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Topic: Questions... (Read 3335 times) previous topic - next topic

Questions...

How do you:
1. create a chord of notes but have different volumes for individual notes?

2. Have two instruments play the same melody on the same channel? (e.g, a Harp with a Koto)

3. I downloaded a MIDI from www.vgmusic.com, and it had an 'Open High Hat' playing on channel 3. How do you do this?

Re: Questions...

Reply #1 –
Only way I can think of for 1. is to make two staves, one with one series of notes of the chord ie.root, and the other (as many as you like) with other members, 3rd 5th etc and set up different volumes for each staff and then layer them F2/Visual/Layer. Could be messy and time consuming.and 2.Different instrument sounds on the same staff done the same way.Just copy the one staff and paste below, change the instrument and layer.

Re: Questions...

Reply #3 –
MIDI only allows one patch (instrument sound) at a time on each of its 16 logical (as opposed to physical) channels.  If you want 2 instruments playing the same melody at the same time you need to copy that staff (in NWC, a track in MIDI) and change the MIDI channel to an unused one and change the instrument sound.  You can hide that staff in NWC if you don't want to see the same melody twice.

llucyy's reply is how you get your chord with different note volumes.  Just as with different instruments, each MIDI channel can only be set to one volume level at a time, so be sure to choose a dirrerent MIDI channel for each layered staff used for different volume notes in a chord, even if they are all set to the same instrument.

As for percussion on MIDI channels other than 10, they probably set a patch (control change) to a higher bank on channel 3.  Not all sound cards or synths will support this, I know Yamaha hardware and software synths will.

Re: Questions...

Reply #5 –
Hi Matthew,

Here's the address to a Videogame MIDI website [VgMusic] containing the MIDI I was reffering to which has two notes playing the same melody, but an octave between each other. http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/snes/index-af.html

I assume that you are referring to your point 2 in your first post:

2. Have two instruments play the same melody on the same channel? [e.g, a Harp with a Koto]

As far as I'm aware this can't be done and in your example isn't.

[The actual MIDI is Enchanted Wood - "Forest Interlude" in the Donkey Kong Country 2]. Listen to Channels 1 and 2.

I downloaded this midi and found that channel 1 has three note chords (octave apart) playing on the "reed organ" and channel 2 has the same three note chords also on the "reed organ" but delayed by a quaver (8th note).

When I imported it into NWC I accepted the default range recommendations for each staff.  So for the first 2 channels I wound up with 4 staves.

Staff 1 was channel 1 - top 2 notes in the chord,
Staff 2 was channel 1 - bottom note in the chord
Staff 3 was channel 2 - top 2 notes in the chord,
Staff 4 was channel 2 - bottom note in the chord

This only highlights that NWC can use the same channel for more than 1 staff, but in no way suggests that more than one instrument patch can successfully be used _concurrently_ on one channel.

You could make such an assignment, but the last instrument patch to be sent to the synth would affect all staves using that channel.

So rather than 2 instruments per channel, this example is 2 channels per instrument.  Actually, String Ensemble has 5 channels.

The instrumental assignments in this example are:
Ch.- Instrument
01 - Reed Organ
02 - Reed Organ
03 - Lead 8 (brass + lead)
04 - String Ensemble 1
05 - String Ensemble 1
06 - String Ensemble 1
07 - String Ensemble 1
08 - String Ensemble 1
09 - Rock Organ
10 - Drums
11 - Celesta
12 - Bottle Blow
13 - Bottle Blow
14 - Tango Accordian
15 - Tango Accordian
16 - Flute

Also from your first post:
3. I downloaded a MIDI from www.vgmusic.com, and it had an 'Open High Hat' playing on channel 3. How do you do this?

In the gm standard instrument patch 119 is a Reverse Cymbal.  Perhaps this is what you heard?

On the other hand, are you sure is was _channel_ 3?  Perhaps you could post a link to the example.

Hope I have helped,
Lawrie

Re: Questions...

Reply #6 –
It was DEFINITELY an 'Open Hi Hat', which is a B flat note in the bass clef on the 2nd line up. The wierd thing is, that I just downloaded the midi, and this instrument was in Channel 10. I'm 100% certain I downloaded a version of this MIDI with the OHH in Ch3.