So if you record a midi track, it is just a set of commands. You have a virtual instrument, that does the actual work (putting out the sound).īut the micromanager is telling it what to do in the background. Your midi keyboard is a like a micromanager in a corporation. Then you set up your keyboard so that it can give commands to the instrument you loaded in the DAW. You load this into your digital audio workstation. And in our case the midi keyboard is what is issuing the commands. The piece of software, the VST, is what is receiving the commands. Think of it like a drill instructor, who is calling out commands. Midi at its most basic level is like a small machine that is telling a software program what to do.
And then we’ll dive into how to get it all connected. Well let’s step back and talk about midi for just a second. Or maybe it only has midi input and output. Maybe your midi keyboard only has a USB output. It’s amazing how many kinds of instruments you can bring into your songs and projects.Īll those virtual instruments can all be controlled with this simple midi keyboard.īut you have to be able to connect the midi keyboard into your studio setup.Īnd this can seem like a daunting process when you first look at it.
I fell in love with instrument libraries.Īll of sudden, I could now add in drums, strings, bass, keys, or a dang oboe!Īll without owning a single one of those instruments.