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PROJECT 13B: INTEGRATING MIDI WITH DIGITAL AUDIO
(Cakewalk Home Studio for PC)

(Part I of II  --  MIDI Sequencing with Cakewalk)

Objectives

Directions

  1. Connect a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI device to your computer
  2. If you have not already done so, download a copy of the Cakewalk Home Studio demo from the CD to your disk (see below).
  3. Open the application by double-clicking on the file "Cakewalk Home Studio" within the Cakewalk folder of your Start Menu
  4. Complete the tasks on the Guide sheet below and use the Project Worksheet for Project 13 to record the results of your work.
  5. Submit the completed Project Worksheet with the Evaluation Form for Viewport VI.

Hardware

In addition to the MIDI device, we suggest that you connect a tape recorder or other kind of recording system to your MIDI device(s) in order to record the projects described below. This is especially important if you are working with the demonstration software. Your instructor may have specific instructions for you about this.

Project 13 Guidesheet

 

Cakewalk is a professional level music sequencing program designed to produce MIDI-based performance files. It allows the musician to enter performance information in real-time in layers or "tracks," and offers several editing options. It is typical of the many MIDI sequencers available today.  Furthermore, it allows the user to add digital audio to the sequences

Project 13B Part I focuses on setup, note entry, editing, saving features of Cakewalk.  Part II integrates digital audio with a MIDI sequence in Cakewalk.   It will give you an opportunity to load in a previously created MIDI file and/or create a completely new one yourself.

 

Project Menu

There are six parts to this project:

  1. Setting Up Your Software and Hardware
  2. Basic Operation
  3. Real-Time Entry
  4. Step-Time and Pencil Entry
  5. Basic Editing
  6. Advanced Entry and Saving

Step 1  Setting Up Your Software and Hardware

        It is assumed that you have setup your PC to appropriately handle MIDI data.  If you have not done so, please view
        the PC MIDI Setup guide in order to do so.

Setup Options. You may find it necessary to do a few final setups before Cakewalk can use your MIDI instruments/devices.  Please check the following before going any further.  Launch Cakewalk and browse through the "Tools" menu option.

On your Project Worksheet for this project, record any problems or concerns you have with the setup procedures described here. If all seems well, continue with the project. Return to this part of your worksheet later, however, and record any changes in the setup that you made as you began to use the program and your hardware.

Return to Project Menu

Step 2: Basic Operation

Now that we have our software ready to go and our hardware in place, let's begin by opening a Cakewalk/MIDI file that has already been entered and learn about the basic operation of the software.

When you launch Cakewalk, it will prompt you with a "QuickStart" window allowing you to open files or configure the basics for a new file for you to create on your own.

 

Cakewalk gives you three options available for opening or creating new files.

Open a Project allows you to open a Cakewalk proprietary file format file (*.wrk)

Open a Recent Project allows you to open a Cakewalk file (*.wrk) that you have recently worked on.

Create a New Project allows you to define properties and set defaults for a new project you wish to begin work on.

By default, this window will appear every time.  If you uncheck the box next to Show this at Startup you will not see this box again.  You will need to select either New or Open from the file menu.

 

For now, click on Create a New Project, or go to File => New and select Classical Woodwind Quintet when prompted.  Hit OK.

The options in this window are Templates used for quick and easy creation of new files.  When you select one of these options a new file will be opened with the most commonly found instruments and number of tracks needed to complete the work.  For future work, you can select the template that best suits your needs and "tweak" the settings later.  (i.e.  changing patches, number of tracks, etc...)

If you don't want to use one of the templates, use either the 16 Channel Multi track, General MIDI Authoring, or Normal templates as suits your needs.

Take a look at the File Info Window that opens up when the file is created.  It will explain in more detail the template you are using and how to use it.  Also, take a look at the Track Window and see how Cakewalk organizes the tracks and automatically selects patches for your new project.  Experiment with the other templates to see how they are structured.

Open a pre-existing MIDI file (any file will do) and explore the Cakewalk controls.  (If Cakewalk asks you whether or not it is okay to send MIDI System Exclusive data to your hardware choose "No" unless you know how to clear your keyboard/synth's memory area.)

One of Cakewalk's features is to be able to customize your workspace.  Notice that the panels above the work area are moveable.  If you accidentally close a panel and want to get it back, go to View => Toolbars and select the item you want to view.

The following is a listing of the individual Toolbars and the Toolbar Names assigned to them in Cakewalk.
 

Toolbar

Description

Standard

Record (Options)

Markers

Tempo

Transport

View

Select

Position

Loop / Auto Shuffle

Spend a few moments looking at these buttons.  Click and hold a button while looking at the lower left corner of the Cakewalk window.  Pressing down the button activates a help mode that briefly explains what the button does.

 

The Position toolbar helps you keep track of where you are in the current tune.  The display on the left is read as such:  bar : beat : ticks. 

The one on the right is read:  hour : minute : seconds : frame.  The next two buttons allow for fast movement within selected (highlighted) areas.  Use the slider on the far right to move within the entire tune.  (Will not work during play!)
 

  • Setting the Metronome/Tempo

    •  

    Click on the Tempo toolbar to change the tempo.

    You can use this dialogue box to either set the tempo or insert tempo changes into a song.

    Either set the tempo by highlighting the number inside the box or by using the Click bar to "tap" the beats.  Cakewalk will attempt to figure out the tempo depending on the rate at which you tap the bar.  Cakewalk will use this as the tempo for the entire song.

    If you wish to insert a tempo change, use the Insert a New Tempo option.  This new tempo will be in effect after the Starting time.

    Using the Tempo Ration buttons in the Tempo toolbar allows you to use different playback speeds without changing the tempo.  The default settings are:  Tempo Ration 1 plays at half speed, Tempo Ration 2 plays normal, and Tempo Ratio 3 plays double speed.
     
     

    Go to Tools => Project Options.  The first tab on the list will allow you to set the Metronome options. 

    Make sure you have set the metronome to Use MIDI Note if you have an external keyboard/synth or internal soundcard.  Use PC Speaker if you don't have one.

    You can leave the other settings alone under the MIDI Note section.  These are factory set for GM compatible instruments and will work for most studio setups.

    Use the Count-in box to configure the number of measures that Cakewalk will count off before beginning record mode.  (More on this later)

  • Using the View Toolbar

    •  

    Use this toolbar, View toolbar, to toggle between different modes of viewing MIDI data and quickly

    open up panels needed to edit different aspects of the music.  The 6 buttons on the left from left to right are:  Piano Roll view, Event List view, Notation view, Sound Clip view (more on this in Part II), Lyric view, and Studio Ware view.  The buttons on the right side (from left to right again) are Mixer Console, Big Time, Markers, Metronome Window, and SysEx window.  Click on each of the buttons to see what they do.  Most of these buttons' use are outside of the scope of this project.  Consult the Cakewalk Home Studio Manual and/or Online Help for more information.  We will, however, deal mostly with the first set of buttons later in this walk through.
     

  • Navigating in the Track Window


    • Open the file "2-Part Invention #13 in A minor.wrk" in Cakewalk.  You should find this file in the Cakewalk folder on your hard drive.  If you do not have the full version of Cakewalk, any MIDI file will do.  Cakewalk will open the file with several windows already open.  Locate the Staff window (the one with the notation in it) and close it.  You can close the Big Number window if you like.  If you are using a different file, you don't need to worry about these steps. Below is a screenshot of the only window (Track Window) that should now be on your screen.

    This is the main window in which you will be working with in Cakewalk.  You can, of course, work in the other windows but the most options lie in this Track Window.  Double-click on the box labeled "Voice #1" underneath the "Name" box.  This allows you to change the track name, for now, let's change it to "Piano Right Hand."  To the right of the name window, there is a blue bar labeled "Voice #1" as well.  Notice that it did not automatically update itself when we changed the name of the track.  Right click on the blue bar (it's a graphic representation of the MIDI data in that track) and select Properties from the pop up menu.  You can change the name of the track as well as the default color if you wish.  Change the name to reflect the change in the track name you made earlier.

    Now that you have the track selected, either right click on the MIDI clip area again (colored area) and select Staff or click on the Staff button in the View Toolbar.  A new window will pop up giving you a notation view of the selected track.  Click on the MIDI data in the track directly below the "Piano Right Hand" track.  Change the name as you did before to say "Piano Left Hand".  (don't forget about the track name to the left of the clip!)

    Select both tracks by Control clicking the numbers to the left of the Name field. (If you are working with a different file, just be sure to select more than one of the tracks.)   Now go once again to the View Toolbar and select Staff, Event List, and Piano Roll views.  There should now be 3 open windows showing you the three different views of the MIDI data.
     

  • Changing Patches (voices) of a Track

    • Click on the Source box of the Track you wish to change.  (Caution:  If you do not have your MIDI devices setup correctly in Cakewalk, you will not be able to follow along.  Be sure to review the section above and setup your MIDI devices if you have not already done so.)
     

    A new window, Track Properties, will open up allowing you to configure the source, port, channel, and patch of each track in Cakewalk.

    The Source window allows you to select the source of the input.

    The Port window allows you to direct the track information to a specific port.  This could be a soundcard for audio clips or a MIDI device for MIDI information.

    The Channel window allows you to change the channel on the device the information is being sent to.

    To change the patch the track plays back with, use the patch window near the bottom of the screen.  Under normal circumstances you will probably not see a need to change the Bank Select Method as this is set under the instrument definition list you selected for you instrument earlier.  If your instrument has several banks of instruments, use the Bank window to select a different bank.  Again, this depends on your specific instruments and the definition list the instrument uses.  Consult your synth manual for more information on this topic.  If you need to reconfigure the Instrument list and the patch lists, click on the Instrument button.

    All of the above items can also be found under the Properties submenu of the Tracks menu.
     

  • Other Track Specific Items of Interest

    • Next to each track name is a series of 3 buttons.  These buttons either Mute, Record Arm, or Solo the track that you click the button on.  Mute (M) and Solo (S) can be used on multiple tracks, while Record arm (R) works on a track by track basis.  Remember, if you want to record information on a track, you must arm the track first by clicking the R button.  You will see a red light on the bottom of the screen alerting you that a track is being made ready for MIDI information.

     

  • Looping and Selecting Partial Tracks

    •  

    Take a look at the bottom right hand corner of the Cakewalk screen.  Next to the Magnifying glasses you should see a grid button.  Shift click this button to set a "snap to selector" to make selecting measures of a track a bit more easier.  At the new window, select "Whole" note to make your cursor select whole measures rather than partial measures.  You can 

    deselect this option later by clicking the grid button once more to allow for more control over what is selected.  For now, just make sure the button is down.

    In order to make a section of this tune loop over and over, we have to select a portion of the tune and tell Cakewalk we want it to loop just that section over and over.  To do this select a couple of measures by placing the cursor over the measure numbers found above the colored MIDI clip area.  Click and drag from measure 3 to the end of measure 6.  Your selection will look something like this:
     

    If you make a mistake, just click on an empty track below the colored data area.  This clears your selection and lets you try for another attempt.  HINT:  Click and drag in the measure area only (near the numbers)  if you get a downward pointing arrow as a cursor, you've gone too high in the window. Try to keep the cursor lower.

     

    Now that you've selected an area to loop, go to the Loop Toolbar and click on the button on the far left.  (square with 2 blue arrows)

    This tells Cakewalk that it should be in loop mode.  Click on the next button to the right of the display window.  This tells Cakewalk to loop the selected area of the song.  Caution, the loop you have selected will cause ALL tracks to be looped at the start and end points of the loop.  Rewind the tune to the beginning and hit the Play button.  The song will play as normal until around the 7th measure where it will automatically jump back to the 3rd and begin to play the section over and over.

    To loop the entire song, select the entire track by double-clicking the data clip area or clicking on the Number next to the track name.  Click on the 2 buttons above to enter loop mode and tell Cakewalk to loop from where to where.
     

  • StudioWare and Console Views

    • The differences between these two devices are subtle, however, we need to touch on them briefly so that you have an idea of what each device controls.
    Select a track and from the View Toolbar click the StudioWare button. 
     

    A quasi mixing console will appear that lets you control the MIDI device that is playing back the track selected. 

    StudioWare works with MIDI devices and allows you to apply effects, panning and volume controls as specified by the General MIDI Specs.

    If you have this open while the MIDI file is playing you can record the slider and knob movement for playback.  Cakewalk will add the volume, and effects as you record them for playback even if this console is not open.

    Make sure the 2 buttons on the top of the console are pressed (red dot, and fader buttons) and hit play on the transport.  Your movements will be recorded and used for playback.

     

    Click on the Console View button from the View Toolbar. 
     

    This device acts as a Mixing board.  It will control not only the MIDI device, but it will also control digital audio clips in Cakewalk.

    Most of the track devices can be controlled from here.  (i.e... patches, channels, effects, volume, etc...)

    We will touch on this in more detail later in Part II of the Cakewalk Tutorial -- Adding Digital Audio.

    Hands-On Recap

    Before going any further, make sure you understand how to do the following simple operations:

    If you have the full-featured version of Cakewalk Home Studio, save different versions of this file in a location appropriate for your situation. If you are using the demo supplied with the EMT-CD and have a tape recorder or other kind of recording system connected to your MIDI equipment, record a few versions of this file.

    On your Project Worksheet for this project, provide a complete description of the experiments you have conducted while working with the basic operation of this software.
     

    Return to Project Menu

    Step 3: Real-Time Entry

    Now that you have an idea of how Cakewalk works, let's enter some new music in real time. To do this, choose a previously composed piece or a create a new one for this purpose. Try to select a piece with at least four parts that would lend themselves well to four different tracks. You might want to practice playing each part on your MIDI device so that you are comfortable with the musical performance requirements. Don't forget that you can record the music slowly and then use the Tempo Window to play back the piece at a faster tempo.
     

    1. Set up your software by first identifying each of the four tracks with devices, channels, and programs (timbres) using the Property sub menu from the Track Menu.

      2.  
    2. Click the Record Options button from the Record Toolbar.  Select "Overwrite".

      3.  
    3. Select which track to record first. Click on the R button in the track you wish to record.  If there is a recurring drum track, do that one first. If there is no drum track, select a part that begins the piece and that is dominant throughout.

      4.  
    4. Set a recording tempo that is comfortable and use the metronome toolbar to set up the Metronome options. (Actually, you can do without the metronome if it gets in the way of your entering music that may have a good deal of rubato. This is especially true if you have no desire to have a printed score from your work.)

      5.  
    5. Click on the record button (red dot) in the Transport Window and record the first track.

      6.  
    6. Move on to the next track by clicking the number of the next track you wish to record. If all goes well, you should hear the first track playing back at the same time. (If you do not hear the first track, be sure that your MIDI device is in the proper multitimbral mode.)

      7.  
    7. Proceed in a similar way by playing in the remaining tracks. If you need to erase a track, click on the track number to the left of the edit window in the scroll bar. This will select the entire track and you can then cut or clear the MIDI data and start again. Also, don't forget the "undo" option under the Edit menu.

      8.  


    If you have the full-featured version of Cakewalk, save your real-time entry file in a location appropriate for your situation. If you are using the demo supplied with the EMT-CD and have a tape recorder or other kind of recording system connected to your MIDI equipment, record your file to tape.

    On your Project Worksheet for this project, provide information about the name of your file and where it is located. Explain how you recorded your composition and what features you used.

    Return to Project Menu


    Step 4: Step-Time and Pencil Entry

    As with notation packages, Cakewalk allows you to use step-time and pencil (mouse) approaches to enter music in both "Script" notation mode or "Piano Roll" mode. This mode of entry allows you to enter complicated passages one note at a time using a MIDI device and/or the typewriter keyboard and mouse to select the pitches.

    Step-Time Entry

    Recording in "Step Mode" does not actually require that you be in any one view mode.  It works equally well in any mode you wish to work with.  Here is a suggested approach for work in step-time:

    Here is a suggested approach for work using the Pencil Tool:

    Find a complicated passage in a piece you are working on presently. Practice entering the passage in step-time using the procedures explained above. Listen to the playback to see if it is accurate. If you are using the demo version of Cakewalk,  take a screen shot of the passage, print it out and attach it to your Project Worksheet. If you are using the full-featured version of the software, save a copy of the file to a location that is appropriate for your situation.

    Provide a description on the Project Worksheet of how you used Step-Time and Pencil entry systems.

    Return to Project Menu

    Step 5: Basic Editing

    Once the material is in place, it's quite likely that you will want to make changes. Here are some important tips for editing. This step presents basic editing procedures and the next step deals with more advanced editing.

    Begin by opening either a MIDI file provided in the demo folder or one that you have created. Experiment with the following:


    To edit a single note's velocity information, click on the pencil tool and place it over the pink line directly below the note.  Click and drag to draw the new value.

    To select multiple notes velocity information, use the diagonal line next to the pencil.  Place the cursor over the pink lines and click drag on a starting point and release the mouse at the end point.  Depending on the slope of the line you will mass edit the notes.

    If you need more individual control over the velocities, you might just use the pencil tool.  If you make a mistake, select Undo from the Edit menu.

    All of these basic editing procedures are worth trying with a MIDI file of our choice. Work with each one and report on what you did on the Project Worksheet. What worked well or less well? How would you imagine using each of these basic editing procedures?

     

    Return to Project Menu

    Step 6: Advanced Editing and Saving

    Advanced Editing. You have already discovered a great deal about Cakewalk and sequencing software. Here are few more features that are very useful.

    Saving. Saving files is the final topic we will cover in this tutorial. You have options for saving sequencer files based on what use you have for them. You can save files as native Cakewalk files for musical performance of course, but you can also save files as either Type 1 or Type 0 standard MIDI files. Selecting Save or Save As will automatically save the file as a Cakewalk file (*.wrk)

    Type 1 MIDI files retain all the tracks as separate entities. This is the best option if your intent is to use the MIDI file as the basis for a notated score. (Be sure to treat this file in a strict rhythmic fashion, using the quantizing options noted above. You want to be sure that the rhythmic values conform as exactly as possible to standard notated values so that the notation program will represent your work as accurately as possible.)  Make sure to select MIDI Type 1 from the Save as Type window.

    Type 0 MIDI files place all tracks into one mega track. This might be appropriate if you simply want to create a drum and bass track as a basis for another MIDI file in a different sequencer or notation program or the bottom track of a file in a digital audio sequencing program. Make sure to select MIDI Type 0 from the Save as Type window.
     

    To end this project, return to either your own sequenced file or one of the files provided on the EMT-CD. Choose three of the advanced editing options described and apply them to the file. If you are using the full-featured version of this software, save the results of each experiment and save the files in a location that is appropriate for your location. On the Project Worksheet, record the tiles of your files and explain in some detail what you did in the experiment. If you are using the demo version of the software, record the experiments on the tape recorder attached to your MIDI system and fill in the Project Worksheet by writing about your experiments.

    Project 13B Part I is completed. Congratulations!  Go on to Part II -- Adding Digital Audio to your Sequences

     

    Version 1.0
    ©1996 David B. Williams and Peter R. Webster
    Schirmer Books