Playing and Editing a MIDI File on a Macintosh

To read our MIDI file on a Macintosh, we will use Arnold MIDI Player, a shareware program. The non-registered version can be used in FAT mode, i.e. on computers based on 68x processors, such as the PowerPC. The specific version for PowerPC has to be registered.

You can download it or obtain it on a CD-ROM through the special Macintosh press.

Once the Arnold MIDI Player has been installed and started, proceed as follows:

1. Select File > Open and choose the midifile to be opened.
   
   
The list of available instruments and the transmitting MIDI channel are displayed in the main window.



Figure 1: The Arnold MIDI Player interface after a sequence import process


2. If you want to change an instrument (bass sound, piano sound, etc.), just click on its name.
   
   
In the window that appears, select another name.


3. To change the way an instrument responds to recorded notes, click on its channel number located on the left-hand side of the main window.
   
   
In the new window that appears, adjust the volume level and the location in the stereo soundfield (panning) and the velocity for the selected instrument. Test...


4. When your sequence changes are complete, select File > Export Quicktime Movie. Assign a new name to the sequence, then validate it.
   
   
The new sequence can be played directly by MoviePlayer and is ready to be placed online.

Once the new sequence is saved, you can listen to it by reopening it in Arnold MIDI Player and starting the playback with the remote control.