Hi everyone, I’m new here. Hope I’m posting in the right place.
I’m a professional musician and I use MIDI files for backing tracks live. I recently did a cruise ship gig that was both pop music and jazz standards depending on the venue. If anyone is looking for professional quality MIDI files to download for free, check out https://midifilesdownload.com . The site has a huge jazz MIDI file collection as well as lots of other musical styles, rock, R&B and more. Quite a lot of my backing tracks came from this site. The MIDI files will require editing to your needs of course but it is a great place to start. If you need MIDI files for a cruise ship duo, this is the place. Helped me out tremendously. Hope this helps you too! .
Thanks TechE. I’m pretty new to working with midi files. Will these open in separate instruments? I mean if you want to use just the keys or bass or something can you extract just the instruments you choose?
To check that possibility out, I downloaded a Bob Marley song (Exodus) and verified that the .MID file is Type 1, which has each instrument on a separate track. Type 0 files have everything on a single track, so it wouldn’t be possible, or at least easy, to extract an individual instrument from it.
I opened the exodus-2.mid file in MIDIYodi, a paid MIDI editor available for both Windows and Mac, and was able to save an individual track (instrument) using the File | Save Tracks option. I opened that saved track in MIDIYodi, and verified that it was just the single instrument and that it played back properly.
I don’t know what software apps you have (like which DAW, if any), so I don’t know if you have something already that will let you extract individual tracks from a Type 1 MIDI file.
EDIT: To satisfy my own curiosity, I opened the exodus-2.mid file in Studio One 6 Pro (my DAW) and said “OK” when it asked my if I wanted to load General MIDI sounds with the file. Each instrument was placed in a separate track with the proper GM sound used, and played just like the file did in MIDIYodi. So, if you have a modern DAW, I suspect that you could use it to extract individual instruments.
Thanks a lot John. I use Reaper for the little bit of tracking I’ve done. My studio computer is Windows but I’ll probably look for an editor that will work well on my Linux laptop that I spend a lot more time on. Reaper is probably fully equipped for this though. I sure wouldn’t know. Edit: I just checked out Midi Yodi and they have a Unix version so that’ll probably work with MX Linux! Edit again: I just tried Midi Yodi in MX Linux and it seems to work just great. I’ll go for the paid version and learn it. This’ll be fun. Thanks again!
There’s a Linux version of Reaper. Why not try that? Your existing $60 license, if you bought one (one of the best deals for DAWs anywhere; good for two major versions (years!); I’m on my second license, the first for v4 and v5, the second for v6 and for v7 whenever that gets released), should work on the Linux version, too.
Yes I started With Reaper version 4 and have 6.7 I think. To use it’s midi functions I’d probably have to know something and figure it would be quicker learning by using a program like Midi Yodi that just concentrates on that. So I already bought it.
From where are these midi files derived? Are they from the original tune and from an audio to midi app or are they from some players recreating the parts? I’m thinking of doing some pedal steel instrumental tracks and using some midi instrument accompaniment. I suppose I should look into getting the mechanical rights from Harry Fox Agency or something. It would be for very small distribution and I wouldn’t probably make a dime but would want to do it properly.
The MIDI files are free to download. There is no copyright stated, either on the website or in the MIDI file. The website states that the posted MIDI files are freely available on the internet. You could probably relist the files on your own website without issue, but that’s not what you’re doing. You are creating an audio file using the MIDI to generate some instruments plus recorded audio played by you. There is no issue with you claiming a copyright to the audio recording. What you can’t do is sample audio from existing copyrighted songs and reuse the samples in your own work without securing rights to the samples.
Thanks John. I was under the impression that the melody with chord changes was owned by the original artist and rights to record and even create your own version would require license. I mean even muzak you hear in stores needs that license doesn’t it?
Murky waters. You are not Led Zeppelin, for example. You don’t have deep pockets. But copying chord changes and melody isn’t always challenged. Sometimes, it is legal and highly profitable. This mashup is amazing.
