Converting MIDI's to an Amiga native format

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 11:03

Don Adan told me to ask for a favor...

We have to convert 21 MIDI files to an Amiga usable format such as:
- Music-X 2.0 (.PERF with samples)
- Protracker (.MOD)
- OctaMED (.MED)
(preferably with max 4 channels)

Although Music-X 2.0 and OctaMED Sound Studio have some kind of auto MIDI convertion, you still have to polish the output and select the sound samples by hand in most cases.

Please contact me If you successfully managed to convert these files and would like to help with these, thanks.

s2325 · 17 March 2009, 11:50

You can use ModPlug Tracker to convert .mid to .mod easily but it will save them as multichannel mods (not Amiga 4 channel).

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 11:59

You can? I've tried that option a few years ago with MIDI's to various formats (mod, xm, it) but it never had any sound samples saved, lol, so you couldn't hear any music...

Thanks for the hint, I'll ask Don Adan...

s2325 · 17 March 2009, 12:04

Your sound card must have midi sound synthesis (most of them have it, even integrated). Old SoundBlaster cards and clones were without it (midi music was generated, not played from sound bank).

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 12:12

Hey, it works now!
Must've had some old version of ModPlugTracker or something...

Anyways, it doesn't help, too many channels...
A music artist would have to merge some channels, or even samples together to get it play on 4 channels only...

s2325 · 17 March 2009, 12:16

I can try but it will take some time and you should know that sometimes it can be impossible to merge too much channels.

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 12:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2325

sometimes it can be impossible to merge too much channels.

Of course, but one still can merge all the samples playing in the same time together on different channels, into one sample playing on one channel, so not all is lost

s2325 · 17 March 2009, 12:21

Yes, it's possible but in .mod format samples can not be too big/long. Even if you cut them to pieces there are Amiga memory restrictions. Also I think in .mod format more than 16 samples are not possible.

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 12:23

True, this might get tricky... What about the MED and PERF formats?
They should allow longer samples, don't they?

s2325 · 17 March 2009, 12:26

I don't know anything about these formats.

AmigaFriend · 17 March 2009, 14:01

OctaMED would be the best format. (I never used Music-X 2.0)

It supports as much has 60 samples per song, with a 3Mb sample limit per instrument.

It has nice integrated tools to mix two samples into one or even make a chord from a single voice sample to a new sample, without any further tools.

But let me say that passing a multi channel mod to a 4 track one and mantaining all the (fake) voices is no easy task. Even 8 channel to 4 channel is a very hard work, using the techniques of mixing various samples into one. The best bet is for rhythmic parts who is quite doable because percussion samples use the same tone for the all song, besides toms of course. But doing that in a instrument is madness.

I think the best way to do it IMO, is a new arrangement from the multi channel song to 4 channel.

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 14:06

Sounds great xpect, thanks for the info!
Could you perhaps have a look at some mids later, please?
I'll share those great news with Don Adan first.

TCD · 17 March 2009, 14:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by xpect

But let me say that passing a multi channel mod to a 4 track one and mantaining all the (fake) voices is no easy task.

You can use Mod2Smp which does that, but of course you lose a) quality and b) flexibility. However it's quite easy to 'fake' 16 channel mods to 4 channel ones this way

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

You can use Mod2Smp which does that

Oh, so that's how this was named, thanks TCD, forgot the name

So, technically speaking, if one is desperate enough, I can record four different mods, each containing 4 different channels from a 16channel mid, and merge them together?

Now that would be wild

TCD · 17 March 2009, 14:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5h00n4y

So, technically speaking, if one is desperate enough, I can record four different mods, each containing 4 different channels from a 16channel mid, and merge them together?

Now that would be wild

Yup, but if the mod is longer you will run out of sample space, because these merged tracks are rather big

Still if you have 4 channels that are played together in each loop, you have a chance to make it smaller. Now that I think about it, that still will be work then

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 14:17

Yeah, I know, technically speaking it looks OK, but that's still a lot of work...
Maybe indeed with OctaMED it will easier?

TCD · 17 March 2009, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5h00n4y

Maybe indeed with OctaMED it will easier?

Yup, would really say that OctaMED sounds like the way to go. Dunno, but maybe you can even use a XM player (don't shoot me if there is none for the Miggy though

).

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 14:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

(don't shoot me if there is none for the Miggy though

).

I don't see a problem with using any platform, as long as it can be played after that on the Amiga.

AmigaFriend · 17 March 2009, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5h00n4y

Could you perhaps have a look at some mids later, please?

Yes I can have a peek. Send me the links, by PM or to my email.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

You can use Mod2Smp which does that, but of course you lose a) quality and b) flexibility. However it's quite easy to 'fake' 16 channel mods to 4 channel ones this way

Yup indeed. But i was not considering this path.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5h00n4y

So, technically speaking, if one is desperate enough, I can record four different mods, each containing 4 different channels from a 16channel mid, and merge them together?

Now that would be wild

But remember this is not modules per se. It's just mods playing sampled waves. Nothing more.

I don't know what Adam seeks here, but if it's just playing audio through an Amiga, better save the samples has a stereo IFF file and fire any player to play it. No hassle, no fiddling.

Shoonay · 17 March 2009, 15:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by xpect

I don't know what Adam seeks here, but if it's just playing audio through an Amiga, better save the samples has a stereo IFF file and fire any player to play it. No hassle, no fiddling.

Hmmm... that would be a solution too... a great one actually, no need for super-powered Amy's, can be done very fast on any modern pc, no need to mess with the tunes... the size should not matter with this as this should be a HD-only project. (wink, I'm not telling anything yet

)
Thanks for reminding me about that xpect!

PS: so, basically an 8bit 11KHz IFF file should sound okays, right?

17 March 2009, 11:03	#1
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	Converting MIDI's to an Amiga native format Don Adan told me to ask for a favor... We have to convert 21 MIDI files to an Amiga usable format such as: - Music-X 2.0 (.PERF with samples) - Protracker (.MOD) - OctaMED (.MED) (preferably with max 4 channels) Although Music-X 2.0 and OctaMED Sound Studio have some kind of auto MIDI convertion, you still have to polish the output and select the sound samples by hand in most cases. Please contact me If you successfully managed to convert these files and would like to help with these, thanks. Last edited by Shoonay; 17 March 2009 at 11:59.

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17 March 2009, 11:50	#2
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 44 Posts: 17,789	You can use ModPlug Tracker to convert .mid to .mod easily but it will save them as multichannel mods (not Amiga 4 channel).

17 March 2009, 11:59	#3
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	You can? I've tried that option a few years ago with MIDI's to various formats (mod, xm, it) but it never had any sound samples saved, lol, so you couldn't hear any music... Thanks for the hint, I'll ask Don Adan...

17 March 2009, 12:04	#4
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 44 Posts: 17,789	Your sound card must have midi sound synthesis (most of them have it, even integrated). Old SoundBlaster cards and clones were without it (midi music was generated, not played from sound bank).

17 March 2009, 12:12	#5
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	Hey, it works now! Must've had some old version of ModPlugTracker or something... Anyways, it doesn't help, too many channels... A music artist would have to merge some channels, or even samples together to get it play on 4 channels only...

17 March 2009, 12:16	#6
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 44 Posts: 17,789	I can try but it will take some time and you should know that sometimes it can be impossible to merge too much channels.

17 March 2009, 12:21	#8
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 44 Posts: 17,789	Yes, it's possible but in .mod format samples can not be too big/long. Even if you cut them to pieces there are Amiga memory restrictions. Also I think in .mod format more than 16 samples are not possible.

17 March 2009, 12:23	#9
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	True, this might get tricky... What about the MED and PERF formats? They should allow longer samples, don't they?

17 March 2009, 12:26	#10
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 44 Posts: 17,789	I don't know anything about these formats.

17 March 2009, 14:01	#11
AmigaFriend Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sesimbra/Portugal Posts: 1,462	OctaMED would be the best format. (I never used Music-X 2.0) It supports as much has 60 samples per song, with a 3Mb sample limit per instrument. It has nice integrated tools to mix two samples into one or even make a chord from a single voice sample to a new sample, without any further tools. But let me say that passing a multi channel mod to a 4 track one and mantaining all the (fake) voices is no easy task. Even 8 channel to 4 channel is a very hard work, using the techniques of mixing various samples into one. The best bet is for rhythmic parts who is quite doable because percussion samples use the same tone for the all song, besides toms of course. But doing that in a instrument is madness. I think the best way to do it IMO, is a new arrangement from the multi channel song to 4 channel.

17 March 2009, 14:06	#12
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	Sounds great xpect, thanks for the info! Could you perhaps have a look at some mids later, please? I'll share those great news with Don Adan first.

17 March 2009, 14:17	#16
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,107	Yeah, I know, technically speaking it looks OK, but that's still a lot of work... Maybe indeed with OctaMED it will easier?

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