Exploring MIDI Sequencing Techniques

We have already had a more in-depth look at how we can work with audio in Live 11 and now it is time to start exploring how we can utilize Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) for our production.

Working with MIDI can provide us with a lot of creative freedom and flexibility. When we are recording audio, if we would like to record, for example, a guitar solo, there needs to be someone who can play the guitar so we can record it. With MIDI, we can play any instrument ourselves, even just by using our computer mouse.

Also, what happens if we change our minds and we would like the same melody to be played by another instrument? It isn’t so easy to make it happen with audio – however, with MIDI, we can change the instrument that is being played with the click of a button.

There are very few limitations that we will experience when working with MIDI and even a lack of music theory knowledge isn’t one that we have...

Technical requirements

In order to follow along with this chapter, you will need the following:

• A computer with at least 8 GB of RAM and at least an Intel Core i5 processor
• A pair of headphones
• A copy of Live 11 Suite
• A MIDI controller
• Chapter 4 Ableton Live project

MIDI notes don’t actually carry any sounds – it is just protocol or data that is telling the instrument that you have inserted onto the MIDI track how to play them.

MIDI works the same way in Live as it does in other Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). However, there are quite specific tools that can help with your MIDI inputting and editing in Live 11, which we will be investigating closely within this book.

Now, let’s get started and create something!

Importing and exporting MIDI Into Live

As a seasoned producer, you probably have some MIDI files handy as well, either because you downloaded them, you worked with someone who sent you MIDI information, or you sent some.

Either way, as long as the MIDI files are in the browser under Places, you can even pre-view MIDI clips in the browser. As with anything from the browser that you would like to add, just simply drag and drop it into an empty clip slot, or into the timeline in Arrangement View:

Figure 4.1 – The MIDI clip dragged into Arrangement View

Alternatively, you can drag and drop MIDI files from any folder of your computer if you don’t feel the need to preview them in the browser first:

Figure. 4.2 – The MIDI clip dragged into Session View

In Arrangement View, you may be asked whether you want to import the tempo and time signature of the MIDI data.

If we try to import multiple MIDI clips into Live...

Programming MIDI – drawing notes and step input

The first technique we are going to explore is drawing notes and inputting steps. Let’s start with some drums!

Create a new empty MIDI track, or use one of the already available ones in Live, and follow these steps:

1. Head to the browser, choose Drums, and find a preset that you really like (you will learn how to build your own Drum Racks in Chapter 8, Exploring Device Racks in Live 11!).
2. Insert it onto the MIDI track.

You will notice that you can see the Drum Rack in the Device area (see Figure 4.3 and Figure 4.4):

Figure 4.3 – The Drum Rack loaded in Session View

The Drum Rack is loaded in Arrangement View too:

Figure 4.4 – The Drum Rack loaded in Arrangement View

Now that we have a drum kit to work with, we can move on to how to add the MIDI notes to trigger the sounds.

First, we are going to have a look at how it is done...

The grid settings in the MIDI editor

In order to change the grid resolution in the MIDI editor, we simply Ctrl + click (right-click on Windows) and we will have a few options in the context menu:

• Adaptive Grid: This function means that when you are zooming in and out in the sample editor, the grid will adapt to its values. For example, using the Narrow option might make your grid 1/32 when you are fully zoomed out. As you start zooming in, you will start seeing smaller increments, such as 1/64 and so on (see Figure 4.11).
• Fixed Grid: This option will fix your grid value to a specific chosen value. For example, if you set it to 1/16, it will always show you 1/16, no matter how zoomed in you are (see Figure 4.11).
• Triplet Grid: This will change your grid to be able to sequence triplets (see Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.11 – Grid Settings in the Context Menu

Tip

You can toggle between the grid resolutions by using the shortcuts Cmd...

Drawing MIDI notes in Arrangement View

Everything is going to be pretty similar to what we covered in the previous section, besides the environment where we are going to do it, and how to get started with it. So, follow along:

1. Navigate to Arrangement View.

Important note

Because in this practical example, we already have content and launched clip(s) in Session View, we are going to hit the Back to Arrangement button (see Figure 4.13):

Figure 4.13 – The Back to Arrangement button

2. Double-click on where in the timeline you would like to insert the empty MIDI clip – that’s where we are going to input our MIDI notes (for example, the first bar).

Now, we see an empty MIDI clip created. In order to make our MIDI clip longer, we will do the same as we did in Session View.

3. Head to the Clip View and change the loop Length value, but you will also need to drag out the clip edge on the timeline after you amended...

Real-time recording

In this section, we will explore how to record MIDI notes in real time in Session View and Arrangement View.

Recording MIDI notes in real time in Session View

In this practical example, we are going to play a bass line.

First, we are going to use our computer keyboard to record notes, as everyone at all times has access to that. Then, we are going to move on to see how we can work with a MIDI controller. So, let’s get started:

1. Choose a bass preset from the browser.
2. Insert it into a new empty MIDI clip.
3. Enable the computer keyboard to act as a MIDI keyboard (see Figure 4.14) or use the M key command to enable and disable it.

Attention

As long as your keyboard is acting as a MIDI keyboard, some shortcuts will not work – for example, A to toggle Automation on and off – as at this point, Live is expecting to receive MIDI notes from your computer keyboard.

Figure 4.14 – The MIDI...

How to use Overdub and Take Lanes in Arrangement View

Both the Overdub and Take Lanes functions are crucial and super useful for your recording workflow in Arrangement View.

MIDI Arrangement Overdub

This function will enable you to add notes to an existing MIDI clip without writing over the content of it. This is something that happens automatically in Session View. However, in Arrangement View, it needs to be enabled.

Let’s say you have some drums already programmed into a clip. Then, you realize that you’d like to add some extra hi-hats to the sequence. You head to the clip, start recording, and you notice that the already programmed notes are being replaced by the new hi-hats (see Figure 4.21):

Figure 4.21 – Recording without Arrangement MIDI Overdub enabled

This is happening if the overdub isn’t enabled. So, let’s hit the Overdub button to turn it on (see Figure 4.22).

Now, if you start recording again...

Exploring Capture MIDI

Have you ever spent some time jamming some melodies over some drums, or vice versa, and you came up with something really cool along the way, but you didn’t press the record button?

Well, the good news is, even though you didn’t press the record button, Live “captured” your MIDI notes along the way, as it is always “listening” to the armed MIDI tracks.

Let’s try it!

In this example, I am going to come up with a different drum sequence to the existing bass line in Arrangement View – however, this feature works the same way in Session View:

1. First, mute the already programmed drums.
2. Then, bring in a different Drum Rack preset from the browser onto a new MIDI track.
3. Put the Metronome on and set the loop to embrace the clip of the bass line.
4. Next, start jamming some drums over the bass melody.
5. Then, stop playback and hit the Capture MIDI button (see Figure 4.24):

...

Discovering Scale Mode and Scale Settings in Ableton 
Live 11

This is a new feature in Ableton Live 11 that enables you when it is set up to easily write melodies within the chosen scale.

This feature can be enabled in the Clip View (see Figure 4.26):

Figure 4.26 – Access to Scale Mode in the Clip View

Let’s try it out:

1. Let’s head to Session View for this task (although it works the same way in both Session View and Arrangement View since it’s a feature that is applied to a MIDI clip).
2. Create a new MIDI track with an instrument playing a piano sound.
3. Now, create an empty MIDI clip.
4. Let’s extend the clip to at least 2 bars.
5. Enable the Scale button (see Figure 4.27) in the Clip View.
6. Chose the preferred root note and scale types by using the drop-down menus next to the Scale button.
7. Now, you should see some changes both on the Piano Roll and the MIDI editor.
8. All the colored...

Summary

We have approached the end of this chapter.

Here, we have learned crucial MIDI sequencing techniques in both Session View and Arrangement View while we also discovered some helpful creative tools such as Scale and Capture.

We also discovered how to input MIDI notes with our mouse and the Pencil Tool, how to change the grid resolution while inputting notes, and how to record in real time while playing notes with our computer keyboard, as well as a MIDI controller.

We established the importance of the use of Overdub in Arrangement View as well as how to use Take Lanes with MIDI tracks as well.

Working with MIDI opens up a super fun world of possibilities and space for our creativity to bloom. It also allows us to work super fast and efficiently to come up with new musical elements for our composition.

In the next chapter, we are going to take a look at how we can edit MIDI information in a corrective and creative way and use some of Live 11’s MIDI effects...