Timidity++
In the music world, we all expect a good sound coming out from a musical composition. When I was young on my earlier musician stages, I discovered the power of the computer as a tool for musical compositions. So at that time, I was creating frenetically many musical works. I was young, so I had a lot of free time.Despite my enthusiasm, I just was using the MIDI engine of the computer to appreciate my musical compositions. So, I started to search for a tool that allows me to convert the digital MIDI format to a WAVE format, so I may have a better sound. After days of looking for this software, I found Timidity.
Timidity is an amazing audio tool, providing realistic sounds without the need of the MIDI synthesizer of the computer sound card. It gives a better approach to real instrument sounds. Timidity is a real time MIDI Render that reproduces audio like any other player but in this case, it plays MIDI's.
How it works?
First off, Timidity loads a MIDI file from the hard drive, and reads all MIDI data from it. Using the Operating System sound API, Timidy renders all notes using their internal instruments or patches for each instrument defined in the MIDI file. These patches are sound files that Timidity maps according to the data of the MIDI file.
Here is an example of a MIDI file rendered using Timidity:
The Way MIDI Sample
The Way Rendered File into wav with Timidity
NOTE: The file was converted to MP3 to reduce the size.
Timidity Download
The old Timidity I knew years ago has been improved over the years. Regardless they improved the main program; they removed the EAWPATCHES from it. Fortunately, I kept the files.
You can download the program directly from here. Timidity++ with Eawpatches
After downloading the file, I suggest you to follow the next tutorial that will guide you to use this amazing tool.
Before everything, Timidity++ must be installed. By default the installation directory must be a level down directory from the root directory (i.e. C: is the root directory indicated by the installer, so the down level directory is c: imidity). Change your default root directory to match yours. For example, if your root directory is D: just change the path to d: imidity.
.After the installation, we must go and find Timidity main executable in the directory where we installed it. Go to the installation directory and double-click on timw32g.exe. I suggest adding a direct access to this file to your desktop.
To open a MIDI file go to File menu - Open File(F)
Push the play button. The music should be played. Timidity is set up by default as a player. To set up the player as a direct WAV file converser, go to Config. Menu Preferences (P)
The next screen should be loaded
Go to the output TAB, at the output section where Windows Audio Driver is shown, select RIFF WAVE File.
Select an output filename.
Press the OK button, then load a MIDI file and click on the play button. No sound will be produced; the wave file will be rendered and saved to the hard drive. To set up Timidity as a player, just go to the config menu preferences, the output tab and select Windows Audio Driver.
