The "Frequently Asked Midi Questions Page"

If you still can't figure it out, there is still Jan's Midi Troubleshoot Page.

The page with the problems from the first moment how to install Midi on the computer..

Is the Midifile a cover of a foreign (original) song.
The music stays the same, right?

For more tips have a look at Jan's Midisearchpage.

Or try a Midifile search engine

For example Musicrobot or Van Basco's Midi-searchmachine.

Turn off the melody track (Mute),
and play the melody yourself.
This way you automatically have an orchestral tape.

then your Midifile is "mix-downed"
This means that all tracks are placed in one track.

You can get this right again (all tracks visible again) by "Remixing".
You do this as follows:

• set your "Left Locator to 1" & "Right Locator to about 200"
  the midi file will probably not be much longer.
• select the track
• go to "Structure" and click on "Remix"
• See here, the old familiar tracks are back.

Don't forget to delete the original track. Otherwise everything sounds double.

Cubase SX works a little differently. Here it is called "Dissolve Part".

set your "Left Locator to 1" & "Right Locator to about 200" the midi file will probably not be much longer. select the track go to "Midi" and click on "Dissolve Part" Then choose in the menu "Separate Channels"

 

In Cubase kan dit bijvoorbeeld als volgt:

• Put your "Left Locator on 1" & "Right Locator on 5"

• Press the button "Loop" , "Cycle" of

• Select the drum channel (usually channel 10 or 16)

• Make sure the "Click" button is on (for metronome sound)

• And just record. First the Base Drum then the Snare Drum.

• Then .... Whatever you like.

Is everything ready?
Then we're going to copy the rhythm beat a few times.

• select the measure (track turns black)

• go to "Structure" and click on "Repeat" (or CTRL + K)

• indicate how often this beat should come back. (e.g. 40 times)

• And Ready !!!

The basic rhythm has been created.
Now for the next drum tracks for the refined drum part.

then this can of course be sent as an attachment.
But if you want to send multiple Midifiles, the total file size quickly becomes large.
Then zip the files. (This is called compressing. "Zipping" e.g.)

How to do this:

• Use a special packing program. "WinZip" for example.
  Klik hier to download "WinZip" (ca. 1,2 MB)

• Have a good look how this program works.

The advantage of this is that Midi files are data files.
Data can be compressed (packaged) very well. Sometimes 10 times smaller.
And you can send all Midifiles as one packing file.
(Saves a lot of download time !!!).

Especially if you want to send several Midifiles, WinZip makes one zipped file. (e.g. "Midifile.zip" ).

For an explanation of how WinZip works and how to install it:

• Basic WinZip information

• WinZip Nederlandse uitleg.

Have a look at the website of "GNMIDI - Midi Tools for Windows" and look for the tab Freeware
Here you will find a lot of Share and Freeware for Midi.

For example converting "Midi Format 1" to "Midi Format 0"
(What is "Midi Format 1" ?)

 

• Winamp

• Van Basco's Karaoke Player

Winamp is a nice general Media player that can handle almost all sound files.
Like Audio CD's, WAV files, MP3's and last but not least Midifiles.

Van Basco's Karaoke Player is a beautiful Midi player with nice gadgets.

Try them out.

 

The hard disk is stuffed with it.

How useful it would be to be able to print out the directories containing all those Midifiles. Can we find a little bit of what we all have.

There is a program that neatly solves this for us.
Once installed, we only have to go to the relevant directory, right-click and choose: "Print Directory Listing".

The program is called "ExpPrint" created by JD Design. (Shareware)

Klik hier om "ExpPrint" te downloaden (ca. 155 Kb).

Then there is something great: the YAMAHA Soft Synthesizer S-YXG50.
The S-YXG50 thus ensures that your computer thinks that you have installed a new sound card.
So you have an extra (software) MIDI driver with your Multimedia settings.
With the S-YXG50 you can play Midi files with a very high quality.

 

Go to www.yamaha.co.uk/xg and download S-YXG50 of S-YXG100.

Both are trial versions, so you can only use them for 90 days, after which you have to register.

The best-known program that you can use for Newsgroups is the old trusted Outlook-Express.
But the programs that work better are "X-News"  , "Newsrover"  , "Grabit" and "Free Agent" 

If you choose for "Grabit", than there is here is a very nice description to download.
(source: www.jritservice.nl )

Most Newsgroups are in English, but there are also Dutch Newsgroups.
Examples of Newsgroups are:

• alt.binaries.sounds.midi.to.wav

• alt.binaries.sounds.midi-tools

• alt.binaries.sounds.midi-utilities

• alt.binaries.sounds.midi

• comp.music.midi

But also "alt.music.instrument.keys" or "alt.music.hammond-organ" are nice Newsgroups.

"alt.binaries.sounds.midi" is one of the most used Midi Newsgroups .
Binaries Newsgroups often contain attachments, so it's worth checking out.

Be careful because attachments can contain viruses !!!

If you want to make a question or request for a Midifile yourself, you can post this way:
Place in the "subject field: REQ: Midifile title"
("Midifile title" is therefore the title of the Midifile you are looking for).

You can read how you work with Newsgroups in:  

• http://web.planet.nl/specials/nieuwsgroepen or

• http://www.binaries4all.nl/beginners
  

 

The hard disk is stuffed with it
This way you can make a list of all your Midi files in text, excel or HTML .
The program with which you can do this is called: "File-list".
It's also Freeware. (Eike Hansen, thank you).

Click here to download "File-list" 

A very nice virtual theater organ is the "Miditzer" or a combination of Midi & Wurlitzer.
It's Freeware and your desktop turns into a Wurlitzer style216 theater organ with registers and combination buttons.
by means of our Midi you can control it in real time.

The Miditzer's console in desktop format.
Preference is to play on an organ with Midi.
This is because you then have 2 keyboards and foot pedals, but you can also conjure up nice sounds on a keyboard.

It is free to download at: http://www.virtualorgan.com .

Try it out. It works great. So you see, beautiful programs don't have to be expensive.
Everything can be found. It also explains how to download extra quality soundfonts for even more fun.

Also there is a forum with questions and answers about the Miditzer. 

 

Midifiles are fun to play with, to play with, to sing along to, but oh, oh .......

• The pitch is too high or too low for me, so I can't sing along..
• I can only play the "C" scale, nice only the white keys.
• My wind instrument plays better in a different pitch.

Well, it would be nice if you could change this, AND YOU CAN !!! It's MIDI for a reason.

In the music world they call it Transpose or Transpose.
Music and MIDI sequencers have this feature. How does this work:

In Cubase:

• Select the tracks (tracks) you want to raise or lower (transpose)
• Press CTRL + H (the Transpose/Velocity menu)
• Choose the number of "semitones" (the notes you want to hear higher or lower + is higher, - is lower).
• Press "Do"
• Choose "Exit" and listen.

In Cakewalk:

• Select the tracks (tracks) you want to raise or lower (transpose)
• At the top of the menu, choose: "Edit" and then select "Transpose"
• Enter the number of semitones at "Amount".
• Press "OK".

Please note that you cannot transpose the Drum track. Otherwise you will get very strange drum sounds. (Maybe funny too)

 

Enjoy browsing Jan's Midipage at work. If you learn about Midi at work, you can try it out at home.
But, oh woe, as long as the boss doesn't see it. "WON'T YOU EVEN GO TO WORK....!!!"
Of course we don't want that.

Golden tip:

Is the boss near? Simultaneously press the
Windows key together with the "M" key.
Your internet screen immediately disappears in the taskbar.

And then of course you go to work.

.  

 

What is also very nice is to play on a Hammond organ, for example.
But yes .... Most people don't have such a nice organ at home. BUT A COMPUTER DOES!!

In the Computer/Midi world there is also such a thing as Virtual Studio Technology or VST.
VST was designed by Steinberg, the creator of Cubase.

There are also free programs that support VST. You can even imitate a Hammond organ with this.
With drawbars and much more.

Have a look at What is VST or Jan's Midifaqs for more explanation.

Do you have an electric guitar at home without Midi?
Go crazy and connect Midi to it for free and for free !!

There is a program called "Guitar Synth" from Laterol Solution ltd.
"Guitar Synth" is a program that converts, simply put, "microphone" vibrations into Midi sound.
Only in this case it is not microphone vibrations but guitar string vibrations.
The program converts the vibrations of the guitar string (via the guitar itself) into sound from your Midi-wavetable of your sound card.

You connect your electric guitar (with an adapter plug from Jack/Headphone plug to mini-jack/Walkman headphone plug) to the Microphone input (not your line-in) of your sound card.

Guitar Synth can be downloaded from: www.lateralsol.com (shareware)

 

So you play a tune on your guitar and you hear church organ on your computer, for example.
The condition is that you "Midi Yoke" have to install.

Midi Yoke is a MIDI Patch Cable driver or a Windows (Version 3.1x, 95, 98 and ME) multimedia driver.

Then restart your computer and install Guitar Synth.

Press the square "Sampling" button and play.

There is a nice site where you can easily create your own Midifile online.
Professional Midi files are of course better made with a real sequencer, but it is a lot of fun to play around with this on this site.
Advantage: you don't have to install anything. Very useful to make a ringtone for your cell phone.
Have fun with it.

The Onlineplace Midimaker

VST or Virtual Studio Technology is a MEGA invention.
You can download enough virtual Synthesizers, Organs, Drumcomputers and much more on the internet.

Have a look at What is VST or Jan's Midifaqs for more explanation.

VST-Host by Hermann Seib is a small program with which you can start the VST instruments.
VSTi's ofwel VST-instrumenten zijn vaak .DLL-files (Dynamic Link Library-files)

VSTis or VST instruments are often .DLL files (Dynamic Link Library files)

Hermann Seib also created SAVIHOST.
Allows you to make your VSTis "Standalone" (i.e. self-bootable, press the button and play)
Savihost is a small program, as .EXE file that you have to rename to the appropriate VST ".DLL file"

So Hammond.dll (as a VST tool) and Savihost together goes like this:
Rename "Savihost.exe" to "Hammond.exe".
Just make sure that the .DLL file is in the same folder as the renamed Savihost file.

Click here to download VST-Host 
Click here to download Savihost 

NB:
Always set the Midi and Wave devices the first time on startup at the renamed Savihost (eg Hammond.exe). (one-time). Otherwise it won't work.

Have a look at the VST & VSTi-menu for links to VST instruments.

 

 

A nice VST tool is Universal UVI player from Ultimate Soundbank.
You can use this as a VSTi plugin, but also on its own (standalone).

You can download the UVI player for free with 3 great
demo soundbanks. i.e.

"Retro Organs" including the beautiful Hammond sample Baby Jazz.(94 MB)
"Synths Anthology" (130 MB)
"X-Treme FX" (130 MB)

"UVI-player" is for the PC 20 MB & for the Mac 56 MB.

Click here to go to the Ultimate Soundbank site and download the demo soundbanks. And the Player, of course.

 

There are many nice videos to be found on the YouTube website.
For example, just type in the search field of Youtube: Midi or Fun Midi or Midi keyboard.
You will also find nice videos with music under brand names of keyboards.

Click here to go to Youtube.

You will be amazed at what can be found there.

I don't know the title but I do know the melody....
That happens very often and that is why there is a great solution on the internet.

Genaamd:

Through this Musipedia you can play on a piano keyboard so that Musipedia finds which melody it is.
Musipedia finds quite a lot of solutions.

You can search in several ways.

• On a beautiful (flash) piano keyboard
• A (Javascript) keyboard where you can determine the note lengths yourself
• Through the microphone. Whistle or sing the song and Musipedia will find the melody.
• Even tapping the rhythm of the melody on the computer keyboard

Click here to go to Musipedia

Not only Musipedia is a good way to search for a melody that you don't know the title of.
Melodycatcher also already has a large database of melody recognition.
The database contains classical themes, folk tunes as well as many modern melodies and continues to grow.

Click here to go to Melodycatcher

 

Also Midi freeware is Midi Jam.

This allows you to play Midi files and enjoy watching self-playing musical instruments.
Just for fun.

You can download it at: http://www.gamesbyscott.com/midijam.htm

Download and extract.
Place your nice Midifiles in the same subdirectory (which also contains some examples).

In the directory choose "Midisearch.exe"
(Maybe first choose: "Search for Songs")
Select a Midifile and click on "Launch"

Then it will play automatically.

With key "1" (the key "one" above the Q)
the instruments are all there.

Just listen and watch.

Have fun.

VST is great when it comes to Midi. Of course we already knew that.
We also knew that there are free Virtual instruments available on the internet.
Still, I don't want to withhold a collection of Freeware VST instruments from you.

Elektrostudio offers a collection of 10 analog synths.
Familiar sounds can be heard here. Even a rhythm box that surprisingly resembles an accompaniment by Jean Michel Jarre.
Take a look at their site elektrostudio.org and try out all the buttons.
With "tapeotronic" the flap can also be raised. Nice to see.

These VSTs are already made self-bootable (Standalone Windows only, built-in VST host)
or can be used separately as a DLL file (so also for Mac).
With the standalone version you can first select your sound card in the settings (with Wave) when starting up.
Also set the Midi in settings. All this is one time.
Then start the engine with the space bar. Then he does.
The program often already has presets. F8 is one preset ahead and F7 one back.

 

 

Eén van de betere VST instrumenten (en mijn grote favoriet) is Hauptwerk.
Hauptwerk is een hoogwaardig gesampelde orgelsimulator.
Veel wordt het gebruikt om kerkorgels te simuleren.
Maar zoals u ziet gebruik ik het voor theaterorgels.

Een ware belevenis om te zien, horen en voelen.

Paramount 310 theaterorgel

 

Barton 3/12 theaterorgel

Morton 3/10 theaterorgel

 

Because I work a lot with real theater organs as a hobby and I don't have the space at home to place such a large majestic organ, I went on a virtual tour.
And must say, it comes very close to it. (Real remains better of course)

Hauptwerk does this very well.
It is also largely free to use.
Of course the paid version is a lot better, but free will get you a long way.
How do you work with Hauptwerk?

 

• Download Hauptwerk

• Download Organ-samplesets (like a theater organ. The above are freeware)

• How to proceed. Have a look at this site.