RE: MIDI output, just checking

[Nigel Warner]

address@hidden writes:
> Ok, I guess I'm going to make a total fool of myself (again), but Matt 
> indicated
> that the MIDI standard was limited to 16 channels, and that was the final 
> reason
> for my problem. When you say it is fixed in 2.2, does it meant that:
> 
>   - The staffs beyond the 16th are ignored
>   - The 16 channels limit is not intrinsic to the file format, and more 
> channels
>      can be defined, even if some MIDI players might fail to read them. 
> Lilypond
>      does use these additional channels.
>   - None of the above, and I am making a fool of myself, again and again
:-)

All of the higher number staves are mapped to channel 15. Dunno what
happens to instrument changes, though.

-- 

 Han-Wen Nienhuys   |   address@hidden   |   http://www.xs4all.nl/~hanwen 

There is a distinction in Type 1 MIDI files between
tracks and channels. A SMF (Standard Midi File) may
contain unlimited tracks but a midi device is
constrained to have at least 16 channels 0-15. Many
software Devices will permit more channels but since
the channel number is encoded as a nibble in the status
byte they have to handle more than 16 tracks using some
sort of re mapping algorithm. Unfortunatly the port
change Message, which is supposed to inform some sort
of player software that a particular track should be
remapped to a different bundle of 16 channels  appears
to be widely disregarded and you need to set things up
by hand in your sequencer.

Patch changes likewise encode the channel as a nibble
in the status byte and so patch changes in one track
will effect all tracks receiving on that channel. The
only thing that Lilypond can really do to help this
situation which is, as far as I can see, a result of
manufacturers guarding their proprietary software and
it's customers, is rather than transmitting on channel
15 for all extra tracks is compute the higher tracks
channel number modulo 16 and never ever use channel 9

Nigel.


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