PC Tips...
If you do not understand what midi files are, you may find out the hard way by following these steps. On the other hand, if you are experienced with midi files, these steps will improve your system's midi playback abilities.
I have found that many systems are shipped with the midi mapper set to run midis with default drivers. By following these steps, you will enable the midi mapper drivers which came with your sound system. Although there are ways to do this stuff in Windows 3.x, these tips apply to Windows 95.
One very confusing issue about midi files has to do with "voices". Although there are only 16 channels in a midi mapper and in a midi file, these channels can be used by one of 127 standard "instruments". Some of these instruments may sound like one conventional instrument like, for instance, a violin. Another instrument may sound like a section out of an orchestra, such as the string section. My first sound card had so few voices that most of the instruments sounded like the tinkling of a music box. Most sound cards being sold in desk top PCs today have 20 voices with wave table samples and many of the instruments sound somewhat nasal or winey.
My Monster II has up to 364 voices with wave table samples and the instruments sound like canned real instruments. Canned because they do not have individual character. My friend Debbie has a new Awe 64 Sound Blaster which has 64 voices and wave table samples. With her sound card she can produce variance in the way an instrument sounds throughout or during part of a midi song. If Debbie wants to, she could make a short recording of Louis Armstrong's trumpet and then make it sound like he is playing the lead trumpet in a midi. This is not new technology, just much more affordable than before. My brother-in-law Ron has a sound card which is over five years old and has over 500 voices with abilities similar to Debbie's sound card. When he bought it, Ron's sound card cost about three times as much as Debbie's did. As mentioned in the Hardware Tips, you get what you pay for.
Setting Up Your Midi Mapper:
1. Click on the "Start" button, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. Click on Multimedia and then Midi.
3. Look at the bottom of the floating box. If it says default, then your midi voices are not set up as well as possible. If it says something else (with the name of your sound card), then it has been set up with an appropriate scheme and you simply need to cancel back out.
4. Click configure (this will not change unless you save it later).
5. Click the arrow next to the schemes window. See if you have a scheme other than default. If you do, it should be engaged for better midi interpretation.
6. If default is your only scheme, you need to make a new one.
7. Click on the first channel (to highlight it).
8. Click on change.
9. Click on the arrow next to the instrument window.
10. Click on the instrument that pertains to your soundcard (this should be obvious if you know what soundcard you have). The ones not to click on are: (None), default, and OPL2/OPL3 FM synthesis.
11. After clicking on the proper instrument, click on the OK button.
12. Repeat this step for each channel (2-16). You can click on channel two, hold your mouse button down, and drag it down the page to highlight the rest of the channels; and then work on all of them at once.
13. Now save the scheme as something pertaining to your soundcard. I have a scheme saved as "Monster".
14. Exit each window and Control Panel.
15. Go play a midi file and enjoy.
16. BTW, If you are using an older sound card, one of the other schemes may perform better.
Additional option for general midi:
1. Click on the "Start" button, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. Click on Multimedia and then advanced.
3. Click on Midi Devices and Instruments.
4. Click on the line which includes a name pertaining to your sound card (see above).
5. Click on properties.
6. Click on details.
7. Click on General Midi Instrument.
8. Go play a midi file and enjoy even more.
9. I finally figured out how to get my sound cards drivers to initiate and have it set for general midi (gm) also. This allows me to play 16 channels at any time in Windows 95, and not with third party software as before.
Additional, additional option for general midi:
1. Click on the "Start" button, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. Click on Multimedia and then advanced.
3. Click on Midi Devices and Instruments.
4. Click on the line which includes a name pertaining to your sound card (see above).
5. Click on properties.
6. Click on details.
7. Click on Percussion on 16. Since most folks don't have, use, or know about this, it is a good option for recording a midi to a wave format (see "Midi to Wave, or .mid to .wav" tips below). This is also true about using Awe32 and Awe64 banks. It also applies to software like Recording Sessions Plus where you can attach small wave files to a midi file. Without the same or similar software, you can not hear the attached waves. With these you can only record them to a cassette; and then record them back to the machine in a wave format.
Midi to Wave, or .mid to .wav:
1. Figure out how to record, edit (copy and paste), and save .wav type files.
2. Be aware that wave files are memory hogs. Before having a large hard drive, I prefered short waves for this reason.
3. Engage Sound Recorder or your favorite Wave Recording software. Keep in mind that Sound Recorder only records up to one minute.
4. Play the midi of your choice.
5. Just before the part you wish to record comes through, click on the record button in the Wave Recorder. I'm barely coordinated enough to do this and wind up having to go through several takes.
6. Turn off the recorder after the part (of the midi) you like is over. This is a very important step; since your recorder is a memory hog. A good 11,000mhz, stereo, 16bit recording of a two minute song may take between 4mg and 10mg of memory. 'Nough said. If you do not have a lot of memory on your hard drive, you do not need to be here; you need to be at a store buying another one (see Upgrading Hardware tips).
7. Edit your wave file and then place it in the media subdirectory in the Windows directory.
8. If it is a relatively short wave file, open Control Panel and then Sounds.
9. Use the console to attach your wave file to a function.
10. Test it to see if it will work OK (you can replace it later).
11. Save this scheme as MyWay (yeah right) and see if it works out for you. Please remember copying someone elses stuff does not make it yours. Distribution of stuff like this IS illegal and breaks the "11th Commandment", as well as others.
12. Keep in mind you (and others) will be hearing this sound time and again. I used to have the Beatles sing part of "Mr. Postman" when I got e-mail, that does not go over well at certain times (I won't go there). See my General Tips page, Tip One:
CD to Wave, or audio to .wav
Simply apply the "Midi to Wave, or .mid to .wav" tips to using an audio CD instead of a midi file.