Jack's
"MIDI Music"
FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
(This Page Started July 9, 2000)

Well, after three years I finally started this frequently asked questions page.  I am positive at this time that it will not answer every question you might have, but it's a starting point. I will attempt to keep the page updated with new questions and answers.

Would you please read through the following FAQ's before writing in case your question is answered here?

Please Write For Sure  about any of the following items:

• Anything not already addressed in the FAQ!  Please, when replying to me, keep the prior correspondence in the mail, even if you have to copy it from the original message!  I get so many mails and write so many that I can't always remember what you are replying to!   I keep correspondence for about three months.  I sort and file by the last name of the person who sent me the mail, if they do not have a web site or by the name of their web site if known so it is a good idea to refer to the name of your web site in your mail!
• Bad or broken links to files or web pages.  These occur for several reasons.  The file may have been corrupted in an upload.  HTML problems include some servers being case-sensitive to filenames and/or a FTP client changing the case of beginning letters in filenames so the file is one way and the html is the other.  In reference to broken web page links.  I have over 300 links to other peoples web pages and sometimes people move or drop their site without advising me and if they do that and have not provided a ongoing forwarding page the url will eventually become broken. This will always be an ongoing problem so I appreciate your alerts!  Last but not least, the server that is supporting the link could be down for maintenance.  I have had two cases where a server was down for at least three days.
• Corrupted files.  I appreciate your alerts!  I will check it out and E-mail you another one if I have it and it is not corrupted!
• Corrections to titles, artists names, and sequencer information!  Probably one of the hardest things to get right.  I have seen the same artists name spelled as many as three different ways.
• Can you send me MIDI files!  New MIDIs are always welcome!  but, please E-mail me first about the file!  I may already have it as I currently have over 60,000 MIDIs off line, stored on Zip drives.  No use taking up your time and mine, and filling up my limited E-mail in-box, if I already have it.  When mailing please advise the Song Title, the Category you feel it should be in, the Artist if known and if at all possible who sequenced the song, so I can give them proper credit and/or get their permission to post it to my page!

• 01  "I'd like to make a request?" or "Do you know where I can find a certain song?"  
• Please send all requests for songs with MIDI Request in the subject line of your E-mail:  If you just write without Request in the subject line I might ignore the mail as I get so much spam mail!  If a song isn't on my site then I may be able to assist you in finding it.  Also try some of the sites on my links page.  Please only request one tune at a time.
• 02  "Will you E-mail me this file? (for whatever reason)"
  Yes, I will.  - Please allow 3 to 5 days before E-mailing again.  Please give me
  the name of the song and if possible, the page where you saw the file!
• 03  "How do I download MIDIs from your page?"   
• Downloading any type of file from a page on the internet usually requires simply highlighting and then right-clicking on the file name (for PC's) and choosing "Save As" or "Save Link As" from the pop-up menu.  For the Mac try holding down the mouse button for a few seconds.
  If this doesn't work you are probably using a browser with which I'm unfamiliar.
  I will have to E-mail the file to you.
  MIDI Download - More Explanation
• 04  "I want to put a link to your site!  Do you have a banner or button?"  
• Thank you!  You don't need to write for permission!  Please follow the link below to pick one of my buttons or banners or pick one up directly off of one of my pages!
  Go here: http://www.discoverynet.com/~ajsnead/example/crescend.html
• 05  "Would you make a MIDI of this song for me?"
• Sorry, This Is Something I Don't Do And Can Not Do.  I wish I could!   Unfortunately I simply
  do not have the time or the expertise!  Try writing the many sequencers credited at my  Sequencers Page!  Several of them will do it for you.  Some for a fee,  some for free!
  Be Prepared To Give Them Information About The Tune.  Sheet Music, The Lyrics, Etc.
  Also Check Out The Yahoo MIDI CHAT Discussion Group And Join Up.
• MIDI CHAT
• 06  "I'm having trouble getting MIDIs to play" and/or "I have no sound"
• There are many reasons this can happen--and I don't know the fix for  all of them!  But, first, be sure you have Crescendo.  This plug-in works for most, but not all browsers. (Make sure the installation worked!  In Netscape go to the Help menu and choose "About Plug-Ins."  You should see "Live Update Crescendo" listed in the table for .mid extensions.) Then  troubleshooting steps are obvious:  Be sure your volume is on (right-click on the MIDI player and look at "volume" on the menu),  make sure your Windows volume settings for MIDI are turned on, check your speakers, and make sure you don't have a hardware conflict. You might also run through my tests to see if there might be something that helps you.  (Jacks Crescendo Tests Index)
• 07  "Can I have your permission to post your MIDIs on my site?"
• Thank you again for being polite enough to ask!  I can't give you permission for that since I did not sequence the files.  That's not a "No" - See my disclaimer at the bottom of many of my pages!  Many of the files are free to post, however, if I have given credit to a sequencer,
  more than likely I have received their personal permission to post their file to my web pages, But That Does Not Authorize Me to allow you to post it.  I would suggest writing the sequencer directly, very few will turn you down.  If You Can't Contact The Sequencer Then The Final Decision To Post The MIDI Is Yours, not Mine!
• 08  "How do I put a MIDI on my webpage?"
• One Example:  Use the html tag <embed src="filename.mid" autostart="true">
  Substitute the name of your MIDI for filename.mid and upload the file and your .html page to your server and you should be able to play it.
  That example is just for starters and it will play background music that Netscape,  Internet Explorer and most other browsers can read.
  Go to my Examples & Tests Pages  for other possibilities to help get you started.
• 09  "Can I put a direct link on my page to a MIDI on your server/site?"
• Thank you for being polite enough to ask!  Please DON'T!  Because, to do this is considered to be very poor NetEtiquette by every web page designer that I know.
• In many cases it even costs the web site more money for their site and sometimes even causes them to have to abandon their site.  In addition, everyone moves files around, renames them, deletes them etc., and you will end up with a lot of broken links on your page and then people will quit looking at your site!
• The Following Is A Quote From A Friend Of Mines Web Page Regarding This Subject.
• "Lately, we've noticed that some of our individual MIDI and graphic file download counts are higher than our page hit counts for the related pages.  This means that some web page creators are embedding file/link references into their web pages that point to specific files located on our web server.  This is not a nice thing to do, as the file download cost (file size) is charged against OUR web page transmission limits, instead of theirs.
• If you want only specific files to be available on your web pages, please download them from our site and then upload them to YOUR server, for YOUR visitors.  Don't forget to obtain permission from the sequencer of the file!  Otherwise, PLEASE provide a link to one of our web PAGES, so your visitors can actually see where the file is coming from, along with all the other useful information we provide about the MIDI files on our pages.  The .htm and .html files on our web site will always remain in the same directory, so these will never give your visitors any "File Not Found" problems (unless we change ISP's).
• Why do we mention this?  We are in the process of creating a new directory structure for the files contained on our web pages. This reorganization will unfortunately result in every one of these unauthorized external file link references becoming broken and will generate an "Error 404 - File Not Found" error, which will only frustrate your visitors.  Every time we modify our directory structure your visitors would likely receive this nasty error."
• 10  "Can you provide your files zipped up?"
• Only for individual file requests, not as a zip-pak, of, for example, one of my entire pages.
• 11 "You never responded to my guestbook entry!"
• I'm sorry! I must have missed it!  Thank you for signing!  I'll Get Back To You!
  I Now Answer All Guestbook Entries On The Guestbook Page.  After You Sign Check Back In A Few Days For My Answer.  Please Do Not Make MIDI Requests In The Guestbook, Do That By Regular E-Mail.  See Question 01 Above.
• 12  "How do I make a MIDI file?"
• There are many programs and equipment for making MIDIs.  Again, as I am not a musician or sequencer myself, I really do not know all that is required.  Check out the following company sites for starters.  Also Check Out The MIDI CHAT Discussion Group And Join Up.
• MIDI CHAT
• 13  "You Did Not Answer My Request For A MIDI file?"
• I again apologize.  I get anywhere from 20 to 60 requests per day.  Many times I have to research the tune and it takes a lot of time.  If I don't get back to you in about two weeks hit me again.
• 14  "How Do I Play MIDI/Karaoke Files?"
• Karaoke Files Are Actually MIDI Files With The Lyrics Included In The File.  If The File Ends With The Extension, .mid You Can Make A Copy Of The File And Change The Extension To .kar.  Some MIDI Players Such As VanBasco Will Display The Lyrics No Matter Whether The Extension Is .mid Or .kar.  Some Karaoke Players Will Not Recognize The File As Being Karaoke Unless The File Extension Is .kar.  There Are Many Players Out There, Some Commercial And Some Free.  Following Are Just A Few That I Know About.
  K Play By Karakan, VanBasco, WinKaraoke Player, Diversi-Tune, Soft Karaoke by Tune 1000 Corp. (Commercial), PC Karaoke by Turtle Beach Corp. (Commercial), KaraDOS by Jean-Pierre Cocatrix (Shareware), MPLAY by Henry T. So Jr. (Shareware)
  Do A Search On Google For Karaoke Players And You'll Find A Bunch!
  Search On Google For Free Karaoke Players For Your Computer
• 15  "Can I Play MIDI Files Without A Computer?"
• Please Refer To My Separate Page Regarding This Subject
  MIDI No Computer
• 16 "I Have Web TV - How Do I Use A MIDI File?"
• Please Read Question 09 Above And Then Go To The Following URL's Which Are Great Sources Of Information For WEB TV Users
  Help For WEB TV Users
  WEB TV Help For Transloading

Band In A Box

Cakewalk

WinJammer Software, Ltd.

ZicWeb Computer Music

A Link That Provides Other Links To All Kinds Of MIDI Information.
You Might Want To Check It Out!
Click To Visit Yahoo! - Entertainment: Music: Computer Generated MIDI

"Disclaimer"