[SOLVED] Windows 10 default MIDI player

spantini

spantini

COO of me, inc.
Anyone know what player comes standard with Win 10 - not an add-on? I guess what I really mean is what is Windows 10 using for sounds when I play a MIDI file? I downloaded a MIDI file (drums) and clicked to play, as I would an mp3. Media Player opened and played it. Sounded like a thin, plinky piano.
 
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Not sure how Media Player would even know that your MIDI file was "supposed" to be drums... it's all just MIDI data... I don't think Windows 10 has any "built in" MIDI player. Usually you'd just open/import a .MID file into Reaper and put whatever instrument (Drums) VSTi on the track you were expecting to hear.
 
It's a MIDI Sequence file. I opened it to see if it expanded to some kind of list showing each piece in the drum kit, but it just opened Media Player and began playing. I have no drum sounds connected, so it played what sounds like piano. I'm curious to know where it's getting those piano sounds. Is there some kind of simple synth buried in my Windows 10?

I did drop it into reaper and opened it in the piano roll editor showing a complete drum track's notes. I assigned MT Power Drums to the track and it played perfectly - everything seemed correctly mapped.

IF you're using Windows, maybe try clicking on a MIDI Sequence file (in it's folder) and see if Media Player plays something.
 
Media Player is probably just using General MIDI and Piano is the most common thing and would be the default sound for any "MIDI Player", unless the .MID file specifically called out a Program Change in the "Note" data. Adding MT Power Drum Kit to the track works because most Drum Programs use the same "Notes" for the same Drums. It's "General MIDI Standard". Some Drum VSTi's deviate from General MIDI Standard though.
 
Ujn Hunter said:
Media Player is probably just using General MIDI and Piano is the most common thing and would be the default sound for any "MIDI Player", unless the .MID file specifically called out a Program Change in the "Note" data. Adding MT Power Drum Kit to the track works because most Drum Programs use the same "Notes" for the same Drums. It's "General MIDI Standard". Some Drum VSTi's deviate from General MIDI Standard though.
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This is the MIDI standard, channel 10 is where your MIDI drums live. That would be how it interprets it. If it is a single channel (drums) it defaults to channel one.
 
spantini said:
Anyone know what player comes standard with Win 10 - not an add-on? I guess what I really mean is what is Windows 10 using for sounds when I play a MIDI file? I downloaded a MIDI file (drums) and clicked to play, as I would an mp3. Media Player opened and played it. Sounded like a thin, plinky piano.
Click to expand...
I just played a couple of midi files on my Win10 system - sounds like the same crappy soundbank that's come with Windows since it's had MIDI functionality. No velocity layering, a single small sample for the entire range of the instrument that's been looped that kills all realism and makes them sound like caricatures of the instruments.
 
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brassplyer said:
I just played a couple of midi files on my Win10 system - sounds like the same crappy soundbank that's come with Windows since it's had MIDI functionality. No velocity layering, a single small sample for the entire range of the instrument that's been looped that kills all realism and makes them sound like caricatures of the instruments.
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That's it! It's infected both our systems :laughings:These sounds don't seem to be (easily) accessible. There's no instrument and I see nothing in Windows' Sounds or Sound Control Panel.
 
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spantini said:
That's it! It's infected both our systems :laughings:These sounds don't seem to be (easily) accessible. There's no instrument and I see nothing in Windows' Sounds or Sound Control Panel.
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The onboard Windows MIDI sounds aren't worth accessing. The whole 128 voice wavetable is probably something like a couple of megs if that. A decent sound has individual samples that are bigger than that. The way I've fooled around with better quality MIDI is with Soundfonts, editing with Vienna Soundfont Editor. It's tedious but allows you to create powerful .wav based sounds with big samples. There are probably more up to date ways to do it.
 
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Between @brassplyer and @Ujn Hunter, the culprit has been uncovered.

Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth is the MIDI Synth that is bundled with Windows releases. It is licensed by Roland and based on the first release version of Virtual Sound Canvas, at the time a commercial product. It contains its SC-55-based sound set which was considered to be high quality at the time.

Thanks for playing :D
 
spantini said:
Between @brassplyer and @Ujn Hunter, the culprit has been uncovered.

Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth is the MIDI Synth that is bundled with Windows releases. It is licensed by Roland and based on the first release version of Virtual Sound Canvas, at the time a commercial product. It contains its SC-55-based sound set which was considered to be high quality at the time.

Thanks for playing:D
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Yeah me and Ujn are old buddies.

😆
 
I haven't used midi on my computer. I did have that problem with my M1 and whatever I own now. I haven't read through all the responses. But, what I was doing wrong was, putting the sound on the wrong track. Everything seemed to default to the piano. Once I knew the channel I had the midi on, I'd change that instrument to the drums (or whatever instrument I wanted), and it'd be fine.

What I'm saying in long form, you might not know exactly where the "box" is to change the sound. You might think you're in the correct screen, but if it's not sticking, you're not. There's usually one place to stick the sound.

If it's an actual midi problem, you're either sending or receiving on the wrong midi channel. I'm sure you know that already.

Colin Clive said it best. Did you know he died a few years after Frankenstein?

Never mind. I see it says SOLVED in the subject.
 
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