Topic: Edit MIDI to designate main parts?

[Dave Nuttall]

I have lots of MIDIs which are piano only.  The MIDI2STYLE app generally recognizes an Intro, but if you try to play the Intro, an error pops up that "The current style data CANNOT be played back, since it does not contain any Main sections."

Wonder what it is looking for and why can't that be inserted (if we knew what it was!).

TIA if you have ideas/knowledge.
Dave

[pjd]

Sounds like you need to read up about what makes a Standard MIDI File into a Style. My "getting started" page has a number of useful links:

https://sandsoftwaresound.net/getting-started-with-style-files/

I've done quite a few conversions and the following articles may be helpful.

https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-1/
https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-2/
https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-3/

Short answer to your specific question: A Style file is a Standard MIDI File which follows a set of conventions set down by Yamaha. One of these conventions is marking the start of each section (MAIN A, etc.) with specific, recognized MIDI markers. One way to create such markers is with a DAW like Cubase or Sonar.

Hope this helps -- pj

[Dave Nuttall]

Seems that perhaps the expression should be Standard Yamaha MIDI File?

[pjd]

Seems that perhaps the expression should be Standard Yamaha MIDI File?

Hi Dave --

Not quite certain how to interpret your comment -- with a smile in any case.   

Really deep diving Style file contents, Yamaha add one or more proprietary data chunks: CASM, OTS, Audio style, Adaptive style. None of the data representations are publicly documented/specified.

But, yeah, all of this is very Yamaha-specific.

All the best -- pj

[BogdanH]

hi Dave,
The message you get has nothing to do with "Yamaha midi".

It only makes sense to create style for songs that contain repeatable patterns. For piano only music, I can imagine that could be some boogie woogie music or some pop blues (Fats Domino comes to my mind).. or maybe even some (simple) waltz.
But when I hear "piano only" then jazz or Classical pieces come to my mind.. and that kind of music (or any free play music) isn't suited for styles.
And that's why you get that message from MidiToStyle: because program can't find recognizable variations in song.

Bogdan

[Des O]

Create a section A say 2-4 bars then it will play.

[Des O]

Following on if it only contains 1 section use that. You need a section to follow on from intro.

[Dave Nuttall]

The message you get has nothing to do with "Yamaha midi".

It only makes sense to create style for songs that contain repeatable patterns. For piano only music, I can imagine that could be some boogie woogie music or some pop blues (Fats Domino comes to my mind).. or maybe even some (simple) waltz.
But when I hear "piano only" then jazz or Classical pieces come to my mind.. and that kind of music (or any free play music) isn't suited for styles.
And that's why you get that message from MidiToStyle: because program can't find recognizable variations in song.

Your point makes a lot of sense, Bogdan! 
As far as repeatable patterns, at least 2-3 of the piano pieces that I challenged MIDI2STYLE with have distinctive intro's which the program recognized.   They also are of the "verse/chorus" format which is repeated.   They are a kind of "free play", but repeat the verse/chorus structure.   If those could be tagged with an appropriate marker, theoretically M2S would/should/could find and parse them.

Just thinking out loud.   Thanks for responding.
d.

[valimaties]

This is very strange, because a style can contain only an Intro part. It can also contains for example the fillInD but if MainD is not filled with midi notes the fillIn is not accessible. So, I don't see why it wont let you saving a style only with the intro. Hmm, strange.

Now, look at robinez's video about this software and see how you can choose an interval of measures for a section, even if software does not detect the section You can create it by yourself.

Regards,
Vali

[BogdanH]

..So, I don't see why it wont let you saving a style only with the intro. Hmm, strange.
...

Because if user could save a style that only contains Intro (which is pointless anyway), he would then complain that software doesn't work properly -because style that only has intro is useless.

MidiToStyle is usable tool, but some expect it will do magic and that now they can make good styles by simply pressing a button.
Robinez (member of this forum) has made a good tutorial about MidiToStyle, where one can get impression "how easy it is". Yes, it is easy if we already have all necessary knowledge about style creation (Robinez obviously has it). If we don't have it, then we can feel lucky if we get barely usable result.
It's like when we watch P. Baartman playing on Genos and say "wow, this sounds amazing...I need that keyboard". And so we buy the keyboard and at home it will sound like 350€ Casio.

Bogdan

[Des O]

I have tried creating a style that only gave the intro as the was nothing else to create, however there were parts in the file that could have been used to create a,b,c,d etc manually. Piano lines etc but considered it pointless as those parts I play however if you do feel lazy it is possible to create a style from it. Just the intro part does not mean there is nothing else, it just means it cannot convert automatically due to lack of information it needs so a manual entry is required.