Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

All about the development and use of SynthFont2
Trygve Larsen
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:16 pm

Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Trygve Larsen »

Ok, thank's Kenneth.. Downloaded and testing it now.. First error coming says; Jbridge says Kontakt is not a valid VST plugin.. I'm clicking ok.. Nest box coming up saying; Sfvst32to64
Access violation at 00000000 in module Sfvst32to54.exe Read of address 0000000
After just clicking ok, I can continue.. So I go in the VST option and try to load the vst again, but same.. Synthfont freeze.. I open again, thinking I will try the 32 bit version, and that works... Can run the overide fine and play to file start. BUT this time I cannot choose Mp3.. Only Wav...

Well, at least it can work when u r away on ur vacation...;) I can just convert it to Mp3, using another software for that... But seems like the fix u did, was for the 32 bit version?
And btw, the cancel button appeared in the Stop menu, but what I ment was when clicking "play to file".. THERE, beside the OK button, there should be a cancel option...;) Like when, for instance, we suddenly remember we just converted that folder before...;)

But stil; The uninstall SHOULD uninstall ALSO the file that obviously STILL is there when install it again.. How can it else bee that everything is there from what I selected before in the setting options?.. That's NOT a fresh install...And probably the reason it still did not work after reinstalling it...
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

The version I linked to is the 32 bit version, so you should use the 32 bit Kontakt VST. The error message you got doesn't look right. If you actually tried to use the 64 bit Kontakt (never tried that) then the error message ought to come from the program SFVST64TO32 and not SFVST32TO64.

If you look at the program caption it should state that it is "(32 bit) [Version 20D]".

Ok, I understand about the Cancel button. I'll add it to the dialog box in question. Easy enough.

Now, to your question about uninstalling the program. This is a tricky one and I have talked about it many times before with lots of people. You see, all settings for SynthFont and SynthFont2 (both of them) are saved in a file you mostly find here: "C:\Users\<YOU>\AppData\Roaming\SynthFont\SynthFont.ini" (it could also be in the same folder as SynthFont if the folder is unprotected, that is, not in Windows' "Program Files" folder, which is protected). This file contains a lot of data. A lot. Deleting it automatically as part of uninstall is not an option. Many years ago it was indeed so, but the problem was that lots of users had the impression they had to uninstall the software (that is SynthFont) before installing a new version. Most of them got mad when they realized they had lost all their settings. (I told them to go to the Recycle bin.) If you want to know where the file actually is, and even reset it to a default state, you can do it in Setup. Look at this image:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2nk4pi3iimqjo ... s.png?dl=0
The file will not be deleted, only renamed.

It is somewhat unclear to me WHY you want a totally clean install? Please remind me again.

Yesterday I converted 215 files (the selection Classical-I (001-215)) using a VST instrument as the override, without any problems. When I'm back I'll install Kontakt again. Lost it due to a total crash last year. Haven't bothered since.
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

Trygve Larsen wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:21 pm And btw, the cancel button appeared in the Stop menu, but what I ment was when clicking "play to file".. THERE, beside the OK button, there should be a cancel option...;) Like when, for instance, we suddenly remember we just converted that folder before...;)
But... there IS a Cancel button already...? See here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/un2vwaaefmtef ... s.png?dl=0
Trygve Larsen
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:16 pm

Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Trygve Larsen »

Hi, and welcome back from ur vacation... Last week I has been able to convert thousands of midi files to audio, BUT only to wav OR WMA.. The other option is no more available (Grayed out)
Admin wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:58 pm It is somewhat unclear to me WHY you want a totally clean install? Please remind me again.
In cases like mine, after a crash, to have it back to exactly how it was.. At least it could be an option when uninstalling, so it is op to the user... Because obviously, the reset button does not do it, in my own experience...

Another smal "Bug"; When finish converting, an error message coming up saying a midi file is missing.. But it is not, because it is there, also finish converted..

After finish all the pure piano midi files, I wanted to try to convert also midi files with more instruments in it, to pure piano only audio files. So I tried same trick as in VLC, loading only a pure piano soundfont .. I got up a warning, saying this soundfont does not contain any other instruments, but I just clicked OK... However, the finish converted audio files still contain the sound of other instruments.. How is this possible???

After that, I tried to "drop file" all the other sounds in the "Userbank and default soundfont override" option window.. So all other then the piano (Bank 000) says EMPTY... Stil the result has other instruments in it..

Then, I tried to add an additional override, by choosing a Kontakt flute in the Midi prog. 73... And in green, Column Midi prog. it says; as Preset Name, Flute. BUT in the Soundfont/VSTi /preset column, it says Kontakt Concert Grand... And the render result, NO flute...

So, I guess a proper step by step guide here is needed to understand exactly what to do, in order to convert midi files with many instruments to pure piano audio files, and how to add additional singel VSTi if we want, for instance, Piano and Flute only.. AND/OR if we want to replace a bunch of Soundfonts with VSTi for maximum sound quality in the output... Perhaps, for memory/RAM limitation, this is not possible in the 32 bit version?

In order to get my job done, I used VLC again yesterday.. What I observed btw, was that although VLC is faster, it is a big CPU hog, that makes it hard to multitask.. In synthfont2, this is not a noticeable problem, although slower...
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

BUT only to wav OR WMA.. The other option is no more available (Grayed out)
You are probably running the program out of a folder missing the library files required for all the other file formats. For example, MP3 requires lame_end.dll to be present in the folder.

I'll be back later with more thoughts about using VST instruments in the way you have outlined.
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

After finish all the pure piano midi files, I wanted to try to convert also midi files with more instruments in it, to pure piano only audio files. So I tried same trick as in VLC, loading only a pure piano soundfont .. I got up a warning, saying this soundfont does not contain any other instruments, but I just clicked OK... However, the finish converted audio files still contain the sound of other instruments.. How is this possible??
SynthFont2 is primarily designed for playing back midi files with all kinds of instruments within the standard General Midi group - meaning that the SoundFont you choose as the default SoundFont ought to have at least 128 so called melodic instruments and at least one percussion set. Choosing a piano SoundFont as the default is a bad choice. SynthFont2 will look around for the missing instruments in all known SoundFonts. There will normally be at least one SoundFont to choose from: GMGSx.sf2, which is delivered with SynthFont2. If this file is not found then SynthFont2 will look for a SoundFont delivered with Windows. This is usually always available.

If you want to make sure all 128 melodic instruments are played using just a piano instrument you have to set up 128 overrides... Not a nice thing to do, but possible. Another option that can be used manually is to change all midi programs to the single piano program. Easy to do for a single midi file, but not for a batch of them.

Thus, I have no simple solution to offer.
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

Then, I tried to add an additional override, by choosing a Kontakt flute in the Midi prog. 73... And in green, Column Midi prog. it says; as Preset Name, Flute. BUT in the Soundfont/VSTi /preset column, it says Kontakt Concert Grand... And the render result, NO flute...
Kontakt is a little bit tricky - as are many other VST instruments. There is basically no standard method of selecting a particular VST sound that works in all VST instruments. Many lets you select a program number. Each number corresponds to one sound. IN the same manner as a MIDI prohram number corresponds to one SoundFont sound. This method is used by the overrides but is definitely not suitable for Kontakt - and many other VST instruments.

If you do not really plan to run hundreds of midi files in batch mode, and want to use VST instruments, the best choice is to make an arrangement for each file. In the arrangement you can assign any mix of SoundFonts or similar files with any selection of VST instruments.
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

So, I guess a proper step by step guide here is needed to understand exactly what to do, in order to convert midi files with many instruments to pure piano audio files, and how to add additional single VSTi if we want, for instance, Piano and Flute only.. AND/OR if we want to replace a bunch of Soundfonts with VSTi for maximum sound quality in the output... Perhaps, for memory/RAM limitation, this is not possible in the 32 bit version?
As described previously, the override function is not optimal for use with VST instruments like Kontakt where the sound parameters are stored in a binary data "chunk" and not as a single program number. When you create an arrangement in SynthFont2 you can assign a single instance of Kontakt to several tracks (=midi channels) and each track (channel) can have separate sound (instrument) loaded. Here is an example of a simple scheme:
Kontakt_2_channels.jpg
Kontakt_2_channels.jpg (89.87 KiB) Viewed 20390 times
I have assigned Kontakt to two tracks. This is shown in the upper part of the image. The first track uses midi channel 0 and hence the first instrument loaded in Kontakt (ASMR Shivers). The second track uses midi channel 2 and hence the third instrument loaded (Atmospheric). The middle instrument (Slow Creeper) is not used as there is no track for channel 1.

So... In order for you to be able to process many files in batch mode using Kontakt - I don't think it is feasible. You would have to have 16 sounds loaded, one for each midi channel, and these sounds are then fixed. But, in one midi file channel 5 (say) may play a flute but in another file it may be a church organ. Go figure...
Trygve Larsen
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:16 pm

Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Trygve Larsen »

Ok, thank's for explaining all this for me Kenneth.. I understand..;) Synthfont2 did a great job with more then 5000 piano files, so that is done and was basically the reason for my post...
Admin
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Re: Any Batch edit of midifile possible?

Post by Admin »

That's good.
Your questions and comments have led me two two new ideas: I must have the override function store binary chunk data for a particular VST instrument setup as well and not only a program number that doesn't even always bear any meaning; and I will create a macro procedure that changes all midi programs in a file to a specified one - be it piano or trombone or whatever (ALL programs EXCEPT the one for channel 9 [on base 0] which is the percussion channel and must not be changed). Fun!
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