68time2 68time20 68time734time
Purchase More: Alternate time signatures MIDI Drum Beats $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Ethnic and World
ethnic11 ethnic17 ethnic24 ethnic28 ethnic5 world13 world18 world2 world23 world7Ethnic
Purchase More: Ethnic and World Drum Beats $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Dance
dance19 dance21 dance28 dance3 dance34 dance4 dance42 dance47 dance49 dance8Dance
Purchase More: Dance Drum Beats $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
Contemporary
Contemp10 Contemp16 Contemp27 Contemp33 Contemp38 Contemp4 Contemp41 Contemp46 Contemp48 Contemp7Contemp
Purchase More: Contemporary MIDI Drum Beats $11.99 Master Collection - MIDI Tracks$69.99
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Create Bass Lines from Drum Tracks (MIDI Tutorial)

I posted a new YouTube tutorial online. Check it out.

Have you ever wondered how to make a great bass line from scratch? Here’s one suggestion. This technique will allow you to create a great sounding bass line to go behind your song using nothing but a MIDI editor and a drum track.

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How to convert YouTube videos to MP3 audio

It has come to my attention that many people out there are looking for instructions on how to convert YouTube Videos easily into MP3 files for your MP3 player.  I know this isn’t directly related to the MIDI topic, but it is one step further in my quest to find the perfect YouTube to MIDI converter.

So I looked at a bunch of different options.  Only two stood out to me as being good enough to mention. If you have any other suggestions, please mention them in the comments below. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

The runner up (not my first choice) would be the web site: www.video2mp3.netThe Good: It’s very easy to use. Just copy the URL link from the desired YouTube video and paste it into the form field on the Video2MP3 website, then hit “convert”. The Bad: There are some annoying Ad screens to wade through and the first time I tried it I got several pop-up spam screens (never good). The second attempt however, was pop-up free. They have two quality settings, normal and high. If you choose the high quality option you may need to stand in line. They have a Que system and it could take a while to get to you.  However, if you need an MP3 made from a YouTube video and won’t be doing this type of conversion very often, this is a solid option.

YouTube MP3 ConvertNext, and a better solution for me, is the FireFox plugin.  (found here) . The Good: You simply find the YouTube video you want to download as MP3 and click the “Download as MP3” button. Extremely easy.  THE BAD: It only works in FireFox, And you have to install 3 plugins before you can use it. The plugins are…

  1. Grease Monkey Plugin: Download Here
  2. Grease Fire Plugin: Download Here (optional but recommended)
  3. YouTube to MP3 Plugin: Download Here

However, if you have access to FireFox…  it is so easy. Plus, if you do use FireFox on any regular basis, you’re going to want the GreaseMonkey and GreaseFire plugins anyway. They are incredible enhancements to the overall browsing experience.

So, using the information I just gave you, within just a few minutes you too can have MP3 versions of your favorite YouTube clips.

Have another MP3 from YouTube conversion tip? Let us know in the comments below.

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Why MIDI is Better Than Audio Loops

Why MIDI is Better Than Audio Loops…

Here are a few good reasons.  And if you see any I’ve missed, let me know in the comments below.

MIDI
AUDIO LOOPS
User Editable
Yes
No
Pitch Transpose
Unlimited
Very Limited Range
Tempo Variation
Unlimited
Very Limited Range
Edit a single note in the pattern
Yes
No
Ability to change instrumentation
Yes
No
File Size
Tiny
Large
Device Compatibility
Wide Range
No
Software Compatibility
Wide Range
Somewhat Limited

To be fair though, there are some advantages to using sound loops though.  The primary benefit is that they are essentially ready ‘out of the box’. If you have software that can accept them, you simply plug them in and away you go. You don’t have to set up a sound source first.

But having said that, I will always love MIDI above all other forms of recording because of its HUGE flexibility.

MIDI ROCKS!

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Axis 64 Midi Controller

OK, I’m all for innovation and changing the way we do things for the better. So in the spirit of experimentation I thought I would post this cool MIDI controller I found online.

This guy, Peter Davies, redesigned the musical keyboard arranging the keys based on harmonic table.

Take a look. It’s pretty cool looking.

My initial thoughts are… what about velocity sensitivity and after touch. But these are issues that I’m sure could be addressed easily enough.

Let me know what you think of this device.
Do you like it?
Have you used it?
What are the drawbacks or benefits?

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MIDI Crossword Puzzle

MIDI Crossword Puzzle
MIDI Crossword Puzzle

Download Here:
(PDF) MIDI Crossword Puzzle Download

Here’s a challenge for all you MIDI fans out there.   Download this crossword puzzle and give it a shot.  If you are able to actually complete it, comment below and let me know that you did it.  I’ll be interested to see if you think it is difficult or easy. Certainly some of the clues are easier than others. But some are pretty hard.

If you guys like it, I’ll try to come up with more fun stuff like this in the future.

I’ll post the answer sheet once I’ve heard from some of you about it. Perhaps in a week or so. Or maybe sooner if there’s a demand for it.

So don’t wait! Comment below once you’ve tried it.

Happy Crosswording!

P.S. Go ahead and post this to your Facebook or Twitter.  Or email it to friends who might be interested.  Test their knowledge and see if they can finish it without your help.

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Two Keyboards is like Four Keyboards

peavey dpm3
peavey dpm3

I remember in college when I bought my first two-tier keyboard stand. It was great. I was so excited. Now all I needed was the second keyboard. Of course being a penniless, starving student didn’t allow for the extravagance of purchasing excess gear. So I went for what seemed like a really long time with just one keyboard.

At the time I had a Peavey DPM3, which was actually way more keyboard than I knew what to do with. I was completely overwhelmed by the thought of oscillators and envelopes and filters and modulators. But one thing I did know was that I had 16 MIDI channels to work with and only one set of keys. And this was a limitation that I was determined to overcome.

Although I only owned one keyboard, I knew that if I could get my hands on another one I could “MIDI them together” to access way more sounds (using different MIDI channels) than I could play with just the one keyboard. For example, in performance mode I could layer 5 sounds using MIDI Channels 1-5 and play those all with the main keyboard. Then using a second keyboard as a controller I could access another bank of 5 sounds on channels 6-10 without ever needing to change patches. So even though I was playing the two sets of keys, I would only trigger the sounds from the main keyboard.

It gets better. Using this logic, I determined that I could also do the same for the second keyboard, and at the same time. I could make my ‘main’ keyboard access the ‘secondary’ keyboard’s sounds as well.

Kawai k1
Kawai k1

So, with much begging, threatening, and bribing, I convinced my brother to loan me his Kawai K1 for the weekend and I tried it.

Not only did my experiment work…. I looked SO COOL doing it! In fact, I think my wife married me because of this. (Ahhh… But that’s a story for another day)

By hooking the two keyboards together with MIDI, I was essentially using two sets of sounds from one and two sets of sounds from the other, at the same time. That’s why having two keyboards is actually like four keyboards.

SIDE NOTE: Using this logic… Three keyboards would be like having nine. I have yet to try that one.

What do you think? Do you have any interesting ‘MIDI Chaining” stories to tell?