In this video, Dubspot instructor and course designer Matt Cellitti offers a glimpse at one of the most exciting new features in Ableton Live 9, the option to convert audio to MIDI. In a straightforward step-by-step process, Cellitti explains how you can extract MIDI note data directly from a live guitar performance.
Of all the improvements in Ableton Live 9, the thing that excites me the most are the new audio-to-MIDI conversion tools. I’m always looking for new technologies that will open up new creative approaches and allow me to manipulate audio recordings in interesting ways, and these easy-to-use conversion tools do just the trick.
In this tutorial, I will take a simple guitar riff and turn it into an aggressive industrial-style synth bass by converting the riff to MIDI and using the notes to trigger Native Instruments’ Massive synthesizer.
My main instrument is the guitar, not the keyboard. I write differently when playing guitar and I come up with melodies that would never have occurred to me if I was sitting down at a keyboard controller. With these new functions in Ableton, I can now start a new track on my guitar, record my playing into Live through my audio interface, and convert my riffs into MIDI files. Then I can take my guitar melodies in new creative directions by assigning the MIDI data to control different synthesizers and samplers. Another great benefit here is that I do not have to purchase additional any gear to convert my guitar output to MIDI, everything I need is built into Live 9.
So go pick up a REAL instrument and have fun turning it into something synthetic!
- Matt Cellitti
