5PIN BASS LINE - MIDI TIPS & TRICKS

Hi - Many thanks for investing in this sample pack from 5PIN MEDIA which is designed to meld
state of the art MIDI and Sounds together to form music that will inspire and bring a professional
edge to your productions (and a huge amount of fun of course!).

So why use MIDI? Have you ever wondered how many of the audio loops featured in professional
sample packs are created? Would you like to be able to create your own loops to rival the Pros but
with the flexibility of making it fit your composition in terms of Tempo, Groove, Timbre, Pitch
and Key? Hands up those that spent precious hours trying to get a sample loop bassline to sit right
in a mix with compression and EQ, only to give up in the end? Armed with the right MIDI, Sounds
and a few production skills you can start out with the desired timbre (be it from a sample patch or
a VSTi instrument) played via MIDI at your chosen tempo, pitch and key not to mention all
important groove. Before diving in head first we suggest taking some time out to read up on the
background to MIDI by heading over to the great oracle that is Wikipedia.

For more details on MIDI go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Digital_Interface

MIDI FILES - BACKGROUND

A MIDI file essentially contains the performance a composer/musician created at a MIDI enabled
Instrument or Control surface. It keeps track of which notes (keys) were pressed, when they were
pressed, for how long, and at what velocity. Playing back a MIDI file requires a suitable MIDI
enabled device, sound card or software plugin that can generate sound. The MIDI file is sent to the
device via music software which in turn generates the sound and recreates the performance. A
MIDI file is generally very small and can be edited (including changing the instruments
altogether).

READY?

Now that you are more knowledgeable on the origins and function of MIDI let's get onto some
useful tips to get the most out of your 5PIN MIDI and start making serious music!

CREATING A SOUND

In your DAW (Logic,Live,Cubase.......etc) load the "BL_SawHi_Advanced" sample patch by

assigning a compatible soft sampler to a MIDI track, for example Kontakt (please refer to the
"Installation Instructions" guide for details on the pack supported formats). Arm the track to
receive MIDI from your MIDI keyboard and play a few notes to hear the patch.

Now drag/load/import (method will depend on your DAW) the MIDI file "BL_1_C" from ".
"BL_MIDI/OLD SKOOL" folder into the same MIDI track and play the "clip" by setting the
sequencer transport into play mode (again this will depend on you DAW so please refer to your
DAW manual if there is any problem). Repeat the sequence with any of the other MIDI files for
different patterns. If the tempo is playing at 120bpm for we suggest increasing the DAW master
tempo to between 124bpm - 132bpm or to a suitable value of your choice.

TB-303 BASS LINE TIPS

Having an understanding of the limitations of the original Roland TB-303 will go a long way in
helping to create realistic step sequenced style bass lines using MIDI and specifically the ones
included in this pack. Here are the main ones and how they translate into MIDI note data.

1. Firstly the 303 was monophonic, so please, no chords!

2. It did however have a Glide function which is achieved by overlapping the preceding MIDI note
with the next to create a continuous bend in pitch either up or down.
Of course this only works if the notes are on differing keys and the greater the separation in
semitones the greater the effect.

3. For expression and groove there was the "Accent" function which in our MIDI files is a note set
to full velocity (value 127) while non-accented notes are set to value 94.
The reason for choosing these values is very important once again in re-creating the original sound
with MIDI. Should you use one of the softsynth 303 clones, such as
ABL by Audiorealism or Phoscyon by D16, then provided you set the accent velocity threshold to
100 for ABL (this is ABL's default value) and 96 for Phoscyon (please refer to the respective
manufacturer's manual on how to do this) the supplied MIDI will play as intended. The supplied
Kontakt and Live Sampler patches are both set to trigger the "accented" sample on a note velocity
of 127 - anything less and it plays the non-accented sample. The values 127 and 94 were chosen
based on the objective of emulating the 303 as close as possible when playing all of the included
patches, the softsynth clones, as well as making them versatile for use with any softsynth or
sampler bass preset (phew that was a mouthful!).

4. Note length for a single 1/16th note 303 step is just a fraction more than 1/32nd note in length
(not 1/16th as one might at first assume). The same applies to two 1/16th note steps tied - the
overall length will be 3/32nd notes long.

GENERAL TIPS

1. Layer Sounds - Apply different MIDI files across several patches - one assigned to a lower bass
and the others to a mid-tone with High Pass Filtering as a lead element.

2. Transpose MIDI notes - Select MIDI notes and transpose them to another key to fit your track.
3. Apply Groove to MIDI notes - Select a groove from a groove-template or create your own and
then apply this to MIDI parts, either percussive or melodic for a more realistic rhythm (method will
depend on your DAW). Note that groove applies to both the timing and the velocity of the notes
within a piece.

4. Experiment with MIDI parts - Shift all or groups of notes either left or right in 1/16th note steps.

WITH LOVE

THE 5PIN TEAM