Copyright: ® 1996 ICL Designs.


Contents
MIDI to XM File Converter

© 1996 ICL Designs.

Select Help On :

Main Screen Options

Conversion Information Screen


Main Screen Options

MIDI File to Convert

The MIDI file to be converted to an XM file.

Channels

The number of channels you want to be used by the XM conversion. If you select 'Auto' then MID2XM will automatically use the required number of channels so that no notes are lost due to a lack of channels.

Events

This is where you enable/disable the conversion of the MIDI events.

Channel Allocation

This is where you allocate the XM module channels to the MIDI channels.

Example: If you wanted to have only MIDI channel 10 playing on module channel 0 then you would tick box 0 for channel 10 and untick box 0 for all the other channels.

Or: If you wanted to have only MIDI channels 1 and 2 sharing XM channels 0 and 1 then you would tick boxes 0 and 1 for channels  1 and 2 and untick boxes 0 and 1 for the other channels.

To allow all MIDI channels to play on all XM channels just tick all the boxes for all the channels.

To totally ignore a MIDI channel just untick all the boxes for the channel (or upto the number of channels you are going to use during conversion - for ten channels just untick the first ten boxes).

Quantization

This is where the quantization is selected

1/8 	8 MIDI bars into 1 XM pattern(64 divisions)

1/16	4	"	"	"

1/32	2	"	"	"

1/64	1	"	"	"

Note: If you are converting a particularly long MIDI file (over 256 bars) then you'll have to use one of the first three ratios as 256 patterns is the limit to the length an XM module can be.

During quantization notes can either be rounded down or to the nearest division :

Rounded 'Down' means that if an event occurs even 1 delta-tick before the next division starts the event is not rounded up to this division.

'Nearest' means that in the previous case the event would be rounded up, to the nearest division.

Optimizations

The optimization options reduce the size of the XM conversion

Optimizing the patterns eliminates duplicate patterns. You may want to turn this off if you want to make further edits of the XM module in a module editor.

Optimizing the drums eliminates unused drum samples from the conversion.

MIDI to XM Patches

This is where the MIDI programs are mapped to an XI instrument. A name for the instrument is also stored to make it easier to know which XI instrument to allocate to the MIDI program.

Note: If a MIDI program doesn't have an XI instrument allocated to it and the MIDI program is used in a MIDI file the events that occur on a channel while the program is selected are lost.

Note: If two or more different MIDI programs are mapped to one XI instrument then the instrument will only be included in the XM file once, not twice. Eg. all the pianos could be mapped to one XI file.

XI instruments can have upto 16 different samples in them. This allows 15 different drum samples to be in a drum XI instrument - sample 0 must be left blank for unmatched notes.

The example drum XI file (GMDRUMS.XI) has the following samples :

sample 0 - blank (for unmatched notes)

sample 1 - bass

sample 2 - side stick

sample 3 - snare

sample 4 - hand clap

sample 5 - tom

sample 6 - closed hi-hat

sample 7 - open hi-hat

Note: When converting drum tracks make sure that the notes are down long enough for the samples to be played fully. If another sample is played before the drum has finished playing then the drum will not be played fully, unlike MIDI drums which are always played fully.

You can save and load the patch configuration so that you can have multiple configurations. eg. one for GM MIDI, one for MT32 etc... A GM template is included.


Conversion Information Screen

MIDI File Information

Format: File format (only MIDI format 1 is supported).

Tracks: The number of tracks in the MIDI file.

Chans: The number of channels used in the MIDI file.

Bars: The length of the MIDI file.

Notes: The number of notes.

Pan: The number of pan events (MIDI controller 10).

Volume: The number of volume events (MIDI cont. 7).

Expres: The number of expression events (MIDI cont. 11).

Modul: The number of modulation events (MIDI cont. 1).

Pitch: The number of pitch wheel events.

Tempo: The number of tempo changes.

Conversion Information

Chans: The number of channels used in the XM conversion.

Length: The song length in patterns.

Patts: The number of patterns in the conversion. If pattern optimization is off then this is always the same as the length.

Insts: The number of XI instruments used in the conversion.

Notes: The number of notes converted.

Undefined Patches: A list of all the MIDI programs that are used in the MIDI file but have no XI instrument assigned to them.

Unused Drums: The drum samples that are not used in the conversion. If drum optimization is on then these will be eliminated from the conversion.

Lost Notes

Chans: Notes that are lost due to a lack of channels.

Insts: Notes that are lost due to instruments (XI files) being undefined.

Drums: Notes that are lost due there being no sample allocated in the drum XI file for them.

0 Vol: Notes that are ignored as their effective volume is zero (either the channel volume or expression is zero).

Range: Notes that are out of range (over B7).