Copyright: Copyright 1997 Daniele Mazzini
Citation: MIDI Manager Help (c) 1997 Daniele Mazzini


MIDI Manager 1.0 Help
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

MIDI Manager 1.0 Help

Read the legal info at the end of this page first. Using MIDI Manager you agree to all terms described in this help file.

If you are using MIDI Manager for the first time, and you want to hear your music NOW, click here.

You can find the latest release of this program here: http://www.pair.com/dmazzini/midiman.htm

Introduction

MIDI Manager is a juke box - style shareware program and MIDI file manager for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95, especially designed for people with a large and ever-growing collection of MIDI files.

The main task of MIDI Manager is to play MIDI files in the background, sorting them for you in a casual but statistically controlled order.

If you tried a program similar to this one in the past using a MIDI sound card (I mean, not an FM-synthesis card), you should have encountered a real problem: after a few files are played, the music begins to sound bad! This is because the sound card usually needs to be reset between a file and the next one. With MIDI Manager, you can fix this problem! If you want to know more about this, click here.

Using MIDI Manager

NOTE: You can get instructions for any window in MIDI Manager clicking the "?" button in it.

The first thing to know is how to add folders to the list of folders in which MIDI Manager searches for files (*.mid,*.rmi) to play: this is explained in the Add Folder Window page. There you will also find how to manage reset files.

When the program has found some files to play, you can set their likelihood to be played in the Frequency Window. This dialog can be reached in the Main Window for the currently selected file.

You can remove a folder from the list in the List Folder Window. There you can also browse files to play, delete, move or rename them, or change their frequencies.

When you have new files to examine in a folder, MIDI Manager will help you in this task through the Examine Window.

Main Window

Add Folder Window

Frequency Window

List Folders Window

Examine Window

Create New Folder Window

Reset Browser

REGISTRATION: ( US $ 20 )

You can register MIDI Manager in one of many different ways (I hope that one of them will fit your needs). To launch Registration Wizard

>>click here<<.

REGISTRATION BENEFITS:

- removes the 30 runs trial limit

- unlocks the features locked in the trial version

- free upgrade to future versions in the following terms: either your key code will be valid for future versions or you will have the right to get, upon your request, a new valid key code at the only cost of shipment, or

- if you put an e-mail address in your order, I will notify you of any new version and send a new key if required.

FOR COMMENTS AND BUGS REPORTING PLEASE WRITE TO:

e-mail: 	r.mazzini@fastnet.it

ordinary mail:

Daniele Mazzini

Via dei gerani 21

60019 Senigallia (AN) - Italy

LEGAL:

This documentation and the program "MIDI Manager" are Copyright © 1997 by Daniele Mazzini. All rights reserved.

MIDI Manager is a shareware program. You can use it freely for the trial period of 30 runs. After that period, to continue the use of the program, you are required to register it. You can freely redistribute the distribution file midimanw95_10.zip as long as you do not modify it and do not charge any fee besides your distribution costs.

It is illegal to modify any part of the package. It is also illegal to copy parts of the files in the package without the written permission of the author.

DISCLAIMER:

This package is provided as is, without warranty of any kind.  The author shall not be liable for damages of any kind.

FOR REGISTERED USERS:

The fee of 20 US$ refers to a single license of use for "MIDI Manager". This license gives the owner the right to install a registered copy in one desktop computer and in one mobile computer. The license is valid for any future version of "MIDI Manager". The registration key is strictly personal. The owner is responsible for illegal use of his/her key.

CREDITS:

War Install System by Jarle (jgaa) Aase (http://www.jgaa.com)

Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation

P.S. I’m sorry for any lexical mistake that I could have made. I will be very grateful to the people who will point them out to me.

Last but not least, a footnote on my name: Daniele is the Italian equivalent to Daniel, not to Danielle!


MIDI Manager - Main window
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Main Window

File:   Move  Del  Rename  Frequency  Stop  Pause  Play  Skip Res  ChD

Folders:   List  Add  Examine

Update: updates the internal list of files. You should use this function if you changed the folders' structure while the program was running.

Autoplay: forces the program to start playing at startup time

Start minimized: forces the program to minimize after startup. Only available in registered version.


Frequency Dialog
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Frequency Window

The selection of a file to play is made in a casual manner, but you can change the likelihood for a file to be sorted by setting its "relative frequency" with respect to other files ( higher value = higher likelihood ). All the files for which you haven't explicitly set a frequency will have a frequency equal to the default frequency. You can also inhibit the replaying of a played file for a certain number of turns (Do-not-repeat queue length)

NOTE: if you don’t want a file to be played, set its frequency to 0

NOTE: to change a file's name outside the program will reset its frequency to the default value.

NOTE: removing a folder from the folder list, you won't loose the frequency values associated to files in that folder.

NOTE: two different files with the same name may have different frequencies.

Selected file: Frequency value  Set to default

All files: Default frequency  Do-not-repeat queue length


List Folders Dialog
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

List Folders Window

Reset file for selected folder: shows what reset file (if any) is associated to the selected folder

Folder: Remove Fol

NOTE: Only folders which contain at least one MIDI file are listed

File:  Delete File  Move File  Frequency  Select


Examine Window
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Examine Window

Through this window you can examine new MIDI files in a folder and in its subfolders, choosing the appropriate reset file for each of them and moving them to the appropriate location.

NOTE: The folder and its subfolders won't be added to the list of folders to scan if you only explore them in this window. Use the Add Folder Window for this purpose.

Default reset file:

this is the reset file played by default before playing any of the files listed. You can choose it pressing the  Change button.

Files left: the number of MIDI files still present both in the principal folder and in its subfolders.

Selected file:

Bind to reset: press this button if you want to move a file to a folder with a certain reset file; you can choose the folder through the Reset Browser window.

Try a different reset: plays the selected file after playing a reset file that you can choose through the Reset Browser window, without changing the default reset file. You can use this button to find the right reset file for a MIDI file.

Play  Stop  Move Check  Delete  Set Frequency


Add Folder Window
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Add Folder Window

In this window you can add a folder, with or without its subfolders (recurs subfolders), to the list of folders in which you want MIDI Manager to search for files to play. This list will be automatically saved to disk.

NOTE: You cannot add a single MIDI file to the list of files to play in this window: you only have to copy that file to a folder in the list or to add the folder in which the file is to the list.

NOTE: If you want to remove a folder from the list, you can do this through the List Folders Window.

For each folder and subfolder MIDI Manager scans, the program searches for a file named "reset*.mid" (e.g. "reset_gs.mid", "resetGM.mid" ...). If a file with this name is found in a folder (let's call it A), it will be used as the reset file for A (read ahead for an explanation of what this means). This reset file will also be used for the subfolders of A, if a different reset file is not found in these subfolders. If in one of the subfolders of A (let's call B this subfolder) a file named "reset.mid" is found, it will be used as the reset file for B and for its subfolders, and so on.

A reset file is a MIDI file with the System Exclusive (SysEx) commands to reset a MIDI device. MIDI Manager will play the reset file found for a folder (if there is one) before playing any of the MIDI file in that folder.

There are two possible reasons why you may need one or more reset file(s):

- for devices which only play General MIDI files, only one reset file may be needed: this file will restore the default conditions after a MIDI file was played, to grant that the next file will be played correctly.

- for devices which can play different MIDI file types, such as GS MIDI and/or XG MIDI, you may need a reset file to activate the correct setting for a file: for example, my excellent SW60XG isn't able to automatically detect GSMIDI or GMIDI  files, so I have to play the "gs_on.mid" file before a GS MIDI file, and the "gm_on.mid" file before a GMIDI file.

The simplest way to do that, with MIDI Manager, is this (for each type of MIDI file)

1. Create a folder for the MIDI type

2. Copy the correct reset file into that folder and rename it to "resetX.mid" where X is a name for this reset type

3. Add the folder to the list of folders, with the "recurs subfolders" selector checked.

4. Now you can create any number of subfolders, and copy any number of MIDI files of that kind in the folder and in its subfolders: MIDI Manager will always play the correct reset file before playing any of those files.

NOTE: You can look at what reset file is associated to a folder in the List Folders Window.

NOTE: You can search the right reset file for a MIDI file through the Examine Window or the Main Window (registered users only).


Move
Move: moves selected file to another folder and/or renames it, without changing its frequency


Del
Del: deletes selected file


Rename
Rename: changes selected file name, without changing its frequency


Frequency value
Frequency value: sets the frequency value for selected file and stores it to disk. If the value is equal to the current default frequency, it will change as the default frequency value changes. A frequency value of zero means that the file will never be sorted.


Set to default
Set to default: sets the selected file frequency value to the current default frequency value.


Default frequency
Default frequency: the frequency value that is automatically assigned to a file unless its value is manually set. Changing this value will affect all files for which there isn't a specific value stored.


Queue
Do-not-repeat queue length: sets the minimum number of files that must be played between two repetitions of the same file.


Select
Select: selects highlighted file for playing


Remove Fol
Remove Fol: removes the selected folder from the list of folders in which the program searches midi files. It is only applicable to folders explicitly added ( red folders ), not to their subfolders ( yellow folders ).


Reset Browser
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Reset Browser

In this window you can choose either a reset file or a folder associated to a reset file. Folders and reset files are represented in a three level tree:

- the first level shows how many different kinds of reset files are in the folders and subfolders in which the program searches for MIDI files (e.g. Type 2)

- the second level shows the reset files, grouped by kinds, with their complete path (e.g. d:\song\gmidi\reset.mid)

- the third level shows all the folders and subfolders which are affected by a reset file (e.g. d:\song\gmidi\beatles)


Try reset
Res:  plays the selected file after playing a reset file that you can choose through the Reset Browser window, without changing the default reset file. You can use this button to find the right reset file for a MIDI file. Only available in registered version.


Check
Check: checks whether there is a file identical to the selected one in one of the folders in the list of folders. Identical files are recognized even if they have different names. If there are more files identical to the selected one, MIDI Manager will report only the first encountered one. Only available in registered version.


New F
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

Create New Folder Window

Path of new folder: put here the new folder's path. You can add only one level to the folders tree.

Reset file to copy: the reset file (if any) that will be copied into the new folder.

Change: press this button to choose the reset file through the reset browser.

Add to the list of folders: adds the new folder to the list of folders.

NOTE: you haven't to add the new folder if it is a subfolder of a folder already in the list with the "recurs subfolders" tag selected.

Recurs subfolders: if you add the new folder to the list, you can choose to recurs future subfolders or not.


QUICK START
MIDI Manager 1.0 Help File Copyright © 1997 Daniele Mazzini

 QUICK START:

- in the main window, press the Add button in the "folders" section

- type in the path of the folder or drive in which there are your midi files, then press the Add button

- now MIDI Manager shows how many MIDI files were found. You can press the Play button in the "file" section to hear continuous music chosen by chance.

- you can select a file to play pressing the List button in the "folders" section.

NOTE: there is still the reset problem. If you want to know how to fix it, follow this link.