Subject:The gods must be crazy...

Posted by: dkistner

Date:12/29/2002 2:15:30 PM

In my scoring program, Harmony Assistant, middle C is C4. When I export to a midi file and pull it into Cubase, it's C3. I can pull the same midi file into Acid Pro 4, and it's C5! Jiminy Christmas!

I just learned how to semi-read music last year, so I'm losing my mind here. Brain flips and flops do not come easy for me.

Anyone got any suggestions for how to stay sane with this?

Diane

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:12/29/2002 2:31:47 PM

Put a little post-it note on your computer monitor listing which middle C is in each of your applications.

Sometimes the simplest method is the best ;)

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: dkistner

Date:12/29/2002 2:43:51 PM

I was hoping you'd tell me there's a way to automatically have the programs in question transpose everything automatically! Like Acid would transpose down an octave; Cubase up an octave. Unfortunately, my brain does not do on-the-fly translations very well, no matter how many little pieces of paper I have stuck around. :( Plus it's a drag having to transpose every single instrument manually.

Poo.

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: Jessariah

Date:12/29/2002 5:06:33 PM

It shouldn't be that tough -- select your whole MIDI file and give a +12 or -12. The MIDI file is what you are going to want transpose, cuz it will actually play the note an octave higher or lower, as opposed to altering the wave file up or down.

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: DjXSoundz

Date:12/29/2002 5:20:43 PM

agreed.

thats a bunch of shit though that they're all different

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: dkistner

Date:12/29/2002 5:42:50 PM

I'll do what Jessariah suggests, because I haven't figured out a quicker way. I agree with you DjXSounds! The other question I have, for those with discerning ears, is whether the tones are actually the same even if the notes are displayed differently (e.g., C4 in one plays at the same frequency as C5 in another)?

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/29/2002 10:51:44 PM

You all might want to check out this thread from a couple months ago.

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: dkistner

Date:12/30/2002 6:55:03 AM

Iacobus, thanks for this enlightening link...and thanks everyone else for your suggestions. I figured I wasn't the only one who had encountered this. And I can see why SoFo went with C5 as middle C, if that's what most of the midi keyboards are set to.

I somewhat answered my question about how the various notes play by checking the midi value in all my programs. A rose (middle C) by any other name is still midi 60. So I take it that means I don't have to worry about the pitches of my compositions being shifted from program to program. I just need to compose in my scoring program, which is what I'm used to (middle C=C4).

HOWEVER, in Acid I was having to take SampleTank instruments down an octave almost routinely, so I want to check and see what's going on with that. Is that a SampleTank flaw or an Acid flaw? When I double-click on C5 in the List Editor in Acid, it gives me a value of 60; but is it outputting it through SampleTank as 60? I wonder....

Diane

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: SonicJG

Date:1/3/2003 5:41:12 PM

Adding a pref for defining which notes go with which numbers is on the list for the future--possibly 4.0c, but more likely 5.0.

Joel

Subject:RE: The gods must be crazy...

Reply by: dkistner

Date:1/3/2003 6:52:04 PM

Good news, Joel. And good news that you're talking 5.0! I'm enjoying the new stability of 4.0b, btw. Thank your team again.