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cap in hand again

Monday 28th July 2008

... but just for information

I sometimes wonder if I'm not abusing this blog, given that its prime function seems to be me, the blogger, tapping you, the blogees, for favours all the time. You came through on my quest for possible locations for the Happy Birthday War video, you came through when I requested help on the day of the shoot, you've been very supportive of the whole weight loss effort, and you've never once let me down when I've come looking for advice. So I'm a bit self-conscious about asking for help and tips yet AGAIN, but here I go anyway...

It's occured to Ian and me that it might speed things up making-this-album-wise if we could use the demos I've already recorded for most of the putative tracks as the basis or template for these new recordings, and to that end I've been trying to figure out how to retrieve MIDI files from Garage Band projects (PC users go make yourselves a cup of tea or something).

Now I know (now) that GB doesn't officially do this, but there's usually a way round these things and I've got halfway so far. I've found and downloaded the "midiO" plug-in which enables GB to work as a MIDI driver for external apps or MIDI instruments, and I've tried using this to "record" the MIDI file of a drum part into Finale Notepad (a shareware music notation app I've been using to produce the scores for the Complaints Choir), from which I can THEN save the track as a MIDI pattern and export away. Trouble is, what's coming out is rubbish. It's all just thumping crotchets (non-musicians; that sounds rude but isn't).

Does anybody have any idea where or indeed if I'm going wrong?

Answers on a e-postcard to the usual address.

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