Subject:MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Posted by: kray

Date:9/12/2001 12:50:41 PM

I'm trying to find out HOW to play back MIDI in ACID Music 3.0c Build 284. The documentation only really speaks about midi play back in ACID Pro 3.0 so the manual was of no help. The FAQs on this site only have MIDI answers for Pro 3.0. Same with the Knowledge Base, all Pro 3.0 stuff about midi. I even did a web and usenet search on Google to get any info.

According to the comparison chart, all of the ACID 3.0 products can play back MIDI. I just can't figure out how. Please help me.

Here is what I've done:

1) I made sure that the default midi device was my SoundBlaster Card.
2) I made sure that the MIDI output volume was not off or too low.
3) I dropped a midi file into my ACID project and then painted it so there would be something to playback.

I don't know what else to do. I don't have any options in Music 3.0 like in Pro 3.0 where you can choose the MIDI playback device. I figured since I didn't have any options for midi that Music 3.0 would use whatever the default MIDI playback device was in Windows.

However, I don't hear a thing coming from the MIDI track in Music 3.0. Can you please share with me how I can successfully playback MIDI in ACID Music 3.0.

My PC specs are as follows:

PIII 866Mhz, 384MB RAM, Windows 2K, SB Live 5.1, CDW TDK Velco 10/16/40

Thank you for your support.

Kirsten

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: Rockitglider

Date:9/12/2001 2:32:02 PM

Hello,

Try double clicking on the Track Icon of the Midi track and see if it brings up some kind a properties dialog.

See ya, Rockit

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: kray

Date:9/12/2001 3:02:36 PM

It does bring up a properties box, but there is no MIDI tab.

While I was waiting on an answer from this forum I kept trying more midi files and I finally did hear something. It was an instrument that was playing on MIDI Channel 16.

So I edited the MIDI file so all instruments were using channel 16. I put it in Music and I could hear all of the parts.

I don't know if channel 16 is required by Music, but I didn't see anything in the manual or any where else I've searched that limited what channels I could use.

So is Music and other non-Pro version limited to playing MIDI on channel 16 only?

Kirsten

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: pwppch

Date:9/12/2001 3:54:54 PM

How was the MIDI file authored?
Is it a General MIDI file?

Peter

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: kray

Date:9/12/2001 4:26:46 PM

No it wasn't a general midi file. It was an export from a DJX II keyboard. The channels it uses for it's export is 9-16. Each channel has a different instrument.

How could a file being general midi make a difference? I can hear all insturments if I put all midi on channel 16. Is general midi a "format" or is it like guidelines. Use channel 1 for piano, use channel 10 for drums, etc. ?

Kirsten

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: pwppch

Date:9/13/2001 4:50:32 PM

>>
No it wasn't a general midi file. It was an export from a DJX II keyboard. The channels it uses for it's export is 9-16. Each channel has a different instrument.

I am not familiar with a DJX II, so I don't know what it is exporting or why it uses only channels 9-16. How does it export the file? Does it have a disk or does it merely play out files through a MIDI out port?

>>
How could a file being general midi make a difference? I can hear all insturments if I put all midi on channel 16. Is general midi a "format" or is it like guidelines. Use channel 1 for piano, use channel 10 for drums, etc. ?

GM is a voice standard as well as a channel usage standard. Each program change 0-127 is assigned a specific voice. Channel 10 is reserved for the drum/percussion patches.

Because the voices that ACID uses are GM voice sets by default, if the MIDI file does not follow the GM standard, then it could play back oddly if at all. Since your file was generated by a specific device, then it could be voiced anyway at all.

With out actually seeing the file, it is impossible for me to know what it is or isn't doing. If you feel so inclined, email me the file - unedited - and I will have a look at it.

Peter

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: pwppch

Date:9/13/2001 5:29:42 PM

The MID files that this device supports use non standard GM patches. I downloaded a loop file from the DJX web site and the file contains 1) device specific voice patches and 2) device specific use of channel 10.

If you look on page 82 of the DJX manual, you will see the voice and bank sets the DJX uses internally. The manual also discusses how the channels are assigned and used in the exported midi files.

When loaded into ACID Pro 3, the file indicates "" as the patch. Looking at the actual bank and patch numbers (double click on the "" text) used in the file indicates bank 16128:2 and 16128:1, etc, etc. The GM DLS sound set that ACID uses does not contain banks at 16128. Resetting the banks to 0, permits the file to play, but it is voiced wrong.

Unless you can get a DLS sound set from Yamaha to provide the correct voices, you will have to remap these files to GM voices.

Peter

Subject:RE: MUSIC 3.0c Build 284 won't playback midi

Reply by: pwppch

Date:9/13/2001 5:34:57 PM

>>So I edited the MIDI file so all instruments were using channel 16. I put it in Music and I could hear all of the parts.

I don't know if channel 16 is required by Music, but I didn't see anything in the manual or any where else I've searched that limited what channels I could use.

So is Music and other non-Pro version limited to playing MIDI on channel 16 only?

No. ACID Music will play on all channels. ACID Music DOES NOT permit the use of external MIDI devices. You can only play through the internal Softsynth. Only ACID Pro will permit the use of external MIDI ports.

The reason that you heard channel 16 play is most likely because the bank:patch was a voice in the range of the GM DLS voice set used by the ACID Music Softsynth. By changing all tracks in the MIDI file to use channel 16, you forced ACID to set a usable voice for channel 16, there by playing all voices on that single voice. It probablly sounded terrible.

Peter