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Off-Topic Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: mobius on September 17, 2015, 09:35:09 PM

Title: help: a better IT Tracker/MOD program for MIDI conversion?
Post by: mobius on September 17, 2015, 09:35:09 PM
Currently I've been using OpenMPT to convert MIDI songs into IT track files. It works decently but not great. In some cases there are few problems but in other cases it sounds terrible. Listen to the attached songs. The worst part is the horn during the middle. For some reason it gets tweaked so it's off key and sounds retarded. Now, there is a very good possibility that I could simply tweak some option(s) in the program to fix this but it's quite a complex program and I don't feel like spending lots of time to learn it.

Anyone know of another program like this to convert MIDI files? Or if you have experience with OpenMPT; is there a way to make this sound better?
Title: Re: help: a better IT Tracker/MOD program for MIDI conversion?
Post by: namida on September 17, 2015, 09:40:03 PM
Setting the MIDI's tempo (in a midi editor) to 128 beforehand, then changing it back (look at the start of the first pattern; not at the "Tempo" setting on the control panel-ly thing) in the MOD file, often has slightly better results. But it does in general tend to be a bit hit-and-miss with the output quality, regardless. Generally; the more complex the source MIDI, the less likely it'll come out the other end sounding good.
Title: Re: help: a better IT Tracker/MOD program for MIDI conversion?
Post by: ccexplore on September 18, 2015, 12:55:41 AM
I just had a listen.  I believe OpenMPT is unable to correctly/accurately handle any of the pitch glides (aka "pitch bends" in MIDI parlance) of that horn part in the MIDI, so such notes never reach their intended final pitches in the MOD. :XD:  Everything else seems to be converted okay.

I listened to the MIDI version and to be fair, the pitch glide effects are IMHO mediocre at best even in the original MIDI.  While I'm not sure I have the time to do so, I'm thinking if I just edit the MIDI and just get rid of those mediocre pitch glides in that horn part, that would at least allow the OpenMPT conversion to not botch those notes.

There's always the idea of trying a different conversion program of course, though I have no experience with this and can't recommend anything myself.
Title: Re: help: a better IT Tracker/MOD program for MIDI conversion?
Post by: mobius on September 18, 2015, 07:55:22 PM
thanks for the help guys. good idea for the editing the horn glides

There is one other audible issue: the paino-like key strokes are sustained in the IT which is incorrect; they are cut-off in the MIDI.
Title: Re: help: a better IT Tracker/MOD program for MIDI conversion?
Post by: ccexplore on September 19, 2015, 08:26:50 AM
I did noticed it on first listening, but would likely need to actually look at the MOD and the MIDI to determine what exactly's going on.  To be honest, I'm kinda thinking that people who never heard the MIDI might not notice?