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MIDI RECORDING FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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  1. Do you have any "type 0" general midi or midi files [for Yamaha Disklavier]? Do you have any in your pages, or how can I identify this type?
  2. Is it possible to convert MIDI (or Cakewalk .wrk) files to WAV or CD?
  3. Can midi files be burned onto a CD or changed to another format to burn?
  4. What formats do you accept for "live" (non-MIDI) music submissions to your site, and how should we prepare them?
  1. Do you have any "type 0" general midi or midi files [for Yamaha Disklavier]? Do you have any in your pages, or how can I identify this type?

    We currently do not have a way of identifying which of the files posted on our site are type 0 or type 1 MIDI files. However, anyone with a MIDI sequencer can download these files and "save as Type 0". (Even most entry-level sequencers should be able to do this).
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  2. Is it possible to convert MIDI (or Cakewalk .wrk) files to WAV or CD?

    Did you know that you could play your MIDI file from Cakewalk while at the same time recording the output (using the audio "line in" inputs to your soundcard) into two new audio tracks in Cakewalk? Or you can just use Cakewalk to play the MIDI while you use Windows Sound Recorder to capture the audio output.

    You must have your MIDI instrument’s stereo output fed into the LINE input of your soundcard. If you have more than one MIDI device or instrument (say, a Yamaha Clavinova electric piano plus a Roland Sound Canvas General MIDI orchestral synth), then all of them must be mixed through some type of mixer, then into your soundcard. Then you are ready to produce WAV files, preserving all your valuable hand-entered performance details, especially those events which MIDI files just do not save.

    You prepare Cakewalk for this by selecting any two empty tracks below your MIDI tracks. Then you arm them by clicking on the "R" column buttons (for "record enable"). You must then set the SOURCE column away from MIDI, to whatever Audio Recording device was installed with your soundcard (set it to L & R audio for stereo). Then hit "R" on your keyboard to begin playing the MIDI while recording it to the armed audio tracks. (Hitting the SPACEBAR will stop the recording when you're done--be sure to allow for the reverb trails at the end, particularly for orchestral works). Then wait a few seconds while Cakewalk draws a waveform onto your screen of the resulting recording.

    Once you've made a master mix of your MIDI performance to those two tracks, you may export just those two audio tracks to WAV (or MP3 if you have version 9). Shift-click on top of both of the displayed audio waveforms to select them. This will highlight just the audio (do not select any of the MIDI). Then go up to TOOLS menu and find EXPORT TO AUDIO (sometimes inside the "Mixdown Audio" submenu, sometimes not, depending on which cwk version you have), and select WAV format. (With version 9, you may export directly to mp3).

    Once you've saved it as a WAV, be sure to delete your audio from the .wrk file (as it will flood your hard drive), by going up to TOOLS menu and selecting COMPACT AUDIO DATA. Then do a second clean by going up to TOOLS and selecting CLEAN AUDIO DISK.

    Now you have a good WAV file stored elsewhere, which you can put onto a CD or convert to mp3 using www.MusicMatch.com free software.

    TIPS:
    1. Many of the lower cost soundcards tend to clip (or buzz) very unpleasantly. Just turn down the input volume of your MIDI gear so it is below tolerances.
    2. Experiment with the recording resolution (quality). Go to OPTIONS menu, AUDIO and select different settings. Standard CD quality is 44100Hz sampling rate and 16-bit depth. Higher rates will consume much more disk space, lower rates will consume less, but won't sound as clear. Stick with the standards and you'll be OK.

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  3. Can midi files be burned onto a CD or changed to another format to burn?

    I assume you want to burn the song to a CD which can be played through a CD Player, not a MIDI player, so a DJ or yourself can play it at a wedding without needing to have a MIDI computer setup there.

    In that case, you need to start with a computer that has a Soundcard that has MIDI on it (most of them do now). You play the .midi file with your MIDI software (Cakewalk, MIDI Gate from www.classicalarchives.com, or other). Make sure your MIDI song comes out through your speakers to see if you like the sound. Then you unplug the speakers and now connect your computer soundcard "out" jack to your tape recorder. You then record the song to cassette.

    Then you have to play the cassette back into your computer ("capture" it) to get a WAV file. Connect your "tape out" to your soundcard "in". You need special software on your computer to capture your tape. You can use "Windows Sound Recorder", but that's no good, because it only records one minute at a time unless you know how to trick it. You should use a demo (free) version of any recorder out there (like Cakewalk Home Studio, www.MusicMatch.com, etc--search the Internet). Press "record" on that software and "play" on your cassette deck. Then save the song as "Wedding_song1.wav" etc.

    Next, you need a CD-ROM burner. Choose your burning software (typically Adaptec CD), and choose "Audio CD". Now select all your WAV files you made and drag it to your "Build CD" area. Now go to File->Create CD.

    Now you're done.

    ** Note: the above way is bad because you use a tape deck, which tends to be noisy. It may degrade the quality of sound and does introduce many extra unnecessary steps. It's better to just connect your soundcard to itself and play the MIDI while recording the WAV at the same time. Wire the soundcard "out" to the soundcard "in". You might have two software programs running at the same time: one to play the MIDI file, while the other is recording the WAV. (Cakewalk, by the way, will do both operations all at once, playing MIDI while recording WAV). Then burn the CD.
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  4. What formats do you accept for "live" (non-MIDI) music submissions to your site, and how should we prepare them?

    Formats for submitting live performances:
    1. Cassette tape, CD, or DAT tape is OK. Use the highest quality blank media (CrO2 chrome tape of good name brand, like Maxell or TDK-SA series, or HP CD-ROM's.)--we don't want to hear any pops & scratches or overload "clipping" noises.
    2. If the artists are sending cassettes with Dolby B, C or DBX - please mark which Dolby is being used.
    3. Or, you may submit on CD-ROM as WAV files (preferred) or MP3.
    4. Have your recording produced to as professional standards as possible - no 60hz power hums, no bad shielded cable hums, no air conditioner room noise, no clipping, etc.
    5. Record in Stereo wherever possible, with the best microphones available (or rent good equipment). Please record to MAXIMUM levels with a Compressor/Limiter.
    6. We'll take care of the rest. We're not responsible for defects in the recording, and we will generally do the streaming mastering and conversions from your recordings as we receive them.
    7. If you are submitting WAV or MP3 files on CD-ROM or diskette, be sure it is mastered to maximum volumes digitally (using 'Normalize' and possibly 'Compress/Limit at 2:1 or so' if you have that capability installed).
    8. Submit MP3's only at 128kbps or higher (hi-quality). Too often we receive MP3’s, which end up too soft at 24bit--the problem is you haven't mastered it yet. You must adhere to the high mastering standards to be sure you are heard the way you want to be heard.
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