Midi files off SD card

BrokenByDesign · Post by **BrokenByDesign** » Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:46 pm

Hi guys ...... This is a bit of an urgent problem so please .... if you could help me here I would very much appreciate it....!!
For reasons I won't bore you with, I've been asked to use my TR61 in a theatre show in a bit of a last-minute-can -you-help-us-out sort of way.
I've never used this feature on my TR before and I just cannot get to grips with what the manual is telling me.......... and time is short.
The songs to be used are all in General MIDI format and are on an SD card. The songs all have between one and three tracks - e.g. piano, drums, strings.
There are twelve songs in the show. I need to be able to load all twelve songs in order so that when I press the start button on the sequencer the first song plays with all the correct instruments playing. then I need to cue up the second song etc etc.
I've managed to get some songs loaded but the instruments are wrong or don't play and I can't work out how to swap from one song to another quickly........
Any help here or pointers to other posts would be very greatly appreciated. I have tried to search for this but I'm struggling.............
The show is in three weeks......... aarrgghhh!!!

501 · Post by **501** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:45 am

Very complicated, almost impossible.
Why don't you simply record them all on your PC with TR and burn them on CD?
(Chances are big that you will screw something up in the show If you are not experienced much)

BrokenByDesign · Post by **BrokenByDesign** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:29 pm

I can't put it on CD as its something to do with not being able to use pre-recorded music under the license of the show...... I don't know quite how using a keyboard playing songs through the sequencer is any different but thats not my problem........
I'm really trying to understand the manual ....... it appears a cue list can be created which will do what I want but I can't seem to be able to save changes to the presets in the individual songs for the sounds I want to use ........ just give me a save button!!!!
As soon as i restart the song the presets I've changed are lost..... and theres something about converting it to a song?.......
If this was a Haynes manual for a car I'd have no trouble with it ..... but I've always had such a blind spot with keyboard manuals....
If anyone can just point me to a post on the forum (I have looked...... unless I'm crap at reading those as well...) or a tutorial (looked on Youtube but can't seem to find one) or any other website that just makes this process clearer.........
Any help gratefully received......... please!!

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:54 pm

Most traditional MIDI files have a program change inserted at the start of each track/channel to select the right instrument.

You can either go into Track Edit and delete those program change messages (also typically will have mixer Volume Level (cc07) and Pan (cc08?).
Or I think there might be an option to mute MIDI Program Change for each track/timbre in the MIDI Filter settings (MIDI1-4 pages).

BrokenByDesign · Post by **BrokenByDesign** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:11 pm

X-trade ..... thank you! ..... thats sorted one bit out. I've deleted the GM presets and put the ones I want in and I've got it to work! ....
So I'm going to end up with 12 .sng files. I got a bit confused when it start asking me if I wanted to save other files with other extensions but I think that was talking about saving arpeggio paramaters for the same song?
As I understand it, for a basic file that just plays music and no other actions (arpeggio etc) I just need to save it as a .sng file?
But then I have to create a Cue list to be able to play one song after another and this can also be saved on the SD card?
Erm ..... could you give me an idiots guide on how to do this please ....?
Thanks again!
John

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:17 pm

a .SNG file actually contains everything in the sequencer at time of saving.

That could be four songs, a bunch of patterns (RPPR or for copying to track etc), a number of cue lists...

I'm not sure what you mean about 'other files'. If you just Save SEQ you shouldn't need any for what you're doing.

If you want, you could just load the songs in order and then select them the same way you select programs and combis (using the increment button, wheel, or number pad, whilst the song name is highlighted). No need for cue list.

Of course, Cue list offers more advanced features as far as automating the movement between sequences etc goes.

BrokenByDesign · Post by **BrokenByDesign** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:23 pm

Hi X-trade .... thank you again .... I can actually understand what you're telling me .... you don't fancy writing the next Korg manual do you? .......

What you've suggested will, I think, work for the show so thanks for that...

Well, I thought I'd cracked it but no .......

I loaded the GM file, changed the GM sounds to Combi sounds and the file played fine .. I saved it using Save SEQ as you suggested and had a.sng file in the Media window ..... fantastic!!........ until I turned the keyboard on again, loaded the .sng files and all the Combi sounds were gone ...... but in a moment of extreme clarity, (don't know where that came from....) I thought about deleting all the program changes which the GM file had in originally, put the Combi sounds in again, saved it using Save SEQ and..... bingo!! ...... the .sng file plays with the Combi sounds after the keyboard is turned off !!!!
Sorted!! ...... so I thought .......
The problem now is that none of the tempo changes in the GM file have saved into the .sng file ....... there should be several tempo changes and there ain't none .......
So near and yet so far.....!!
Any ideas please??????????

Thanks again!!
John

BrokenByDesign · Post by **BrokenByDesign** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:54 pm

Sorted!!!!!!!!!

I don't know why but I've just played the song off the SD card and the tempo changes are all working fine!!!!!!

X-trade - thanks for your help!! ...... i know what I'm doing is fairly different from the kind of stuff you guys are doing but thanks for your time........ I really appreciate it.......