Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff (Read 5198 times) previous topic - next topic

importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff

I picked up several MIDI files (from the same source) and
have been importing them to get the music notation. The
original is two-staff, generally 4-part harmony (for the
traditional SATB voices, or for piano or organ. Usually that
is the way the import works. But I have one file where NWC insists
on making the second staff a treble rather than a bass staff.
I can't figure out why: the first few measures are all below
middle C, and the total range is from D above middle C, to
G below middle C. (For the notes that are "too far" from the
treble clef, NWC introduces a third staff, this one properly
bass'ed.) I have tried dinking with the parameters on the
import wizard (with no effect), and deleting the second
staff (which just deletes all the notes on it). Why is the
wizard doing this to me now? (I suspect black magic....) and
how can I exorcise it?

Re: importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff

Reply #1 –
The choice of clef is automatic during import and cannot be adjusted until AFTER the import has completed. Once you have imported the file, you can easily change the clef by using the procedure at https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=3.

Re: importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff

Reply #2 –
Thanks for the quick response. I can do this.

But... is there any quick way of merging the two staves?
I wasn't able to force all the notes onto the treble clef--
whatever I did, about 20% of the notes got siphoned off into
the third staff. Is there any way of avoiding this? Or
recovering quickly?

Also...can you give any hints on how the wizard chooses
the clef? (So I could perhaps tweak the .MID file and fake
it out?)
 

Re: importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff

Reply #3 –
You cannot directly combine two staves. However, you can export both into a type 0 MIDI file, then re-import them as one staff. The type 0 option is in Tools, Options.

If you get a third staff, this must be from some other track in the MIDI file. The Wizard will only split a track into, at most, two parts (staves) automatically. You can make it split into three parts, but this would require manually editing the import instructions.

Lastly, the wizard is fairly primitive at the moment about picking the clef. It simply looks at the highest note found on the staff. If it is above a certain note, a treble clef is chosen. If below, then bass clef is used. It is, however, pretty easy to change after the fact (relative to the work required to actually enter the notes manually, or alter the MIDI file in some way). Note that the MID file includes performance info, rather than visual data, so no clef indication is actually included in the MIDI spec.

Re: importing MIDI & controlling choice of staff

Reply #4 –
Thanks. I'll try twice around the mulberry bush... I think
this will do what I need.

BTW:
Yes, the first (of three) staves is track 0; staves 2 and 3
are from track 1.

I would think that picking the average of the highest and
lowest notes would be a fairly easy way of improving on the
current scheme. Perhaps a future enhancement?

B