Jack's
I have received many inquiries on playing MIDI without a computer, copying
to a CD, etc. |
My Original Question Sent To The Group:
Subject: [MIDIChat] MIDI Without A Computer? What are the various ways you can actually use and play a MIDI file without a computer???? |
| Hi Jack, If they don't know how to play it then what they will need is the file converted to wave. It will have to be CD quality, (16-bit 44100 Hz stereo) which means a huge file to transfer. The only way to 'play' a MIDI file without a computer is very expensive. It requires a sound module, and PA system. I just don't have time to explain it all in email right now. For the moment let me suffice to say that if someone is asking you how to play one, assuredly they haven't got the knowledge to do it, nor probably the knowledge to convert it to wave and burn to CD. If you want a better explanation and a better way to help your web site viewers we should exchange phone numbers. Would take just a few minutes to talk you through the how's and why's so you had a better grasp at what's involved in MIDI file playback. Cat |
| Without disagreeing for a second with Cat, let me just point out that
Nero and similar programs make it fairly easy to burn audio CD's once you
have a file in wave format. It's the first step that's the biggie.... Mike B. |
| It's been written about (and over-complicated) many times but to get
a midi onto a CD as audio you need a sound source, a sound recorder and a
CD burner. The simplest way to do all of the above, if you are satisfied with the sound coming from your soundcard, is this: 1.) Go to your volume control applet, choose Options > Properties, Select Recording, and choose an appropriate input (usually Wave Out, or perhaps "What-U-Hear"). 2.) Open the sound recorder applet (usually Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound Recorder) 3.) Locate the MIDI file you want to record and get ready to play it 4.) In Sound Recorder, press Record 5.) Play the MIDI file 6.) Stop recording and choose File > Save As to save the resulting WAV file. 7.) Use whatever CD burning software that you have to put the WAV file onto the CD. WMP in XP might have that built in. You should first test with 30 seconds or so to make sure that your sound inputs are not too high (if they are, you'll get distortion and possibly some clicks and pops). If distorted, reduce the input in the volume control applet and try again. If you have an external sound source, the procedures are slightly more complicated. You'll need to run a set of cables from your external sound source (keyboard, tone module) to the Line-In on your sound card. The cable needs to be a male stereo mini-plug on that end. The other end depends on your setup. Often, you'll need two 1/4 inch male plugs on the other end. Sometimes the keyboard will have a set of phono plugs in which case you need a cable that ends in two of those. If you're lucky, there will be a single stereo phono-plug or stereo 1/4-inch plug (they DO exist). At that point, you simply need to change the input in the volume control applet to Line-In, play the file through your external device and record as per above. A third option if you have any sort of midi manipulation software is to render the sound through sound fonts or dx instruments or vst instruments. If you have this capability than you can almost certainly record to audio from within that program. You'll still have to choose the appropriate input in the volume control applet and monitor your recording levels. If you have any audio processing software, you'll probably have an option to normalize the output wav file which will help keep a consistent volume when assembling a CD with more than one audio file. There's loads of midi-to-wav rendering programs out there that simplify all this even further but they are simply going to automate the process above. Mike M. |
| Two ways I can think of... Hardware playback... You'll need a synth or a sound module with a floppy (some other kind of storage) drive. Most will play floppy diskettes formatted right from your computer, and just save you midi files (type 0 or 1) on it. Most will play GM or GS format correctly. Software only... There's a software by Roland called VSC MP1 $99 (I think) and plays back midi almost as good as hardware, bundled with a a midi player that can convert your midi file to a high quality WAV file that can be used in burning audio cd. I suggest this is the best way if you would be doing a lot of conversion. You might wanna search for the net for more info on these products. I have tried doing both. Thought this might help, but someone else might be able to explain how to do this better than I can... Bee |
| Have you considered converting your midis to MP3, and just bringing
along an MP3 player to your gigs? :) Wayne R. |
| I hope the above answers will help you be able
to accomplish what you would like to do!!! If I receive additional information regarding this subject I will add it. Jack |
| You can burn or copy MIDI to your computer CD
If your computer CD is read/write just like any other file but you have to
play the MIDI's that you have stored on the CD on a computer CD player as
the MIDI must go through a sound card to play. Jack |
| A very easy way to convert MIDI files to WAV is with the shareware
program WinGroove. URL http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~hiroki/english Another program is MidiToWav by Mino Studio URL http://www.minostudio.com/music/wav.asp You can then use Music Match Jukebox to Convert The WAV file to MP3 if desired. You can also use Music Match to burn the WAV file to a CD-R CD so you can play the file on any CD player. URL http://www.musicmatch.com/ I know there are many more converters and burners out there. Just search with google or your favorite search engine for others. Jack |
| 09/21/07 One Google Search For More Information: Convert MIDI To Other Formats |
A Link That Provides Other Links To All Kinds Of MIDI Information. |
