These are demonstrating a variety of basic technologies used in music, including:
- Analog synthesis
- Sample-playback
- MIDI
- Soft-synths
Synthesis = creating sounds from scratch [Analog = messing with the electricity coming from the wall. Digital = calculating what the sound is using math equations]
Sampling = recording audio and converting the audio into numbers. CD quality = 44100 measurements per SECOND, using 16 "digits" per measurement. Recording studio quality = some 96000 measurements per second using 32 "digits" per measurement.
MIDI = a computer language that allows multiple keyboards to be controlled from a single keyboard.....and since it's a digital language, computers can "memorize" what was played, and then send those same commands back out to the keyboard and duplicate the performance.
Soft-synth = "software synthesizer". The vids use "hardware synths" - i.e. separate "boxes" to create the sound. A soft-synth is purely software where the computer calculates what the sound will be on the fly.
Demo a Synthesizer (Analog)
Demo a Sample Playback keyboard
MIDI The computer memorizes what notes were played when
Wouldn't it be great to record your music, and then go back and make changes to it like we can with words? You can!
Soft-Synths No hardware needed (other than the computer)
The entire 9 minute Music Technology Demo
