How do you add effects to MIDI instruments?

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Percussionforever
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2011/01/24 19:57:17 (permalink)

How do you add effects to MIDI instruments?

I'm 17 and work as an audio technician at church. My father asked me to edit the music he has recorded so he could make a CD out of them. I've figured out how to add effects to recorded audio, but I can't figure out how to put effects on recorded MIDI, short of buy an effects box. Are there any effects in Cakewalk that can be put on MIDI instruments?
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    Guitarhacker
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    Re:How do you add effects to MIDI instruments? 2011/01/24 20:16:20 (permalink)
    Yes... you can BOUNCE the midi to audio, and then add the audio effects contained in Cakewalk. That is what I do.

    Highlight the midi source track AND the synth's audio track... EDIT>Bounce to Track> (select WHAT YOU HEAR) click OK... this creates a new audio track and then you can apply the audio FX to the new audio track.

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    Beagle
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    Re:How do you add effects to MIDI instruments? 2011/01/24 20:17:27 (permalink)
    right - you don't add effects directly to the MIDI, you add it either to a bounced wave file which is audio only or you add it to the synth output track.

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    Jeff Evans
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    Re:How do you add effects to MIDI instruments? 2011/01/24 20:35:39 (permalink)
    If you are using internal virtual instruments, you can route them direct to a buss rather than the master out. And you can apply audio effects direct to the buss. You do not have to render anything to audio. Then obviously the buss is routed to the master.

    The only thing to watch here is that is does increase your CPU usage so if this is an issue, then bounce or freeze first.
    post edited by Jeff Evans - 2011/01/24 20:37:54

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    Bristol_Jonesey
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    Re:How do you add effects to MIDI instruments? 2011/01/25 14:05:16 (permalink)
    Depending upon your needs, there is a suite of dedicated MIDI Fx which will apply to your audio tracks.

    But, I suspect it's the usual plethora of audio Fx you're after, such as Delay, Reverb, Compression, EQ etc.

    As Jeff rightly say above - there's no need to render anything down to audio or freeze any of your synths - just put whatever Fx you want into the associated audio  tracks Fx bin. Or - if you're using Sonar's Simple Instrument Tracks, you only have the one track to deal with.

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    Jonbouy
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    Re:How do you add effects to MIDI instruments? 2011/01/28 07:02:16 (permalink)
    It depends what Midi instruments you are using to some degree.

    Older midi instruments often had great effects built in and Cakewalk software catered for this with 'studioware' panels for specific modules which would provide an interface layer to control the 'system exclusive' commands required to action these effects.

    These studioware panels are still available within Sonar, although they are not officially supported anymore, so you may find one of these for your particular synth to give you direct access to all it's effects.

    Midi is much less of an art than it was 15 years ago and most people these days will apply effects to the audio output, bounced or live for simplicity's sake and sometimes they will even be unaware that if they own a general midi keyboard from around that era they do in fact often have access to whole range of classic 'vintage' fx hardware.

    Sorry I could only answer in a general way but without knowing the specific synth you are using and what fx you are after it's the best I can do.

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