Transferring a midi file to the midi device

[Hannu Toyryla, tel. +358-0-5118366, or (GSM) +358-50-3131694 <HTOYRYLA...>]

izm00 (at) juts(dot)ccc(dot)amdahl(dot)com (Israel Moskowitz) writes

>How would you transfer the midi file to the midi device? I have a
>Roland D20 with build in sequencer and disk drive. I suspect that the
>Roland's disk is not compatible with PC standard disks (although I've
>never actually tried it).

I think you are right about the D20. Very few older machines have PC
compatible disks and still fewer recognize midi file format. I have
a Yamaha SY77 which has MS-DOS compatible disk format, but the
sequencer format (within an MSDOS file) is far from standard.

The usual way is to have a software sequencer in a PC (or a MAC
or whatever you've got). Such sequencers are usually easier
to work with than the ones built in. Then you also need a
midi card in the PC.

A midi file would be transferred over the net e.g. in uuencoded
format. This would be downloaded to the PC and decoded to a midi file.
Most software sequencers can read in (and write) midi files.
When the file has been loaded by the sequencers, you can play it,
change it, add and delete parts, transpose, change tempo, edit
any note and so on.

The same can be done with a sound card, but without a keyboard
it is not so easy to play in new parts.

There are lots of sequencer software packages available, some quite
cheap. There are also bundle packages with the midi interface card
included. Demo versions of sequencers can be ftp'd, there has been
a demo Cakewalk for windows around, which can do everything but
save.

Hannu

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