"Synth Voice" dissappear

2003-08-14 08:34 pm

"- try playing the MIDI via Quicktime. Quicktime uses its own synth instrument database rather than the one on your soundcard." (Reply 7 to subject "Awful trumpet" by Robert Allgeyer).
Now I prefer to use Quicktime 6 Pro to convert my MIDI-files to WAV-files. But for some reason or other the instrument "Synth Voice" dissappear when I use Quicktime - at least if "Synth Voice" is part of a score with several voices.
Steffen

Re: "Synth Voice" dissappear

Reply #1 – 2003-08-14 09:11 pm

Most likely reason: The "synth voice" of the MIDI track calls for an "instrument" that is not in the QT6 database, and QT6 cannot figure out a substitution. That can happen, because it is possible to use "instruments" that are not in the General Midi specification.

Suggestion: Import the MIDI into NWC. See what instrument (if any) the "synth voice" uses.

You could then change the instrument and export it as a new MIDI (change the filename, so that you don't over-write the original). There are programs that allow you directly edit MIDI (I haven't tried it).

Another possibility is that the "synth voice" is there, but has been muted. For example, the MIDI might be of a song, for which the sung melody has been silenced for karaoke purposes.

Re: "Synth Voice" dissappear

Reply #2 – 2003-08-15 06:57 am

I do not know what the "QT6 database" is. - However I am sure the explanation has something to do with QuickTime 6 Pro. Because --- when I save the NWC-file as a MIDI-file it still sound correct. But when I let the MIDI-file pass through QuickTime 6 Pro to convert i to a WAV-file, this resulting file sounds fairly equal to the "raw" MIDI-file - except for the instrument "Synth Voice", who has become very weak and difficult to hear. A question to a QuickTime-newsgroup has not given any answer. It is not so interesting for non-musicians.
Steffen

Re: "Synth Voice" dissappear

Reply #3 – 2003-08-15 02:13 pm

Any MIDI player must call "instrument definitions," which are files containing information on how an instrument is supposed to sound. Your computer's sound card comes with a (usually cheap and minimal) set of instrument definitions, intended for playing games, where sound quality is not important. For example, most sound cards come with good synth helicopter and synth gunshots, since these are used in games. But they are weak on synth violin or synth French horn.

Better sound cards come with better instrument definition data, or allow you to load more instrument definitions as software.

When you play your NWC directly from NWC, the program calls whatever your sound card has.

But Quicktime does not work that way. Neither does Timidity, or some other software. These MIDI players supply their own instrument definitions. The info is contained in files that are installed along with the program. The QT instrument definitions are (to my ear) better than the lowest quality sound cards. But they are not as good as the better quality.

The minimal installation of Quicktime does not install the instrument definitions, or perhaps installs only a few. If you play the MIDI file in Quicktime while connected to the Internet, QT may ask you to allow it to update. What it wants to do is to get more instrument definition files.

I'm not sure what QT does if it does not have the proper instrument definitions. More likely than not, it makes a substitution. The same would be true for programs that play directly from your sound card.

The digital instrument definition is not the same for every sound card or MIDI player. For that reason, a particular instrument may sound very different when played by various players, even on the same machine. Loudness of an instrument is one factor. Or, a substitution may produce an unwanted effect.

Although Quicktime Pro has media editing capabilities, it is not really intended as a MIDI editor. For this, use NWC, which indirectly allows you to edit the MIDI when you edit a musical score.

Within NWC, find the offending line of the score. Find what instrument is assigned to it. See what happens if you change the instrument to something else. Use your imagination: It may be called Synth Voice, but may sound better as organ or sax or flute, or chorus aahs. Just keep in mind that when you play if via QT, it will use different instruments than when you play it from NWC. There's nothing you can do about that.

There are other possibilities. But try changing the instrument first.

Re: "Synth Voice" dissappear

Reply #4 – 2003-08-15 06:22 pm

Thank you for an excellent explanation and advice!
Steffen