How did I get started in home-recording?

The foundation for my home-recording hobby started in the 90's when I was first introduced to the concept of using a midi sequencer. I was working as a keyboardist for an evangelistic ministry and we were short, well, the rest of the band. So, I went to the music store to find out what I could do about it because I wanted a full band sound. Surprise! In came the Roland MC-50 II sequencer. I of course had no idea at all how to operate the equipment nor did I have an understanding about midi.  I know it's not popular but I actually had to read the entire manual with a highlighter and note pad! (LOL)

My first misconception was that I had somehow bought a band in a box. I was so wrong! The MC-50 didn't contain any sounds nor did it store or record any sounds. What I learned was that I could share the sound data (not the sound!) from my keyboard to the sequencer of the MC-50. Then this data could be stored in the MC-50 on a floppy disk and played back later. When the data is played back from the MC-50 it must be connected to the same keyboard because it records key signature, key number, etc. Dave Roos of howstuffworks.com writes an explanation that explains the operation of a MIDI controller is:

So what's a MIDI controller? A MIDI controller looks just like a MIDI synthesizer, except it doesn't emit any sound by itself. Think of it like a joystick or a mouse. A MIDI controller only generates pure MIDI data that's interpreted by either a computer or an audio-enabled MIDI synthesizer.

For example:  If you have saxophone data recorded in the sequencer that was played on middle C but you try to playback the data on a different keyboard that has a bass guitar on Middle C (for that given midi channel) then you're going to hear the bass! That's why it's important to remember that data is shared, not actual sounds.

The MC-50 had eight tracks so I could record eight different instruments individually, recording the data from them, and play them back simultaneously while accompanying with the keyboard live. At first, musicians who dive into sequencing might feel overwhelmed.  But after becoming familiar with your particular sequencer functions you will find the ease of creating quality tracks. 

I learned lots of helpful tips along my journey into sequencing i.e. using a foot pedal as remote control to stop the sequencer at desired times, how to adjust the tempo in desired sections of a song to add affect which is called closing the gate/open the gate depending if you're speeding it up or slowing it down and my favorite the wonderful world of transpose, which is simply changing the song to another key without replaying the song. Another great bit of knowledge learned from this experience is the preciseness of digital signals. From the start I realized that if I'm going to be a quality musician I need to record often so that I can really judge where I'm at in the development of my talents, because recording digitally captures exactly what you play--no fluff. The built in metronome, the signal processor, the punch in and outs, it all is precise. I knew at that moment that if I really wanted to be an excellent musician that I needed to record often, at home, to increase my skills. 

Although today I still have my MC-50 sequencer I don't use it.  It's tucked away in my closet.  My Yamaha Motiff 8 has a built in sequencer that is genius.  Happy sequencing.  

                                                                                                                               

Oldie but a goodie!