How MIDI Works (Teach Master) (Paperback)

by Peter Lawrence Alexander (Author) "What does an S-2 aircraft flown at the time of the Korean War have in common with a major digital audio recording software program?..." (more)
Key Phrases: many midi channels, virtual mixing board, piano roll edit, Questions For Review, Unity Gain, Emagic Logic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The revised 6th edition of this easy-to-use book is written in simple English and assumes no prior background with MIDI. Starting with the computer, How MIDI Works takes readers all the way through MIDI, sequencing and digital audio recording, and features chapter summary questions to ensure understanding. Topics covered include: the computer language of MIDI, controllers for keyboard operations, the mixing board within, hard disk audio recording, and many more. This text is a mainstay at colleges and universities across the nation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; 6 edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0634020838
• ISBN-13: 978-0634020834
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #13 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > MIDI, Mixers, etc.
  #97 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Recording & Sound

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For all who aspire to create music in the MIDI forum, September 10, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

How MIDI Works by expert Peter Alexander is now in a fully updated and expanded sixth addition. Ably edited and deftly illustrated by Carol J. Whitear, this "user friendly" introduction and guide assumes no prior experience or expertise on the part of the reader. The text is written in straight forward English and covers all aspects of mastering the MIDI including understanding the MIDI workstation, MIDI language of musical performance, computer language of MIDI, control changes, controllers for keyboard operations, the mixing board, recording features, sequencing, hard disk audio recording, the computer as the hub of a MIDI studio, sequences and recording MIDI and digital audio. A complete course in MIDI technology and operation, How MIDI Works is a essential reading for all who aspire to create music in this particular forum and would be a core acquisition for professional and music school reference collections.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad, Not Great, March 18, 2003

By	spectre (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This book was "OK" at best. Like others have mentioned, it is kind of organized oddly as MIDI isn't even mentioned until a third of the way through. The title is semi-misleading because it strays from MIDI quite a bit from time to time to explain other things. And also as someone mentioned, he has a bad tendency to mention terms and concepts well before he actually explains them.

Also, it's already seriously outdated as far as system specs, software, etc...

One more complaint: This book is full of blatant advertisments for the author's other business ventures as well as the music school where he teaches, and also for Gigasampler/Studio which is mentioned SEVERAL (I mean SEVERAL) times in every chapter and shown in nearly all diagrams, and even goes as far as having an entire chapter dedicated to Gigasampler/Studio. If you were a complete newbie reading this, you would be convinced that having Gigasampler was the only way you could make music on your computer.

But, I'd say that the information is mostly straight forward, easy to understand and finally when it gets into actually talking about MIDI, has some good info. This book had potential, but the little things really add up to make it sub-par in my opinion.

I'd give it 2.5 stars if I had the option.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time or money on this worthless tome., March 29, 2004

By A Customer

I would've rated this book as a zero if that option had been available. I have to reiterate what some of the other reviewers have said about this book in that the organization and topic material is just a downright mess. The author probably has good intentions but strays from the subject matter to the poinbt of aggravation for the reader. The meat of the matter doesn't surface until way late after one has managed to read all of the preamble drivel. Nowhere is there a satisfying distillation or comprehensive delivery of even basic MIDI understanding. This book will leave newcomers to MIDI even more dazed and confused than before they started reading it. If you feel anything hitting you in the back of the head when you walk away from the cashier after purchasing this piece of junk, it's probably your change.