Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Opening a midi file (Read 4250 times) previous topic - next topic

Opening a midi file

When importing some midi files, an extra 32nd rest is inserted at the begining of a passage. Then, all the following notes are offset by 1/32 of a beat, causing many notes to be tied together to get the proper duration. Although NWC plays it correctly, it almost impossible for a performer to play them off the printed music. I do have a sample file to help explain this. Any help?

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #1 –
This has been discussed in another thread, but I can't seem to find it right now.

The long and short of it is that some midi artists (myself included, on certain files) will intentionally make it difficult to re-import a midi file. Often you can fix this by deleting the leading rest (you have to do this on all staves, which may mean breaking longer rests into shorter ones; e.g. change a 1/4 rest into a 1/32 plus a double-dotted 1/8, then delete the 1/32), then exporting to midi and re-importing. Alternately, do a barline audit; you still may have touch-ups to do using either approach.

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #2 –
I don't have any experience with this, but here's a thought - open the MIDI file with a sequencer and delete the event(s) that cause the offending import. I presume these would be one of the first few events. What do you think, Fred?

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #3 –
Place a Section Open barline at the correct position for the start of the measure in each staff then do the Audit Barline trick on each staff.
Otherwise pad each staff with enough rests to make up the beat count to a full measure and Audit Barlines.
You may still get some strange notation though!

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #4 –
Fred, I’m curious as to why one would publish a MIDI file, but make it difficult to take apart? If you want to preserve your intellectual rights, wouldn’t it be better to publish in a format that can’t be disassembled? Some web sites I’ve found do not allow downloading of the MIDI file. I arrange music for our church’s brass ensemble, and understand copyrights, so I’m careful about using other people’s work.

I’ll try the tricks that you and others have described. Its really weird looking at a 32nd note tied to a 16th tied to another 32nd all in the same measure, even worst when they cross a bar line!

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #5 –
It's not so much a matter of protecting intellectual property, as it is a matter of not wanting inaccurate scores floating around. I often take "performance liberties" on the midi renditions, which if imported back and converted to a score would give an inaccurate impression. Similarly, I might combine, say, bass and alto trombones on a single channel, which when re-imported would again give the wrong idea (the original "visible" parts having been omitted from the midi because the staves were muted during export). And so on.

In almost all cases I provide either the original NWC file or a pre-digested PostScript score in addition to the midi, so there's really no reason for anyone to tear into the midi itself; it's provided solely for the purpose of listening.

In other cases I put a brief pause at the start of the midi in anticipation of concatenating it (e.g. the "mondo-midis" of The Magic Flute).

As to not allowing downloads of midis -- that's easy to get around. I've done it just to prove it can be done (same with mp3's, or whatever). In my case, I publish my work because I /want/ people to have it; I'd just rather not that they messed with "perfection." (relatively speaking of course) ;-)

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #6 –
Afterthought -- check out miditrim.exe, one of Günter Nagler's free DOS midi utilities. I think it's also included in his shareware Windows "midi utilities" version.

http://www2.iicm.edu/Cpub#freemidi

A zipped-up collection of all the DOS utilities is also available on the Scriptorium.

Re: Opening a midi file

Reply #7 –
After import of a midi, I have padded with the correct rests, the saved again as a midi. Then, imported again. Sometimes this will keep you from having to "clean up" the things a barline audit will not.