useful MIDI resources

MIDI hasn’t changed much since it came to existence in 1983, and because of this many programmers have created a plethora of software utilities that aid further flexibility.  Here’s a few resources that I’ve used on several occasions. Many are big time savers when working with MIDI controllers, instruments and sequencers.

MIDI Stroke
Midi Stroke allows you to program a combination of key strokes to a MIDI note or Continuous Controller.  Very useful for live performance settings where you don’t want to touch your computer at all (it always makes an audience think you’re checking your email).  Charlie Roberts has developed many other tools, equally useful across a variety of multimedia environments.

MIDI Pipe
MIDI Pipe offers many gourmet MIDI signal hijacking capabilities and creative routing and re-routing options.  However, the “Modifier” menu is the one I have the most fun with.  It also has a few common tuning schemes such as Just Major and Pythagorean temperament systems.

MIDI Note Charts
A basic, but incredibly useful resource for such things as keyboard mapping, yet it goes much further to show the frequency in Hz (for 12 tone equal temperament) and provide the formulas from which to derive the listed results.

MIDI Monitor
This is my go-to MIDI troubleshooting tool.  It displays what’s actually spitting out of a MIDI signal.

IAC Driver
This a virtual router device found in Windows and Mac OS.  It allows you to route devices within the operating system itself.

M-AUDIO’s Enigma
This helps when you’re completely re-designing the layout of common M-AUDIO MIDI controllers.  It’s somewhat primitive, but it gets the job done when it’s needed.  It also easily resets devices when something gets out of whack.

the viper matrix vol.1

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This track is easily performed live, and is constructed so that no matter how hard you try it will sound different every time, it’s very intuitive to perform.   This opens up many ways to improvise and interact with additional instrumentalists and computer rigs.  As a bonus, all of the samples used in this example are acoustic.  David & I worked with the goal to make a live, interactive patch that sounds as if it had the vibe of a field recording.

two pieces for player piano

Two pieces composed for the Disklavier digital piano.  I used a sequencer to feed the piano MIDI information in “live” performance at the Banff Centre in 2008.

a taste of nancarrow

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I’ve recently delved into the music of Conlon Nancarrow.  Here is a sample-based improvisation of one of his “etudés” for player piano.  Nancarrow once said: “ever since I’d been writing music I was dreaming of getting rid of the performers”.  Here’s an homage to that very idea.