Someone please help me to play mid files ...

Trouble playing mid and midi files,
and some sites that used to play music for me
now won't play anymore.

Wav files will play, but they play now in media player,
i don't think they used to ...

John

 

John:

Until someone more qualified stops by, I'll try and help. I use MIDI quite often, so maybe I can recall some things I have tried in the past.

You reference that you USED to be able play MIDI files okay. It would help to know what occurred when things worked: what program played the mid files before?

Did you install new software between the time it worked and stopped? For instance, did you download a new midi player? Or maybe you visited a site that had a midi player on site, or downloaded from that site?

Which program would you like to use to listen to MIDI? You know John, there are so many programs out there. With Real Player, Windows Media, Quick Time it's easy to get the preference directions twisted up.

Those programs have prompts on install that ask you what files you want to associate to the program. It sounds like you have one program that is designated to run the midi files, and another program that is trying to play them, but can't.

Open all your MIDI players one at a time and check the preference tools to see what files are assigned to play. See if you can play the default demos on the players. I'd start with the program that runs the .wav files. Let me know what it is: if I have it I will dig around a little more and give more specific directions.

Something changed your preference settings, imo, so it would be helpful, again, to revisit any changes you made to the computer since the .mid files worked properly.

Peabody

 

I'm using windows media player.
it plays wav files ok.
and it plays au files ok.
It used to play midi files, but it hasn't for months now.
It looks like its playing them, and very faint crackles can
be heard when its running, but not proper sounds.

Several other sound programs do the same thing.
that is, they will play wav files, and au files, but when
they play midi files they look like they're running ok,
but no sound comes out, just faint crackles.

Thanks for any help you can give me, John

 

in Windows Media Player do:

TOOLS/OPTIONS/FILE TYPES

Review list. Make sure MID files are assigned to WinMedPl

Version 9 is available too.

Let me know results from this.

tks,
Peabody

 

I will do that now,
and come straight back.
John

 

Hi Mr Peabody,

Sorry to keep you, i was busy. (slug patrol)
I tried to follow your instructions,
but i fell at the first fence.

I couldn't find 'Tools'

but i looked under 'File' and found a section
called options, but it didn't have anything
like what you said.

John

 

Also, in Control Panel, click MULTIMEDIA, and the AUDIO tab. You can choose which soundcard plays the mid files. Also under DEVICES you can check your midi device, click PROPERTIES and make sure the square "Do not use MIDI features on this device" is UNCHECKED.

 

ok. I see... Is it version 9? I do not have it installed on this computer. The other computer is down for the night.

Somewhere in the program, there is a way to designate files that you want the application to use. Try the HELP section. I will be on the other computer tomorrow fixing stuff, so I will review this post then.

(I also see you can attach files and take pictures of your desktop. That is more than I have done. I'll have to try that sometime.)

I'm done for the evening. Talk again tomorrow.

Mr. Peabody

 

Hi Mr Peabody,

Thank you very much for your help.
I have moved the 'Single instrument'
from the middle to the bottom,
and now my Midi files play ok !!

(havent tried the other files yet,
hope they work ok too !!)

Best regards, John

 

It was a lucky guess on my part. I am glad you got it working again. The second link, to the 401 external MIDI is of course intended to drive an external device. For instance, in my system, I output the MIDI to two synthesizers I have, and route their outputs to a mixer and a stereo amplifier. The advantages are better sound quality and more volume. As long as you are using your internal card, you would want that designated in your System.

Enjoy. Glad I was of help.

Just an old dog,

Mr. Peabody

 

Mr. Peabody,

You made that look easy

 

Tks starwaves...