Web Design and Graphics Room. Thread, Members Music Post Box

Initial information to get us up and running.

Its not possible to upload Music files to the IDF website direct.
So IDF will be a halfway house.

Post the comments you want for the Music but the actual Music Files will have to be emailed to me.
I will upload the files and add the links to the files to your post.

Music files can take a lot of space.
So if you can, please use a third party storage site and link to it.
If the above is not open to you, send the files to me.

This Post Box will remain, even when a little later on the comments and music will be web based.

Also good free program links you have will also be listed.
So you are free to start posting as of now below this one.

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www.smitheram.co.uk

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To help the ball start to roll, first off, some information about music software for composing new music. There are basically two types that I know about and these are either sequencing or notational, in both cases most types available will handle and create Midi files. For those not sure, MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The range of programs available is large, from the very expensive to entirely free.
OK for the moment we will stick with free and notational software, sequencing is quite complex to understand if not used to modern piano keyboards.
There are two or three programs that I know about that are free and they are Finale Notepad and is available from-
http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/
A further perusal of that site will reveal other programs from Finale right up to the expensive Finale2007.
Next and perhaps more useful as it works purely in midi format, (notepad only works in Finale format), is Anvil Studio and is available from-
http://www.anvilstudio.com/
Another site where you can find other free, share ware, beta, and paid for programs is-
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/win95/MIDI_SEQUENCERS/
You will find Anvil there, as well as a program that can be used as a sequencer, but will also work with notation and is called
Music Studio Producer v1.22. I have this, as well as Anvil, plus some of the more expensive such as Finale 2007 and Sibelius 3.
PC world also carry one made by a company called Magix and surprisingly is called Notations. It isn't free, but not too expensive, and at least you can print music from it as most freebies will not print.
Once you have a program chosen and installed, you may need some time learning how to use it.
However once there, you can transfer a midi file into Anvil Studio if you wish to work on existing music rather than composing your own. There are hundreds of sites on the internet that host midi file music for free download, I list some here-
http://www.cool-midi.com/index.php

http://www.pcdon.com/page90.html

http://www.mfiles.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.mididb.com/

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/musica.htm#index

http://jackhallmidi.com/thecorner.html

http://www.hajioff.com/index.html This takes you to his home page, find and click the link for midi files.
Last but not least, this site is dedicated to midi file music of just about every folk song I have ever heard and a lot more. http://www.contemplator.com/folk.html
Do explore all of this midi music and open them in Anvil or whichever program you acquire. Once confronted with the notation, you can modify, or change the rhythm, or the melody to your hearts content. Do remember though copyright may apply, so be careful you don't send for posting on here something that may break the rules. It is usually OK to play around for your own use and pleasure, but not to publish some works, even if you have radically changed them.

__________________
I think I am OK. Apart from the usual discomfort of being awake.

OK thats a very comprehencive list PP, thank you.
It will be added to the web version when time allows.
The website is underway and working.
Here's the LINK

__________________
Knowledge is not knowing all the answers,
but knowing where to find the answers.
www.smitheram.co.uk

Moderator of, Web Design/Graphics Room.
P4-XP pro-IE7-B/B-ZA-AVG

A tip for saving the file to your computer, right click on the title, in this case, Air on a G string, If using firefox select "save link as", then select where you want it to go, for instance my music folder or start a new one for Midi files.
Internet explorer right click and I think it is just "Save target as"
If you just ordinarily left click it will open quick time or other player and it plays the music. From there you can go the long way round and find it in your temporary internet files, but that is a pain in Firefox, and still long winded in I.E.

__________________
I think I am OK. Apart from the usual discomfort of being awake.

As I have found out MP3 files are very large compared to Midi files.
The difference is MBs against KBs so please use Midi files as the standard format.
Thank you

__________________
Knowledge is not knowing all the answers,
but knowing where to find the answers.
www.smitheram.co.uk

Moderator of, Web Design/Graphics Room.
P4-XP pro-IE7-B/B-ZA-AVG

Smoochy Rock.

This is just a bit of fooling around, and OK a bit of a cheat as well, I have sent the midi file to CPS so he can put it in when he gets chance.
Some time since, I bought a keyboard for direct connection to the computer, it is of a type known as a midi controller keyboard, made by a company now sadly gone. They were Evolution, but have now been bought out. However it came with some software bundled with it that in my mind is superb, it is called Sound Studio II. It has a very novel feature called "Playright". Once turned on it will allow you to play any chord with the left hand, but you cannot play a wrong note with the right, it automatically selects the nearest correct note for you.
This piece was written entirely by myself using a slow rock rhythm accompaniment from the left hand, I just played notes wherever my right hand felt like going. OK it isn't a ground breaking piece and some bits are a bit iffy, but I think it sounds reasonably nice.
Nev.

Smoochy-rock is now in the Music room LINK
CPS

__________________
I think I am OK. Apart from the usual discomfort of being awake.

They sound good PP.!

Smoochy Rock sounds good played by MIDI!!
My stuff has to be MP3 format as I post it on internet music sites and it's downloaded for use in pods etc.

I'm not really a player of music - I prefer to write - and music is just one type of writing. I have done it since 1964 approximately. To write 'orchestral' music has, for most people been impossible, because until computers came about and orchestral sounds could (reasonably) be re-produced digitally, there was no way (without actually using a 90 piece orchestra!!!) that a writer could hear his music.

I use an inexpensive 'sequencer' called Octamed and use standard instrument samples to create wav files that are then transposed to MP3 files. I use a sound enhancing programme called Sound Forge to put finishing touches to orchy pieces.

As a sample of a 'full orchestral' piece click on:

www.soundclick.com/rhs
Click 'MUSIC' on the right hand menus and then scroll to a tune called:

RHS Symphony.

Turn up the volume!!!

Thanks for message CPS - I've not been here due to work - well done with music section and well done Plastic Pig! (Nev)

Dave @ rhs music uk

Thank you for your input Condor,
both on the information front and the website you have given.
That 'full orchestral' piece was great to listen to,
I will be spending some time in there I can tell you.
I can handle small MP3 files say 5mb.

RHS Symphony now in Music Room, well worth a listen.
LINK

__________________
Knowledge is not knowing all the answers,
but knowing where to find the answers.
www.smitheram.co.uk

Moderator of, Web Design/Graphics Room.
P4-XP pro-IE7-B/B-ZA-AVG

Thanks CPS - most kind.

If you visit my site @ soundclick and like any of the pieces and think they might be of interest here please feel free to put a link to them whenever you've time.

Should any of the web-site builders @ idf50 need a byte or two of music - for their site(s) - or idf50 itself - please ask.

The mp3 files that I post are usually well under 5 meg. To compress further - into say wma files, tends to distort the musical sounds too much. Using mp3 files does lower sound quality a touch, but it's usually ok for net download use.


Best regards and thanks,
Dave @ rhs

P.S. - just for devilment :twisted: I did register The Radcliffe Digital String Orchestra as a British Orchestra. Several pro' conductors have e-mailed me (one a very esteemed Russian!!!) asking if they can conduct the orch. in concert!!!

Listen to 30 or more RHS Music files by Condor.
All in the Music Room for you to listen to LINK

__________________
Knowledge is not knowing all the answers,
but knowing where to find the answers.
www.smitheram.co.uk

Moderator of, Web Design/Graphics Room.
P4-XP pro-IE7-B/B-ZA-AVG