Dear MIDI

Dear MIDI,

The digital revolution is here. Or maybe it's been here for many many years, but only now am I getting on board with it. Whatever. All I can say is that I now have you capabilities. Yup. And it's terrific.

As I write this, I am listening to a classical guitar composition I just threw together and recorded. A series of plucked strings and some strumming with a distinct vibration and twang due to mis-hit notes. It's quite nice, really. But there's one little catch - I don't own a classical guitar. Instead, I just played it on my keyboard. And that's the beauty of you, MIDI.

Now, I know what some people are thinking - is that really so amazing that a keyboard was able to make classical guitar songs? Not really. But this is my cheap-o keyboard, playing software instruments on my computer through a you-cord. And the coolest part is the post-recording production. Before, everything I recorded was just a digital audio file, and there was only so much tweaking I could do. Now, with you, I can go back and edit every single NOTE that I played. If I want to add some velocity (to make it twang louder, or softer, or slide), I can do that. If I want to move it back a bit in terms of timing, I can. Or maybe I just want to make that note be a completely different note, entirely. No problem.

Because of you, MIDI. I used to think that you were ridiculous. Just a bunch of crazy computer beeps and such that would come from a crappy keyboard even worse than mine. But I was wrong. So wrong. Although you is, indeed, just a bunch of numbers processed through a computer, the digital age has advanced to a point where you sounds pretty good (and can be even better, depending on the quality of the software). Cool. It gives me control over my sound to an extent that no human being should really even have. Super-cool.

And I'm sure there are those out there who have been on the you bandwagon for years upon years and are just laughing right now. "Oh, that silly, backwards CVT - actually RECORDING his keyboard live. Oh, dear." That's all true. It makes me feel stupid for having done it differently for so long and not figuring this out. It does. But guess what? I'm on it now, and there will be no stopping me. The digital audio world has been safe for a long time, but I am finally on the scene, and the sh- is going to go DOWN.

The first step, of course, is to improve my array of software instrumentation. Then I've got to improve my sound-recording capabilities because they still don't a you-version of my voice yet. Although I am sure that will be a possibility some day in the future. Imagine that - I just type in my lyrics and choose the quality of voice, and it comes out as spoken words. Then I could change the timing and pitch, and next thing I know I have written the new smash-hit by Snoop Dogg. I now realize, thanks to you, MIDI, that that is not so far-fetched at all.

I have been playing in the sandlot all these days, thinking that I knew something. But I just got hit by a 255-pound linebacker that's twice as fast as I am, and I'm thinking about the possibilities and just how far this thing can go. The possibilities.

Whoo!!!

So thank you, MIDI, for rocking my world and revealing a brave new world to my virgin eyes. It's almost painful to realize how low-grade and clueless I have been playing it this whole time, but at least I know now. Next step, the WORLD!!!!

Wide-eyed and Excited,
CVT