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- Check that the sequencer
is actually sending data by checking the MIDI send/receive
indicator on the sequencer and module. If the data is being
sent from the computer but is not being received, consider:-
- (i) Checking the MIDI cables.
Try swapping them around or even replacing them.
- (ii) Checking and confirming
the MIDI routing is correct. If the module’s hung off
a secondary port, (on multiple MIDI channel systems) make
sure the data is being routed properly and it’s not being
sent to another port - or anywhere else for that matter.
- Switch off and re-initialise
the module - WARNING! - This may delete
any user defined presets/edits so if possible save everything
to the sequencer first using a complete system exclusive bulk
dump.
- Check the data to see if
a volume command (controller #7) or expression command (controller
#11) has been sent. If they have, they could be set so low
that the module gives the appearance of not working. Find
them and increase their values accordingly. (Expression to
127, Volume about 100)
- Check the sequencer settings
to ensure the tracks are not muted.
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- Check that the sequencer
is actually sending data by checking the MIDI send/receive
indicator on the sequencer and module. If the data is being
sent from the computer but is not being received, consider:-
- Check to see that the song
name you’ve used conforms to DOS protocol - 8 characters
for the name with a 3 character suffix. This is a common problem
with users who are using long file names from Windows or Macintosh
operating systems. These systems allow file names to exceed
8.3. The suffix for most MIDI files is ‘.MID’ but
some hardware players, such as Yamaha devices can opt to have
a suffix .X01-X99 instead. Using this method, songs can be
selected to play in any order, based on its numerical suffix
not its alphabetical name.
- Ensure the only thing on
the disk are MIDI files. Most hardware MIDI file players will
not play files that are located in sub-directories. Be aware
that some devices try to play absolutely anything and everything
they find on the root level of the disk - including text files!
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- Tempo and time signature
changes are not transmittable MIDI events. When MIDI data
is transferred down the line these events are omitted from
the data stream. The receiving device will have no idea what
type of music it’s receiving so it’ll default to
a predetermined time and key signature - say 100BPM in 4/4
time. If you need the music to be edited or imported into
a typesetting program you’ll have to re-insert the Tempo/Time
signatures manually in the new version. If you don’t
need that kind of precision disable the Slave to Sync option
on the slave machine and just record ‘a la’ tape
to tape. This’ll work fine for ordinary live playback.
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- A computer often builds a
standard MIDI file in an empty part of its memory (RAM) before
it saves it (that’s why some sequencers allow you to
play a song while it’s saving) If there is not enough
memory available it simply can’t do it. This is a common
problem with Atari ST’s that only have 1Megabyte of RAM.
If this happens try thinning out the data, starting with Controller
information and delete all extraneous events (aftertouch and
channel Pressure). If this fails to cure the problem your
only recourse is to add more RAM or use a software program
which produces the illusion of doubling available RAM.
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- Check the receive channel
of the module - common problem with Roland device numbers.
- Check the MIDI routing of
your system, especially important if a merge/splitter box
is used.
- Ensure the module has not
been set to ignore all incoming Sys Ex information.
- Make sure any Sys Ex messages
you send contain a valid checksum (if required). If it doesn’t
get the right one the receiving device will ignore the complete
Sys Ex string and display an error message.
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- Yes - When a MIDI file is
imported into another make of sequencer it’ll automatically
round event positions and note lengths either up or down.
This’ll ensure that imported events fall onto the nearest
acceptable time points on the new sequencer.
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- Check that the disk is not
write protected or full.
- Check the file path. If you
loaded a MIDI file from floppy (i.e. C:\SONGFILE\MY_SONG.MID),
then wanted to save it after editing, if you select ‘SAVE’
from the file menu the program will automatically try to save
it back to exactly the same place as it loaded it from (C:\SONGFILE\MY_SONG.MID).
If in the meantime you’ve changed disks the computer
won’t be able to find the right area (as it probably
doesn’t exist on the new disk) and flag a disk error.
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- Avoid using program change
commands while a note is playing. If you do the sequencer
will send the Note on command to one instrument but when it
effects the program change it would send its Note off command
to a different instrument. This could result in the first
instrument never receiving a note off command and a drone
will be produced.
- Make sure there are no identical
notes that overlap. When this happens some sequencers get
confused. They send a note on command as normal, then they
send another note on command, albeit for the same note. After
a time the sequencer would send a note off command. What often
happens is the sequencer forgets to send a second note off
command - hence the drone. This shouldn’t really be considered
a bug, after all it shouldn’t be possible to play two
notes of the same pitch at the same should it? Spotting doubled
notes can be quite easy if you look at the gate times in the
edit pages. You’ll find the second note has either a
very short duration or a very long duration - sometimes tens
of thousand of ticks. This problem is most noticeable with
strings and other instruments that have a long sustain.
- MIDI can understand and process
about 32,000 bits of information per second. The computer
can easily create MIDI events 20 times that amount. If all
this data is sent down the MIDI lead at once the buffer on
the receiving device might get overloaded. If this happens
it may just dump all unprocessed data in an effort to keep
up! If one of the events it just happens to dump is a note
off command - hello drone!
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- You’ve exceeded the
polyphony limitations of your module. Remember that GM only
has a polyphony of 28 voices, not notes.
- Check to see if the note
overhang problem has truncated some notes -click here for
related item.
- If the song contains any
system exclusive data it will take priority over everything
else, including notes. Any notes that should be playing at
the same time are temporarily suspended until the sending
of any Sys Ex messages has been completed. When the notes
are finally sent they often rush out, seemingly all at once
- it sounds awful! If you need to send Sys Ex messages take
the time to send the minimum amount of information to perform
the function you need. Avoid complete bulk dumps.
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- When a song is originally
recorded the arrangement is tailored to suit the instruments
used (obviously). If you transpose the data the timbre (tones)
of the instruments will change. The more extreme the transposition
the worse the results will be. If you transpose down too far
you’ll produce bass parts that flap about and sound really
silly and if you transpose up too far you’ll produce
brass parts that are so high only dogs could truly appreciate
them. Some tracks therefore may have to be transposed a second
time (by an octave) to produce a realistic effect. For any
errant notes select a note range, (i.e. any notes below E0
- the lowest note on a standard bass guitar) and transpose
them back into a playable range
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- Users with Mac’s are
used to launching programs by clicking on its files. This
association, between file and program is embedded into the
file when the Mac saves it. A file is saved with two attributes.
One is the ‘creator’, which tells the file
the name of the program that it was created from and the second
is the ‘file type’ which tells us what type
of file it is. With commercial files there is no way the MIDI
file producer can personalise every file for every customer
so the file type and creator are deliberately omitted. To
overcome this problem, load the sequencer program first and
then use the ‘Import’ facility to initially
load the MIDI file. Once loaded, re-save the file so that
the creator and file type can be embedded in the new version.
Now, whenever the file is double clicked from the desk top,
the correct program will be launched and the file loaded.
- PC users have a similar situation
as their Macintosh ‘cousins’. Windows files need
to be ‘Associated’ with a program. If an
association does not exist when a file is doubled clicked
a window will appear with the title ‘Open With’.
You will be told ‘Click the program you want to use
to open the file xxxx.mid’. Scroll through the programs
below until you find your preferred program and double click.
Ensure the option ‘Always use this program to open
this file’ is flagged (ticked).
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- If there is insufficient
memory to correctly perform an export, some tracks may be
automatically removed to free up more memory.
- If there are some muted tracks
when the song is saved, the sequencer may automatically remove
them thinking (as they are deliberately muted) they’re
not required.
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- Using a track parameter box
to audition and mix data is a handy facility to have but most
sequencers ignore these setting and save just the original
(un-modified) data. Hard code your modifications into each
track before saving. Alternatively check to see if your sequencer
has a feature that can perform this function automatically.
- If you’ve used the above
technique and your software does create these events you’ll
often see them positioned at 1/1/000. Most commercial files
use the complete measure for setting up the song. It could
be that your settings are being implemented but along
comes the (our) commercial set-up a milli-second later and
overwrites everything.
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- Ensure that the MIDI channel
for the Program Change track is sending on multiple MIDI channels
(Type 1 SMF’s). If it is sending on a specific channel
the program change commands will only affect that channel
and no other. Our data contains a Sys-Ex GM initialisation
string at the very beginning (it sets up the module). As this
message sets every part to ‘Acoustic Piano 1’ this
would give you a good indication that this may be the problem.
- Check to see if you have
entered program changes in the parameters box.
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- Make sure the ‘new’
song has reset the module correctly. If the previous song
altered the waveforms of the instruments in some way they’ll
need to be reset back to their factory defaults. This can
be performed quite easily by sending the correct GM, GS or
XG initialisation message. All Hands On MIDI files contain
the correct codes to prevent this happening.
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- By using controllers 100
and 101 (Non Registered Parameter Numbers) we have set the
amount of range that the pitch wheel will respond to. If you
haven’t embedded our own unique parameters into the file,
the song will use the settings of the previously played song.
Remember if a Sys Ex initialisation command is used, the range
of the Pitch wheel will be preset to plus or minus 2 semitones.
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- Flanging sounds are often
produced when two notes of the same pitch (double notes) are
played simultaneously. Check your data.
- Reset the sounds that you
intend to use and confirm that the flanging effect is not
produced by modifications to a voice’s parameters carried
over from a previous song.
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- Some keyboards take longer
to load songs than others. Use a direct from disk playback
device.
- Increase the tempo, say 225-240
BPM, for the first (set-up) measure. Insert a tempo change
at measure two to lower the tempo for the song ‘proper’.
This is extremely effective if the song is a ballad as it
gets that first measure out of the way as fast as it can.
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- All Hands On MIDI files downloaded
from our site contain Type 0 (single track) and Type
1 (multiple track) as standard. Load the appropriate version
for your needs
- Check to see if your sequence
package has a ‘Remix’ facility. Remixing the data
will explode the data into separate tracks, each containing
one MIDI channel. The new tracks will have track names relating
to MIDI channels so they should be renamed to reflect the
instruments used.
- Copy the source track and
delete any events that are not of the desired channel. This
may mean performing the task numerous times. For instance
if we wanted to keep MIDI channel 1 only we would need to
delete channel 2, then 3 then 4 and so on until channel 16
is deleted. Only at this stage can we be sure that our track
only contains data for MIDI channel 1.
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- If you are using a different
device for your drums and percussion you can send a System
Exclusive command to turn off a part, but the data will still
be re-transmitted from the MIDI thru socket to your dedicated
module.
- With multiple MIDI outs select
a different port for the drum and percussion information.
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- Unfortunately there only
seems to be a compromise solution. As most GM, GS and XG devices
use just a stereo left and right output the best solution
would be to pan every instrument to one extreme and pan the
drums to the other extreme - this may mean using SysEx commands.
The instrument channel can be routed to the PA and sent to
the front of house while the drum part (using another input
on the desk) is sent back to the drummer on cans. The biggest
drawback with this method is that the front of house mix will
be in mono not stereo.
- To make things really difficult
we may want to send the Percussion track front of house but
send the drum click as above. Our only recourse is to split
the percussion and click onto two different MIDI channels.
By using Sys Ex commands it’s possible to transform an
instrument channel into a secondary drum part (GS and XG only).
Use an unused MIDI channel (MIDI 11?) for the live click and
pan the tracks accordingly.
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- When moving around a sequencer
it’s easy to stop it at a point where it’s only
part way through a particular function. This could be a pitch
bend command on a note for instance. When the song is re-wound
and played again the instrument playing will play its notes
with the midway pitch bend setting making it sound dreadfully
out of tune.
- Some sequencers have a chase
or remember facility. If numerous program changes are used
in a MIDI channel it’s easy to scroll past a few and
then start playing the song. This will result in the notes
on the selected MIDI channel being played by the currently
selected instrument - which is not necessarily the right one!
Chasing events is a function that makes the sequencer read
back past the present (new) position to see if there should
be any special events it should process before playing. In
our case it would send the last program change command.
- With chase mode enabled all
the time it can cause a few problems as well. It’s very
easy to record a series of pitch wheel events - say bending
off a note, and forget to include a centering command (0,64).
When the sequencer stops (after the take) it will often reset
the device automatically by sending Note off, Damper off and
Pitch centering commands. If we continued to play from that
point we may think that everything is fine only to find when
all the parts are glued together and run contiguously our
missing pitch centering commands will make themselves known
all too soon.
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- In the first measure of each
track we have placed setup codes which should cope with almost
any synth or sound module you meet out there in MIDI land.
These codes are there for your protection, so don’t delete
them unless you need to as they will prevent other people’s
duff sequences from upsetting your gear and making it sound
peculiar. For those of you who are technically minded, here
is an explanation of what each of the codes do, in the order
that you will find them on each track:
- Controller 120 : Value
0 : Channel nn
This controller message means
'all notes off' and is there to ensure that there are no droning
notes still sounding from the last sequence you played. Although
you may think you would hear them, it is possible for notes
to be ‘on’ but with the volume almost zero, and
they will steal polyphony if left unchecked.
- Controller 121 : Value
0 : Channel nn
This controller simply resets
most of the commonly used controllers to their default values,
i.e. Pitch Bend to Centre, Modulation to Zero, Aftertouch
to Zero etc. This is there in case the last sequence played
through your equipment left the pitch bend set at 6 Octaves,
or some other strange setting. The nn just stands for whatever
Midi Channel you are looking at.
- Controller 1 (Modulation)
: Value 0 : Channel nn
Introduced for those of you who are using
Non-GM equipment which doesn’t respond to the GM/GS reset
command in the system exclusive track. This instruction simply
sets the modulation to zero or ‘off’.
- Pitch-Bend : Value 0 64
: Channel nn
Also introduced for Non-GM
equipment. This instruction ensures the Pitch wheel is ‘centred’
or ‘off’.
- Controller 64 (Damper
Pedal) : Value 0 : Channel nn
This message sets the damper
pedal to off.
- Controller 7 (Main Volume)
: Value ??? : Channel nn
MIDI controller No.7 is called 'Main Volume',
and is the equivalent to the master volume on your guitar
or keyboard amplifier. We usually set the master level on
the instruments to about 100. This setting enables you to
adjust the level of a track UP or DOWN to modify the balance.
- Controller 11 (Expression)
: Value 127 : Channel nn
This controller works the same way as Main
Volume, in that it controls the level of the instrument on
the relevant channel, but if used correctly it should control
the 'expressive' part of the performance such as swells and
fades.
- Controller 10 (Pan) :
Value ??? : Channel nn
The Pan controller (10) is
used to ‘place’ the various instruments in the stereo
mix. A value of 64 is the centre position.
- Controller 91 (Reverb)
: Value ??? : Channel nn
Controller 91 is the ‘External Effect
Depth’, and is used to control the amount of Reverb applied
to an instrument.
- Controller 93 (Chorus)
: Value ??? : Channel nnController 93 is used for applying the
amount of ‘Chorus Depth’ for an instrument.
- Controller 101 : Value
0
Controller 100 : Value 0
Data Entry : Value 2 (Sometimes set to Value 12)
These three controllers together
set the pitch bend range for your synth - we usually use 2
semitones for our work, but sometimes it’s set to 12.
The first two tell your equipment that the next Data Entry
message is to be the Pitch-Bend range for that channel, and
the Data Entry value is given in semitone steps.
- Controller 101 : Value
127
Controller 100 : Value 127
This pair of controllers look
suspiciously like the ones for Pitch Bend setup. That’s
because they 'Lock' the setting where it is after we’ve
changed it with the previous three. There are two main reasons
for this - firstly, if you own a DX-7, the slider on the front
panel is set to transmit Data Entry at all times, so if you
knock it at a gig you could accidentally change the Pitch
Bend setting on your synth to sixty squillion! - secondly,
some types of midi equipment transmit Data Entry for their
own reasons, so you are protected from them as well.
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