Why is opening midi files so backwards in GB2?

One of my students wants to learn GB2.
I was surprised that you can not just simply "open" a midi file. Unless I've got this wrong it seems that I can only open a midi file by "drag/drop" a midi file in GB2.
This seems so backwards and clumsy.
Is this true that I can only open a midi file by drag/drop?
In all my other midi/audio sequencer programmes I simply do the "open" file command.

I'm not sure it's really "backwards". I mean, midi files are an element of a GB file which normally consists of a whole lot of other stuff.
"Opening" a midi file in GB, if it were possible, would be nothing but creating a new GB file and importing the midi (that's what other programs do when they open midi files). In my view, that would be somewhat misleading - if you can open a file format, you should be able so save it, too. And while the possiblility of exporting midi is on my wishlist, saving a GB file as midi is clearly not a sensible option.

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Importing ot Open MIDI files.

I have a MIDI format 1 file with the individual drums on seperate tracks.
EX:
Bass Guitar track 1 on channel 2
-Drums -:
Snare on track 2 channel 10
tom tom track 3 channel 10
bass drum track 4 channel 10
cymbal ride " 5 channel 10
" crash " 6 channel 10
hi hat track 7 channel 10
You get the idea. (I hope) Will GB open this type of MIDI file?
Thanks
Message was edited by: StyleSupport
Message was edited by: StyleSupport
<Edited by Moderator>

Thanks Christoph !
Works like a charm.
<Edited by Moderator>

Why have my MIDI files disappeared?

All of my MIDI files were imported to iTunes last week and they played fine. When I open any of my MIDI files today I get the following message:
"The songs title "XXXX" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"
I am able to add them again and they play fine but when I check to see where the file is located, it is the original folder, not the iTunes folder with the rest of my music.
Any ideas? Thanks!

Should I convert the MIDIs to Mp3s in iTunes?

Safari won't open midi files

What plug in should I get for Safari if I get this message when trying to open a midi file "This page contains content of “audio/midi” type. You do not have the plug-in required to view this content.

Has you choir considered universalizing your audio files to MP3 or other likewise standard formatting everyone uses...., or even WAV ?
A free one is QMIDI
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/43114/qmidi-pro

Mac OS error -208 when opening MIDI files in Quicktime Pro

Quicktime no longer plays MIDI files. it used to. now i get the Mac OS error -208 claiming the file is corrupted. but i can play the file on a PC, and other people receiving the files by email can open them (though a few other Mac owners are now also having trouble for the first time).
this problem started about two weeks ago. i did nothing different to my machine (MacBook pro), and wonder if a background system update is to blame.
i uninstalled Quicktime and reinstalled it. no luck. any ideas?

here's some further clarification, provided by John Hetland, who worked out the fix:
1. The MIDI analyzer I used is a cool freeware program midi2txt.exe from
http://www.gnmidi.com/
2. When I ran midi2txt with the -error switch and the name of the MIDI file,
it said something like "Warning: 21 bytes of garbage at end of file." It
turned out that the MIDI file was made in fixed-length records, and there
was space left over in the last record. This situation is simply ignored by
most players, but the current version of QuickTime apparently doesn't know
what to do if the file is not EXACTLY the length needed for the MIDI codes.
3. I can't give instructions for fixing the error because what I fixed was
not any MIDI file; I fixed the program I wrote that generated the flawed
MIDIs. But if someone should encounter this very problem in a MIDI from some
other source, and that someone has expertise in file manipulation, one
should look for hex 'FF2F00' in the last record and delete everything that
follows it.

Opening MIDI files

Hi everyone!
I'm having trouble reading a simple midi file and displaying the midi file as integers. My problem is I'm using a string buffer and readLine and then converting each individual spot in the string to an integer and i'm finding that some information is lost in the conversion into string and then into integer , i think because it is stored in hex.
Does any one know of any links with source code I could learn from or have any suggestions on reading a midi file and displaying the bytes as integers into a displayPanel?
Thank you for your time,
cloudtwist
PS.I think my troubles could also be answered if i could just read the bytes straight from the file into an integer array but I can;t get that to work either. Thank you again.

MIDI files are binary files, so you cannot read them with any of the Reader classes. A MIDI file does not contain lines of text so it does not make sense to use readLine().
You should use one of the Stream classes (FileInputStream for example) to read bytes from the file.
Jesper

Why won't QuickTime Pro 7.0.4 open my MIDI files?

Have QT Pro 7.0.4, OS 10.4.6, Safari 2.0.3 on eMac computer. Downloaded MIDI from Classical Music Archives but file won't open. When try to open it, get message on eMac screen "QT cannot open the file tmcpsolf.mid It is not a file that QT understands (-2048)". I could open MIDI files from any source easily in OS 9.0.4 with QT Pro.
I checked MIME settings in QT preferences, and MIDI is checked as "on".
Also can't open MIDI file in eMac of piano music I saved on floppy disk from my Yamaha digital piano MIDI recorder. Get same message as above.
What can I do to get QT to open and play MIDI? Thank you.
eMac Mac OS X (10.4)

Hello,
Sorry for such a long message, but I want to make sure you have all the correct information. Issue #1 is still unsolved. Issue #2 I solved (see below).
Issue #1: QuickTime Pro 7.0.4 won't open Midi files created by external Midi recorder. QT does not recognize Midi file.
Just to clarify, I have a digital piano without USB, so I can't connect the piano to my new eMac to record my music with a suitable computer based Midi recorder/synthesizer and related program. This is my first attempt at recording Midi on an external, not computer based Midi recorder.
I have never tried to use any Midi recording process with my old iMac, OS 9.0.4, QuickTime 5.x
A few days ago I purchased an old (but new, never been used), Midi recorder which does not have USB but it connects to my piano to record as Midi what I play and save on its built in floppy disk. I use the in and out Midi portals on my piano and Midi recorder to send signals back and forth to the recorder, and play the music back in the piano so I can hear what I just played. That part works fine. The recorder is limited to only one Midi track per file for
recording music.
The floppy is MicroSoft DOS format which I initialized with the recorder before using it per the recorder's manual.
After recording several Midi files in the floppy, I wanted to hear them in my eMac and e-mail them. I assumed the Midi format would be recognized by eMac, regardless of the MicroSoft DOS format of the floppy, and that QuickTime would open them. Isn't .mid a generic extension recognized by Mac and QT as a Midi file?
The eMac displayed the Midi files (.mid) on the desktop (I used Imation SuperDisk external floppy drive to transfer the Midi files to eMac). When I double clicked on these files to open them, I got the message I quoted above in my first posting, that QuickTime did not recognize the Midi file.
Perhaps my recorder has some sort of code it assigns to the Midi it records that the Mac and/or QuickTime can't recognize? Or QT won't recocgnize a one track Midi file?
Do you have any guess as to why QT won't recognize my .mid files?
Issue #2: QT won't open Midi music I download from classicalarchives.com
This issue I solved a few hours ago - see below.
In my old iMac, OS 9.0.4 I would double click and listen to Midi music files at classicalarchives.com or any other url via QuickTime Pro 5.x, no problems.
I also downloaded, saved and opened them with QT 5.x
In new eMac, when I double click the Midi file on web, QT automatically opens usual player window and I can listen to Midi OK.
When I save file as "Source" from the above QT window, it is a Midi file (.mid) which QT will not open on the desktop, I get identical "not recognized" message I get with Midi recorder files.
I found a solution to opening and hearing the downloaded file as follows:
When I save Midi file via QT player window as "QuickTime Movie" (.mov), I can open it with QT and listen to it. So, Issue #2 is solved in order to listen to the Midi I download.
Thank you for your time and trouble. Please advise re Issue #1 before we close this case as "unsolved".
Generosa
eMac Mac OS X (10.4) PowerBook 190 OS 7.5.5

MIDI files - opening vs importing and using templates

I think I'm out of luck on this one, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. I spent all morning building a new template with 50+ buses for internal recording of audio (Thank You APPLE!).
I would like to be able to open MIDI files using that template. If I import, only the regions are imported not the tempo map, markers etc. If I open, then I can't have it use my template because it opens in an empty file.
I've gone into the global preferences and assigned my template as the default template and still no love. Any thoughts?

I can import the environment but all of the routing is gone. I've got like 50 buses or something and all of my tracks in the arrange are gone as well. No way to import those I imagine. It'll take me only like 10-15 mins to load them all up again, but still thats 1-150 mins each time. Thats why I built a template to begin with, to avoid routing stuff and inserting tracks over and over.
We need an update on this one stat

How to store a mid file in byte[ ]

I used this method to store the song but it does not seem to be working.
public byte[] getSongAs_ByteArray() {
    byte[] data = new byte[50848];
    InputStream in = null;
    try {
      HttpConnection connection = null;
      Connector.open("http://www.ziyaaf.com/XML/girl.mid ");
      connection = (HttpConnection) Connector.open(
          " http://www.ziyaaf.com/XML/girl.mid");
          in = connection.openInputStream();
           DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(in);
      dis.readFully(data);
      in.close();
    catch (IOException ex) {
      System.out.println("::" + ex);
    return data;
But if i use this method it works
public byte[] loadSong() {
    byte[] data = new byte[50848];
    try {
      Class c = this.getClass();
      InputStream is = c.getResourceAsStream(" girl.mid");
      DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(is);
      dis.readFully(data);
      is.close();
    catch (IOException ioe) {
      ioe.printStackTrace();
    return data;
But i want to load the song from a remote location
And this is the method i used to play the mid file.
ByteArrayInputStream b = new ByteArrayInputStream(getSongAs_ByteArray());
    try {
      player = Manager.createPlayer(b,
                                    "audio/midi");
      player.start();
    }

onnector.open("http://www.ziyaaf.com/XML/girl.mid
connection = (HttpConnection) Connector.open(
" http://www.ziyaaf.com/XML/girl.mid");
Firstly, you call open twice, you don't check for http errors, and on the first URL you have a space after the ".mid", and on the second URL your have a space before "http".
And never ever use fixed size byte arrays!
And why load the midi file in memory when you can play it directly from stream (specially if you read from file)?

Error -208 when trying to play midi files

hey, i used to be able to open midi files no problem, then within the last week or two when I try to open them I get error -208. I know the files aren't corrupt, so I'm wondering why I'm now getting this file error.
Thanks

Michael Conniff wrote:
Saxman
This is a user to user forum. If you know it is a Quicktime bug, you should report this using the Feedback link (which will get seen by Apple personnel).
I said I knew for certain that it's NOT corrupted files (because they work fine everywhere else, other programs, my synth, etc.), and I'm only assuming it's a QT bug, because that's what I'm assuming plays them, and the error window shows the QT logo, and says it's a "movie that can't be opened"!
And I just now sent feedback to Apple, thanks for the link...
I already said I don't use midi files: so what application should open them? Or do you think it is just QT getting the file type wrong?
What has happened between them opening OK and the problem? What else has been installed?
Yes QT is getting the file type wrong, and QT is what I have set to play them, and it does, 70% of the time, no idea why some just won't play...
The only new thing are the newest updates, as they come down the pike, I don't remember exactly when this began, but it was fairly recently. It could be tied to the QT update...

Can anyone import a midi file into Gb 2.02?

I have tested this on both G5's. I cannot drag in .mid file
cannot do! I even downloaded a midi file from the internet
and ran it thru dent du midi and could not import it into Gb2.02..... if this is true it is a bug noone has reported.
if i cant and you can then i cant imagine why two of my g5's cant do the same task.....
please just try to drag a midi file into GB 202

eight nine ten...
my midi files are from Cubase SL 1.04 exported midi files created about 3 years ago. They are the number 1 type. They are from sequenced works done over 20 years. They imported perfectly until yesterday.This is duplicated on both G5's! Now i havent tried importing in a month. Files i get off the net are fine. They import nicely. If i take these cubase midi exported files and drag over midi du vent they open up in another folder and each aiff comes thru but these when imported are not the midi info i need.
These .mid files that WORKED since GB2 and NOW DONT drag and drop is the reason for panic. I also dont have QT pro as is inferred in your thoughtful message.
1. i think i updated QT 7.02 in the last month.
thats the only change i can think, could that be the fault here? this is quite the enigma among other problems.
I reinstalled cubase sl 1.04 and imported these files and
they opened nicely with each track and its own data.
the problem here doctor is that I cannot import them into this infamous GarageBand 2.02
why buy QT pro?
what else should i do
thanks

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Hello.
I've started using Logic Pro 7 quite recently and I have a very disappointing problem. After I export a song in midi format from Logic, other software applications report an error or even refuse to open it at all. The worst thing is that Logic itself can't open midi files it creates!
Logic shows the following error message:
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Thanks in advance!

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[email protected]

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I have an iMac. , mid 2007. Frequently, when I take an action, the little color wheel starts spinning and goes on for quite awhile. Save a file, close a file, open a file, open a window, it's all random. Somtimes it stalls, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes long, sometims short. Why is this happening?

Consider adding more memory. Be sure you have adequate free space on the hard drive - 15 GBs or 10% of the drive's capacity, whichever is greater. Do not run too many applications concurrently. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on resolving the SBBOD.
Do some maintenance:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Kappy's Personal Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For disk repairs use Disk Utility. For situations DU cannot handle the best third-party utilities are: Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible. Drive Genius provides additional tools not found in Disk Warrior. Versions 1.5.1 and later are Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts was significantly reduced since Tiger. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard or Lion and should not be installed.
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Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
SyncTwoFolders
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac Maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.

Why is opening midi files so backwards in GB2?

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