Spend those Votes! MIDI Audio

Midi should be thought of as an essential component to environments in SL. The applications of compiled audio are limitless and far less taxing on transfer / asset storage than rasterized audio.

Please head over to: http://secondlife.com/vote/index.php?get_id=454 and vote at least one unit.


-Skeal

I was just kicking this around with a friend. Folding MIDI support into the client (plus a method for loading banks or sound fonts) is essential to many avenues of SL creativity. MIDI has and would be easily hacked for many reasons beyond music.

MIDI is, arguably, the greatest invention for cooperative creativity. There really is no reason not to fold this into SL. I'd imagine that the only reason not to incorporate MIDI is that UDP would result in lost triggers, so a rewrite of netcode for MIDI would be required.

According to the FMOD features list there is already MIDI and MOD support in the current FMOD library (v3.7.4.0) which is the sound system for SL.

So the capacity is there, it would need to be exposed. MIDI is really nice and standard yet one has absolutely no idea what it will sound like on the playing end. MOD (or its child S3M) are good alternatives as they carry patch data along with the note data so you could have more an idea what the result will sound like; both of these formats are also supported by FMOD 3.7.4.

The bugaboo that I see behind this is that audio synchrony (and texture, etc.) synchony in SL is sort of unknown. I think this may be the nature of SL as even normal chat is at best plesiochronous. However, a MIDI stream probably requires less bandwidth than a room full of AV chat and it would be really cool to have even a bad piano rather than no piano at all. However, even if they opened up MIDI support somehow, I think multiplayer jamming is probably not likely in SL.

MIDI support would make me cry, I'd immediately turn it off

Too many websites with really bad MIDI files looping in the background... or annoying ringtones.... or Activeworlds... *shudder*

LF

MIDI and other WAV types would be good additions to SL. I tried to upload a WAV and was told it was not 44MHz coded. At present I have no way of modifying the file (probably have to get a sound editing program). On the other hand, I have two or three programs to make my own MIDI files...

MIDI support could be interesting if it gave us the ability to trigger and control the soundcard's synthesizer from within LSL. We could create real instruments, trackers, and even samplers if we could also control WAV's by key or by name in object inventory. That would be a big boost for in-world performance.

If, however, it's just a case of "plug in your crap MIDI of 'Wind Beneath My Wings'" I would be racing Lordfly for the speaker switch.

Audacity. Download it. Use it. Love it.

Perhaps have special script controls for MIDI-- That would be lots of fun. llMidiSystem, anyone? But make it painful enough that you wouldn't have your average luser putting it in all their products. No offense to the lusers, of course.

What? Keknehv, opting for difficulty? Hey, they did it with the QWERTY keyboard. They made it as unintuitive as possible, so that everyone would type slowly with it, and reduce the number of errors. The best way to make something unabusable would be to make it a pain in the rear to implement.

I endorse this product or service.

Also this thread is in the wrong forum, isn't it?

Have you guys BEEN in ActiveWorlds? Not only will they autokick you for even typing SECOND LIFE in chat, they pump HORRIBLE Midi music at you non-stop. Oh, it's awful. Shiver.

Agreed.

MIDI is truly horrible. I'd support MOD file playback; but never MIDI, especially not after spending a few years in ActiveWorlds.

-Adam

Thirded.

For those horrified by MIDI, yeah, MIDI music on the web is generally horrible, but it's generally horrible because people's soundcards have lame synthesizers.

However, forget the sound and look at it for what it is, a Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The ability to create MIDI controllers in LSL would be phenomenal. Imagine controlling soundbanks and sound hardware from within SL, or controlling objects and instruments in SL with a USB piano keyboard. Those are just a couple examples.

Most people's soundcards have lousy synths, but if you uploaded a few good waveforms and could trigger them, control their volume, length, pitch, various envelopes, etc, all in realtime, now that would be great for in-world music and sound, and a huge step up from the rudimentary sound controls we have now. I can envision pianos using a single multi-sample waveform instead of a sample per key, avatar-controlled theremins, scratchable DJ turntables, and more. Any MIDI controller is able to control anything that takes MIDI input. It's not limited to sound. I've worked with setups that use MIDI to synchronize a soundtrack, lights, video, animatronics, and more. Instead of shitty sound, picture a single integrated system that you can use to control almost anything in SL, all in synch, all in realtime.

MIDI rules.


It's a lot more likely all we'd get is the ability to play .mid files though, so ignore everything I said.

Disagree. What is the difference between a bad MIDI version fo Wind Beneath My Wings, and a streamed version of it. And if your MIDI instruments suck, well, that's your fault, isn't it now?

Plus, for those who don;t know, MIDI is nothing more than events. Hack it and you have a great new way to intereact with SL.

Hi folks!

I didn't know there'd be so many votes for this. But I'd like to say, similar to any creativity enabling tool, theres bound to be crap being generated from it. If we are worried that MIDI will result in horrendous looped music, then we might as well get rid of all the other spam tools like particles, local lighting, prim rotations and even textures. But given the choice, I'd rather have more options than less. If an option allows even 0.1% of the SL population to create something interesting, then the effort is all worth it.

I use MIDI all the time to control hardware instruments, software synthesiser and software based dj software. It is great for controlling things, but I agree with the above that straight midi synthesis on a pc soundcard is enough to scratch your eyes out.

It would definately be cool to use my synth to control "sound banks" or lsl created software synthesizers, but if we are going to jack external control features in the SL Client, wouldn't it make more sense to support Prop 203 support for local devices beyond keyboard and mouse. This way, along with MIDI we get joysticks, DDR pads, biofeedback devices, sensors, robots or whatever else your imagination desires.