How do i extract a midi instrument?

[bewildered]

I tried loading it into cubase but it lost the voices in the process and just kept the midi note data.

 

[altitude909]

a midi file has no "voices", what were you playing back the midi file through originally? That has to be the midi output in cubase (i.e. MS SW Synth)

If it is a GM midi file than the instruments will be mapped according to the GM spec http://www.midi.org/about-midi/gm/gm1sound.shtml#instrument

 

[bewildered]

no, i have a midi music file that i can play with mediaplayer fine (NES dragonwarrior), voices included, though when i try to load it into cubase it gets stripped of all but its notedata. I want to extract the instrument/voices/sounds out of the file so that i can play each voice on my keyboard. Is there no way to do that?

 

[AlChuck]

Cubase does not "strip it of all but its note data." The "note data" is all there really is. Media player probably just assigns General MIDI voices to the file in order to play it. Cubase isn't doing that, so you need to assign them to the appropriate MIDI instrument yourself.

If this isn't clear then you need to do some reading about MIDI...

 

[bewildered]

every player plays the exact same voices, my cell phone, zoom player, media player, real player, etc... why is it cubase cant do this? And i know sure as hell the voices aren't "assigned" by the player because the original voices from the game are used and are unique only to this file.

 

[carelessorc]

Cubase can do it - but it expects you to specify which sound module to play through (the other players only have one sound module so there's no choice).
Like the man said MIDI data is mostly note data. MIDI does not make sound, it simply tells a sound producer (hardware or software) which 'voice' is required and what notes to play.
I believe you can set up Cubase so that MIDI tracks default to a particular player (but I'm not sure).

MIDI is not easy to get your head around.

Orc

 

[altitude909]

every player plays the exact same voices, my cell phone, zoom player, media player, real player, etc...

Thats because its a standard midi file. Any device that plays midi files will be standard midi file compatible meaning your cell phone, media player, etc

why is it cubase cant do this?

It can you just route the midi output to the GM player. The Steinberg GM instrument is on the Cubase DVD in \extra plugins\

And i know sure as hell the voices aren't "assigned" by the player because the original voices from the game are used and are unique only to this file.

The player does not assign anything, the midi file does

 

[bewildered]

what does GM stand for? would this show up in my channel in's or outs or somewhere else?

 

[ssscientist]

GM = 'General Midi'

It was a standard conceived and pushed by Roland - the Yamaha counterpart is called 'XG'.

It was meant to allow the same flexibility with sounds that midi files offer. When you run a standard midi file on a GM compatible synth, computer, etc there's always a piano mapped to program change number 1, an organ mapped to program change number 10, a slap bass mapped to program change number 30 (or is it 31?) and so on.

It's the standard for karaoke bars and machines and, not surprisingly I suppose, for ringtones too.

If you locate and load the GM player on your Cubase CD you may be surprised to find that you have your sounds back --- or at least a good starting point.


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[Cyanide-Depende]

what does GM stand for? would this show up in my channel in's or outs or somewhere else?

Yea dude, think of it this way.

When you write out a midi file you look at the "piano roll" right? Its basically a screen with piano keys on the left and a bunch of boxes on the right that you click on to add a note. when you click one of those boxes it adds a hatch mark, or fills the box in. when you press play, midi doesnt do anything untill it hits that hatch mark, it then plays the corrosponding note on the instrument that has been assigned. the midi piano roll is called a "piano roll" because, do you remember those old school pianos with the paper that had a bunch of holes cut in it? it would "roll" the paper through the piano and play the song automatically. you couldnt just hold the paper and hear music, it had to play through the actual piano. and it could sound differnet on a different piano. a midi file is this piece of paper, the hatch marks are the holes, and your general midi instrument, or vst midi instrument is the piano. cubase is the saloon, you need to add the instrument to the saloon to hear whats on the piano roll. what the others are trying to tell you is that media player uses its own midi instruments, so does the game you got the midi file from, cubase doesnt default to this set of midi instruemnts because quite honestly they kinda suck, at least for audio production.


I hope i explained that ok, im tired, sick, and myu wrist is cramping up.

any more questions feel free to ask,

oh yea, just want to say its good to be back

-Cyanide

 

[ssscientist]

I hope i explained that ok, im tired, sick, and myu wrist is cramping up.

any more questions feel free to ask,

oh yea, just want to say its good to be back

I'm glad you're back too.

We were lost without you.


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