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Captain Toenail

Windows MUS2MIDI?

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Is there a Windows version of MUS2MIDI because it just doesn't work for me, I double click on it and a little black window appears for half a second then disapears, even with all sorts of compatibility options on.

Help would be appreciated

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Actually, since you're more of a Windows user, DoomKn1ght's suggestion seems more straightforward for you. The shareware version of DeepSea can dump MUS files as MIDI simply by hitting F7, using the "Export LUMP to a FILE" button, selecting the music lump on the list to the left, and clicking on the "MID" button.

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Hasn't Doom supported straight midi's anyway since about v1.5?

EDIT: Ignore me. I thought the op was talking about MID2MUS. Doh!.

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Vermil said:
Hasn't Doom supported straight midi's anyway since about v1.5?

Yeah, as long as they are translatable to MUS (a maximum size of 64 KB), so some music files can just be renamed from LMP to MID*, although the IWADs and many old PWADs contain MUS files.

* The music in Alien Vendetta, for example.

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DoomKn1ght said:

I use deapsea's one to do stuff.


I tried using deepsea to export mm2's music, and a lot of the resulting midis are messed up - half the tracks, which should only start somewhere in the piece, are suddenly moved to the start, which really screws up the sound.

Edit: I've suddenly realised how the Drown in Blood team got one of their midis - it's from mm2 but it sounds completely different. It appears as though they used Deepsea (or some other exporter that has the same problem) to export the mus file (mm2 map03) to a midi, which moved around half the tracks. However, as most of the song is based on the same chord progression, it doesn't make the music any worse, it just makes it sound like a remix.

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I never had this problem, but I never tried to dump mm2 midis.

EDIT: yeah, It's messed up but I don't have any clue of what is the problem really.

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When that happens it's best to try with another MUS to MIDI program.

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The other applications may work well with the MM2 music, and one may also miss some less evident glitches in some MIDIs. See this thread for links to ther versions. I'm not sure on what version the one in DeepSea is based.

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In fact this is not a question of format, but of "special effects", loops and file size.

Basically if the MIDI file is a "0" version (not a "1" version) and didn't have special effects that'll offer 100% compatibility, also you need to select MIDI files under 50kb or this may be rejected on some engines.

MID2MUS and MUS2MID are not so hard to use, by DOS way you'll get the command line letters and then simply create a .BAT file that you'll edit as a text one, then start your batch processing.

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iceman57 said:
also you need to select MIDI files under 50kb or this may be rejected on some engines.

Later versions of Doom simply take any MIDI in the WAD as MUS (or translate it) as long as the MIDI is compatible with the limitations of the MUS file format*. Doom95 and earlier versions of Doom can't handle MIDIs directly, though.

* That is, if they are the same files a MIDI to MUS program can reformat (type 0 MIDIs, up to 64 KB in size once translated).

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They simply added a translation method for MIDIs (thus staying within MUS format standards). It's not clear whether this was added by Paul Radek or by one of the id guys. Dave Taylor did code Midi2mus but, as seen in the text file, Radek created the MUS format.

Since the released source code does not include the sound code, MIDI support was added from scratch, generally as supported by the sound libraries used (such as Allegro, FMod, and SDL). The only one that behaves like Doom in this respect is Chocolate Doom, where fraggle specifically told it to ignore MIDIs that can't be turned to MUS files.

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Myk +1

I never known the exact size rejected so I always used empiric tests that showed 50kb as a valid limit.

MIDI porting is always a blocking point in ports... don't ask me why but it seems that coders always pickup PRBOOM ones (maybe nice code, no idea).

For DSDOOM, there's no music, so as the CFG file was PRBOOM ones and showed MP3 entries and as DS plays SFX, we tried to record MIDIs as true MP3 and to put them on the archive without success.
Wintermute (one of the DSDOOM guys) replied that MIDIs or MP3 couldn't run on this machine due to a lack of memory.

I generally send the MIDIs to a musician to remove all "non standard" contents or commands and then integer it in the WAD.
One of the best way to try your MIDIs is certainly DOSBOX as it's music support is close to a DOS computer.

EDIT : Still never understand why on recent WADs graphics are HI-RES while MIDI is preserved, MIDI HI-RES is MP3... :D

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iceman57 said:

EDIT : Still never understand why on recent WADs graphics are HI-RES while MIDI is preserved, MIDI HI-RES is MP3... :D


For one, there's already a large library of MIDI music for level authors to choose from. For two, Ty has restrictions on uploading wads with mp3s in them. For three, people who are likely to design levels for Doom are more likely to compose for MIDI format than for mp3 format, because we like the aesthetic restraints of old formats around here.

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Creaphis said:

because we like the aesthetic restraints of old formats around here.

Less of the "we". ;) I think midis generally sound awful - with some notable exceptions, usually the ones composed by people especially for games.

Although it's tied in with your point about MP3s not being acceptable on the archive - another advantage they have is the fact that they are tiny; rarely significantly bigger than a text file.

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What about 11Khz MP3 BGM like audios samples ? :D

Personnaly MIDI research always took hours as MIDI table sounds different on different computers.
I generally try on XP and on WIN2000 to check their validity, DOS computer or DOSBOX are the ultimate tests...

Does Captain Toenail now have valid midis ?... If I remember well, there's normally an update for V1 midis.

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iceman57 said:
Still never understand why on recent WADs graphics are HI-RES while MIDI is preserved, MIDI HI-RES is MP3... :D

There is no such dilemma, for the most part. Some WADs do indeed use MP3s or OGGs, and WADs with high resolution textures are quite rare in comparison to all the WADs that use 256 color graphics.

Enjay said:
I think midis generally sound awful - with some notable exceptions, usually the ones composed by people especially for games.

How they sound depends on what they're played with. They do have the advantage of instrumental consistency. Since every MIDI is played by the same group of instruments, they all sound similar. I agree many MIDIs sound out of place in games, but so do many recorded tracks (which might even have vocals or non-musical portions).

Although it's tied in with your point about MP3s not being acceptable on the archive

Only if they're ripped copyrighted stuff. Which fortunately limits any initiative to just dump a selection of MP3s from anywhere into a WAD.

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I was of course talking about "original" MP3 :D
_________

Enjay said:

I think midis generally sound awful - with some notable exceptions, usually the ones composed by people especially for games.


Concerning MIDIs, they may sounds awfull if musician are not skilled whatever is the theme.
With talenteous ones, making conversions from games or original songs, you can really be asskicked...

I.E. :
Super Smash Brothers Melee
"Fzero Grand Prix Theme" by "llama37" : 35kb
http://www.laurasmidiheaven.com/cgi-bin/forcedownload.cgi?id=000000003840

I.E. :
Chrono Trigger
"Battle theme" by "ptyloo" : 35kb
http://www.laurasmidiheaven.com/cgi-bin/forcedownload.cgi?id=000000009152

This is MIDI ART !!

They are so many amazing musician artists still using keyboards and pleased to create MIDIs, for games, cellphones and many other applications.

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I think rather that MOD files are what hi resolution graphics are to low resolution ones. MP3s are more like polygon models, or something, in comparison.

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Yes, what about "MOD" in WADs ?...
They are as small as MIDIs, maybe the best compromise would be "XM" ones (smaller than "S3M" or "MOD").

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