Review of MIDI Editing in Cubase: Skill Pack (Paperback)

This is a well-written and very helpful book. I am a musician of many years, however I was fairly new the world of MIDI until a few months ago. It's amazing how far it's come, and I played with it in the early days and didn't think much of it. As far as it's come, MIDI has become very sophisticated and complex. I purchased Cubase several months back, and I expected to get a handle on MIDI editing quickly. Nothing doing. What I discovered is: You can be a great musician, have spent years studying composition and arranging in a traditional sense, and none of that will necessarily help you when it comes to advanced MIDI operations and MIDI editing. Cubase has a very, very extensive and complex set of features and thoroughly understanding them is no easy task.

The Cubase manual is helpful. But, I soon discovered, it's a bit like learning to drive a car by reading the car's manual. What I realised is that I really needed a book that would walk me through various MIDI editing situations and help me get acquainted with those features in Cubase. Then, I found this book by Steve Pacey, which is exactly what I was looking for.

I just picked up the book. Having browsed through it, read the intros, and the first chapter, I can tell you it's well written. Pacey appraochs topics in a straightforward way, and his explanations are really clear. I'm going to be spending an hour or two each day to work through the book sequentially, and I think it will really pay off. If you learn best from books, then you'll really like this book. If you're taking a course in a similar topic, then I imagine this book will probably help you a lot, too. Unfortunately, music technology was nothing like it is today back when I was in school.

MIDI editing is a fairly advanced topic in my mind, and this book goes into depth. You should be generally familiar with Cubase, and you should have a reasonably good knowledge of music fundamentals. (Not to scare people away, just that if you don't know what time signatures are, for example, you might have trouble in the Quanitizing section of the book.) In this book, Pacey also covers related topics, such as score editing. He doesn't go into depth---which makes sense becuase it's a topic worthy of its own book---but, he does tie those other features of Cubase to the MIDI editing, which really helps to round out the instruction.

On a technical note, the book is written with reference to the PC version of Cubase 4. If you're using the Mac version of Cubase 4, you'll probably notice some superficial differences with the book. If you're using a previous version of Cubase, such as SX3 (which I am using on a PC), then 95% of the book will still apply to your version. (You could probably use the OEM "LE" version of Cubase and still find this book helpful.) Have the Cubase manual handy while you're working with this book so that you can cross-reference (which is something the author recommends anayway). The included CD has demo files which are specific to Cubase 4. You can't use them with a previous version of Cubase, but not a big deal---you can still work along using your own MIDI file. I'm not saying there's no value to the included demo files, just that you can easily get along without them, if need be. Don't hesitate buying this book if you're just worried that you don't have Cubase 4.

I am surprised that a book devoted to MIDI editing in Cubase hasn't come out until now. Thank you to Pacey and editors for recognising that gap.

A Table of Contents is published at the Thomson Course Technology website. I am copying it here for reference. I hope that is permissible:

Table of Contents
A Quick Look at the Key Editor
The Tool Buttons
The Toolbar
The Controller Lanes and the Line Tool
The MIDI Menu
Working with MIDI in the Project Window
The In-Place Editor and the Edit Menu
A Closer Look at Quantizing MIDI
Working with MIDI Effects and Modifiers
The Drum Editor
The List Editor, Logical Editor, and Project Browser
The Score Editor
Now That You Know Everything There Is to Know about Editing MIDI in Cubase
Working with Multiple MIDI Tracks in an Editor
More Shortcuts
Index

Product Description
MIDI editing might seem one of the most complicated tasks of any DAW, but it's one of the most important. It's also a function that Cubase® is particularly well suited to handling. Intended for those who use Cubase but want to better understand its immense MIDI editing capabilities, as well as those new to Cubase and MIDI in general, this Skill Pack will show you how to edit MIDI in every possible way using Cubase. It covers MIDI notes and events, using MIDI effects, creating a MIDI score, quantizing MIDI, and how to export your MIDI as digital audio and as a MIDI file.The Skill Pack series provides a unique book/CD-ROM learning experience that helps readers focus on a specific skill they want to learn. Unlike other books with companion discs, the source files on your Skill Pack CD-ROM are an essential part of the book's tutorials. You'll learn by applying the skills you've been taught through hands-on exercises that will take you from the novice stage to a true expert. By the conclusion of the book, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of the design and philosophy behind MIDI editing in Cubase, you'll be able to work more efficiently, and you'll know how to avoid the most common mistakes.

About the Author
Steve Pacey has held an interest in music since he was a child. His desire to learn more about music took him from piano lessons, to playing trombone in the grade-school band, to writing songs, to rapping and learning how to beat box, to playing keyboards and singing in a rock band, to attending a specialized music school, to owning and working in recording studios, to writing music for theater, TV, video, and film, to producing bands, to editing music-technology books, and writing this book. He has been a devoted Cubase user since 1990 and is currently writing and producing music for several TV shows, including the television series The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS. He's a member of ASCAP, NSAI, and owns his own music-publishing company (Spot On Music) and recording studio. Pacey lives in Nashville, TN.

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