It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:21 am


Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

Eddy67716

Member

  • Posts: 5
  • Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 1:29 am

Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostTue Dec 05, 2017 4:24 pm

I use Musescore to make Pipe organ compositions and I thought that I could import them to Hauptwerk.

I gave it a try by exporting the score in MIDI format. When I opened it on the St Anne organ, all the MIDI played on the pedalboard.

How do I get the top two staves to play on the Great and/or Swell manuals?
Offline
User avatar

organtechnology

Member

  • Posts: 1886
  • Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 4:58 pm
  • Location: DFW, TX USA

Re: Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostTue Dec 05, 2017 5:17 pm

Hi,

We have found that when importing MIDI files generated by out board MIDI sequencer, the sequences must completely conform to Hauptwerk's specification for MIDI files which does not seem always to follow SMF convention.

Perhaps an easy way around this is to configure one of the extra Hauptwerk Alt configurations to receive your MIDI sequencer as a Console in the MIDI tab in General Settings either through the use of a hardware cable from an external box or a software cable on the same machine as Hauptwerk.

You will need to match the MIDI channels in Hauptwerk to to the MIDI channels in the Sequencer so that as you send the MIDI signal to Hauptwerk it plays the loaded organ properly including the pistons toe studs and expression pedals. Load the pistons and toe studs with the desired ranks.

When you have the MIDI Sequencer playing the organ correctly, then you can set the record in the MIDI player in Hauptwerk's MIDI panel and then play the organ with the external sequencer. This will record a MIDI file in Hauptwerks format which can be played on any Hauuptwerk setup where this sample set is available.

Yes it is tedious to setup but once the setup is done it is easy to call up the Alt-config Hauptwerk a repeat the SMF MIDI to Hauptwerk MIDI conversion process. Hauptwerk even allows you to name the sequence or will supply an automatic name.

Best regards,

Thomas
Complete Hauptwerk™ systems using real wood consoles, PC Sound Engines, Dante Audio for Home or Church. info (at) organtechnology.com http://www.organtechnology.com
Authorized Hauptwerk; Milan Digital Audio and Lavender Audio reseller.
USA and Canada shipments only.
Offline

organassist

Member

  • Posts: 123
  • Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:01 am
  • Location: Colchester, England

Re: Importing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostWed Dec 06, 2017 3:26 am

Currently Musescore exports all notes for one instrument on the same MIDI channel. Unfortunately, even though the Pipe Organ uses three staves, Musescore still uses the same channel for all of them. I believe there is a request filed for a change to Musescore but I am not hopeful that this will happen very soon.

I am testing an unreleased version of my software that now supports importing Musescore format MIDI. I found that although the notes are all on the same channel, they stored within different MTrk objects. I wrote some code that assigns each of these to a different division - from top to bottom Swell, Great, Pedals. Once it is imported I can adjust the divisions as required by highlighting blocks of notes. Then I can either export as General MIDI choosing the individual MIDI channels for each keyboard or as MIDI format for direct playback within Hauptwerk (for instruments already configured).

If you are interested in trying this out - please contact me at organassist.com. Now that December is here, I will not be ready to release this more widely until early next year.
Offline
User avatar

mdyde

Moderator

  • Posts: 15441
  • Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2003 1:19 pm
  • Location: UK

Re: Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostWed Dec 06, 2017 5:30 am

Hello Eddy,

Thanks for the continued interest in Hauptwerk.

To add to others' replies:

Hauptwerk's built-in MIDI player uses and requires a special fixed, predefined MIDI implementation that's described via the 'Recording | View MIDI recorder/player/sequencer MIDI implementation (for this organ)' menu function in Hauptwerk (with an organ loaded). It's done that way (i.e. fixed and predefined) so that a MIDI file recorded by any Hauptwerk user will play back correctly on any other Hauptwerk user's installation with the relevant organ (sample set).

[The 'Recording and playing back live solo performances: the built-in MIDI recorder/player and its fixed MIDI implementations' sub-section (page 181 in the current v4.2.1 version) of the 'MIDI sequencing, the Hauptwerk AU/VST Link and applying real-time reverb' section (pages 181-199) of the main Hauptwerk user guide (on the Help menu in Hauptwerk) covers it in more depth.]

Hence if you want a third-party MIDI file (i.e. one that wasn't saved by Hauptwerk itself) to play back properly within Hauptwerk's built-in MIDI recorder then you would need to save or edit the file (e.g. using MIDI sequencer/editor software) to make it to use the required MIDI channels.

[As an alternative (as Thomas mentioned), albeit a rather more fiddly one, you could potentially instead set up Hauptwerk as described in the 'Composing pieces off-line from a MIDI sequencer configured conventionally (Hauptwerk as a ‘slave’ MIDI device)' sub-section of the Hauptwerk user guide (pages 189-194), using third-party MIDI VST/AU sequencer software (such as Cubase, Logic, or Reaper) to play MIDI files into Hauptwerk via the Hauptwerk AU/VST Link, whilst configuring the desired MIDI implementation in Hauptwerk manually to match your existing MIDI files. In that case, in particular, please make sure that you have the 'Hauptwerk AU/VST Link' entry selected specifically in the *left-hand* ('Console MIDI IN') column on Hauptwerk's 'General settings | MIDI ports | MIDI IN ports' screen tab, with no other entries ticked at all on that screen tab (in either column), and also with no entries ticked at all on the 'MIDI OUT ports' tab. You can then right-click on virtual keyboards to configure their MIDI settings as you wish. (Also as covered in that user guide section), please select the 'Hauptwerk VST Link' as the audio output device on Hauptwerk's 'General settings | Audio outputs' screen, so that Hauptwerk will output audio through the AU/VST host, rather than directly via your audio interface's driver. Note also that it's very important that you have only a single instance of the Hauptwerk plug-in loaded within your host's project, since it wouldn't normally make sense to have multiple independent pipe organs within a single project, and Hauptwerk doesn't allow multiple simultaneous plug-in instances. (The user guide covers that in more detail on page 191, including how to use multiple tracks on different MIDI channels for different divisions, whilst sharing a single plug-in instance in Cubase and Logic, as examples.)]

However, as David (organassist) mentioned, if Musescore doesn't currently support exporting MIDI files on multiple MIDI channels then you will almost certainly need to use some additional software (such as David's beta version) to adapt the MIDI files so that they can be split appropriately across different MIDI channels for the various parts/staves.

I hope that helps.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
Offline
User avatar

mdyde

Moderator

  • Posts: 15441
  • Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2003 1:19 pm
  • Location: UK

Re: Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostWed Dec 06, 2017 5:39 am

organtechnology wrote:We have found that when importing MIDI files generated by out board MIDI sequencer, the sequences must completely conform to Hauptwerk's specification for MIDI files which does not seem always to follow SMF convention.


Hello Thomas,

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to, but Hauptwerk's MIDI recorder and player are fully compatible with the 'standard MIDI file' (SMF) format specification ( https://www.midi.org/specifications/category/smf-specifications ). The standard SMF specification isn't designed for organ music specifically, and it says nothing about which particular MIDI channels individual pipe organ divisions (or other controls, such as stops, divisional expression pedals, pistons, etc.) should use; there's no universal standard for those things (as with pipe organ specifications themselves).

Hence you just need to make sure that the appropriate MIDI implementation is used to match whichever software/hardware you're working with (whether it's Hauptwerk or a particular make of digital organ, for example). In the case of Hauptwerk's MIDI player, the MIDI implementation is documented via the 'Recording | View MIDI recorder/player/sequencer MIDI implementation (for this organ)' menu function.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
Offline

OrganoPleno

Member

  • Posts: 652
  • Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:08 pm

Re: Importing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostWed Dec 06, 2017 10:41 am

organassist wrote:Currently Musescore exports all notes for one instrument on the same MIDI channel. Unfortunately, even though the Pipe Organ uses three staves, Musescore still uses the same channel for all of them.


You might get good results with Anvil Studio (anvilstudio.com)... This program supports as many MIDI Tracks as you need, each on its own Channel. The base program is Free. For $29 you can get the Pro-MIX version with many added features... including the ability to produce a Tempo Track.
Offline

Eddy67716

Member

  • Posts: 5
  • Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 1:29 am

Re: Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostThu Dec 07, 2017 6:04 pm

I found the solution.

I made a different organ sound for each line and export it, but the manual part played in the pedals and vice versa.

I swapped them around, added the Swell manual part altered the registrations while recording and it worked.

(I would upload the result but I'm not sure if you can upload .wav files to this forum.)
Offline
User avatar

mdyde

Moderator

  • Posts: 15441
  • Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2003 1:19 pm
  • Location: UK

Re: Imporing midi files to Hauptwerk.

PostFri Dec 08, 2017 4:56 am

Hello Eddy,

Thanks for the update, and glad to hear you've come up with a method that works for you.

It isn't possible to upload files directly to the forum, I'm afraid, but you can place links on it to files that you've hosted somewhere else on the Internet.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.

Return to Audio / MIDI interfacing

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests