Help w/ a midi ringtones job I have...

[Quest Poetics]

Here's my question / setup:

Pro Tools v.6.9 Mac osx / Reason 3.0 (that's what I'm doing the midi stuff w/ via a midi controller )

Here's what this company wants & my confusion:

Start with playing the drums (remember- use midi channel 10)
Leads: voice number 88 (clear and loud tone).
Bass: voice number 5 works well.
Drums: always channel 10.

My confusion is regarding the channels to use. When he says ex. Drums: alway ch. 10 is he talking about the patch # ( ie: ch. 1-127) ? I know I can call them but I'd rather not look like a retard and ask you genius' first.

Peace!

[apropos of nothing]

MIDI spec has 16 seperately addressable channels. You can have a different patch number on each one. General MIDI spec calls for drums to live on MIDI channel 10, for some reason.

[Quest Poetics]

So channel # and voice number are 2 different things? For ex. he said to use voice number 88 for leads. When he says use voice #88, is voice # 88 usually programed in keyboards to have a similar sound (ie: brass sounds etc.)

[apropos of nothing]

Yes. You can think of MIDI channel as being like the channel of a mixing board. The voice number is alternately called the patch number, and controls what type of tone is being triggered by MIDI data sent on that MIDI channel.

Too much information on the MIDI spec:
http://www.midi.org/

[YOUR KONG]

So channel # and voice number are 2 different things? For ex. he said to use voice number 88 for leads. When he says use voice #88, is voice # 88 usually programed in keyboards to have a similar sound (ie: brass sounds etc.)

Right - this is called "General Midi." #003 is always honky tonk piano (or whatever) on all instruments using General Midi specs.

So you could have voice #88 on channel 1, or on channel 2, or on channel 3...etc...

Hey, can I get a gig like this too?

[loveless]

So you could have voice #88 on channel 1, or on channel 2, or on channel 3...etc...

To avoid confusion, Voice #88 would be a different sound on each channel, though. I certainly don't have the GM specs memorized, but historically/typically Channel 1 is piano.... Channel 10 is drums, etc. MIDI is really not that complicated, you probably already have a grasp on how to program using midi, considering you've got a gig doing ringtones.

Also, can I get a gig doing this as well? It's my dream to be in a crowded shopping mall, walking past a dozen Suburban Gangstas and hearing MY 50 Cent ringtone as I pass.

Honestly, though, I could use the work