Posted
Ableton creates MIDI files where there is one instrument per file, I believe this is called SMF type 0. Synfire seems to work best with SMF type 1, where a single file contains many tracks.
The issue I'm running into is that many of my tracks are monophonic, and as such synfire (or any program really since the data is missing) can't figure out the chords and such even if all the data is there because it is spread across files.
As a specific example, I could have a project with four tracks, one the main melody, one with a bassline, one with counterpoint, and one with occasional chords. If I import them individually, different assumptions will be made about the progression.
Is there a way to point synfire at multiple files and treat them as the "same," input, or barring that merge them in the library so they get a common progression?
Barring that, does anyone know of a file format conversion tool where I can merge multiple SMF type 0 files into a single SMF type 1 file?
Thanks,
Jeff
Thu, 2015-03-12 - 05:31 Permalink
Nevermind, I found the very clearly labelled "import all files in directory" checkbox, I was just misunderstanding the meaning :)
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 03:50 Permalink
Andre, I'm still stuck with this. Getting the MIDI out of ableton isn't the problem, though I think it's format might be. I can't get it to export in other than SMF0 (one file per instrument). Synfire doesn't have an import mode to "look across files," and so far I've been unable to find a utility that will composite multiple SMF0 files into an SMF1 file.
Ableton support pointed me at this page (https://www.ableton.com/en/articles/midi-file-format/) which unfortunately says there is no way to export MIDI as SMF1 from Ableton. Andre, if there is another technique you're thinking of for getting the MIDI out of Ableton I would appreciate the guidance.
When doing a library import, when I try the "import all files in folder," it imports them in sequence, but each as a unique discrete operation, so it's not properly figuring out the chord progressions.
I've also tried putting all the tracks into Synfire and then using the Harmonizer, but that didn't do what I wanted either.
I made a very simple (contrived) example, here's the Ableton View, there are 4 midi parts, and together they make enough information to identify the chords.
When I import them in Synfire Express, it recognizes each part differently, and so the progression is different for each one.
A intrepreation:
View post on imgur.com
B interpretation:
View post on imgur.com
My use case for this is I am often handed projects that I need to turn around quickly, and I have no notes on what the
chord progressions etc are. I'm lucky to have any MIDI at all, and so am doing a lot of Audio to MIDI conversion.
I'm hoping to use Synfire to help me figure out the harmonization where one exists, when there is sufficient information in the project. For now I'm doing a lot of cutting and pasting of MIDI into a single channel so Synfire can work on it, but that's error prone and not very fast.
Any suggestions? Googling "smf0 to smf1 converter" and other stuff hasn't turned up much.
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 08:17 Permalink
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Hey beatdriver
sorry its taken me so long to reply to this....
Have a look at midijoin. Its a windows command line tool that does exactly what you want. I use it for the same purpose to combine all the individual midi files exported from ableton as a file per track. The resulting midi file can then be imported into synfire as a single file/song which lets synfire do all its magic.
http://people.happycoders.org/kamih/midijoin
use it as
midijoin outputfile.mid inputfile1.mid inputfile2.mid inputfile3.mid yetanotherfile.mid
I have version 0.1 but it seems to do the job
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 14:38 Permalink
Hi
Beatdriver48
I don,t know if you are Windows or Mac user.
If you are a windows user the Blacksun´s solution it seems the correct but if you are ,as me, Mac user and you have Reaper try this :
(https://users.cognitone.com/content/import-all-files-directory)
Best
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 18:02 Permalink
@blacksun thank you very much, this does indeed look like exactly what I need. I was fighting with MidiEditor and other programs and found plenty that "blew up" SMF1 into multiple SMF0's but not the other way around. I'll give this a try tonight when I'm home in front of Synfire. Thanks!
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 18:03 Permalink
Shivaloca, thank you. This is a pretty comprehensive thread, thank you for linking to it. I did try the search but I guess my search skills aren't up to the task for it.
I do have reaper and can give this a try if the combiner doesn't end up working out for me. (I'm on windows).
Tue, 2015-03-24 - 18:26 Permalink
Synfire supports both format 0 and format 1 files, but doesn't have any mechanism to treat a group of format 0 files as part of the same harmonic progression, please consider it a feature request to handle Ableton's style of midi exports in some future release of Synfire.
I have no idea what your user base looks like in terms of DAW population, and as such this may very well end up on the bottom of the list, if it even makes the list, but it is a bit odd to me that the Synfire -> Ableton integration works so well (drag and drop -- I did get it figured out, Synfire and Ableton both have to be running as administrator, as well as via Drones) but that the Ableton-> Synfire direction requires third party tools in some circumstances, where there is not enough data to re-construct the chords.
Put another way, Synfire has become an indispensible part of my workflow at this point... :)