Audacity Forum

Hello everyone,

I've tried importing MIDI files several times and exporting back to MP3, yet I can't seem to export to Mp3 while keeping the MIDI sound of Guitar Pro - I tried using a program called Easy Midi Converter but it ends up sounding very bad,.

Can you use Audacity to record my MIDI songs in MP3, without changing the sound qualities? I can import a Midi file, but when I press play it gives me this message: Error while opening sound device - Please check output device and the project sample rate.

I'm not really sure how to fix this, looked around a bit but I feel very ignorant using this program.

I tried changing it to MP3 immediately, downloaded a LAME encoder, still, no go - the file is there but it doesn't play anything.

I also tried recording straight from the Guitar Pro file but it didn't work either...

Help?

I'm using Windows Vista Home Premium. Thanks!

MIDIs aren't sound files. MIDI files are instructions for a sound device to produce music.

"Play B-Flat above middle C on a Grand Piano with medium pressure.
Hold it for three seconds.
Let go with a 2 second decay."

That's a MIDI file. If you apply that file to a PC, you normally get the internal sound manager playing the note as close to a Grand Piano as it can do which can be pretty awful. If you apply it to the sequencer and Yamaha keyboard in my third bedroom, you will get a single perfect, clear Grand Piano note rolling across the house.

While the Yamaha keyboard is playing the note, I grab the audio signal from the keyboard and apply it to my computer to record the note in Audacity. From there I can Export As MP3....

If Easy MIDI Convert's job is to play the note, then all you need to do is get Audacity to record Mix-Out or What You Hear from Windows.

http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

Koz

I'm aware what a MIDI Sequence is, and I'm aware that they do not generate sound; Here's a more definite answer as to what I want to accomplish.

I write music in Guitar Pro, and I want to put my compositions onto a cd. To do this, the files must be in MP3, naturally.

I want the MIDI sequence to playback from Guitar Pro, and Audacity to record the sounds which Guitar Pro produces in MP3 format.

Meaning, I want an Mp3 file which sounds exactly like it does when I press Play in Guitar Pro.

When I use Easy MIDI converter, it changes the sound completely, the MIDI sequence is correct, but the tone and decay of the instruments is not - often notes will ring out and create a wall of noise for no apparent reason.

<<<my compositions onto a cd. To do this, the files must be in MP3, naturally.>>>

Nothing natural about it. The format on a Music CD is 16-bit 44100 WAV, not MP3. The Audacity default file format is 32-bit , 44100 WAV. It can easily be changed in the Preferences to 16-bit 44100. Direct transition, no musical damage. MP3 is a destructive compressed music format generally used in final delivery to an iPod and never ever to be used in the middle of a production because of damage that it causes.

So from here on, you are forbidden to type the word "MP3" anywhere. It's clouding the issue and may, be one of the reasons you are having troubles with music quality.

You compose music in Guitar Pro and you like the way your composition sounds when its played at the computer. You need to set Audacity Preferences to the above 16-bit 44100 quality and change the Windows control panels so Audacity is recording the output of the computer. This is sometimes known as "Mix Out" or "What You Hear" depending on your Windows version.

http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

You'll still need to adjust Audacity input levels so your performance doesn't overload--the waves never hit zero. Press record in Audacity and play in Guitar Pro.

After capture of the song, Export As WAV and the default format should already be 16/44100. Drop that in Windows Media or the Music CD burning software of your choice and burn.

That Music CD should sound identical to the original performance, given very minor loudness changes.

Repeat for each song and dump all the individual WAV files into the Music CD Burning Software in the order you wish. What's typical, 10, 12? Burn. Distribute widely. Become famous. Take over the world.

Koz

Thank you very much for your help, I would have never figured all that by myself.