Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Importing Midi File (Read 3326 times) previous topic - next topic

Importing Midi File

I saved a midi file and tried to import it to noteworthy. A box popped up with the message: SMF Warning/ Expected string [MThd] not found in proper place. I can't import it! How do I go about importing this file with string instruments?

Re: Importing Midi File

Reply #1 –
LOL! The Expected String is not an instrument! It is part of the midi stream which NWC expected and wasn't there.
If you have some other midi program, try reading and writing the file again and see if that fixes it. I've seen this error very rarely, but had to give up in most cases, as the file was not readable with any software (and often not playable, either). Is your midi file at least playable?

A

Re: Importing Midi File

Reply #2 –
As Andrew points out, this error is an indication that what you think is a MIDI file, is actually something else entirely. It is either a corrupted file, a compressed file, or a file of a different type (perhaps a proprietary file format from another program that you are using).

If you have a program that actually loads the file as MIDI music, then you might try looking for an Export or Save As function in the program, which would enable you to convert it into a true MIDI file.

Re: Importing Midi File

Reply #3 –
Thank you both for replying. Unfortunately, I am very inexperienced with computers and so I don't know if I'm understanding everything correctly. This file is played by the media system on my computer but not by NWC. How do I change it to a midi file if it isn't one right now?
 

Re: Importing Midi File

Reply #4 –
What dot extension does it have (.mid, .rmi, .wav, etc.)? In other words, what kind of file is it? If it is a *.WAV file, then it is a digital audio file, rather than a MIDI file, and cannot be played through MIDI only software. If it is an RMI file, you need to be using the latest version of NWC.

If it is not a MIDI file, but is a proprietary file format, then your best bet is to follow the instructions in our earlier post: look to the program that loads the file to see if it includes some kind of "export" or "save as" feature to create a MIDI file.

Lastly, it would help if you named the exact program that currently plays the file. If it is the Windows Media Player, then it would help to know what menu item is checked on the Device menu when you load the file.