Controlling MIDI Settings on a Windows PC

[jsegovia]

I've got hundreds of MIDI files on my laptop, all of my own creation, but trying to play them in Windows is extremely frustrating. Except for the drums, every single sound is a piano, unless there's a program change in the MIDI file, in which case I hear all my wonderful melodies played with birds chirping, telephones ringing, and something that sounds like very loudly shuffling a deck of cards.

Is there any way, without a fancy sound card or commercial software, I can go in and set up the MIDI instruments my PC uses to play back MIDI files?

Thanks very much indeed!

Jesse

 

[Change of POETS]

I've got hundreds of MIDI files on my laptop, all of my own creation, but trying to play them in Windows is extremely frustrating. Except for the drums, every single sound is a piano, unless there's a program change in the MIDI file, in which case I hear all my wonderful melodies played with birds chirping, telephones ringing, and something that sounds like very loudly shuffling a deck of cards.

Is there any way, without a fancy sound card or commercial software, I can go in and set up the MIDI instruments my PC uses to play back MIDI files?

Thanks very much indeed!

Jesse

MIDI files played through Windows are reliant on the MIDI settings in the Soundcard. If you have a seperate soundcard, it most likely has the most modern MIDI GM Bank included. If you have a SC on your mobo, it probably doesn't support the MIDI GM.

The only sounds you can play on any soundcard, are MIDI GM sounds. Specific sounds to the Triton or other Sound Modules will not replicate via MIDI on your PC.

 

[jsegovia]

Re: Re: Controlling MIDI Settings on a Windows PC

Originally posted by Change of POETS

Thanks very much for the response. I have a Dell laptop - I don't have a separate soundcard but I suppose it has the latest GM settings. Is there any place to get a listing of standard GM sounds to know which change control commands will do what?

I suppose there's no way to edit a MIDI file on a Windows PC without a sequencer, right? I'm using Cubasis but I'm brand new with it, and although I have successfully loaded and played my MIDI files with Cubasis I don't yet know how to edit them.

 

[TimOBrien]

If your midi files are all playing like piano, they are probably defaulting to Channel 1.

Drums should be on Channel 10 (its a midi standard.)

In your sequencer change their channel number to 10 and they'll play with drum sounds..... see the Cubasis help menu on how to change the channel.

 

[Change of POETS]

If your midi files are all playing like piano, they are probably defaulting to Channel 1.

Drums should be on Channel 10 (its a midi standard.)

In your sequencer change their channel number to 10 and they'll play with drum sounds..... see the Cubasis help menu on how to change the channel.

This is correct.

Your Cubase manual should tell you each of the 16 Midi channels and how to set them appropriately.

Good luck.

 

[jsegovia]

But I'm not playing the sequences with Cubase

I'm moving sequences over from my Atari computer which were setup to play on my small home MIDI studio, so all the MIDI channels, program change numbers, etc., make perfect sense on my equipment, even though they don't work quite as well as I'd like on Windows.

All the sounds are on their own MIDI channels - I usually use 2 for the bass and yes, 10 for drums.

Without installing a Windows sequencer (I actually have one installed but why it won't work with my Windows soundcard is another story), how can I see and modify the instruments I'm driving with my MIDI sequences?

Thanks again.

Jesse

 

[Change of POETS]

Re: But I'm not playing the sequences with Cubase

I'm moving sequences over from my Atari computer which were setup to play on my small home MIDI studio, so all the MIDI channels, program change numbers, etc., make perfect sense on my equipment, even though they don't work quite as well as I'd like on Windows.

All the sounds are on their own MIDI channels - I usually use 2 for the bass and yes, 10 for drums.

Without installing a Windows sequencer (I actually have one installed but why it won't work with my Windows soundcard is another story), how can I see and modify the instruments I'm driving with my MIDI sequences?

Thanks again.

Jesse

Now I don't understand what you're asking...

Are you just wondering how to modify the MIDI sequence? I'm confused now, you've gone full circle.

 

[jsegovia]

I've copied all my *.mid files onto my Windows PC and I'm playing the files there - not to record but just to hear them. This is where you get telephones ringing, birds chirping, etc. So when Windows is playing them back, I'd like to be able to understand what instruments will be used to play them and better yet, to be able to change them in Windows.

I've got a Windows MIDI sequencer but it's a copy of Cubasis that came with my US-122 interface and it won't play unless the US-122 is attached to my PC. That's fine but again, I'd just like to hear the sequences in Windows.

 

[Change of POETS]

I've copied all my *.mid files onto my Windows PC and I'm playing the files there - not to record but just to hear them. This is where you get telephones ringing, birds chirping, etc. So when Windows is playing them back, I'd like to be able to understand what instruments will be used to play them and better yet, to be able to change them in Windows.

I've got a Windows MIDI sequencer but it's a copy of Cubasis that came with my US-122 interface and it won't play unless the US-122 is attached to my PC. That's fine but again, I'd just like to hear the sequences in Windows.

Ok, then you need a program that's capable of playing them.

Cool Edit Pro, Sonar, Cubase, ACID, etc...

To know what instruments correspond with the midi channels, pick up any MIDI handbook... the online manuals for any of the software mentioned will have the midi diagrams in them.