MIDI

Noteman says: If you need help setting up your MIDI system, consult Setting up your MIDI system in the Finale Tutorials.

MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is the computer language that computers and MIDI instruments use to speak to each other. Many core features of Finale operate on the MIDI standard framework.

Some of the common tasks involving MIDI include:

You have a wide range of MIDI driver choices and can send and receive MIDI on more than one instrument per port.

About General MIDI

In addition to the basic structure of how MIDI works, the General MIDI specification defines MIDI instruments. Part of the reason General MIDI was established was to provide a standardized listing of sounds or patches. This standard was developed so that when you play the same MIDI fileA type of file written in a standardized format that can be understood by music programs from different manufacturers so that one file can be used in several different programs. For example, music created in any sequencer program can be opened by Finale and converted into written notation. on different MIDI setups, you'll hear roughly the same result. Many MIDI devices support General MIDI.

MIDI terminology

Controlling MIDI channel assignments with expressions

Editing MIDI data

Noteman says: Edits made with the MIDI tool can greatly increase the file size of your document. Because Finale is recording key velocity, duration, and other data about every single note in the area you’ve changed, it’s possible to double the size of your document if you make MIDI tool modifications over large areas.

You can change any MIDI date in a document using the MIDI tool and the commands in the MIDI tool menu. For example, if the music you’re editing was recorded from a performance in HyperScribe and you selected one or more of the Retain options in the More Quantization Settings dialog box, you can use the MIDI tool to view and edit the MIDI controller information, such as key velocities, of the notes as you originally played them.

During playback, to hear any changes you make with the MIDI tool, ensure that the appropriate Play Recorded option is selected in the Playback/Record Options dialog box.

Troubleshooting MIDI playback

MIDI sync

MIDI sync signals, often referred to as Song Pointer data, consist of a stream of MIDI data that allows two sequencers or computers to perfectly synchronize their playback or recording (providing both are equipped to interpret this data). Finale can both transmit and receive MIDI sync data; in other words, you can either use Finale to drive external sequencers so that they all play back together, or you can record new music in Finale (or listen to a playback of a Finale document) along with the tempo track of a sequencer that’s sending MIDI sync data. Finale also supports MIDI clock signals as well as SMPTE MIDI Time Code (MTC).

 

MIDI reference

See also:

MIDI files

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