Author: Rob Goodwin

Twitter: @mididrumfiles
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MIDI Ringtones for Cell Phones

MIDI Ring Tones
MIDI Ring Tones

Are you tired of having the same ring on your phone as everyone else? Would you like a specific riff as a ring tone but can not find it or do not wish to pay high user fees to get it? Well the good news is now you can with the aid of your MIDI instruments.

Custom ring tones have been popular ever since cells phones allowed users to change the ring. A new industry has sprung up to meet the demand for custom ring tones. As part of this industry a new type of MIDI file has been introduced called SP-MIDI.

MIDI began as a way for electronic instruments to interact with each other, and any computer can play MIDI files. Recently a group of interested parties came together, including Beatnik, Nokia and the MIDI Manufacturers Association, to create an adaptation of MIDI to work in handheld devices such as cell phones and PDAs. SP-MIDI provides the flexibility to both the user and the mobile terminal manufacturer to address differing customer needs.

Generally speaking, these new phones come with 8 notes but higher priced models have up to 32 notes. As you would expect with MIDI, the same SP-MIDI file can be played on any phone that supports it regardless of the make or the number of tones available. This is a huge advantage for people who switch phones periodically as now they only have to get their custom tones once. From there they can transfer the files to their new device.

Here are steps in the process of making a MIDI file SP-MIDI compliant.

1. Create the MIDI file.

As I am sure you have surmised, the first step is to either select a MIDI file on your PC or to record a MIDI file on your PC.

There are many software packages available, some for free. Nokia Audio Suite allows you to use MIDI sequencer programs such as Cakewalk to create SP-MIDI files.

Anvil Studio is an excellent choice for general MIDI work if you do not already have software. Anvil Studio offers plug-ins that makes the creation of SP-MIDI files fast and easy.

2. Streamline the file.

Now comes the musical and picky part. After recording a piece or opening a MIDI file you need to ensure that there are no more than 4 voices and limit the sound volume. You will wish to limit the number of voices to 4 as that is the default setting for portable devices and limit the maximum volume of the piece so that it can be played even with a low battery or if there is high processor usage.

Limiting the number of voices means reducing the number of voices present. With pre-made MIDI files this can be a little difficult. Some MIDI files download from the web can contain as many as 23 voices, so it is a matter of deciding what voices are not important to the integrity of the piece. For example you may be able to eliminate the soft flute voice in the background of the piece.

With the MIDI file complete it is time to audition the MIDI file with limited voices. For this Beatnik is an excellent software package that can be tried for 14 days for free.

Nokia licenses beatnik so you will be able to hear the piece exactly as it will sound on your phone. While playing back the piece ensure there aren’t any extra voices, swells in volume and that it sounds good.

3. Convert the file to SP-MIDI

Now things get a little tricky, as we need to generate MIP data to make the MIDI file SP-MIDI compatible. MIP data insures that the device will know which tracks are the most important. According to the Beatnik SP-MIDI Best Practices Guide “Each channel used in a SP-MIDI file requires a MIP value.”

The MIP values, which are entered in hexadecimal and added to the start of the file, can be figured out manually according to the standards, but it is best if your software does this automatically. The process used to determine the values for the MIP table can be found in the links provided below.

Once you or your software package have added the MIP data to the MIDI file all that remains is to convert it to SP-MIDI by saving the file as SMF format 0. Depending upon the software you are using this can be done by selecting ‘save as’ from the file menu or changing the options for format. Exact details can be found in the instructions that came with the software.

4. Upload the file

Now that you have created your custom ring tones it is simply a matter of loading them into your phone. Each phone is a little different so you will have to refer to the manual that came with your phone for exact instructions. With some phones the rings can be loaded directly from your PC into the phone. For other phones you will need to use WAP. With WAP you dial a certain phone number to connect to the service provides or manufacturers network and select the file to load. Often you must pay for this service but there are a number of free options.

With all that work done you now have your own custom ring tones that you can change any time you like. Have a little fun and create your own theme music that changes depending upon your mood if you like. The possibilities are limitless.

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Converting MIDI files into Wav. Files (or .mp3, etc.)

MIDI Cables
MIDI Cables

Converting MIDI into any other audio format is not a “one click and you’re done” type of procedure. We discussed in the last email installment that MIDI is not audio data, it’s a language that allows musical instruments to talk with each other. That being the case, in order to get MIDI onto an audio CD or .MP3, you will need to record the midi data in ‘real time’. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

  • Get a MIDI to .wav converter program. One I would suggest to you is made by “MIDI converter”. This program works with many file types including .wav and .mp3 files. Click Here to download this great program: http://www.widisoft.com/
  • Assuming you want some control of how the end product sounds… you can record it manually. You will need to record the sounds you hear (created by the midi files) onto a recording device (probably your computer). These are the steps you will need to take to do that.
    • Once you select the midi file(s) you are wanting to record, select the sound source (This is what actually plays the MIDI file). In most cases this will be your computers sound card, however often a musician will want to use the sounds from a higher quality source, like a keyboard, drum machine, or external keyboard sound module. In the latter case, you will need to attach the external sound source to the computer via a MIDI connection. (depending on the model, you may be able to play the MIDI files from a floppy disk inserted directly into the unit, bypassing the need for a MIDI connection.)
    • Make sure that the midi file actually plays when you hit the play button.
    • Set up the sound source so that the music can be recorded as an audio signal.
      • In the case of an external sound source, simply connect the audio outputs to the “line in” of your computer.
      • If you are using a computer sound card, you will need to connect a short cable from the sound card’s “speaker output” to the sound card’s “line in” input. (Warning: if you don’t turn off the “line-in monitoring” in your sound card’s software settings, you will get massive feedback, so do that first.)

        There are some differences between “Line” and “Mic” inputs that you should keep in mind. The line level input functions in stereo whereas the mic input is usually only mono. The line input requires a louder, slightly ‘amplified’ signal (known as “pre-amp”). Weaker signals have trouble being picked up by a line input. The mic input however, is set to automatically amplify the incoming signal and therefore requires a weaker input signal that comes from a microphone. So don’t plug any line level signals into the mic input of your computer. In most cases, the audio signal coming from a ‘pre-amp’ sound source is too loud for the mic input to handle and you will get distortion (or worse… damage can be done). So be sure you hook it up right.

  • Press record on your computer’s software and then play the MIDI file.
  • Save the audio recording in whatever file format you want. You’re done.

As far as converting .Wav or .MP3 files into MIDI, there are solutions for this as well. You will need a “pitch analyzer”. There are many of these converter programs on the market. One I would suggest is the intelliscore converter program. That can be found here: http://www.intelliscore.net/

Some of these converter programs boast even being able to notate multiple pitches at the same time. For example, strumming a guitar and have the software recognize all six of the notes being played, or notating all the notes played on the radio. In the early days of Wav to MIDI detection this was nearly impossible and even getting one line to notate correctly was difficult. But with the advancement of technology comes better programming. Give it a shot and see for yourself.

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What is MIDI?

MIDI Connections Chart
MIDI In/Out through a sound card or direct via USB connection

M.I.D.I. – Musical Instrument Digital Interface

Basically, MIDI is a computer language used in networking two or more devices together. The specific devices we are most often referring to when discussing MIDI are musical computers, like synthesizers or signal processors. Essentially this means that you can hook up two musical devices and have them “communicate” with each other.

Some Basic Concepts
You don’t need to understand nuclear fusion to get a grasp on this MIDI stuff, there are just a few basic concepts you have to grasp.

  1. MIDI information IS NOT audio information. This is a hang up for many people who are just starting out in the music and audio arena. MIDI is merely a set of numerical instructions that are sent and received between the devices. The musical devices then translate this data into meaningful commands. So when a MIDI command is sent from one device to another, the signal is telling the second device which notes to play, how long to hold them, which sounds to use… etc.
  2. You need to understand how the flow of MIDI information works. MIDI data is sent out of the “OUT” port, MIDI data is received at the “IN” port. So for example if you want to send a MIDI data from a sequencer to a synthesizer the cables would connect on the OUT of the sequencer (because info is coming out) to the IN of the synthesizer (because the synth is receiving info). This can be confusing at first because the temptation is to plug the IN of one machine directly into the IN of another. But if you do that, you are not going to get any sound…. Ever.
  3. Channels – MIDI data transmits on 16 different channels. This allows for 16 different sets of MIDI data to be sent at once, which means a sequencer could control up to 16 different instruments at one time. Typically each instrument would be sent separately on a different channel. For example, drum track information is usually sent on channel 10 and so would play back on channel 10, Bass guitar sounds are usually on channel 2, synth on 4 and so on. You just have to make sure that the synthesizer that is receiving the channels has the correct sound selected for that channel.

Because MIDI does not carry with it the actual audio sound data, but just the note commands, midi files are extremely light and compact. A large number of songs can take up a relatively small amount of space on a disk or hard drive. This reason, along with it’s versatility makes MIDI an ideal language for almost any musician, and especially those who are on the road for performances or deal in large volumes of music.