Month: September 2013

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Free Karaoke and Accompaniment Tracks

karaoke songs downloadOne of the questions I get asked frequently is “Do you have any karaoke tracks?”. Being focused on MIDI files, I haven’t really spent too much time researching this vein, but as it turns out, karaoke MIDI has a huge following. So, since such a large percentage of MIDI users download Karaoke songs in the form of MIDI files, I thought it could be useful to talk about some karaoke websites.

According to Wikipedia, Karaoke “is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music (a music video) using a microphone and public address system.”  This makes MIDI a perfect file platform for the job.

*** NOTE: Karaoke tracks come in two main forms

  • Karaoke Audio Files
    • Karaoke CDG (CD-G) – stands for Compact Disc + Graphics, is the standard format for most English karaoke discs. (AceKaraoke.com)
  • Karaoke MIDI Files
    • As you can imagine MIDI files would work great for Karaoke background tracks because of all the usual great features of MIDI
      • Extremely small files. They take up a very small space
      • Very customizable. Edit, rearrange, rework parts, adjust volumes, etc.

Great websites for performance tracks, and karaoke songs downloads

If you know of any other great MIDI Karaoke sites, please comment below and let us know.

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The History of MIDI – “Hey, remember the 80’s”?

History of MIDIHere’s a couple of cool videos if you’re interested in learning, or in some cases “reliving” many of the key events and technology that made MIDI a standard in the musical world.

30th Anniversary of MIDI

Computer Music History – Apple Computer and Midi Interface (1987)

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Looptimus MIDI Controller, Great Looking New Kickstarter Project

UPDATE: The Looptimus is now in production and can be purchased here.

Looptimus USB MIDI Foot Controller Stomp boxes and foot pedals are standard gear for guitarists all over the world.  But for some reason that trend hasn’t caught on yet for keyboardists and computer musicians. Perhaps this little box will change that.

It’s called the Looptimus USB MIDI Foot Controller, and looks like it could add some pretty cool real-time functionality to live performance software. Designed to integrate with your computer through a USB MIDI interface this little box is configurable to navigate through sections of songs, start/stop, rearrange live sets, and much more I’m sure.

The Kickstarter project is going on NOW (Sept.10.2013), and they could use your support. Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/loopcommunity/looptimus-usb-midi-foot-controller  This looks like a great new tool. If you do any LIVE performances with software, or you just want to help out a good cause, consider supporting this new venture.

FEATURES:

  • 20 Banks, A – F for each Bank
  • All-Access Bank for quick switching
  • 16 MIDI Channel Options
  • 1 Dedicated STOP button (single MIDI note)
  • 9 Rock-Solid, Momentary switches
  • USB MIDI connection
  • Expression Pedal Jack (for Roland Rv-5 or equivalent)
  • 3 Digit LED Display
  • USB Bus Powered!
  • 9v optional power jack
  • Aluminum Enclosure, Black powder coated
  • 6 ft. USB Cable included
  • 8×5″ x 5″ x 1.5″

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Download Classical MIDI Files – Then Create Something Awesome!

Free Classical MIDI FilesI would just love to see some creative people mix a few of these classical MIDI files with our drum tracks to come up with some great sounding music.

It wouldn’t be too hard. I mean, you could start with drums, throw in parts of a few classical masterpieces, add a little strings, or sound effects, or pads, or whatever, then a few synth parts and some delay/reverb/EQ. The possibilities are endless and the results could be amazing.

So, if you are in a dry creative spot, looking for a fun new project to start (a challenge),  why not give it a shot? Then once you have something cool, post a link to your music for everybody to hear.

Be an inspiration to the people around you.  And what better way to do that than with some classical elements.

MIDI File Download Links:

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!