MIDI Music Class - http://www.doomworld.com Forums

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Original message

Fanatic

marcpullen@mindspring.com
209.86.133.52

"MIDI Music Class" , posted Sun 3 Jun 20:01

Some of you may have read an idea I had that's similar to the speed mapping classes held here at DOOM World, only oriented around music composition.

The requirements are:

1. A Sound Blaster sound card, (AWE32, AWE64, or a Live! card, one that can load Sound Fonts (sf2 format) up to 4 megs in size).
2. You need to know how to use custom sound fonts -how to load them into memory, and use them in a MIDI editor.
3. You need a MIDI editor of some type -Cake Walk, MIDI Orchestrator Pro, etc.

And the process:

1. I'll upload the compressed Sound Font bank (self-extracting sfArk file, typically a 4 meg sound font bank compresses to about 1 meg) for you to download.
2. It will have a set of instruments I'll select at random, but a set that makes sense together, or serves a purpose to push your limits with instruments you aren't used to using, or don't prefer normally.
3. You can ONLY use that set of instruments in the custom Sound Font bank, nothing else.
4. I'll either request just a song using the instruments (nothing additional other than a song), or will also require a certain effect and/or style be generally followed (like a rock sounding song with pitch bends in the solos, something like that).
5. You'll have one week to do it until it's due and the next assignment is released.
6. The song has to be at least 2 minutes long, but no longer than 4 minutes.

Once I receive the songs, we can all get on IRC or ICQ and chat about what we learned, or what we need help with. I can also upload the files with the Sound Font bank we used, so others can listen to what we did, and optionally (for the Sound Blaster impared) make MP3's of the songs.

I've created the first set of instruments, but before I go on with this, I would like your opinions on the whole thing.

Is this worth doing? How many of you are capable (hardware/software/free time-wise) and are interested? Any concerns?

This should be an educational process for newer people, or people that want to refine their MIDI composing skills. I hope to learn some from others too! We may not write incredible songs, but we will better develop the skills needed to get to that point.

Thoughts welcomed!

-Marc
http://www.doomworld.com/fanatic

Replies:

MrHarmony

do@reologica.se
212.162.175.15

"Re(1):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 11 Jun 20:50

Well... I have the equipment (one complete home studio + another machine with a Live! and a spare MIDI keyboard), I know how to use it (or so I think ;-) and (obviously?) I've got some software to make it work.

Free time would be the issue, but it still sounds interesting. Might give it a try if it gets off the ground. :-) (Did it? Didn't find any other threads around here...)

Other variants could be:

"GM SpeedTracking"
* General MIDI sounds (4 MB Live! GM SF used for reference)

"Free SpeedTracking"
* Audio soundtrack - use whatever equipment you like, and submit as mp3.

The latter would obviously be less fair than your idea, or the GM variant - people with a wall packed with machines may have some advantage...

//David

Fanatic

marcpullen@mindspring.com
209.86.151.167

"Re(1):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 4 Jun 14:44

Looks like no one but one or two people are interested. Not enough I don't think. Ah well, it was worth suggesting anyway.

-Marc
http://www.doomworld.com/fanatic

Lüt
Albino Negro

toruonda@home.com
23065834
64.20.152.2

"Re(2):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 4 Jun 17:25

The editing forum isn't exactly the best place to announce this: take it to General and Doom3 for a decent response, and get it headlined on DW or put an update on your page announcing it. You'll get a way better response like that.

---
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loser

209.161.237.96

"Re(1):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 4 Jun 05:51

Back in the day, when the music scene was still alive, I participated in almost all the compos (Trackering, Cruelisation, then later the Groovy Compo). The idea was the same, except you had to track the songs from a sample pack in IT or FT2.

http://www.hornet.org/music/contests/
http://www.ukscene.org/groovycompo/

Of course there was the Music Compo too, organised yearly by Hornet. Then the music scene just died, along with #trax on IRC...

Good luck with your idea though.

bitstate

andy@menthos.com
2542537
194.236.236.151

"Re(2):MIDI Music Class" , posted Thu 7 Jun 09:02

i think there still are some OHC's (One Hour Compos) running :)

Lüt
Albino Negro

toruonda@home.com
23065834
64.20.147.51

"Re(2):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 4 Jun 06:06

Are you talking about your music scene or *THE* music scene?

Lüt
Albino Negro

toruonda@home.com
23065834
64.20.147.207

"Re(1):MIDI Music Class" , posted Mon 4 Jun 02:14

Marc - this sounds excellent! Only problem is, if you remember my asking for your help on soundfonts over a year ago - I still haven't figured them out. I gave up on them a long time ago. I'm sure it's easy but until I can actually see how to do it, nothing's gonna happen.

I really like this idea but unfortunately I am not a text learner - instruction manuals and documentation hardly ever do anything for me. In-person is about the only way I can learn anything, dunno why.

Maybe I can just stop by your place for the weekend? ;)

Still, I'd be interested; I'm starting to MIDI up a few demos I recorded a while ago for actual production and this sounds just like what I need.