Midi question

[Paul881]

When I download midi files from the internet, some files seem to set their instrument sounds and others don't. Here's an example:

I downloaded a great track over the weekend and played it back using winamp and it played as a piano. Truly great sounding too. However, I then played a few other midi files that I had in my library and then went back to the piano piece....but it was now playing a different instrument. And yet other midi files in my collection always play the instrument they are supposed to. Why is that, and how can I change the instrument in winamp so that my piano piece always uses the piano, unaffected by what other midi files are played before it. After computer boot up, the piano always plays the correct instrument, its only by then playing other files that it gets changed.

I have a s/blaster Live! card just for soundfonts/midi; I understand that the instruction set for midi doesn't include any "instrument sounds", they reside in my soundcard, as a soundbank. So how does it get changed outside of Sonar and how can I change it?

Also, when winamp plays a midi file, how can I see what instruments it is playing?

Sorry for so many questions

 

[Krakit]

In General MIDI there is a standard for the instrument assignments. Channel 1 is supposed to be Accoustic Grand Piano and Channel 10 is supposed to be drums. I don't know the rest off the top of my head.

If you make custom assignments or if the composer made custom assignments then it could be anything.

Carl

 

[Paul881]

Carl,

I used the Creative Audio HQ to change soundfont bank and configure instruments.....but this doesnt make any difference to winamp play back of midi.

Maybe the only way I can do this is to import the file into Sonar and then see the whole thing.

 

[Paul881]

I imported the midi file into Sonar and it plays piano. (actually, in the track patch, it has "none" selected)

Under Options>instruments I have my soundblaster card enabled as the soundfont device.

So how can you change midi instrument in winamp, without importing to Sonar?

And why do other midi files affect the instrument of that midi file?

 

[AlChuck]

I'm not sure but here's what I believe is happening:

MIDI files that have a program change message at the beginning send that message to set up the sounds. Winamp retains this setting until it receives another program change message. So if you load the MIDI file with no program change message, it will play back using the last instrument patch chosen for that track.

I don't know if there's anything you can do except open it in a MIDI editor, select the Piano patch explicitly, and save it again as a Standard MIDI File.

 

[Paul881]

Hi AlChuck. I understand all that you say, but why is it that some midi files overwrite the instrument command/instruction of my piano track, so that it doesn't select the piano sound once another midi track has been played before it? I would have thought that it would have re-set the instrument command every time it was selected? It only plays piano when it is first out the box, after the puter has booted.

Another question, the midi instrument definition select command that is wrapped in the midi file, how can you "see" that instruction, so you can tell what the composer had originally chosen? When I loaded it into sonar, the patch select was "none"!!!! But it still played piano.

 

[AlChuck]

Since it's not got a patch change, it's probably defaulting to MIDI channel 1, patch 1. Once another MIDI file sets that to another instrument, it stays that way.

I don't know if there is any inherent way to tell for sure what instrument(s) the composer intended. Even if there are patch settings these are just patch numbers, and you have no real way of actually knowing if those numbers mapped to General MIDI numbers or what unless the author of the file saw fit to include some notes in ther Info header or by giving tracks intelligent titles.

 

[Paul881]

Thanks AlChuck, I think I understand. Til next time