Author: Rob Goodwin

Twitter: @mididrumfiles
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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.net .  The 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?

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3 Different ways You can use MIDI Drums for songwriting

MIDI Songwriting
MIDI Songwriting

Here are three quick ways.
1. In the beginning – It can start out as simple as just looping one of the drum tracks and singing a couple of lines of your newest song over and over again. The drums give you a great sense of rhythm and if you use your imagination, you can actually hear other musical parts being played along with you.

I use this technique a-lot in my songwriting. I am able to come up with a more ‘pure’ melody that way. Playing the piano while I sing is great, but it limits where I can go melodically especially during the ‘birth’ of a song. Also, later on when I’m stuck on a song and can’t seem to come up with any interesting background parts, I’ll strip it back down to just the drum track and melody line. For some reason, this really helps in creating interesting features to the music, like horn hits, or harmonic runs, or creative musical breaks. I would suggest that every songwriter try this. It’s so easy, and it will give you a new perspective on your music.

2. The middle – When I have a song that is basically done musically, I like to go in and replace the drum track with a different rhythm style. In fact I often try the song with 10 or 15 different alternate beats. This is a great practice…. but one that can’t easily be done if you used a live drummer for your recordings (unless they’re good with a metronome). When you do this, the songs take on a whole different feel. After listening to several rhythm tracks, I’ll choose the one that I think is the best and the song now has a new groove.

3. The end – I have several songs that are headed for the recording studio shortly. When I go in to record the songs, my piano tracks are already finished. I record them via MIDI on my home computer while playing to one of these looped drum tracks. The drums keep me exactly on tempo and give me a great sense of rhythm to play off of. So when I go into the studio, I hand the engineer my floppy disk (That’s right ‘floppy’ – why waste a whole CD on files that are so small?) and he pulls them up on his system. He’s got a ton of sampled grand pianos that he can route my MIDI tracks through. So now instead of paying him $130.00US for 2 hours of recording time, I have a prefect piano track that took about 3 minutes of studio time. And the tracks are in perfect time sync. because I played them to a looped midi drum track that is rhythmically perfect

I hope you will try some of these techniques on your own. And let me know if you have success with them. Also, any other suggestions that you might have, please send them to me.

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Can MIDI be used for education?

MIDI Education
MIDI Education

As we know MIDI can be used for fun and for composing music, but are there any educational benefits? Not surprisingly the answer is “yes”. MIDI is quickly being recognized as an excellent educational tool too.

There are two reasons why MIDI is a good educational tool. First, because the technology is becoming much more affordable, schools and institutions are able to afford the computers and MIDI instruments. Second, the power and flexibility of MIDI allows instructors and students to try new things easily.

Using MIDI to learn how to play a piece of music or an instrument.

Since each instrument in a MIDI performance is on a separate track from the rest, it is easy to listen to (or print out) just one individual instrument line and study it so that you can replicate and play that same part yourself. Plus if the piece of music is in the wrong key, it’s simple to transpose the part to the desired key and continue playing.

The educational value of isolating single voices in this manner is amazing. Imagine being able to select only the flute playing out of a complicated piece of music. Not only can you listen to that part individually, it’s very easy to print the isolated musical line onto paper in any key you desire. This is a wonderful tool for teachers as well as students.

Experimenting with various instruments.

The feature of being able to mute voices goes even further. Perhaps you are composing a new piece or experimenting with an existing piece but it just doesn’t sound right. With the power of MIDI you have the ability to change the sound of any instrument with ease and replay the piece.

Perhaps you recorded it with a flute but would like to know what an oboe would sound like. Easy. Simply use your MIDI editing software and select the voice that you wish to change. Once selected changing the instrument and save your work. Now when you replay the piece it will have the new instrument added so you can judge the effect.

Play with a band.

After practicing by yourself for a while it is always nice to try your skills playing with other instruments. Perhaps you wish to ensure that you can jam smoothly with others, that your playing of a piece is technically accurate, or just want to hear what the piece will sound like when played with a band.

The solution is easy. Select a MIDI file and mute the voice that you personally intend to play. Then replay the MIDI piece as you normally would – but instead, you play the part that’s missing. If you desire, you may be able to record yourself playing and compare it to the master recording and see how close you came to duplicating the part.

 

Record and edit your performance

A MIDI Sequencer is a great way to evaluate your own progress, or even to study how someone else plays. A person can record their efforts and email to transfer their file to you. Once you have their MIDI file you can play it back to find any problems and advise on how to correct them. This is great for music teachers.

If the piece is to be used as is, you can also edit out any imperfections! If you play a wrong note, you can just change it using your sequencer’s editing tools. And if you find you just can’t play fast enough to keep up with the tempo, you can slow it down for recording and speed it back up for playback.

Collaborative playing.

Like most musicians, you probably have a circle of friends that you used to jam with back in the day. Wouldn’t it be nice to get them all together again for old times sake? This may not be physically possible to do with people moving and such, but MIDI and the Internet provide a perfect solution

Perhaps you, as the lead player for the group, could lay down a single MIDI track. Then you email the piece to one of your friends and have them add their track to the file as they play along with you. Then they pass it along to another friend. Soon all of your friends will have added their parts to the piece and you will have a complete jam session recorded without ever having to travel.

As you have seen, and probably found out from experimenting yourself, MIDI is an excellent tool for both educational purposes and advancement of your talents. The possible uses for MIDI are only limited by your imagination.