Sequencers and Digital Audio Workstations

Question 1

In what type of sequencing are the notes entered into a sequencer’s memory one at a time onto a grid or series of buttons?

Answer 1

Step sequencing

Question 2

In what decade were step sequencers built into a number of popular analogue synths?

Answer 2

1970s

Question 3

What did early sequencers send to trigger notes on a synthesiser?

Answer 3

Gate signals

Question 4

In what year was MIDI introduced?

Answer 4

1983

Question 5

Why was MIDI successful with amateur musicians and professional studios upon its release?

Answer 5

Because it was easier to programme a sequence on the computer and send it through the MIDI ports to control a synthesiser, sampler or drum machine

Question 6

What can be pitch bend be used for?

Answer 6

continuously bending the pitch of a note up or down by a predetermined amount

Question 7

How can pitch bend be programmed in?

Answer 7

using an expression editor or event list, or recorded using a wheel on a MIDI keyboard or control surface

Question 8

What is Open Sound Control (OSC)?

Answer 8

A language or protocol that enables you to network synthesisers, computers, and other multimedia devices

Question 9

What is OSC often used as?

Answer 9

An alternative to MIDI

Question 10

What does a drum machine do?

Answer 10

Uses sequencing technology to create rhythmic patterns

Question 11

When were the first programmable drum machines introduced?

Answer 11

Late 1970s