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Topic: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files (Read 5460 times) previous topic - next topic

Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

I've looked through previous forum correspondence and could not find any reference to either problem mentioned below, so wonder whether others have noticed them.

Firstly, I find that the final note of an exported NWC file is clipped short when the resultant MIDI file is played back. This occurs whether NoteWorthy Player, the Windows Media Player or the default MIDI player is employed for the playback. This effect is especially noticeable when the final note is tied over other bars and is annoying. The problem does not occur in NoteWorthy Composer, only in coverted MIDI files. I though that adding a number of bars of rests to the ends of the pieces might have solved the problem but that didn't make any difference at all. I also tried adding extra bars of semibreves in an additonal stave, then muting the stave, but that didn't help either.

I have also noticed that files exported to MIDI and then imported back to NWC seem to lose their dynamic references, both notation-wise and, more importantly, as sound. An end of one of my pieces has decreasing dynamics (mf, followed by mp, and finally p) but when played back as a re-converted NWC file, it all sounds at one dynamic level throughout.

I'm using Win95, NWC 1.52a and NWP 1.52 and have an AWE64 sound card. I don't have any problems with NWC in this direction.

Any suggestions for cures to the above problems would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #1 –
I cannot reproduce the problem you describe with play back of exported songs. I suspect that you are either using a sound patch that sustains notes after they shut off, or you have a sustain pedal effect on when the song stops playing. In both of these cases, results could be different in MIDI players, including NWP, since they release the MIDI Mapper device as soon as play is concluded (thus turning off all notes). If you set the MIDI Device to be used "While Playing" in Tools, Options, MIDI, you should get a similar effect in NWC.

NWC import does not take notice of dynamic changes. These have to be added in by hand. See also: https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=135, https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=434, https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=503, https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=648

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #2 –
I haven't noticed the truncated notes, but I'll see if I can duplicate the problem.

Regarding dynamics, this was an issue for me also when I started using NWC. The fact is that all dynamics (note velocity values, as well as other controllers) are stripped on midi import.

This doesn't happen with NW Player, since it actually plays the original midi file. NWC, however, uses the novel approach of controlling dynamics directly by the insertion of dynamics instructions (pp, p, mf, etc.) as well as dynamic variances (cresc., decresc. etc.). This is wonderful for compostion/scoring, but would be *very* difficult, I'm sure, to implement on an import of an arbitrary file. It would have to evaluate the dynamics of the imput file, which could even have large variances from note to note (as usually occurs when played in from a keyboard.) How it would decide how many dynamics and dynamics marking to insert... I have no idea how one would program for that.

That being said, I also wish for maintainance of imported dynamics and controllers, even if they are not displayed in the resulting score.

F

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #3 –
Thanks for the replies so far received. I am using a patch at the end of the piece causing the most trouble, but it's being used merely to provide a specific sound, not to extend note values. I'm not using any pedal effects either. Essentially, the first bar contains a minim (and other notes/rests to bring the bar up to 4/4 time) and that is tied to a semibreve in the following bar which is being terminated too early.

There are times when the problem doesn't exist at all.

I thank you also for confirming the absence of dynamic shadings after re-importation to NWC.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #4 –
Thanks for the replies so far. I've just tried changing the port setting to 'While Playing' as suggested by NoteWorthy Support and it does, indeed, produce the same result in NWC. (My usual port setting is 'Always'). Does that mean that I will have to put up with the problem and that there is no cure?

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #5 –
Try adding some rests to the end of your song, followed by a single note with the volume set down to 1. This will force playback to extend longer, thus completing whatever sound effect you are using.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #6 –
The last reply from NWC Support put me in an experimental mood and I think I now have the perfect solution to the problem. The following describes the steps I adopted after some experimentation.

(a) I added another bar to each of the staves (only two in the test piece I modified) and inserted a semibreve in each so that the note was the same as the final one(s) already in the piece. These new notes were not tied to the previous one(s) in their respective staves.
(b) I pressed D to bring up the Dynamics window and set the following parameters:-
Expression: Pianissimo(ppp)
Note Velocity: 0
MIDI Volume: 0
Both Override Default boxes were then checked after setting the above parameters.

ppp(0,0) then appeared next to the new notes.

Even through headphones I am unable to hear any 'new' note, yet the previous notes I want to hear sound right to the end. If the Override Default boxes are not checked, the Note Velocity and MIDI Volume settings revert to the default ones and the added notes can be heard, albeit at a very low level.

If it is possible for problems to be experienced with the above method, please let me know. I have so far only experimented with the one piece, and I'm obviously delighted with the result.

Thanks to those who assisted.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #7 –
It's easier than I thought. Further experimentation appears to indicate that it's only necessary to 'doctor' one stave, leaving all others as they are.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #8 –
Looks like we resurrected this thread...I added content to the thread because we are directing some support questions to this thread.

Andrew, I am not clear on what you mean by "that info" in your question. NWC automatically creates a "conductor track" when exporting to a "Type 1" MIDI file (it is required by the spec). The basic author text is exported to the MIDI file, and NWC does attempt to recreate it on import.

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #9 –
You can also experience this phenomenon if you use a fermata delay on the last note of your song. Fermata delays are not supported by in MIDI files, so no such delay will exist in an exported MIDI file. If you still want such a delay, you will have to approximate it using either an MPC or insert hidden tempo changes around the note. Make sure that you zero out the fermata delay if you employ this technique.

See also: https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=890

Re: Musical truncation at end of MIDI files

Reply #10 –
Further to John's fix, maybe the right place to put this would be either in the "conductor" track (if you have one) or an "author" track.
An "author" track is a track (staff) that has no notes, but has a meaningful staff name giving things like the piece's name, transcriber's name and e-mail address.
(You'll normally need three tracks for that).
It is a standard used by the Classical Midi Archives and a few other repositories to help keep track of authorship.
Of course we don't need such signatures in NWC files, as Eric has created special fields for that.
(As an aside: Eric, is there a way of exporting and importig that info to/fro MIDI files?)

A