Q71023: Authoring Device-Independent MIDI Files

Article: Q71023
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 05-NOV-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

A MIDI file authored using only the high-end data do not produce sound on a
low-end MIDI device. For example, if a MIDI file is created using only channels
2 through 5, a low-end device would not receive the MIDI data. Because there is
no low-end version of the data, nothing is sent through the mapper to the
low-end (for example, AdLib) device.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The 16 MIDI channels are organized as follows:

  Channel   Use
  -------   ---
     1      high-end (highest priority)
     2      high-end
     3      high-end
     4      high-end
     5      high-end
     6      high-end
     7      high-end
     8      high-end
     9      high-end (lowest priority)
    10      high-end percussive
    11      RESERVED
    12      RESERVED
    13      low-end (highest priority)
    14      low-end
    15      low-end (lowest priority)
    16      low-end percussive

MIDI data is authored in parallel, with high-end and low-end data. The mapper
masks off data that is inappropriate for the device on which the sound is
played. (The mapper also transforms the sound according to the maps.)

In the case above, to hear the MIDI data, it would be necessary to create a map
that passes the data on channels 2 through 5 to the Adlib, or to modify the file
to use channels 13 through 16.

Additional query words: 3.00

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK300
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0

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