Getting Started 4: Making Music with MIDI-Beats & Melodies

I'm Huston Singletary with Ableton. Welcome to Getting Started With Live.
We'll take a look at using MIDI with Ableton Live,
specifically creating beats and melodies.
MIDI data tells Live's built-in instruments
what notes to play, when, and how loud.
Live's MIDI instruments turn this data into sound.
Today we're going to learn how to use MIDI to create beats.
Let's start with some drums.
We'll open our browser with [Ctrl Alt + B] on PC,
or [Cmd Alt + B] on a Mac.
Click on the second circle from the top
to show Live's built-in instruments and effects.
Open the "Instruments" folder, and then unfold the Drum Rack.
I'll chose this Drum Rack preset and drag it into a MIDI track.
Now that we have a kit loaded up,
let's draw on a beat in our MIDI note editor down below.
Double-click in a MIDI track's empty clip slot.
If needed, click, hold and scroll with your note ruler
to find the drum sounds that you want to use.
Then double-click in the editor below to create drum hits.
Now watch the clip to hear the result.
Instead of double-clicking,
it's often more convenient to use the pencil tool
to draw in MIDI notes.
Press [Ctrl + B] on a PC,
or [CMD + B] on a Mac to do so.
Again, scroll down with your note ruler.
Now, let's draw in some notes
with our pencil tool.
We'll activate our clip.
We'll add some additional notes.
Let's draw in some snare.
Now let's add some hi-hat.
We can erase that tom
that we drew in by accident,
just by clicking once with the pencil tool.
Now let's bring Live's tempo down just a bit.
Notice the MIDI notes' pitch stays the same,
but the tempo is different.
Let's add a few more drum hits into the MIDI clip.
I'll add a snare,
and an extra kick at the end.
The grid in the MIDI editor represents beat divisions.
Use [Ctrl + 2] on a PC,
or [Cmd + 2] on a Mac to widen the grid.
Use [Ctrl + 1] on a PC,
or [Cmd + 1] on a Mac
to narrow the grid.
Now I'll add some fast hi-hats
on the narrow grid.
You can adjust the velocity of individual hits
with the markers below.
Notes with higher velocity values will play louder.
Notes with lower velocity values will play softer.
Alternatively, we can play our beats, or melodies in real time
with our computer keyboard,
or with an external controller.
Create a new MIDI track by pressing
[Shift + Ctrl + T] on a PC,
or [Shift + Cmd + T] on a Mac.
Let's go to our library again,
and find a basic piano sound.
We'll scroll down to "Instrument Rack".
I'll click on "Piano and Keys",
and select this instrument preset
and drag it to our new MIDI track.
Make sure the track is armed.
Then record by clicking a clip slot's record button
within the new MIDI track.
Now I'll punch out by clicking on my clip launch/record button,
and I'll adjust my new clip's loop length
by adjusting the loop brace to four bars.
With the overdub button enabled,
I can keep adding MIDI notes
while the clip plays back and loops continuously.
And that's how you make music with MIDI and Ableton Live.
Copyright © 2011 TITELBILD, Berlin Subtitles: V. Trespalacios et al.