Subject:i'm new and need some help

Posted by: DubLime

Date:12/27/2002 9:57:59 PM

what's up everyone. i just got acid pro 4.0 and it's awesome so far, but like i said, i'm new to this. i've figured out how to make MIDIs, but how do i make them sound like a bass guitar or some other instrument? also, i'd like to be able to make my own drum tracks. basically, i want to make my own sounds, but it looks like this program can't do that alone. what are my choices? thanks in advance.

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/27/2002 10:15:29 PM

Hello Tom!

You may want to check out a post of mine from a couple of days ago. It basically goes into how you can use One-shots to make your own drum tracks.

As far as making MIDI sound like a bass guitar, it sounds like a job for either a VSTi or DLS instrument. There are many free VSTi's but hardly any DLS instruments. I'm sure someone here in the forums can make a suggestion. (Try K-v-R.)

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: DubLime

Date:12/27/2002 11:38:50 PM

thanks Iacobus! but i still don't quite understand the VSTi and DLS instruments yet. i've been able to apply them to my MIDIs but it takes too much time to download it, then use it and i haven't found one i want to use yet. i guess i'll just have to keep messing around with it til i figure out what to do. thanks again

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: dkistner

Date:12/28/2002 9:20:47 AM

Oh, Dublime, I'm reading your post again and it just struck me that "the obvious" may not be obvious. Be sure you've got your midi files set up to use the instruments you want. You'll get piano, I think, if you don't specify something else. Some VSTis (like SampleTank) allow you to match whatever instrument you want to the midi channel (1-16), regardless of what instrument is coded in the midi file. Others (and many of the free VSTis) are going to take their instrument cue directly from the midi file, so no matter what instrument patch you select, it will jump back to what's coded in the file. Some VSTis have presets that are easy to match up to the standard GM bank, but others you have to just screw around with until you figure out how to code a preset patch in the midi file. (Oh, sweet mysteries of life.)

You can see in Acid's General Editor tab how the channel(s) are set up and which instruments are assigned to them. Going into the List Editor will allow you to edit the instruments (called "program," I think...the nomenclature still catches me up sometimes). If you want to save the changes you make in Acid, you need to save the midi file to disk. Of course, if you're creating your midi files in another program, that would be the best place to get it right, before bringing it into Acid.

Hope this helps and does not insult. I just know I've been on forums in the past where it was something so obvious that I needed to know how to do that it took forever to get the answer to my question and I had to grovel in complete public idiotness before it happened! :)

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/28/2002 1:58:28 PM

If you've got a Borders or Barnes & Noble bookstore around your area (you're in the USA, correct?), pick up a copy of Computer Music magazine. They have a couple free VSTi's on the CD that's included with the mag. These are actually quite good, especially the CM101 (if it's still being distributed on the CD), which is a synth.

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: dkistner

Date:12/28/2002 2:41:58 PM

Computer Music Magazine is great, but (WARNING) it really makes you want to buy stuff. If you're in the U.S., you can subscribe to it for much cheaper than the individual copy price through Amazon.com. You can learn a lot from that mag; also from their online info (just search for Computer Music Magazine). I got hooked on SampleTank through this mag, because SampleTank Free (available on the download page at www.sampletank.com) came with the copy I bought. I've heard rave reviews of their Sonic Synth. I sprung for the XL version last month, and I love it, but it's being a real bear trying to get permission to move it to my new computer.

www.kvr-vst.com has loads of free VSTis (search for them under "Instruments"). I love Ganymed and Vivaldi, and Crystal is very nice. Crystal II was included free with the December CM Mag CD, but I didn't find it at Barnes & Noble. And if you want to try something a little different, you can go to my site (www.ultradia.org) and pick up Hockinfinger's free Ultradia SE VSTi.

Also, in Sonic Foundry's Knowledgebase, they have a list of VSTis known to work with Acid. I think I found it by just searching for "VSTi" then followed the links and went good-crazy.

Have fun! It's a great big beautiful world out there!

Diane

Subject:RE: i'm new and need some help

Reply by: DubLime

Date:12/28/2002 7:28:32 PM

Haha thanks a lot Diane.