INF: Authoring Device-Independent MIDI Files

ID Number: Q71023

1.00

WINDOWS

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 reference words: 1.00