A program to rerecord MIDIs but slower?

[karansaraf]

Hi, I'm looking to find a program that will rerecord or reproduce a MIDI file slower (speed decided by myself) that it's original speed. I don't want a program that will just play the MIDI slower, I need it to be remade at a slower tempo.

Could anyone here help me out?

[Cloak]

I'm confused. Why don't you just open the file, change the tempo and then save it? That's the only way you can make a MIDI file "slower".

[karansaraf]

I tried that. I opened the MIDI in sibelius, changed the tempo to a slower one, then File > Save As. When I opened up the newly saved file, it still played at the original speed. Am I doing something wrong?

BTW, I changed the tempo, by clicking on the play button, and changing the tempo from 108 to 38 (which is the tempo I want it to be at). When I reopened the file, it played at 108 again. Is there a different way to change the tempo?

[Cloak]

Actually, you may be. I remember when I used Finale, I had to specifically put in a special controller that said "Obey MIDI tempo changes", but I could never figure out why I had to do that.

So see if there's something in Sibelius that does the same thing.

[karansaraf]

Can't see anything like that here, but I suck at Sibelius. I'm no expert at these type of programs. :/

[Bakerman]

Are you inserting a tempo/metronome mark in Sibelius by selecting Create > Text > Tempo? After you left click to place the cursor, you can right click to bring up a menu with all the note symbols. You'd want to pick a quarter note most of the time, then hit type = 38 or whatever tempo you want. Or if a tempo's already there, then you can edit that one of course.

I should mention that a multitrack recording program is much better than Sibelius for adjusting the tempo with no other changes. Sibelius will save the new file with a lot of rhythmic detail destroyed because the notes get moved to positions that match its notation. Finale seems to be better at keeping some rhythms beyond what's in the notation but it's still not always exact. Let me know if you don't have access to anything like Cakewalk/Cubase and I can adjust the file & email back if you'd like.

Say I slid up the keyboard really fast in 1 second recording a midi at 60bpm. The recording program is likely recording at least 120 'snapshots' of info per beat, and often more- I know the default with Cubase is 480. If I import this to Sibelius using 16ths or 32nds as the highest resolution, it won't be a smooth ascent anymore- it will be 4 or 8 huge blocks of notes like I pawed my way up the keyboard. It went from a resolution in the hundreds down to 4 or 8. A good sequencing/recording program should always be able to open it as it was originally recorded. So that's why I don't like Sibelius for anything but notation- it's not meant for real work with midi.

[karansaraf]

Hey, that would be a big help Bakerman, if I could send you the file, and you could sort it out for me!!

What I am actually trying to do is: I have a MIDI (quite accurate actually) for the first 1:30 of One Last Time. I've tried messing around with the import parameters in various programs, but the fast runs are not accurately notated. I figured that if I considerably slow down the tempo of the actual file, and then import that slowed down version into say Sibelius (the only program I have access to that can do it with any competency), then maybe it would notate the fast runs more accurately, since they're not that fast anymore.

Could you let me know of your MSN/Email/AIM detail so I can send you the file?

Thanks greatly.

[Bakerman]

My email's bakerman (at) 2z.net, but I can tell you now that setting a slower tempo won't work for that. Sibelius will see/import the notes in the same way; there will just be the one different piece of data (controller) at the start telling it what tempo it should play everything back at.

[Kure]

Well, I founded a program called VanBasco's Karaoke player, you can download this program on downloads.com, this program is really usefull, you can slow your midis, or make it faster, also you can transpose it.
Check it!, it will help you.