What is MIDI & DAW?

Today there are many ways to create music. If you have seen a music studio, then you have probably seen one with a lot of expensive equipment. In reality, you don’t need all that to create music. The basic things that most music studios have are just a DAW and a MIDI controller. In this guide, you will learn about MIDI and DAW and how they are used.

 

What is DAW?
DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation and is a software program you can use to produce your music. You can also use it to record, compose, mix, and more. They also come in different types, such as the simple laptop software program and an integrated one. An integrated DAW consists of a hard disk recorder (HDR), together with a digital mixer and a screen. While these are more complex and mostly used in earlier times, the laptop software program is the more commonly used today, as it’s easier to get access to it. If you are a beginner and want to start producing, there are a few DAWs that offer a free version of their software to help you get started, such as Garageband and Pro Tools. Some other examples (not free) of DAWs are Logic Pro X, Ableton, FL Studio, Cubase, and many more.'

 

What is MIDI?
MIDI stands for Music Instrument Digital Interface. Most MIDI controllers found in a studio look simply like a keyboard. While they can be used to record any ordinary piano sound you can also record for example, drums.
A MIDI controller is an easy way to play and record virtual instruments. After you have decided which instrument you would like to play, you can start to press any key on the keyboard. Whichever key you press, that information is sent as a signal and can then be recorded and saved on as a MIDI track in a DAW.

 

Using Freedrum as a MIDI controller
In this case, when you’re using Freedrum as a MIDI controller and want to play it in a DAW, you are free to use any sound you want in the DAW including other instruments than drums. The instrument you choose contains information about what sound is going to play. If you decide on the drums, you hit your sensor where the snare is, the information is sent as a signal to the DAW. Once the DAW gets the information it records a snare sound.