Introduction

midi2style is a software designed for converting standard MIDI files to YAMAHA Keyboard style files.

Read topic Conversion Process (next topic in this help window) to learn the conversion process.

Notice: Features, which cannot be performed at a given time, will be disabled in the menu bar. E.g. the Player cannot be accessed if no MIDI file has been opened; the Tempo Settings cannot be accessed while another Settings window is open; a style file cannot be saved before a conversion is performed etc.

Conversion Process

It is recommended to notice the messages appearing in the status line while using the program.

- Select menu File and click Open MIDI File.
- Open the MIDI File Properties Window to see the note activity in channels.
- Select menu Settings and click Player & Part Selector.
- Play the MIDI file.
- Mute patches to find which channels to use in the style.
- Set loop settings to find block of measures for style parts.
- Apply loop measures to the appropriate style part.
- Close the Player & Part Selector window.
- Set (or reset) Keyboard Model in menu Options | Setup.
- Select MIDI channels & patches to style channels & patches in the Main window.
- Set parameters for style channels in the upper part of the Main window.
- If convenient mute channels in style parts in the lower part of the Main window.
- In the Settings menu open Basic Settings window set parameters and close the window.
- Same procedure for Note Settings, Volume Settings, Tempo Settings and Melodic Part Setting windows.
- Select menu Process and click Convert.
- Select menu Process and click Style Player and listen to the style parts.
- Select menu Process and click Style Editor for style part fine-tuning. Or if convenient reset parameters and do a new conversion.
- Select menu File and click Save Style File.
- Test the style at your keyboard.
- If convenient reset parameters and do a new conversion. The MIDI File remains in computer memory until Open MIDI File is clicked next time.

Main Window

The Main window is divided in two main parts and a status line at the bottom of the window.

The upper part is for assigning MIDI File Channels and Patches to Style File channels.

The lower part is for selecting blocks of measures in the MIDI File for use in the style file and for muting individual channels in style parts.

Main Window (upper part)

The upper part sets voices in the style file.

When opening a MIDI File the selection boxes labeled MIDI Channel & Patch at the left will hold the channel numbers and the patches (instruments) in the opened MIDI File.

For each style channel intended for use (for example Rhythm Main) go to the MIDI Channel & Patch selection box adjacent to the left, click on it and select the desired MIDI channel identified by the MIDI channel number & instrument name.

Rhythm channels only allow drum set assignments; other style channels only allow non-drum assignments.

Set (or reset) Keyboard Model in menu Options | Setup before any channel assignments.

Note that once a MIDI channel is assigned to a style channel, it is no longer available. To free it for reassignment to a different style channel, first remove it from its current assignment by clicking on a blank line in the MIDI Channel & Patch selection box.

If a MIDI channel holds two or more unique instruments assignments an asterix (*) is shown followed by the last instrument name.

When selecting a MIDI Channel & Patch the instrument (Patch) name and settings are transferred to columns Prog. (Program); Patch; MSB (Most Significant Byte); LSB (Least Significant Byte); Vol.(Volume); Pan; Exp. (Expression); Rev.(Reverb) and Cho.(chorus).

When changing Program number, MSB or LSB settings the resulting patch is shown in the Patch column.

If the MIDI file lacks these settings default values will be used. All these settings can be changed.

If a Style Channel patch is changed (another instrument is to be used in the channel) the new patch will play the original pattern of the MIDI file.

If a selected voice (patch) is not supported at the keyboard model defined in the Options menu -> Setup window, a message will be shown in the Status Line. This message will tell whether a default voice will be used or not.

Main Window (lower part)

The lower part is used for selecting measures from the MIDI file to the style file.

In the first row the style parts are labeled (Main A, Main B etc.).
In the second row (label: Start) the start measure of the style parts are set.
In the third row (label: Len.) the style parts length are set.

Start and Length settings can be transferred directly from the Player & Part Selector window or selected manually in this window.

Alternatively clicking the Input button will open a window for setting part start measure and part length.

If invalid selections are made an error message will be shown in the status line at the bottom of this window.

After setting start measure and length of style part all channels are selected to sound in the style part. This default setting is shown by checking the checkboxes in rows 4 to 11.

Unchecking a checkbox in rows 4 to 11 will mute the selected channel in the selected style part in the style file.

The Status Line

The Status Line at the bottom of the Main window gives information about what is going on; gives short instructions of what-to-do-next and shows any error messages.

The background color in the status line changes like this:
- Green = Go ahead - ready for user input
- Yellow = Wait - computer is processing
- Red = Stop - an error has occurred

File Menu

Open MIDI File (shortcut: ctrl + O)
Opens the File Dialog Window.

Save Style File (shortcut: ctrl + S)
Opens the File Dialog Window.

Import Conversion Data (shortcut: ctrl + I)
Opens the File Dialog Window.

Export Conversion Data (shortcut: ctrl + E)
Opens the File Dialog Window.

Recent Opened Files
Opens a recent opened MIDI file.

Midi File Properties (shortcut: ctrl + F)
Opens Midi File Properties Window.

Exit (shortcut: ctrl + X)
Closes all windows and exits the program.

Open MIDI File

When calling the Open File Dialog window the program will open in the last opened folder.

The program reads MIDI format 0 and format 1. If the MIDI File is format 1 the file will be converted. This process is somewhat slow.

Until this menu is recalled the opened MIDI File remains in memory for further conversion.

Save Style File

When calling the Save File Dialog window the program will open in the last opened folder.

The program automatically suggests the Style File name as the MIDI file name.

The Style File name can be changed to any valid name in the Basic Settings Window and the Style File can be saved in any folder at any disc.

Import / Export Conversion Data

Conversion Data can be saved to file by clicking menu Export Conversion Data when a MIDI file has been converted.

The Conversion Data File has a m2s file extension and is unique for the MIDI File.

Conversion Data can be imported by clicking menu Import Conversion Data after a MIDI File has been opened.

If the imported Conversion Data File does not match the opened MIDI File an error message is shown.

Midi File Properties

This window shows information about the opened MIDI File.

Settings Menu

Player & Part Selector (shortcut: ctrl + P)
Opens the Player and Part Selector window.

Revoice Editor (shortcut: ctrl + R)
Opens the Revoice Editor window.

Basic Settings (shortcut: ctrl + B)
Opens the Baisc Settings window.

Note Settings (shortcut: ctrl + N)
Opens the Note Settings window.

Volume Settings (shortcut: ctrl + V)
Opens the Volume Settings window.

Tempo Settings (shortcut: ctrl + T)
Opens the Tempo Settings window.

Melodic Part Settings (shortcut: ctrl + M)
Opens the Melodic Part Settings window.

Settings are optional in the five setting windows. If not set the default values will be used.

Player & Part Selector

This window is used for examining which patches to use for the entire style, which blocks of measures to use for the individual style parts and to examine the best quantize level.
The patch selection must be done in the Main Window while selecting blocks of measures and quantize level can be done from this window.
Due to style file format requirements the style file must have a Main A Part.

Mute
If the Mute checkbox is checked the selected channels in the list below will be muted when the MIDI File is played - both when playing the entire file and while looping. Multiple patches can be selected.
Changing the selections will force the program to re-read the MIDI File.
Selections cannot be made while the MIDI file plays or loops.
The maximum number of patches in style files is 8. Only these 8 patches are available for use in the style parts. Carefully note which patches to use. Carefully assign these patches to the appropriate style channels in the Main Window.
Patches can be muted individually in the style parts by unchecking the boxes in the lower part of the Main window.

Loop
If the Loop checkbox is checked the player will loop the selected measures.
If the Loop settings conflicts with MIDI File length or Style part lengths the loop length will be reduced accordingly and an error message will be shown in the bottom of the Main Window.
Selections cannot be made while the MIDI file plays or loops.
A short interruption in playback will occur when end of loop is reached and before playback continues from beginning of loop. In most cases this interruption will not be audible at all in a style file.

Use measures as
The Loop settings - start measure and number of measures - can be applied to any part of the style by selecting the desired style part and pressing the OK button.

Quantize
The best quantize level can be examined by selecting and testing six levels of quantizing. The setting can be applied to the style by pressing the OK button.
Changing the setting will force the program to re-read the MIDI File.

Play / Loop Button
Pressing the Play / Loop button will start playing / looping the MIDI File from the selected measure below the Play / Loop start at heading.
While playing or looping the actual measure number is shown in the status line.

Stop Button
Playback can be stopped by pressing the Stop button. The measure number when the Stop button is pressed is shown in the status line.

Continue Button
Playback can be continued from the stop measure by pressing the Continue button.

Back to Start Button (|<<)
Pressing this button will set the Play/Loop to start at measure 1.

Revoice Editor

Voices and drum sets in the source file can be changed in the Main Window or in this Window.

The available voices and drum sets for the selected keyboard model (in Setup Menu) are shown in the two lists.

The list can be sorted alphabetically or in type order by clicking the Button above the list.

The list can be filtered by unchecking one or more of the voice type checkboxes below the list.

Voices and drum sets can be assigned to a style channel by selecting the voice/drum set and the style channel and then pressing a Set-button.

Notice that you have to assign a source channel to a style channel in the Main Window before you can revoice in this window.

Basic Settings

Style Name
A Style Name can be added to the Style file.
Default is the MIDI file name.

Copyright
A Copyright notice can be added to the Style file.
The last used Copyright notice is saved.

Text message
Two text messages can be included in the Style File.
Default is no text messages.

Count In
Count In can be added individually to the three Intro parts. The Count In beats will be added to the first measure of the Intro part no matter which notes are present there.
Count In volume is adjustable from 0 to 127.
Default is no Count In.

Fade Out
Fade Out can be added individually to the three Ending parts. Fade Out will be active in the last measures of the ending as selected.
Default is no Fade Out.

Tempo
The Tempo Box shows the style file tempo.
Default is the average tempo in the MIDI File.

Quantize
Quantize is only active just before measure endings (and new measure beginnings). The default value is recommended to make sure that notes activated e.g. 1/100 second before a new measure starts are moved to this new measure.
Default is 1/128.

CASM
A default CASM section can be added to the style file.
Default is add default CASM.

Split Rhythm Main
MIDI file channel 10 which holds the drum and percussion voices can be split into channel 9 (Rhythm Sub) and channel 10 (Rhythm Main) in the style file at the selected note number.

Effects
Modulation, Expression, Pitch Bend, Sustain and Sostenuto effects in the MIDI file can be included in the Style file.
If these effects are set to keep and if an event of these effects is found in the style part, the program will during conversion automatically insert events to reset these effects to their default value at the first tick in ALL style parts.
This is done to prevent these effects to hang with a non-default value when looping and when switching to another style part.
Default is keeping these effects.
These effects are ALWAYS kept in melodic intros and endings.

Note Settings

Delete short notes
Short notes can be deleted by selecting a value here. Selecting e.g. <= 1/64 will remove all note which have a length shorter than or equal to a 1/64 note.

Delete Notes
Delete Notes can delete non-scale notes in Bass and Phrase channels and non-chord notes in Chord and Pad channels during conversion.
Deleting notes is recommended as this effectively removes disharmonies in the style file.
Default is delete notes.

Delete in chord recognition
If selected the channel will not be used internally in the program for chord recognition. This is recommended for channels with more melody line than chord content.
Default setting is Autoselect Channels.

Transpose
The Transpose setting determines the transpose method during the conversion. When selecting only up or closest + 1 octave the voices will be higher, in average ½ and 1 octave respectively. (The ½ octave higher is accomplished by using another inversion of chords etc.). When selecting only down or closest - 1 octave the voices will be lower.
Default is closest.
Transpose settings in this window ONLY applies to harmonized style parts. Transpose settings for melodic style parts must be made in the Melodic Parts Settings window.

Max drum note length
Notes in channel Rhythm Sub and Rhythm Main can be shortened to a predefined value.

Add B notes
B notes will be added automatically to avoid disharmonies.

Chord recognition length
Set the part of measures used for chord recognition. Default is 1 measure.

Volume Settings

The volume profile can be set in channels individually.

This can be used to increase low note volume values and/or to decrease high note volume values.

When values in the columns are set click button > to update the Volume Profile Curve.

Column #1: Adds/subtracts a number to the input value
Column #2: Multiplies this value with a number
Column #3: Divides this value with a number
Column #4: Adds/subtracts a number to this value
Column #5: Values below the selected number is set to zero

The resulting volume profile curve is drawn in blue colour.

The controller in column #5 is not active in fade out measures of ending parts. In these measures volume will start to follow the white curve and then follow the blue curve.

Tempo Settings

Tempo can be set individually in style parts.

If one or more style part tempos differs from the others the program will during conversion automatically insert style part tempo events as the first event in ALL style parts.

This is done to prevent local tempo settings to be in effect when switching to another style part.

Ritardando (decreasing tempo) can be added to Ending parts.

The Rit.meas box sets the number of measures for ritardando and the to level box sets the end tempo in percent of the tempo in the corresponding Ending part.

Default values can be restored by pressing Restore Default Values.

Melodic Part Settings

Intro and Ending parts can be played melodic with the chord progression of the original MIDI File - or harmonized (as all Main and Fill parts) where the keyboard player plays the chord progression in the left hand.

In a style both melodic and harmonized intros and endings may occur. (Main and Fill parts will always be harmonized).

The melodic intro and/or endings parts can include the channel(s) of the original MIDI file which holds the solo / melody line instrument(s).

Normally this/these instrument(s) must not play in harmonized style parts (Main's and Fill's) as the keyboard player plays the solo / melody line in the right hand in these style parts.

If the solo / melody line instrument has to be included in melodic intros and/or endings of the style one or more channels has to be selected to play the solo / melody line instrument(s) of the MIDI File in these style parts. Often the Phrase channels are used for this purpose.

Melody channels can be moved one octave up or down.

Selecting one or more melody channels will automatically mute these channels in all harmonized (= not melodic) parts including all Main and Fill parts (note the deselections in the Main Window) and deselect Delete Notes in the Note Settings window for the chosen melody channels.

If two or more style parts are selected as melodic parts AND two or more style channels are selected for melody channels all combinations of these are selected in the lower parts of the Main Window. Individually muting of part / channel combinations must be done manually in the Main Window.

If a style part start measure or a style part length is changed (in the lower part of the Main Window) after selecting Melody channels in this window checking and unchecking of channels in style parts must be done manually in the Main Window.

The choice in Key Detection determines the number of measures to get the key of the intro / ending part for a correct joining of these parts to the harmonized parts (Main's and Fill In's).

For Intros the last measures are used for key detection; and for Endings the first measures are used. The default number of measures (4) will normally give good results.

If the MIDI file modulates within the measures selected for key detection, the process most probably will give a bad result. In this situation choose fewer measures for key detection.

Process Menu

Convert (shortcut: ctrl + C)
Converts the MIDI File to a Style File.

Style Player (shortcut: ctrl + Y)
Opens the Style Player Window.

Style Editor (shortcut: ctrl + D)
Opens the Style Editor Window.

Polyphony (shortcut: ctrl + W)
Opens the Polyphony Window.

Convert

When this option is selected the MIDI-file will be converted according to the set parameters.

After conversion the style file is in computer memory. The Style file is NOT yet saved, but can be played back in the Style Player and/or edited in the Style Editor.

Style Player

Style Parts can be played by pressing button Play/Loop.

If the Loop check box is checked the player will loop the selected style part otherwise it will play the style part once.

Playback is stopped by pressing button Stop.

Playback tempo can be changed by selecting a Playback Tempo Factor. This only changes the playback tempo not the tempo in the converted style.

Set the Tempo in the Basic Settings Window and do a new conversion if new tempo is required.

Style Editor

Note on, note off and some effect events in style parts can be edited individually in the Style Editor.
The left part of the Window will change dynamically according to the selections made.
Read the messages in the Status Line in this window for online instructions.

Note that adding, deleting or editing effect events and tempo settings may result in unpredicted program behavior.
The current setting of effects and tempo will be in effect until a new event of the same type is reached.
It is recommended to add events with default values in the beginning of all style parts to avoid that an event in a style part influences at all other style parts.

All event adding, deleting and editing in the Style Editor are logged to file.
The log file can be viewed by selecting menu Options | Editor Log File.
The log file can be handled as described in the help topic to Log File window.

Polyphony

This window shows for each style part:
- the number of notes
- the maximum number of simultaneous notes (polyphony)
- the time where maximum polyphony occurs

Options Menu

Setup (shortcut: ctrl + U)
Opens the Setup window.

Events Log File (shortcut: ctrl + L)
Opens the Log File window.

Editor Log File (shortcut: ctrl + K)
Opens the Log File window.

Setup

Select the User Interface language by clicking the appropriate button.
Exit the program and restart to implement the new language setting.

Reset the Recent Opened Files list in the File menu by clicking button Reset.

Checking at 'Save Style' run Export Conversion Data will open the Export Conversion Data file dialog automatically after every Style save operation.

Select the Keyboard Model to avoid invalid voice selections for style file channels. This setting must be done before channel assignments in the Main Window. Otherwise these must be done once again.

Checking Write Chords to File writes the chords in the selected measures in the original MIDI File to a text file.
This file is saved in a subfolder to the default user folder. Normally C:\Documents and Settings\(user name)\Application Data.
This file can be viewed by opening the Editor Log File (in the Options menu).

Log Files

Events Log File:
Program opening, MIDI file opening, Conversion Data import/export, style conversion, Style file saving and program closing events are logged in the file events.log.

Editor Log File:
All note adding, deleting and editing in the Style Editor are logged to the file file filename.txt, where filename is the MIDI source file name.

Log Files generally:

Log files are saved in a subfolder to the default user folder. Normally C:\Documents and Settings\(user name)\Application Data.

Delete Log File Button: The log file will be deleted.

The log files can be read and edited in a text editor e.g. NotePad.

The log files can be moved, renamed or deleted. The program will automatically create new log files with the names above.

Legal Stuff

midi2style ©2002-2011 Jørgen Sørensen. All Rights Reserved.

You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this program.

COPYRIGHT
Copyright laws apply to this program, and the copyright holder retains all rights. The program must NOT be altered or decompiled nor included as part of another system or program without permission from the holder of copyright. Uploading to web sites or file servers or inclusion at cd's, copying to other persons etc. is strictly prohibited.

DISCLAIMER
Users of midi2style must accept this disclaimer of warranty: midi2style and its related documentation is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use or inability to use midi2style.

Compatibility Issues

Compatible with:
Tyros: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
PSR: 9000 Pro - 9000 - 8000 - 3000 - 2100 - 2000 - 1500 - 1100 - 1000 - S910 - S900 - S710 - S700 - OR700 - S550 - 550 - 740 - 640 - 413 - K1
CVP: 409 - 407 - 405 - 403 - 401 - 309 - 307 - 305 - 303 - 301
DGX: 630 - 620 - 520 - 505 - 500 - 305 - 300
YPG: 635 - 625 - 525

For other models the voice data must be entered in the User Interface:
- From the keyboard manual get the Prg.; MSB and LSB values for the voice; e.g. Prg. = 34, MSB = 0, LSB = 114.
- As Prg. values are 1-based in the manual, subtract 1 from the Prg. value; e.g. 34 - 1 = 33.
- Select the Prg.; MSB and LSB values in User Interface of the software program; e.g. Prg. = 33, MSB = 0, LSB = 114.