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Text File | 1995-05-23 | 16.2 KB | 437 lines

**************************************************************** * * * MID-It! - MMDx to MID converter * * * * By Mario Bianchi - Version 1.2b * * Date: 23 May 1995 * * * **************************************************************** INTRODUCTION ------------ MID-It! is an OctaMED to MID music module converter. It was made due to a personal need: I use OctaMED for making music at home, and sometimes I have to go to a music studio for giving my work a more professional touch. Well, in short I was very tired of carrying my Amiga environment to the recording studios simply because the studio too had a computer (always Atari or Mac, sigh!!!), but it was never able to import OctaMED modules. So I spent my spare time writing MID-It!. It allows you to load an OctaMED music module (MMD0 or MMD1) and get it converted in a few seconds to the universal MIDI file format 1! I won't stay here naming all the software products that can deal with MIDI file format, just believe me when I say but they are really many, on any computer platform (never heard of Cubase, Notator, KCS Doctor T, and so on)? I also know that the brand new version of OctaMED (V6) is capable of loading and saving MIDI files too, but can only output format 0 MIDI files, while MID-It! happily saves format 1 files, though as yet it does not support MMD2 modules. RESTRICTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------- The current version has some limitations: - Modules must be MMD0 or MMD1 type; these two module formats can be produced by all versions of OctaMED, and it seems to me that MED newer versions, too, have the ability to save using MMD0 format. If you use OctaMED 5+, you can save your module using MMD0 or MMD1 format, but you must be sure that your module does not use any of the extra features offered by MMD2 format (refer to OctaMED documentation), otherwise your music could loose some information if you save it using MMD0-1. - Modules must not contain any Amiga instruments (only MIDI stuff is allowed!) - Modules must contain supplementary info - instrument names and similar things, so be sure to save them using the right save settings from MED/OctaMED before submitting your music to MID-It!. - Only the first song of a multimodule will be converted. MID-It! works with any kickstart version from 1.1 to 3.1 - though I couldn't test it with all of them - but needs medplayer.library 2+ in your LIBS: drawer. If you plan to convert MMD1 modules, version 3+ is needed. Version 5 should be found on the Octamed developer's disk located on Aminet (file octamedv4_dev.lha in directory mus/edit, where you will also find a PD version of OctaMED. Before using the library, though, read carefully the license and distribution files included! USAGE ----- MID-It! is only a CLI command, but it can be better handled by a good file manager like Directory Opus and Disk Master. I'll add a small user interface if the program users - well enough of them :-) - ask me to. Usage: midit <options> <input file> <output file> If <output file> is not specified, it will be <input file>, modified as follows: - any leading "mod." or "med." is cut - any trailing ".mod" or ".med" is cut - extension ".MID" is appended to the filename You can also specify only a path destination without filename, Valid examples: midit -b -r ram:module midit -b -r -e -q ram:module ram:convmodule midit -breq ram:module ram:convmodule (same as previous) midit -r ram:med.#? RAM:sound/ Please note the slash at the end of the last example: it must ALWAYS be present if you specify a destination subdirectory without destination filename, otherwise no output file will be produced. AmigaDOS wildcards "#?" can be used in the input filename to convert several modules with a single command line, and a special option is present to activate Unix and MS-DOS "*?" wildcards, though excluding the AmigaDOS ones. The output file is in all cases a MIDI file format 1, but its contents can be different, according to conversion type and option selected. CONVERSION OPTIONS ------------------ Three types of conversion can be performed, depending on the options specified. Whatever conversion is used, the first track of the output MIDI file has the name of the song and contains only tempo changes, system exclusive messages, and various text events, if any. The default conversion is the SMART one: it creates a file with one track for each instrument used in OctaMED plus a track (the first one), that has the name of the song. If you don't specify any conversion option, this is the one that will be performed. The second conversion type is DIRECT (option -d): it builds a track for each OctaMED block track (this version supportes up to 16 tracks per block, but in future this number will surely grow up to 64). This conversion generates a file in which every note is played following exactly the same order (note by note, command by command) as OctaMED does. The third and last conversion is the CHANNEL one (option -c); it features one track for each MIDI channel; that is, if you use in a module more OctaMED instruments that share the same MIDI channel, they will be inserted in the same MIDI file track. Smart conversion is better (I think is is more clever to have each instrument data in a separate track) but notes will be played in a different order than on OctaMED. This, especially when you are working near the maximum poliphonic power of your MIDI machines, can make substantial differences when listening to the output MIDI file. Of course, should this happen, you can change the arrangement of tracks to change note playing order. You should do it easily using a MIDI sequencer (my hint is: put first the rhythm instrument tracks). MISC OPTIONS ------------ Option -n can be used if you want that the MID file produced uses MIDI Note Off messages to turn off a note (OctaMED and Mid-It! default use instead Note On messages with 0 velocity). Note Off messages have a fixed velocity of 127 (maximum value). If you use this option together with running status (see below) the file obtained will be longer than the 'only Note On' running status one. If you don't specify running status, file length is the same in either Note On or Off formats. Option -p suppresses the conversion progress indicator. Option -r produces a .MID file containing running status data, which is a simple method for compressing MIDI data. A file using this feature is, in general, much shorter than the uncompressed one, but some sequencers (especially the very old ones) could get confused (just try it on your configuration). Option -t causes the converter to shut all notes when the module ends (this way it can be played in loop without notes hanging across). Option -b is valid for MMD1 modules only: this switch activates block name retain: block (or pattern, as you wish) name is introduced as a text event in the MID file just at the moment it starts to be played. Option -e introduces an empty four beat bar before the real module data begin. This is useful if you want to insert your own MIDI setup messages before sound starts. Option -u enables Unix/MS-DOS wildcards (*?) instead of the AmigaDOS ones. This is for who is used to such systems or for converting a module which name contains the character # (the symbol ? is a wildcard anyway). Option -q enables quiet mode, suppressing any warning that can be produced. BE CAREFUL: if you suppress warnings you make it at your own risk, because the conversion could be faulty and you could not be aware of it; you'd better be sure that your module is 'solid' before using this switch. WATCH OUTS, WARNINGS AND HINTS ------------------------------ I am putting all efforts to make the program bug free, but there are many features involved and particular conditions that can elude beta testing. So you too can participate to make the project more and more solid and functional (and you are invited to do so). MID-It is undergoing through continuous development. New features are implemented almost each day at this time, obeying at beta tester and user reports and ideas. All the OctaMED commands and features that can be fit in a MIDI module are implemented, but not all situations could be actually tested (I am just a man...). You will find below (in program history) the list of last things added, so be aware that these features are the less tested. If you use Amiga samples instead (together with MIDI or alone) the module won't be converted - in current version at least. There is a little workaround though: if you assign from OctaMED a MIDI channel to every non MIDI instrument (thus promoting it to MIDI), the module will be converted. Simply, don't expect a perfect conversion: notes will have to be transposed some octaves above and effects like pitchbend will sound awful if you try to play the module through a MIDI device. There is too much difference between Amiga and common MIDI sound hardware to map in a simple way sound handling from one to other. At least, with little work, you can get a MIDI file containing all note events of your non MIDI instruments too. This until a version fully supporting Amiga samples comes up, I don't know when and even if it will. For BPM modules, one thing is worth of being explained. The slider at the right of the BPM one - I'm gonna call it "Resolution" from now on - is intended as a 'slots per beat' indication. That is, if you set resolution to 8, then 8 block lines are intended to form a metronome beat. Keep it in mind if your converted file sounds at different speeds than the original, or if the sequencer metronome is not synchronized with song. By now, I still haven't found a way to infer the signature of an OctaMED song (how to understand that a song has a 12/8 tempo??), so that every MIDI file generated contains a 4/4 signature setting. WARNING: if you use in your modules things such as pattern break or song position jump to leap back in the song, the converter will loop converting it forever!!! It is recommended that you prevent this nasty accident preparing your songs to be converted so that there is always an end. ENFORCER HITS: if you have Enforcer active when converting you could notice some occasional hits. Deep investigations, together with OctaMED's author, Teijo Kinnunen, have found that medplayer.library prior to version 6 suffer from some bugs that can cause these hits, sometime even bringing to an incorrect conversion. The V6 library fixes this bugs successfully. You can check the source of the hits using segtracker together with Enforcer: if the hitting PC location is reported in a medplayer.library hunk, this is one of the above mentioned situations. Otherwise please report them to me with as much detail as you can. I just can't do anything about it but advise you to get medplayer.library v6, as soon as the new OctaMED developer disk is out on the streets. HINT: OctaMED 5+ has an hidden (undocumented on V5) command, 17xx, that writes directly byte xx into controller 7 (mostly used for MIDI volume control). I don't know if older versions support it too, so, if you think that it could be useful for you, just try it!!! DISTRIBUTION ------------ This release of MID-It! is freely distributable, but only in the form of the full original archive (midit.lha). It is fully copyrighted by the author (Mario Bianchi) and you are not allowed to use it inside a commercial product nor sell it for profict without the written permission of the author. You can upload and spread the original archive wherever you wish, specifying that you are not the author. I just ask for two more little things (don't flame me :->): 1) If you use it frequently simply send me a postcard from where you live, I'd really appreciate it! This is not because I collect post cards, but instead because I would like to know how many people are using MID-It!, and what they think about it. 2) I like feedback. Please report me of every trouble, information, opinion or enhancement you'd like to see or say about this program. I would also be glad if you could send me a short description of your Amiga musical activities and your usage - if any - of MID-It! FUTURE PLANS ------------ As you can see, there is still work to be done, but I am ready to do what I can to get it useful for as many people as I can. If people ask for a feature they'd like to find in a new release, then it is more likely that I implement it if I know that more people need it. Just a few points that are floating in my mind: - Please don't ask to add complete Amiga samples support - or ask it all together, so that I can't say no. Sure, it would be a great result, but I think I can't get it all by myself in a short time (and I think it's better that people reach the Amiga-MIDI world). Besides that, consider that most internal audio commands, like pitchbend, are really difficult to convert to MIDI, because they depend on many factors outside the module itself (MIDI device used, voice settings and so on). - One of the very next steps is let MID-It! support MMD2 module format too. - I wonder if multisong module support could be useful to anyone... - Powerpacker, XPK and lha support (like OctaMED I hope). I hope the development of this converter will closely follow OctaMED's enhancements - or maybe OctaMED itself will be enhanced in such a way to make MID-It! useless - who knows... But this is up to you too: the success and diffusion of a product depends very much on people supporting. THANX TO... ----------- - Scott Watson, Michael Whitten and JF Giorgi for being real friends and professional beta testers - Commodore for making Amiga - Teijo Kinnunen for writing OctaMED - The man who invented music REACHING THE AUTHOR ------------------- You can contact me via email or normal mail. Addresses are Mario Bianchi email: biancm@ghost.sm.dsi.unimi.it Via Bergamini 17 20122 Milano ITALY Email address is at University, so I can't guarantee ready (daily) answering. Bye and *** SHARE AND ENJOY AMIGA AND MUSIC *** PROGRAM HISTORY: 4 March 1995 - project starts 4 April 1995 - beta version 1.0 is ready. Only BPM, pure MIDI, no instrument data modules. I've already converted thirty modules, only getting polyphony problems with my MIDI keyboard. 6 April 1995 - Real (mailed) beta testing begins. 23 April 1995 - Version 1.0 does little, but does it well. Beta testers ask for MMD0 and ST + SPD timing compatibility. 25 April 1995 - Version 1.1 is ready for second phase of beta testing. Changes: - Corrected bug when inserting program change in smart mode - it was put in the track of the previous instrument instead of the right one. - Added MMD0 comversion - Added decimal volumes dealing - Added ST and SPD compatibility - Added Channel conversion type 30 April 1995 - First release is ready (v1.1a) 5 May 1995 - Awful bug discovered and hopefully fixed: various commands from FF1 to FFF caused also a tempo change! -> V1.1b 7 May 1995 - Version 1.2b presents lots of new features: - Wildcard and filename extensions handling - Options -b, -e, -q, -u - A few (minor) bugs fixes - Annotation text saved as text event - Total playing time computed and inserted as text event - Enhanced option parser - can specify multiple options attached, like -qre - Due to wildcard support, inserted scan and conversion statistics 23 May 1995 - No bug reports from beta testers - ready for Aminet upload!