Midi in Modern games....possible?

I wonder if it's possible to add Midi music to modern/3d games like Doom 3, Quake series, Elder Scrolls Morrowind/Oblivion, Prey, or any games that have the original Quake engine up to nextgen/Id tech 5 games?

Convert the midi into mp3 or whatever format is used by the engine in question and use that.

I don't see why not. I think that unless specifically told that .midi files cannot be used, then one would to be safe to assume you can use it.

If all else fails, you can record a midi playing, and save it as a file type that is acceptable. Not sure how much different it will sound, but it's worth a shot.

John Smith said:

Convert the midi into mp3 or whatever format is used by the engine in question and use that.

Beat me to it.

Uhh, if it's converted to MP3 then technically it's not a MIDI. Not just technically, but blatantly.

I don't see how it would matter if it sounded the same, but whatever.

Why the Hell would you want to use MIDI in modern games?

Naked Snake said:

Why the Hell would you want to use MIDI in modern games?

For Experimentation reasons....

John Smith said:

I don't see how it would matter if it sounded the same, but whatever.

MIDIs don't sound the same. That's partly the point.

Nightmare Doom said:

For Experimentation reasons....

O_o

Ok, how about you replace every weapon, item and monster 3d model in Doom 3 with sprites too.

AndrewB said:

MIDIs don't sound the same. That's partly the point.

MIDI files have no sound data, only some sort of control data. I believe it's more appropriate to say "My old SB-16 doesn't sound the same as X". MIDI is used for more than just sound...it's also used to control lights, for example.

I just wanted to clear that up since this thread might be headed that way. I've people reference MIDI files as if they inherently sound like the low-quality FM synthesis they're often associated with too many times :)

In regards to the topic...sure, why not? Doesn't the Unreal Engine, or at least older versions, support different sound drivers? I suppose one could replace the Galaxy sound driver in it with Timidity or something like that.

There was some recent article that considered sample-based composition as the new standard in videogame soundtracks. It's the same concept as MIDI... more like MODs, actually.

It's possible to program a MIDI player in W32 DLL code which Quake2/Doom3/Prey can use.

There, your question is answered.

Perhaps if the game came with a Korg Triton to sequence the music with.. honestly though, a lot of PSX games use a language similar to MIDI and the developers use a resource bank of their own samples. PSX Doom for the most part, besides the cd tracks are sequenced in real time. Final Fantasy 7, Tactics, same thing. Is it feasible? Of course.. reasonable, no way. MIDI instruments sound different on everyone's onboard soundcard, which causes problems in itself.

Can't you use a recording program to record a midi and turn it into a file a modern game can support, like MP3 or WAV?

DJ_Haruko said:

MIDI is used for more than just sound...it's also used to control lights, for example.

So music can be used to create flickering lights?

Heh, use MIDI (and all the other stuff) to control a bunch of lights in Doom 3 and have a Doom rave.

...

He means lights at a show. Like if you want the lights to flash in time with the music while you're covering New Order or something.

I know that. I'm just saying the thought of a Doom rave would be funny, and my idea was use an actual midi file to control the lights like the actual equipment does.

Why midis when can use sounds or simply a text file?

why use that, when you cn simply sing/hum it yourself.

For an electronic music communication system that's 24 years old, MIDI is still very much up to date and adaptable to almost any application.. live, sequencing, video and lighting. If you use a good GUI as a live instrument paired with a descent MIDI chain, one person can do a whole lot.. more than a DJ or IMO a karaoke Techno band. The way I have everything chained together, all my synths, drum machines, samplers ect. can be accessed with the push of one button on a multi hit pad and played with a generic controller. All using technology that was first presented in 1983. That's pretty impressive still.

In FL Studio, each pattern can execute a complex MIDI command.. with the right ASIO drivers and an up to date laptop, you can tap tempo a drum beat, arpeggiated synth pattern, sampler and still have your hands free to play the keyboard itself. This is better for a live band application as opposed to running a metronome to the drummer over a pre-sampled track.. if the drummer skips a beat, the song is ruined.. not only that, but each synth can be mixed individually as opposed to one track.

Perhaps they can make a game like Guitar Hero with a rough MIDI type system... design your own music through the game on a console, save your files to a memory card, update and download new patches. Who knows..