converting SMF (standard MIDI file) to audio

[smariman]

I have keyboard sequencer-recorded SMF (standard MIDI files) on a USB stick that need to be turned into audio files. Can Audacity do that? I didn't see any mention of SMF so far, so any help would be welcome.

[kozikowski]

Can Audacity do that?

I'm going with no. I think we can play them, but not open them or convert to anything else.

There may be a wacky, oddball way to do it. They play in Windows Media, right? The computer uses its internal interpreter to give you sound. Set up Audacity to record Music Playing On The Computer.

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tut ... puter.html

Depending on your machine, this may give you a lower quality sound than having an actual converter, and you only get the instruments and quality that Windows supports.

MIDI is not sound. You're not "converting" it to anything. It's machine control programming. If you have a program that can play it, the program is using its internal "piano" to make the music, assuming your MIDI calls for a Piano.

That's why you can play a MIDI tune on different computers and get a different piano each time.

Koz

[steve]

I think we can play them, but not open them or convert to anything else.

We can't "convert" them. As you say, MIDI is not "audio", and nothing can "convert" a MIDI file into something that it isn't.
We probably can "play and record", though I've not tested this on Windows.

On Windows, a properly formed ".MID" file should play in the latest version of Audacity (2.3.2):

• File menu > Imort > MIDI
  a "Note Track" should appear (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/note_tracks.html)
• Press Play
  You should hear the song play.

By default, Audacity uses the Windows GM Synth to play the MIDI file.

I think you should then be able to record the sounds that are playing on your computer (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tut ... ndows.html)

[kozikowski]

That's why you can play a MIDI tune on different computers and get a different piano each time.

Or even better, I used to tell my Cakewalk license to play a song using the wrong instrument. "Which Instrument" is one of the MIDI instructions in the program.

Instead of playing Electric Guitar (027) use Honky-tonk Piano (003).

No end of hilarity.

Koz

[DVDdoug]

I'm not a MIDI guy and I've only seen .MID files.

Or even better, I used to tell my Cakewalk license to play a song using the wrong instrument.

Or, Cakewalk (now FREE) or another DAW can render to audio with your chosen virtual instruments as well as edit or create MIDI files.

There are LOTS of free & commercial virtual instruments (VSTi's) and I assume Cakewalk comes with some too, and they can be of much higher quality (more realistic) than what you get by default with Windows.

[kozikowski]

I wonder how many people are using MIDI with the assumption it's a sound file like MP3 and not a programming language.

The files are smaller, right? This is the answer to the eternal search for small files.

Koz