Is there a simple midi-player wich could use vsti?

[LiquidSoul]

So that I could choose vsti instruments once, and then it would use them for any midi file.

[C00kie]

TobyBears MiniHost can play a midi file through one VSTi. It can't remember which VST or which patch you used for a specific file. You can render to WAV (and afterwards convert to MP3) I think.

I'm not aware of a "simple" midi file player that can use VSTi's. What you want comes very close to importing a midi file into a host (making it a host project, and no longer a pure midi file) and do your VSTi tweaking there. That offers the greatest freedom, since after choosing the instruments maybe you wanna play with VST effect chains also...

[geekboy]

I had a similar question. Here's a link to the thread.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=850271

My point was that I wanted to play Midi files WITHOUT specifying the instruments everytime. QuickTime plays Midi files automatically and correctly, but the sounds suck.

I have Sonic Synth 1 and Tracktion (Free), but I still have no idea how to do what I want. Some people suggested that I might be able to do what I want using SoundFonts, but I still have no idea.

Surely somebody wants to be able to jam along to midi files -- with good sounds???

[C00kie]

This sounds like you're asking for something like the Virtual Sound Canvas. But I have bad news, it sounds rather the same as the Windows XP virtual GM synth, and also has a latency of about 450ms (yes thats half a second, that spoils the jamming!)

Soundfonts can be applied rather easy if you have a Soundblaster Live or Audigy card. It should already sound rather fine IF you play properly composed midi files! Nearly all GM synths sound rather the same. You have to load them with BIG sample sets in order to sound better.

Bare in mind that VSC and Windows GM Synth are designed to use in PC's that have no wavetable synth on the soundcard. It is a great step foreward compared to the OPL3 chipset (4-operator FM.)

If you still want "better" sounds, then there is no hope 'cause yer spoiled little brats!

[Sascha Franck]

There's some virtual Yamaha XG synth supplied with some mainboards.
Sounds significantly better than the crappy one build into XP.

Not sure where and how to get it though.

Another idea maybe worth trying:
In your Windows\system32\drivers directory there's a file called "gm.dls". This is the soundsource used for the internal synth (I know it because I once converted it to SF2, using Awave - the DLS format is pretty similar to SF2).
You could perhaps build a nice sounding GM compatible soundfont, convert it to DLS (I think Awave will do that as well) and then replace the file.

I haven't tried that yet, but it should work somehow.

There's a few other options:
- Install some virtual MIDI driver.
- Route Window's MIDI player to playback MIDI files through whichever virtual output.
- Use that output as the input in some standalone version of a proper sampler.

Of course, that's all not like playing MIDI files through various synths.
To get there I think the best way still would be to load them into your sequencer of choice.

[useruseruser]

I also think, it is better to play MIDI files thru system drivers like the Microsoft synthesizer or a Yamaha XG synthesizer (software) directly.

The Yamaha synths are pretty good (because the XG extension). I tried to play XG compatible General Midi files and also normal MIDI files thru it and it sounds pretty authentic (as playing it thru a original XG equipment i.e. MU128 hardware or so).

Whatsoever, this is not the case with EDIROL stuff. There is often no compatibility (with GS extension). Many XG files sound pretty strange and partwise terrible on EDIROL software synthesizers (especially the filter resonance seems to be completely different adjusted there).

If you want to play it thru VST plugins, so you need fully GM compatible and multitimbre VST plugins, which are rare.

The Yamaha SYG50 VSTi is very good and resource friendly. Other choices are the Steinberg GM module (shipped with good old cubase) and even the EDIROL VSTis.

And of course the sfz soundfont players with a good loaded GM soundfont. But I don't know, whether they are able to perform multitimbrality. I never tried this. I don't think so, because none of the rgc synths are able to perform multitimbre.

[LiquidSoul]

The Yamaha SYG50 VSTi is very good and resource friendly. Other choices are the Steinberg GM module (shipped with good old cubase) and even the EDIROL VSTis.

Edirol Hyper Canvas also sounds nice with any midi file I import into Cubase, that's why I'm looking for a program, which could load edirol automaticaly for any midi file. As far as I understand there is no such program...

[useruseruser]

The Yamaha SYG50 VSTi is very good and resource friendly. Other choices are the Steinberg GM module (shipped with good old cubase) and even the EDIROL VSTis.

Edirol Hyper Canvas also sounds nice with any midi file I import into Cubase, that's why I'm looking for a program, which could load edirol automaticaly for any midi file. As far as I understand there is no such program...

Not quite right, because each Secuencer can actually do this.

But you are right, if you want a simple "player" which acts thru a VSTi...

What about that MiniHost by TeddyBear-Confusions?
Someone claimed, it could play MIDI files that way...

[LiquidSoul]

What about that MiniHost by TeddyBear-Confusions?
Someone claimed, it could play MIDI files that way...

hm... i haven't seen this feature in minihost is it there?

[LiquidSoul]

YYYYESSSSSSSSS! minihost can do this! THANK YOU!!!

[C00kie]

Second post, first two words... What did it say ???

[pljones]

I had a similar question. Here's a link to the thread.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=850271

My point was that I wanted to play Midi files WITHOUT specifying the instruments everytime. QuickTime plays Midi files automatically and correctly, but the sounds suck.

Instrument "assignments" in Standard MIDI Files (SMF, extension .mid or .midi) are achieved by sending a channel Program Change message (and possibly Bank MSB, LSB too). These specify an instrument according to the General MIDI standard or GS (Roland) or XG (Yamaha) extensions. Note than Channel 10 under GM defaults to the drum bank.

So, to play a SMF, you need to send the MIDI messages to a GM-compliant player.

I think Quicktime uses the system MIDI synth (which is either the Microsoft softsynth or one provided with your soundcard in all likelihood). If you want to change the sounds these use in playback, you'll need to consult the appropriate manual or ask a more specific question about the particular product you have.

However, I would recommend a more flexible arrangement. Get a SMF player that you can direct to a MIDI Out port of your choice. Get a GM-compatible MIDI Player that lets you load soundsets of your choice (I know of no free ones). Install MIDI Yoke. Send the MIDI message out to one end of a MIDI Yoke junction from the file player and in the other end in the MIDI player.

To jam along, you can add MIDI OX to the equation and use it to merge your external MIDI In with the MIDI In from the SMF player.

If you have a VSTi host that lets you route MIDI channels to different VSTis and save configurations, you could try using sfz (you'll probably need to load two copies, one for channel 10 and one for everything else) and pick a decent soundfont. (You need one instance of sfz for each soundset you want to load.)

Simpler is to use SynthFont but I don't know if it lets you play live along with SMF playback.

[jampra]

Try Plogue Bidule. It's still available in shareware as is in beta version, but it's the best "just a VSTi host" I've ever tryed.
It's very good for playing live your VSTi's, and you can intuitively connect all instruments and effects as the real thing.