MIDI Files

[hunnich]

Hi all.

I have a couple of MIDI files created from a digital keyboard on my computer. I wanted to convert them to mp3 or something so i can make audio cds from them. However all my conversions come out with clonking sounds where the drums should be. I know that the problem is that Itunes is using my crappy soundcard to convert the MIDI files, but i was wondering if there was something i could do to make good mp3s.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Duracell]

I know that the problem is that Itunes is using my crappy soundcard to convert the MIDI files, ...

What device do you use to play back your MIDI files, when it sounds good? A wavetable software synthesizer at your PC? If so, then simply blay back your MIDIs and record the sound in real time by using a software like Total Recorder.

Greetings from
Duracell

 

[LTR12101B]

http://timidity.sourceforge.net

No need to buy Total Recorder... Timidity can play and record MIDI to WAV (and even MP3), using either a Gravis Ultrasound patch set (the EAWPATCH set) or one of many SF2 soundfonts
http://www.hammersound.net/cgi-bin/soundlink.pl?action=view_category&category=Collections&ListStart=0&ListLength=15

Hunt down "Generaluser", "All in one", "Fluid V2" - for a quality GM/GD soundbank, you are looking at 16Mb or larger banks, though there are a few good "light" ones as well.

http://www.personalcopy.com/home.htm
The "Merlin" range is reckoned to be a reasonably good smaller soundfont, building on the original EMU 4 and 8MB sets, up to a complete replacement.

PS. If you have the space, stick to WAV, at CD quality, if you are intending to make an audio CD.

 

[hunnich]

http://timidity.sourceforge.net

No need to buy Total Recorder... Timidity can play and record MIDI to WAV (and even MP3), using either a Gravis Ultrasound patch set (the EAWPATCH set) or one of many SF2 soundfonts
http://www.hammersound.net/cgi-bin/soundlink.pl?action=view_category&category=Collections&ListStart=0&ListLength=15

Hunt down "Generaluser", "All in one", "Fluid V2" - for a quality GM/GD soundbank, you are looking at 16Mb or larger banks, though there are a few good "light" ones as well.

http://www.personalcopy.com/home.htm
The "Merlin" range is reckoned to be a reasonably good smaller soundfont, building on the original EMU 4 and 8MB sets, up to a complete replacement.

PS. If you have the space, stick to WAV, at CD quality, if you are intending to make an audio CD.

Hey man,

i have no idea what any of this means cos i'm not a pro at this midi stuff. Could you maybe simplify it for me?

 

[hunnich]

What device do you use to play back your MIDI files, when it sounds good? A wavetable software synthesizer at your PC? If so, then simply blay back your MIDIs and record the sound in real time by using a software like Total Recorder.

Greetings from
Duracell

The MIDI files only sound god on the keyboard. It doesn't sound good at all on my computer. Have you got any software recommendations that might make the files sound better?

 

[VIPER_1069]

has the keyboard got a line out /headphone jack out !?

feed the line out to the line in on the computer and record as wav or mp3 using total recorder to record the incomming input

 

[LTR12101B]

Timidity has evolved a bit since I last paid much attention to it....

http://timidity.s11.xrea.com/index.en.html
One of the 2.13.0 stable binaries (ZIP or Installer) may be the best choice.

http://timidity.s11.xrea.com/files/readme_cfgp.htm
You would also add a config file and soundfont - this page list several config files and where to get the soundfont they refer to.

However, if you just want to hit the ground running, and be off and away:

http://onefreehost.com/saxguru/Timidity.html
The "Full version" includes a usable 6Mb soundfont, and should have you up and running, at least to see if Timidity will do the trick - THEN you can see about using a soundfont of 2, 3, 4, 10 or 20 times the size, if the 6Mb set isn't good enough


If I have time, I might get it set up with a "supersize" sound font - at the moment, I'm playing MIDI through a SBLIVE using the 8Mb EMU soundfont, and it's pretty good.

What soundcard and operating system do you have? - some of the older cards (with no wavetable capability) can be switched to use the Windows DLS wavetable (in Win98SE or later) provided there are WDM drivers for them.

 

[LTR12101B]

Followup... Installed the 2.13.0 from the first link, and failed miserably.

Wandered over to Tim's CFG builder (on the last site I mentioned) and made a very basic CFG - eventually maged to get it to go.

- So I'd recommend the "FULL" with 6Mb soundfont already configured - a lot less hassle!

Moving on, I had it playing ok, but the MP3 support wasn't included, however, if you set the output to "RIFF-WAVE", then instead of playing through, when you select play, it will render to "output.wav" in the same directory as the midi file - I guess you have to rename that if you want to do a second one.

So yes, Timidity will render a midi directly to a WAV, and the quality is down to the soundfont used - it's even possible to combine more than one soundfont, if you like most of one, but want to use an extra instrument pack. I'd suggest going with one of the available CFG + Soundfont setups if the "FULL" doesn't sound good enough, rather than trying to cut & shut your own ... you would pile the SF2 file and the CFG into the same directory as Timidity, and then choose the CFG file in preferences.

It can be a little cranky to set up - some settings only seem to go in properly of you close and rerun, but the quality is something to behold.

 

[hunnich]

Followup... Installed the 2.13.0 from the first link, and failed miserably.

Wandered over to Tim's CFG builder (on the last site I mentioned) and made a very basic CFG - eventually maged to get it to go.

- So I'd recommend the "FULL" with 6Mb soundfont already configured - a lot less hassle!

Moving on, I had it playing ok, but the MP3 support wasn't included, however, if you set the output to "RIFF-WAVE", then instead of playing through, when you select play, it will render to "output.wav" in the same directory as the midi file - I guess you have to rename that if you want to do a second one.

So yes, Timidity will render a midi directly to a WAV, and the quality is down to the soundfont used - it's even possible to combine more than one soundfont, if you like most of one, but want to use an extra instrument pack. I'd suggest going with one of the available CFG + Soundfont setups if the "FULL" doesn't sound good enough, rather than trying to cut & shut your own ... you would pile the SF2 file and the CFG into the same directory as Timidity, and then choose the CFG file in preferences.

It can be a little cranky to set up - some settings only seem to go in properly of you close and rerun, but the quality is something to behold.

Thank you so much for all your help. One more question. how do I get larger soundfonts? I mean where can I download them from? Actually I don't know what soundcard I'm using but I'm using Win XP.

 

[LTR12101B]

If you use an emulating player like Timidity - or one I found from the midi-contest site -
http://www.synthfont.com - another free player that can use soundfonts.
Then it doesn't matter what soundcard.

http://timidity.s11.xrea.com/files/readme_cfgp.htm - this page looks like the best place to go to extent Timidity, as it has pre-prepared CFG files containing more than the bare minimum "get you going" config.

Hammersound (see the FLUID soundfont mentioned on the page) is probably still about the largest soundfont resource - they will have many of the others too, if their home site has gone to the great 404 in the sky.

GeneralUser is also reckoned to be a well balanced soundfont - the install procedure will not be the same as on it's site, - just put the extracted .SF2 in the Timidity directory, add the CFG file for it, and then select the CFG file in Timidity preferences.


http://www.sccmusic.250x.com/sfont/genuser/download.htm - GeneralUser download is here

*** CORRECTION ***
I tried GeneralUser, and the CFG file for it is missing the soundfont name.

Example:
dir "C:\timidity"
dir "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM"
soundfont "Ct4mgm.sf2"
(contents of the CFG I used to activate the one my soundcard normally uses).

If not present in any of the CFG files, you need to add the directory entries, (it seems for both Timidity and the location of the SF2 - not sure if BOTH are needed, I just ripped an example from elsewhere).
And the filename of the SF2

Corrected example for GeneralUser attached - assuming that Timidity is in C:\Timidity, and thge soundfont is copied there.

 

[hunnich]

If you use an emulating player like Timidity - or one I found from the midi-contest site -
http://www.synthfont.com - another free player that can use soundfonts.
Then it doesn't matter what soundcard.

http://timidity.s11.xrea.com/files/readme_cfgp.htm - this page looks like the best place to go to extent Timidity, as it has pre-prepared CFG files containing more than the bare minimum "get you going" config.

Hammersound (see the FLUID soundfont mentioned on the page) is probably still about the largest soundfont resource - they will have many of the others too, if their home site has gone to the great 404 in the sky.

GeneralUser is also reckoned to be a well balanced soundfont - the install procedure will not be the same as on it's site, - just put the extracted .SF2 in the Timidity directory, add the CFG file for it, and then select the CFG file in Timidity preferences.


http://www.sccmusic.250x.com/sfont/genuser/download.htm - GeneralUser download is here

*** CORRECTION ***
I tried GeneralUser, and the CFG file for it is missing the soundfont name.

Example:
dir "C:\timidity"
dir "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM"
soundfont "Ct4mgm.sf2"
(contents of the CFG I used to activate the one my soundcard normally uses).

If not present in any of the CFG files, you need to add the directory entries, (it seems for both Timidity and the location of the SF2 - not sure if BOTH are needed, I just ripped an example from elsewhere).
And the filename of the SF2

Corrected example for GeneralUser attached - assuming that Timidity is in C:\Timidity, and thge soundfont is copied there.

Thank you so much for all your help. The converted files sound so much better than the original MIDI's on my computer but there are still some clonking noises for a couple of instruments. But i hope after dling a larger soundfont the conversions will be perfect. As you can probably tell I'm not much of a computer person and without this forum i think i'd run out of patience with my computer. Thank you all for the help given.

 

[LTR12101B]

One thing, are you on broadband or dilaup - If I were to suggest an 80Mb or larger soundfont, would you be downloading it until the middle of next week?

Seriously though, I'd start with a large one that has a CFG file available (I don't understand the CFG, but it must help) - and correct the CFG file as described.

If it's still the drumkit tht's giving trouble, maybe an alternative drumkit over a medium sized soundfont would be the answer - though that means getting into the CFG tool on Tim's site.

Maybe playing/recording from your keyboard would be better - Amp out to soundcard Line in, as you would get exactly the same sounds.