First MIDI attempt

[remixor]

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/remixor1.mid

Hi all.  I posted this in the tune contest as well, so if this sort of double-posting isn't allowed, just say so.  The reason I posted it twice is because this post is expressly for C+C.

So anyway, as the title implies, this it the first song I have made with MIDI, and it was pretty difficult for me.  I used Sibelius.  Can anyone who uses that software tell me how to do things like dynamic volume and tempo changes?  That sounds stupid, but I really couldn't figure it out from the manual.  And how does that tempo slider thing work?  It doesn't set an absolute tempo, that's for sure.

So yeah, comments on this tune and general MIDI tips are welcome.  And what exactly are "sound fonts"?

[Archangel (aka SoupDragon)]

To be honest, sibelius isn't the best choice for creating MIDI files - it's meant as a scoring program, not to produce stuff that'll sound good. For example, you can specify forté and piano markings, but you can't give notes absolute volume values out of 127. This is good in some ways - for example, you can give a general amount of expression in the "play -> performance" menu, but can be annoying in that you don't have such absolute control as you would in more techie-oriented packages, such as cakwalk or cubase.

But that doesn't mean you can't compose with Sibelius; far from it. To make volume changes, select a note, hit ctrl+e, right click, and select from a list of dynamics. For crescendo or decrescendo markings,  select a note, hit L on the keyboard, and select the marking you need. Pressing space once the marking is there will advance it by one note each time, keeping things neat.

To insert a time signature, select a note and hit T. For a key signature, hit K. To insert a tempo, use Ctrl+Alt+T. TO change an existing tempo, just double click the tempo mark on the score, and enter a new number. You can even insert a different note instead of a crotchet if you right click. The tempo slider is just a way of temporarily changing the speed of a performance.

Finally, a soundfont is just a file containing one or more samples of instruments. If you have a Creative sound card then you should be able to use them -  if you want I can google some tutorials on them.

[remixor]

Thanks for your tips, Archangel.  What's good software for creating MIDI then?  I'm not dead-set on Sibelius or anything; after all I've only made one song.  How do people usually compose MIDI?  Is it using a staff or is there some other method?
Thanks again for your reply.

[Gonzo]

First of all, I like your MIDI a lot, my first attempts were terrible, whereas this is quite impressive. I like the build-up, it has a nice dramatic feel and would probably fit  well in a very heroic style of game, one like Quest For Glory or King's Quest. Not meaning to pigeonhole it too much, of course. You used plenty of instruments, but whereas it's tempting to overkill with the amount of instruments, all of them here serve a good purpose and work together very well. The timpanis are probably my favourite touch, and the use of the strings too.

I use Cakewalk Home Studio 7 to compose my MIDI. It's a few years old now but it does the job. With my Cakewalk I work with a music notation staff, in treble, bass, and percussion clefs. You choose a note value and click it into the staff, where you can have a snap grid to ensure it falls on the right beat. Right-clicking on the note shows properties like velocity (useful for slipping in especially loud or quiet notes that add expression to a piece), value (you can specify very precise note lengths if you want), and of course pitch. It's very straightforward really, even if you're not a great fast reader of notation like me.

There are other methods. Some programs allow you to create MIDI through guitar tab, and Cakewalk actually has a 'piano roll' view (hard to describe really) which I don't find too useful for writing in, but maybe some do.

And also of course you could get MIDI-compatible keyboard, plug it in and record into something like Cakewalk. I've never done that but I think the creators of Monkey Island 2's music (IMO, the best game music ever) did that, for a more 'natural', less synthesised, feel to the MIDI in that game.