I downloaded some MIDI conga files I came across, but they don’t play or show the MIDI events that represent the congas in the BBM. These MIDI files do play correctly in Reaper. The congas in the MIDI file are 62, 63, and 64. In BBM I selected a drum kit (Yamaha DD-65 Kit 1) that has instruments assigned to 62, 63, and 64 and does not sound those notes. In the BBM MIDI editor these notes do not even show up, yet they do in Reapers MIDI editor. If I create an event on those instruments in the BBM editor they do play. So far as I can tell all notes are on Ch10. There is a metronome on 42 that does play and is shown in BBM MIDI editor. I’m confused as to why BBM isn’t seeing the notes which Reaper does. I do understand it can’t play what isn’t there. Mystery MIDI file attached.
Worked fine for me. Did you activate the kit bu clicking the box in front of it?
Phil did you load the midi file I attached without any editing? I am left clicking the ‘Main Drum Loop’ in BBM to ‘load’ the midi file. I’m using BBM v1.65 and what I’m finding is that it will not properly load a Type 1 multi-track midi pattern file which what that attachment is. It will play the ‘metronome’ in the track, but not the congas. If I open that file in Reaper and subsequently save it as a Type 0 merged file it will play correctly in BBM. Conversely I took a Type 0 file and saved it as a Type 1 and it wouldn’t play correctly. The metronome and congas are all on Ch 10.
I had found a post in the forum that suggested that Beat Buddies midi files are Type 1, so it leaves me wondering why a Type 1 doesn’t want to work correctly in my BBM. I have other Type 1 midi files that also don’t load/play correctly. This is the only reference documentation I could find in a search that mentioned midi file type and specifics for Beat Buddy.
“BeatBuddy’s midi files are Format Type 1 (separate instruments per track) with a single instrument on track 1 assigned to channel 10 - GM Drums.”
http://forum.mybeatbuddy.com//index.php?threads/automating-midi-file-conversions-for-compatibility.2573/
Ah, I see now what your issue is. First, the simple answer to your question. BB midi files are a single track of a type 1 file. They are not truly type 0 files, as they will NOT put individual instruments on separate tracks. More on this in a bit. Further, BB doesn’t care if the single track file was on channel 1,2,3 etc., down to 16 and including 10. It just needs a single track.
I opened your conga file in Logic Pro X to look at it and see what was going on. I had run into issues where various problems caused files to appear to not play, when they were, in fact, playing. Your conga file did not have that problem. Your file opened as 3 tracks, but I have had files ready for BB open as multiple tracks before with no issues, so I figured you had already dealt with that. My mistake. I then merged the three tracks to one track to save it as a midi file that will play in BB. That is the file I used, my conga 1 in the .sng, and it plays.
When BB files have what appear to be multiple tracks, i.e., bass, drums, and a keyboard and/or horn, etc., what they really have is the equivalent of a split keyboard. BB will only read a piano roll of up to 128 separate tones. So, for example, when I create a 4 part BB drum kit, I have the bass at 0 through 31, drums as low as 32 up through 59, keys starting at 60 going up to 96 more or less, and the rest, 97 through 127, for the horns. But, the octaves, except for the drums, are remapped, such that bass c1 through G3, is at midi c-2 through G0. The keyboard, mapped starting at C3, might have tones starting at c1 or C2, and the horns that start at C#5, are actually tones down around C#2, for example. The BB by itself would not be able to split instruments into different tracks. So, where a type 0 file might have both a piano and a trumpet playing C3, BB is only going to give that one sound, whatever is mapped at C3 in the kit.
Those of us that make songs for BB using the multiple part kits often start with Type 1 files. We then lower or raise the bass a couple octaves, depending upon how the kit is mapped, and then deal with re-mapping and editing keyboard parts and other parts to fit them into the 128 midi slots we have available. After we have all the parts edited into their little pieces of the 128 note midi range, we then merge the tracks into one track. Thus, it might appear to be a Type 0 file, but it is not. It is a single track of Type 1 file.
I must say you and persist are getting pretty good at explaining this stuff but I can fully understand why people keep asking these questions. Thanks for your patience and it is greatly appreciated!
“After we have all the parts edited into their little pieces of the 128 note midi range, we then merge the tracks into one track. Thus, it might appear to be a Type 0 file, but it is not. It is a single track of Type 1 file.”
I think I have to respectfully disagree with this, at least in regards to the standards for MIDI files. If you’ve merged multiple tracks of a MIDI sequence to a single track it is by definition a Type 0 file. A single track can can have multiple ‘channels’ of midi event and controller data within it and those channels can be assigned to play different instruments, say for example Bass may be on ch3, Piano ch1, Guitar ch2, etc… MIDI drums are generally assigned to ch10 and most drum patterns found around net are set to channel 10 for a GM drum kits or some variation thereof.
However, you’ve made note of remapping of instruments to be able play in BB. While I haven’t got my head fully around how the BB is playing a midi file, the remapping suggests that all the instruments are spread across the same ‘keyboard’ and possibly playing from the same ‘channel’. If the drums and bass, strings, etc in the same track were assigned different channels, they conceivably could play the same note such as C3 simultaneously for those different instruments. Phil, when you’ve built the multi instrument sequences have you also set your instruments to channel 10 or are they on their own channels?
I guess I’m realizing true multitrack Type 1 MIDI files will not work in BBM without prior conversion to Type 0.
https://www.midi.org/articles/about-midi-part-4-midi-files
[SIZE=3]"Formats
The Standard MIDI File format is different from native MIDI protocol, because the events are time-stamped for playback in the proper sequence.
Standard MIDI Files come in two basic varieties: a Type 1 file, and a Type 0 file (a Type 2 was also specified originally but never really caught on, so we won’t spend any time discussing it here). In a Type 1 file individual parts are saved on different tracks within the sequence. In a Type 0 file everything is merged onto a single track".[/SIZE]
Some MIDI drum patterns in the link below if anyone is looking for a few more. There are Type 0 and Type 1 files (says Type 2 in the column heading, but actually Type 1)
http://www.musicez.com/midi rhythm patterns.html
Ok, you call them what you will. You obviously know better than me. Take a standard type 0 midi file with 10 or so instruments and play it in B.B. and see what happens. Yes, two instruments could play their own C3 simulataneously with the remapping. But midi 60 is only producing 1 tone, and in my kits I can just about guarantee you it is not a C3.
As to the channel my results get put on when I make a midi file for B.B., I simply don’t pay attention. It’s whatever track I merged into.
I suggest you download and open one of the STAX drums-kits in the drum kit editor section of Beat Buddy Manager. That may give you some enlightenment.