Greetings, All!! Christian Mondrup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, wrote...
[in reply to...] > Jan Nieuwenhuizen wrote: > > "Olivier Vogel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > > >>So is there a simple program, with in-line command (like PMX or M-Tx), > >>for converting easily a midi file to PMX or MusiXTeX? > > > > > > LilyPond comes with a fairly simple python script, that will covert > > MIDI to LilyPond input: midi2ly. > > > > Although that's not what you want, it would not be too much work to > > write a simple pmx backend for it. > > > > IMHO converting MIDI to some sheet music notation format is non trivial > if the source of the MIDI data is anything else than output from a sheet > note editor. For example if MIDI data are sequenced in from real time > playing on a keyboard the MIDI-to-some-editor program will have to deal > with things such as quantization. You can never know how 'loose' the > keyboard playing was. > > -- > Christian Mondrup, Computer Programmer This thread really wakes me up these days. Christian has made a very good and accurate summary of the major issues facing related to MIDI input to PMX. I am mostly a user of M-Tx and would like to target MIDI input to M-Tx, since I am more likely to need quick and easy lyrics input... ) However ;-((... I have sometimes started down this road only to be sidetracked by lack of time, and many side trips into other interesting subjects, but no real progress on this problem. (I dream on...) Now, realizing that I am likely to be a Windows 'Whatever' user for the forseeable future, (oh Linix/Unix people, forsake me NOT :-), most of the things I have considered revolve around improving the efficiency of the basic input, and the most familiar environment is Windows 95. Consequently, it would NOT be real important, nor very realistic, to work toward a comprehensive translation of 'everything in the MIDI file' to something on the printed page. (Well, as Christian points out, a lot of problems can crop up...) The most useful tool to me would be a 'MIDI clip capture' tool; something that would 'listen' to a simple line from a 'real time' MIDI keyboard, and then interpret that into a trial clipping that could be adjusted or corrected, then 'pasted' into the open M-Tx (or PMX) file 'in work.' In short, we would need a lot more versatile IDE (integrated development environment), even more than just a tool for translating a MIDI file into PMX. Another feature that such an IDE might have would be to both 'isolate' and 'merge' part streams into an existing file. For example, it would be really nice to pull (say) 12 bars of the ALTO part into a work buffer, fix it in some way (maybe even do things like search and replace on just that text, etc.) and then paste/replace it back into the open file. It would be nice to be able to create a part independently 'in the work window' and just add it into the midst of the other parts. (You can see that this capability would be the enabling functionality under the MIDI capture function described above.) It would be great if one could (say) highlight 5 bars and request 'preview'... The selected text input would be (internally) buffered with a 'faked' preface and various context setup, then rendered (yah... the whole PMX, Tex x 2, Dvi-View sequence), which (by the way) is hardly a time problem on any decent PC any more. (Did I hear about anyone working on a side-by-side Tex Rendering system, with any MusixTex implications...) Well, I can always dream! These are all development tasks that I would commend to any interested parties! However, some of the simple things would be to translate MIDI clips into M-Tx or PMX... the tough part (it seems) would be to manage the overall context of the 'document in work' so as to really control and benefit from the MIDI input clips. Final thought... I had a few opportunities to try Finale Notepad, and I still think that I can type M-Tx faster and with better results (as long as I remember what I need to type!) than I can deal with the point and drop approach to placing all the score elements in the right place. In the end, I am still more satisfied with the score appearance from MusixTex than any others. However, it would be really great if one could interpret the proprietary Finale file format (since Notepad already reads MIDI) and write PMX or M-Tx script sequences... An interesting thought, but does not appear likely. Once again, I have gone on much to long... My teenagers want to use the computer Right Now :0)).... School work and the like always comes first. Joel Hunsberger _______________________________________________ TeX-music mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://sunsite.dk/mailman/listinfo/tex-music
