Electric Guitar MIDI

Question: Is it possible to create realistic guitar distortion using MIDI XG?
Answer: Too right it is!

XGWorks MIDI Editor

General MIDI (GM) is not reknowned for recreating that raunchy rock guitar sound favoured by dandruff sufferers.

However, even with the MIDI XG Level 1 format it's entirely possible to achieve that grunge wall of sound that blows the dandruff free.

So before we begin the tutorial, untie your pony-tail, place full-length mirror against wall and grab ya tennis racket...we're gonna mutha-nquhp ROCK!

Download the electric guitar midi file used for this tutorial and stand poised for a good ole' fashioned thrash!
NOTE: Right-click and choose "Save Target As" to download.

I've used the XGWorks MIDI editor in the screenshots as it conveniently interprets the nasty HEX values - used for transmitting instructions to your synth - into readable english. XGWorks, IMO, is the most user-friendly XG editor on the market and is crammed with features that, for the stupid price, makes it a no-brainer midi tool.

Right, put the racket down and make yerself decent again you pathetic throwback to the 70's you...Oh, and put the mirror back before ya missus see's it!

As you can see in Screenshot 1, the example midi file used in this tutorial is a simple 4 track song - Feedback Guitar, Drums, Pick Bass Guitar & a Muted Guitar plus a seperate System Exclusive track which we will set up first

Initialise XG and Effects

Table 1 is concerned with the correct parameters for instructing your XG synth to "switch on" and get prepared for the next batch of instructions that will tell it what instruments to use and how to set them up. (NOTE: The author of XGWorks also made available an interface with buttons and twiddly knobs for setting the instrument parameters called XGEdit 95. I will cover this in a further article, it's a cool additional tool trust me!)

Oh I've also included the HEX code (all those numbers in the right column) for those working in other editors

Ok...Setting up the XG correctly is important and has already been covered in the XG MIDI tutorial page, however, let's briefly go over this...

XG Synth - Setting Up

Slam the following parameters into it's own (seperate) track as illustrated in Screenshot 1 named "System" and leave 1 measure clear before starting any music to give sufficient time for the instructions to be processed.

Tick 000 = Switches on the "normal" default GM synth mode for soundcards/modules that don't support XG, ie...something intelligible will be played!

Tick 224 = After allowing enough time for GM Mode On to initialise, we switch on the XG synth and similarly allow it time to kick-in - Approximately 50ms.

 

Reverb & Chorus Set-up

Tick 281 = There are several types of Reverb available in MIDI, here we select Stage 1.

Tick 282 = Set the Reverb level to 100.

Tick 283 = Set the Chorus level to 60.

 

Variation Effects Bus

Tick 284 = Now we really dig into XG's effect arsenal and select the Variation Amp Simulator.

Tick 285 = Let's whack the Amp Simulator Drive up to full tilt, ie...127.

Tick 286 = We want a Tube amp to give it some sharp jaws!

Tick 287 = I've set the Low Pass Filter (LPF) here to 8Khz

Tick 288 = Set the Variation effects bus Output Level to 90

Tick 289 = This is where we choose to switch the variation effect bus to INSERT rather than SYSTEM which is a global instruction that makes it available to ALL instruments - Our instruction assigns the variation effects to PART 1, which will be our actual GUITAR PART, or track, covered in part 2.

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After all that, you'll be proud to know that thanks to TheWhippinpost, you have been unnecessarily inducted into the world of geekdom...well partly, because ya know what? XGWorks looks after all of the timing seperations required to initialise the synths.

When it comes to getting the best from your XG synths there's two tools I recommend: XGWorks and XGEdit95.

XGEdit95 is basically a graphical interface to play with your XG synth parameters - An excellent XG sound editor - whereas XGWorks is a full sequencing package too.

Anyway, at least you know a bit of the theory now eh! So now you'll be able to sound all clever-like in various music-making newsgroups... Just remember to quote TheWhippinpost when ya do, otherwise I'll tell 'em about the mirror, OK?... nice one.