From: karhila@fmi.fi (Vesa Karhila)
Subject: Re: MIDImapper questions
Keywords: MIDI
Organization: Finnish Academic and Research Network Project - FUNET
Date:  8 Sep 92 19:13:46 GMT

nearyr@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU (Robert Neary) writes:

>I am running .MID files in Windows 3.1; ProAudio Spectrum 8-bit sound card.
>the file CANYON.MID will play in Windows Mediaplayer.  Other .MID files will
>not play at all.
>   I have opend up the MIDIMAPPER icon and changed the default settings:
>Lines 1 - 10 show PRO AUDIO MIDI OUTPUT; lines 13 - 16 show VOYELTA FM DRIVER
>FOR PAS.  When I have changes these setting I get different sounds.  Now I 
>assume that to play OTHER .MID files, I need to change some of these 16 setting
>choices.  But to what!???

   Microsoft has divided synths into three categories: Base-level synth
   plays at least 6 different notes on three melodic instruments plus
   three notes on percussion.  Extended-level synths play at least 16 notes
   on 9 melodic instrument plus 8 percussive.  General Midi synths play
   almost anything.

   ProAudio Spectrum is only a base level synth, it can play either 9
   melodic notes simultaneously or 6 melodic plus 5 percussive notes.
   But a good midi driver can cheat you, it plays as many simultaneous
   notes as your synth is able to and if there are more to come, it will
   kill the oldest note still playing and starts the new note.

   Most midi files that I've come around, have their music on the first
   channels and percussive instruments on channel 10.  There are 16 channels
   altogether, and Microsoft has devided these channels for different level
   synths.  Base-levelers are supposed to use only channels 13-16, melodic
   voices on 13-15 and percussive on 16.  Extended levelers are supposed
   to use channels 1-9 and 10.  And finally the top General Midiers can
   use all the available channels.

   So the easiest way to play all kind of midi files is to configure your
   MidiMapper for General Midi by setting all the PortNames to the internal
   Spectrum synth and not to Midi output port as you have now for the 
   channels 1-10.  You should set all PortNames to MediaVision FM Synth
   driver (not Voyetra driver which is only for the new Plus & 16 models
   that have new Yamaha OPL3 chips).  This driver (at least the version that
   I use, dated 5/5/92) does not have percussion on channel 10 but only
   on channel 16 (according to base level specs), so to get drums instead of
   melodic notes, you should also change the DestChan for the SrcChan 10
   to be 16.  Then whenever there is some stuff on channel 10, the MidiMapper
   will sent it to channel 16 and the driver will play you the drums.

>Is there a book/chart/formula that tells me what to change these 16 catagories
>to in order to play other .MID files?  How does one know what to change these
>channels to in order to get the proper sounnd?  Is there a MAP?

>I have read some of the stuff in "sol.cs.ruu.nl" about basic MIDI, but it still
>doesn't help me to know what 16 settings to change to play .MID files that
>currently are totally silent when I go to play them.

   The reason you got Canyon.mid playing is that that file contains notes
   on most of the channels.  When you play it with base level settings you
   get the channels 13-16, with extended level settings you get channels
   1-10 and with general midi settings you can hear all the channels.  
   With my hints you should get also your "normal" midi files playing,
   with a Microsoft's warning issue that they are not authored according
   to MicroSoft!

>some direction/hints/resources greatly appreciated.

>Robert Neary
>nearyr@atlantis.cs.orst.edu

   Hope this helps

   Vesa Karhila
-- 
       Vesa Karhila                          Tel. (+358)-0-1929 455
       Finnish Meteorological Institute      TLX 124436 EFKL SF
       Technical Department                  TFAX (+358)-0-1929 667
       P.O.BOX 503, SF-00101 Helsinki        E-mail: Vesa.Karhila@fmi.fi
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       Vesa Karhila                          Tel. (+358)-0-1929 455
       Finnish Meteorological Institute      TLX 124436 EFKL SF
       Technical Department                  TFAX (+358)-0-1929 667
       P.O.BOX 503, SF-00101 Helsinki        E-mail: Vesa.Karhila@fmi.fi
Newsgroups: comp.music