36604
Level 25 Chipist
rainwarrior
post #36604 ::
2014.02.03 9:46pm :: edit 2014.02.04 8:33am
KungFuFurby, raphaelgoulart, Grumskiz and mootbooxle liēkd this
KungFuFurby, raphaelgoulart, Grumskiz and mootbooxle liēkd this
After rendering my Winter Chip IX entry, I was informed that the rules for this format dictate that the Microsoft GS Wavetable synthesis must be used for rendering. I was very disappointed to hear this, as in my mind the rendering was much more open than this.
So... I would like to propose that after WC9 we loosen this rule in the following way:
The suggested render device is the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synthesis, but any device intended to play MIDI files may be used, under the following guideline:
- No custom patches may be used, all sounds must be stock patches built into the system.
- No system specific messages of any kind may be present in the MIDI file.
- Instruments must be set by a standard Program Change message, indicating one of the 128 standard General Midi instruments, and the hardware used for rendering must respond to them appropriately (i.e. if the GM sound is called "vibraphone" the rendering device must respond with a reasonable vibraphone sound, not some other sound that is specific to that hardware).
The intent is that this MIDI file could be played on any of many devices that implements a GM patch set and responds to the generic Program Change messages.
Conversely, the entrant should not expect their MIDI to be played on any specific GM device; voters may listen to it on the device of their choice, so try to make the entry robust against this if you can! It's tricky, but that used to be the way of things. (Obviously you can render your own entry using the thing you like, though.)
There are so many different interesting implementations of the GM patch set that I think it is worth allowing (or even encouraging) this for MIDI format renders. I have fond memories of playing MIDI files on several different systems (Win95 OPL3 is my favourite, Yamaha PSR-225, Allegro 3.0's OPL2 patch set, etc...) and I enjoyed how different the same MIDI would sound when you played it with different devices, even though they're all trying to represent the same GM patch set.
So... I would like to propose that after WC9 we loosen this rule in the following way:
The suggested render device is the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synthesis, but any device intended to play MIDI files may be used, under the following guideline:
- No custom patches may be used, all sounds must be stock patches built into the system.
- No system specific messages of any kind may be present in the MIDI file.
- Instruments must be set by a standard Program Change message, indicating one of the 128 standard General Midi instruments, and the hardware used for rendering must respond to them appropriately (i.e. if the GM sound is called "vibraphone" the rendering device must respond with a reasonable vibraphone sound, not some other sound that is specific to that hardware).
The intent is that this MIDI file could be played on any of many devices that implements a GM patch set and responds to the generic Program Change messages.
Conversely, the entrant should not expect their MIDI to be played on any specific GM device; voters may listen to it on the device of their choice, so try to make the entry robust against this if you can! It's tricky, but that used to be the way of things. (Obviously you can render your own entry using the thing you like, though.)
There are so many different interesting implementations of the GM patch set that I think it is worth allowing (or even encouraging) this for MIDI format renders. I have fond memories of playing MIDI files on several different systems (Win95 OPL3 is my favourite, Yamaha PSR-225, Allegro 3.0's OPL2 patch set, etc...) and I enjoyed how different the same MIDI would sound when you played it with different devices, even though they're all trying to represent the same GM patch set.
