Tags for MIDI files, haaaalp!!!

[Teo]

Hello and peace (of music.. he he..),

I have a lot of MIDI files that I need to really efficiently cross-reference and I know MP3 music files have plenty of software to organize and set their TAGS like author, performer, creation date, platform used etc etc...

How can I set those tags in my MIDI files?

Thanks googols in advance!

Love and light being,

Teo Do (Re, Me..)

[Torsten Brandes]

Hi Teo,

if you open your midifile with OuickTime, it is easy to set Tags. Or import a midifile with Cubase, export it again as a midifile and edit it. Easy, isn´t it? Or am I wrong?

Best regards,

Torsten Brandes

[Torsten Brandes]

Hi Teo,

btw, look here,

http://www.ensemble-fnm.de/torsten/i...i/oms_book.pdf

or here

http://www.ensemble-fnm.de/torsten/i...he_details.pdf

All the best,

Torsten

[Teo]

Hi Teo,
if you open your midifile with OuickTime, it is easy to set Tags.

Saved as a "movie," keeping the tags, it is unreadable by WMV, WinAmp and such. Exported as a MIDI file it looses all "Annotations" that's what is easy to set in QuerkTime.

I hope, really really hope, you are right and it is simply. Boyo! I'm looking into the leads you gave, and reeeeally appreciate the help! XOXOXO WHAT A BUDDY!

I'm on OS9 on my G3, Win98 is available and It seems only one software TaggerWocky I think, lets me set COPYRIGHT tag, and the file works everywhere. 256 characters in that tag, I can put all my indexables.. but it would sure be nice to put, say... LYRICS! Author, Performed date.. etc.

Again, thanks. U R N ANGEL!

[Torsten Brandes]

Hi Teo,

with Mac OsX and QuickTime 7 you have even more possibilities. I uploaded a Pdf File so that you can see what I mean. So it is very easy to save lyrics and every other information with a midifile. The language shown on the file is german but I think it will be no problem for you to see what I mean. Hope this helps you.

Best regards,

Torsten Brandes

[Teo]

Dear Torsten,

You are so kind and helpful!

Hi Teo,
So it is very easy to save lyrics and every other information with a midifile. The language shown on the file is german but I think it will be no problem for you to see what I mean. Hope this helps you.

Well, this helps me! Since you are really coming up with solutions, more than anyone else - and I have posted this need in about 8 discussion forums - I will go into more detail here:

1) I am getting my Publishing Company going, and sharing of songs is something I do a lot of on-line, so I want to make every effort that AUTHOR, COPY-RIGHTS, PERFORMED DATE and such information is included in a given file. This is so that in some optimal future of my music publishing in general, I can help artists have their information included in their music files that I give out. Make sense?

2) I have done A LOT of development of self-running types of web pages. Using the META tag extensively, along with databases of the lengths of songs (and videos) I create web pages that play one song after the other, and have been designing things like this for.. well, a decade in HTML format, but I have done professional multimedia development for animation and corporate training videos, in-house education projects, for decades. Claris, Oracle, TV soundtracks, many various applications like this totally interest me.

This second reason that I just told you, well, when I see how some programs I believe will display LYRICS to go along with a song, while it is playing, this fits exactly what I wish - in the more creative future of what I like to do!

Let me back up and explain how I wish my MIDI files to be useful, and why specific tags that can stay in specific MIDI tracks is my goal: My son mentioned to me yesterday that when he "composes," he listens to many MIDI files, finds pieces he likes, layers them together, and whala, a song! I am not necesarilly ASKING for my chops/tracks to be stolen, but in my own case I have musical "words of wisdom" that I wish to share - IN THE LONG RUN:

Clave patterns, like drum machine patterns, I think are a staple for any/every song. Certain rhythem guitar patterns (James Brown style) are good building blocks, and forms like "12 bar blues" might as well fit into what I am telling you about, I have "Songo" a really hip afro-caribbean rhythem on traps in a few of my MIDI files. So what I have, is a lot of building blocks, MIDI phrases that can - and I feel should - be used by compositionally hungry people.

Here is my question for this second reason to put tags: Can lyrics be set to display at certain points in a song - in Cubase - in DigiDesign software - in Quicktime? Can tags be inserted into THE SPECIFIC TRACK, so that as someone mixes my MIDI file into their own composition, can my track still have "Chopin inspired impromptu performed by Teo July of 2006?" I think the reason for this last ability to TAG is obvious!

I have been "Desktop Publishing" since before the laser printer, have met Paul Brainerd of PageMaker, and may get into Finale or whatever score software is the standard or most professional. But... I would like to see a OUTPUT OPTION that makes a ".swf" multimedia file, so that the music plays, and you can maybe see the notes go across staffs! Why not with lyrics? Why not with (cover) art synced to points in the song? Maybe this is more like a KARIOKE type of technology, but hey, Japan is not to be overlooked hum? Maybe I am getting beyond myself, or what we are discussing. But maybe not!

Why can't we put tags into specific midi tracks, at specific times IN THE TRACK, so that lyrics can show up in WindowsMediaSlayer, QuerkyTimePlayer, B4RealPlayer or whatever, and the embedded images/links can display at certain times in the song?!?

1=accountability, as long as I can put info in the COPYRIGHT tag, I'm fine. 256 characters gives me the option to put many cross indexable keys.

2=embedding information into separate MIDI tracks so that even when edited/compiled with other tracks the tag will still be in the track - lyrics should obviously stay with the lyric track (choruses with chorus track etc..), perhaps images can be given a EVENT TIME so that they show THEN. For a complete answer to this point I will have to investigate what software looks like it will survive, and if it can import and export midi files and each track's tags (and maybe url links and maybe graphic files) stay intact through the export/import/export etc...

That should give you plenty "to chew on" for a while, but I only share this because you have truly tried to give me answers, and you yourself said "Easy, isn't it?"

http://www.givnology.com/WhatYouSync0.mid has some tags, but now QuickTime won't read it!!! Waaaaahhh!!

[Teo]

Dear Torsten (and YOU! he he.. ),

See the attached. That one I did on some software on my G3 - I do have a G4 with an early OSX on it, but rarely ever use it. It isn't online and I know the second I put it online I will have years of upgrading and junk like that...

I may even BUY yes buy QuickTimePro for this Windows98Plus PC.. ironic huh? Well my OS9 wouldn't let me access my Mac.com disk, but on Windows I can! Total ironies!!! Anyway, in the attached file I get 1) full file name, and 2) the 256 character COPYRIGHT "tag" or annotation or whatever you want to call it.

It contains:

20060701 Teo Barry Vincent Givnology Wellness Arts - > <index> class solo waltz piano jazz rough peace

That is composed date, composer, url, then some indexables. I will put performed date in there as well, and I'll call myself finished with this junk!!!

After stepping (way) back and seeing the whole project from the bigger viewpoint, if the tags can't be attached to SPECIFIC MIDI TRACKS then.. what I was wanting to do is...

A MUTE POINT!

I mean, someone can import my MIDI, and all of any tags go away, yes?

Like javascript to block downloading, it is just an effort.. there is always a sneak/fix/patch/shortcut way to get rid of the tag anyway!

I am the one using a database to organize my songs anyway. See in my "continuous play" page how I organized my songs into overlapping categories: Givnology: Body Music: Harmony, rhythms, lessons, positive affirmations and serene sounds. and here is another technique to "deploy art client's published works" ok ok ok, share songs:

Free Music Samples and Custom Playlist Creation

I noticed in the attached that the tags are for "the movie" or maybe THE FILE and not "music track" or THE SPECIFIC MIDI TRACK. Talking to you about this I realize I can't solve the #2 or bigger need of tags to stick in a specific MIDI track, that is something completely else, and I have basically solved the most critical issue, CopyRight information, so that I don't look like a dumbo sharing things without at least giving credit to people! So once again, I thank you deeply, really, because now I have "thought through" what I need on the immediate, and bigger scheme of things. Yay! DONE DEAL!

What I will share with you, Mr. Brandes, is this: I use MicroSoft Excel in a Macro Programming application (pre-Virtual Basic!) and in a database / spreadsheet my songs have many columns with aspects, which soon will include: classical, chopin, impromptu/solo, rough, full(song), percussion, building block and so on and so on... then...

The Excel macro does this: produces/creates all the pages of the "JamBase" link I showed you above, and also, the continuous play pages like the "Continuous Channels" page above. Maybe for each song I'll create a field with a url link to an image.. and a url to a .txt file for text to display while the song is playing! And these will be in the JAMBASE - did you notice, it is programmed so that a user clicks to select songs, puts in an email and the CUSTOM SONGLIST with pertinent information (what the artist offers to sell!) is all emailed to whomever one wants! Neato hum?

I realized that that old Jambase, all those files didn't even have the CopyRight tag... so I am getting that sort of accounting, legal, documentation aspect finished, then I'll be sharing with all, the songs, and also technology behind my sharing them, maybe even sharing my macro that creates all the continuous play, selectable songlists and such... now you see why I am all frustrated by not having an easy answer to tags?

THANKS GOOGOLS BUDDY!

Love and light being, Teo Do (Re, Mi, Far, Soul....)

[Teo]

Hi Teo,

if you open your midifile with OuickTime, it is easy to set Tags. Or import a midifile with Cubase, export it again as a midifile and edit it. Easy, isn´t it? Or am I wrong?

Best regards,

Torsten Brandes

Well, I won't say "your are wrong," but I'll bet you haven't tried putting those tags in and testing the file on both WMV and QuickTimePlayer. It can't be done. You suuure are helpful though Torsten!

The taggerwocky forum where I'm discussing it some KAGI software guy may come up with a solution, did you look into my CUSTOM PLAYLIST page to see how I cross index my files?

Maybe you can help me with this: I would be willing to PAY a programmer to help me organize my MIDI files by tags! Any suggestions?

PEACE... of music (he he..)

Teo