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This lesson is about MIDI-controllers. MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface",
and as the name suggests, it was first created to
produce music in the digital world. True to the nature of VJ-ing, and audiovisual performance,
video artists have appropriated that language to include video controllers. So all the units you see right now are
originally designed to trigger musical notes and fluctuate volumes
and produce audio effects. But now, most VJ software incorporate MIDI-control to do
the same with video. MIDI incorporates two main time meters,
either notes or volume. So volumes are either on or off, 0 or 1.
And volume ranges between 0 and 127. So all these numbers come from the MIDI-controller to your computer,
and interact with software in different ways that you set up yourself.
Or you can interact, you can plug into a V-4 with a V-link
and control a mixer that way too. MIDI-controllers come in a variety of forms.
They mainly emulate a musical instrument.
So you have mini keyboards, drum pads, portable mixing stations, DJ emulators, which
copy the layout of the DJ mixer. And more funky versions that were custom-built for
specific uses by video artists. A lot of the latest models try to combine
the features of musical instruments to have a more comprehensive interaction with the software.
So here you have keyboard, drum pads and sliders, to have
a lot more control over the software. Later models also incorporate the USB connection,
which feed in and out the MIDI and also powers the unit, so you don't need to have an extra plug to carry around.
So you don't need to have an extra plug to carry around to make this unit work.
So you'll notice on this specific unit -
I've marked directly on the key board and the drum pads some notes
for me to remind myself of what is going on into the software and
and what are all the interactions I'm doing.
And this is because the MIDI-controller is where the performance really lies.
This is what I'm using as performance tool. This is what the audience is looking at when I'm doing my performance.
This is what, this is where, this is happening,
and this is very different to just sitting behind a laptop. So the laptop can be
on the side, hidden away, and the audience may only see that. So this is where I need to be looking at.
So, the more markings I have on my MIDI, the longer time I'm looking
at this and not the computer. So these are the latest models.
Although, I think it's nice to go for the old-school simple ones sometimes.
This still has a full sized MIDI socket. And you still need
an electrical plug to make this work. But it has a nice and simple layout. So all of these are just knobs
and you customize it yourself accordingly.
And it just fits almost, you know, in the pocket. This is the Numark VJ.
You can see from the layout that it very much resembles a DJ emulator.
So if you're a DJ, and you're starting out with an AV performance, maybe this is the one for you.
It's quite simple; you've got a USB connection in the back. You connect it to the laptop.
The USB also works as a power source, so you don't need to have another bit of cable
to make it work. I just turn on the software.
The software instantly recognizes the hardware. And the mapping is also instantly recognized,
so the buttons are already assigned to a specific
function on the software, so that is already done, and you're up and running in no time.
So, it's a good entry level controller. If you are a DJ and you want to get into AV performance,
this is easy to understand, if you know about DJ mixers then you pretty much know what these sliders do
and the knobs, so this is something that you would pretty much be able to use after a couple of hours
of playing around with it. This is the KORG microKontrol.
It's very comprehensive in terms of how many keyboard and
sliders and keypads it contains.
So the more options you have the more you can input into the software you are using, and
that come in very handy. And also the size of it, I quite like it, because you have a nano control
which is fine, but this is a bit bigger, so it's just something that you don't need to look for, you know...
It's not too small, you know, it's finger size. It's not a full size keyboard still.
You have much bigger things. So it's a nice compromise between
something that's too big and too little, basically. So, at the moment
I've got it set up with triggering AV samples on the keyboard.
So each key is a different tempo, and the opacity is changed with this slider
and the speed with this one. So each layer has a slider for capacity, and on top we have
the corresponding speed levels. So, I have four levels and four speed controls,
and here, some effects that are triggered, some effects
that need parameters between 1 and 27. This would be here.
And I've got all the other effects that are more on and off, and they would be in the drum pad.
Also, on the ones below, the effects are on top,
and on the bottom here, I've got... if I need to highlight a specific layer, I've got
these eight pads here that I can do that with. This is the M-A dual trigger finger.
It's a MIDI-controller I use a lot for video DJ-ing. And so, I've again, written out, on top of the drum pads
all the functions that I need to look at.
So again, I don't need to look at the software so often. I know what I'm doing, just from looking at
what is on the unit. So I've got my Qs... I can stop this, I've got my Qs,
I can change the PFL from each side of the virtual DJ set,
on this sign, I can change the beats, in and out points,
so if I want to do like this, I have a very quick loop, and come out of it, like this, again, even quicker.
And then I can change the speed this way.
Things like that... come out, and here I am, I can just change into the other cycles... it's finished...
...up again, oh where's my... oh, I see, here we go,
OK, and I've got my speed settings and other features. So, I've got all I need in terms of
what I need as a DJ, as a visual DJ mix. It's not the interface I would find
on a DJ emulator. MIDI-controller, you would have these two side things.
But for me, because I'm using video at the same time I need this.
Often I need something else. Something that has more
features laid up in a different way. And this works for me.
So, another thing I really like about this unit is that if you turn it around, you see - there's the socket
to put it on the stand, and all of a sudden, you've got something that is not on the table anymore.
And you're playing it like a real instrument
that laid out with other things that are not necessarily like a DJ table.
So once again, it's much more like an instrument-like feel. �