Importing Midi SMF Meta data (Tempo/Signature changes)

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iLove80's
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:06 am

Importing Midi SMF Meta data (Tempo/Signature changes)

Post by iLove80's »

Hi,
I've recently gone back to using Multitrackstudio studio Pro 8.3 from Ableton Live 9 in Session view. You may think 'Why?'

1. MTS loads quickly and CPU friendly! Ableton (A Live 9) is a fat proggy and resource intensive.
2. I use the setlist.txt & Song/SongHi remote feature extensively to load up songs from iPad app. A Live 9 requires manual setup on each master clip.
3. Now Giel has added the 'stop at end of song' that has saved me using another midi track to control transport which was hit and miss.
Well done for listening for this requested feature. A Live 9 this can be achieved by re-route a midi clip note on/off message back to the remote midi in port to effectively manipulating the transport.
3. Can set markers and rew/fwd a track which is difficult to achieve in A Live 9 via Session view without writing a Max 7 device to do it.

One thing I really need in the next release to correctly import and phrase midi META data. i.e SMF tempo change and signature change. Was addition to the standard midi spec. Example
0xFF 0x51 0x03 0x07 0xA1 0x20 Tempo change event.

The new Tempo and signature editor is great however falls short of correctly importing these changes from a midi file into the Tempo editor.

Currently I have to mess around manually changes per bar for each of my songs. Where is this data stored? (in the original midi file?)

Another alternative:-
Could you develop a feature to open a tempo/Signature file loaded with each song having changes? My idea something on the lines of a 'Tempo.smt' file which contains a list of tempo changes and signature changes at start of a bar and/or every 1/4 note or simplicity translate the ABSOLUTE_TICK count into "Seconds" (fractional seconds offset from the beginning of the midi file) like Cubase, Qtrator and Protools do? Midi tick using 60000 / (BPM * PPQ) (milliseconds).

I could write a VB script to phrases the tempo and sig data from the midi file to build this Tempo.smt file. I'd be happy with this approach.
I've done this to control A Live 9 tempo and time sig at the moment and works fine using midi CC's for Signature and Pitch bend for Tempo (better resolution) but that's a work around since A Live 9 don't phrase META correctly!!

I've written a VB script to convert all my songs from A Live 9 folder structure also generating the .hdr files. Good choice to use flat files than xml or binary code.. Simple is best.

Can this be considered in the next release? If so this would satisfy me no end! :D
Anyone out there requires this?

www.8Teaseband.com
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Importing Midi SMF Meta data (Tempo/Signature changes)

Post by Support »

Tempo and time sig data is imported automatically if you import a MIDI file in a song that doesn't have any MIDI tracks yet. So you can import your MIDI file in a new song, and use the tempo / time sig editor's copy and paste options to move it to the other song.


Giel Bremmers
iLove80's
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:06 am

Re: Importing Midi SMF Meta data (Tempo/Signature changes)

Post by iLove80's »

Support wrote:Tempo and time sig data is imported automatically if you import a MIDI file in a song that doesn't have any MIDI tracks yet. So you can import your MIDI file in a new song, and use the tempo / time sig editor's copy and paste options to move it to the other song.


Giel Bremmers
Ok, my mistake, found out the midi file I was using was malformed. After correcting the Tempo and Time Signature import works!
I'm over the moon now MTS recognises Tempo and meter changes. Great work!!!!!!!!!
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