Help: problem downloading abc & midi files

Subject: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 06:50 AM

Any Computer Experts out there?
I just tried to find a couple of tunes on JC's Tunesearch and failed to download them
Instead of a screen appearing to ask me where to save the file as it used to, a screen flashed on and off the screen in a fraction of a second
search as I may I cannot find the abc or midi I was after anywhere on my computer
I am guessing that some setting has changed?
What do I have to do to get my ABC2Win program and Midinotate to capture these files?
Any suggestions welcome

Frustrated&Tuneless in Sheffield

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 08:28 AM

Roger, early on, I could hear some midi files and not others. I downloaded Crescendo and everything was fine.

Recently, something happened so that I can no longer downlad any midi files, but I can hear embedded files. If I see a midi file I really want to hear, I have to go to my temp files and open it in Cakewalk...real pain. So I'd appreciate any info on this subject also.

One other thing, the midis at this page, (The Internet Piano, http://www.geocities.com/Paris/3486/): early on I could hear them, then I couldn't. I get an error message saying that these are not midi files. The problem seems to be unrelated to the other problem of not being able to download midi files. Anyone?????

Thanks.
Mary

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 11:58 AM

It seems that an increasing number of people are using the Crescendo plugin on their sites; it appears to encode midis in a format that normal midi players cannot read, thus forcing you to install the plugin.  I did that once, and the bloody thing completely screwed up all my other music software, so I terminated it with extreme prejudice and wouldn't touch it again with somebody else's bargepole.  It looks as if the piano site is using a similarly "proprietory" plugin for embedded music, though the piano pieces themselves play quite happily through Netscape's native midi player.  It worked the same way in IE, too, though there I seem to have given Winamp the job of playing midis rather than Mediaplayer. Have you checked through your file associations and the "preferences" or "options" settings for whatever used to play midis?

Roger; so far as the abc download problem goes, have you tried opening the text file versions and saving them with an .abc extension?  Was it just a few tunes that are a problem, or is it everything?

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 12:26 PM

Malcolm, I think the problem started on the piano page when I downloaded Winamp (or possibly an updated RealAudio. Now I have a new (few downloads yet) computer, and I still can't hear the midi files on the piano page or download any midis. I'm using Explorer. What should I download besides Winamp and RealAudio? As far as associations, I forgot what I used to have. What should I associate with midi files?

Thanks,
Mary

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 04:25 PM

Media players such as Winamp and RealPlayer tend automatically to overwrite existing file associations, so once you've installed them it's a good idea to make sure that they only try to open the files that you want them to.  RealPlayer is quite aggressive, so I've told it that it's only allowed to open files in its own native formats (.ra for example); in the version that I have, the route is VIEW-PREFERENCES-UPGRADE-MEDIA TYPES-RE ASSOCIATE.  I have all the boxes in there unchecked.  Winamp is politer software, but you still need to keep an eye on it.  [click in top left corner]-OPTIONS-FILE TYPES will take you to a box where you can select or de-select file types as required.

For offline media playing, you can change file associations by going (in Win98, anyway) to Explorer; VIEW-FOLDER OPTIONS-FILE TYPES.  Because I have Winamp installed, a lot of audio files (and some that aren't!) are annoyingly described as "Winamp Media File"; if you have that entry, you can select it, click on EDIT and then change associations; for example, I allow Winamp to play midis when double-clicked, but have added an additional "action" so that a right-click on a midi file also gives me the option of opening it in Cakewalk.  You could also select a quite different program as your default midi player.  I should imagine that if you forbid Winamp and RealPlayer to play midis (and, probably, Crescendo if you have it, though if I recall rightly, one of the reasons I dumped it was because it was next to impossible to modify its settings) there's a good chance that a default player like Windows Media will take over, though I can't be sure of that.

Of course, the fact that this works for me doesn't necessarily mean that it will work for you, but if you explore a bit on these lines you may be able to solve the problem.  These things are so often caused by software conflicts.  I hope that all that doesn't just add to the confusion!

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 05:24 PM

That page **CRASHED** my browser totally, and forced me to re-boot! TWICE!...wow!

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 05:45 PM

Bill, which page was that, that crashed you?



I find that I can always download MIDI and maost other files if I click on a MIDI link with the RIGHT mouse button and select "save target as." Is that how you're trying to download, Roger?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 07:57 PM

Malcolm, I've tried everything I know, uninstalled everything I had downloaded, changed file associations, etc. I'm beginning to suspect an ISP problem because it shows the file downloading (the little folder with the flying papers) forever. I thought for one minute Joe's idea of right-clicking and choosing open would work, but it doesn't. I'll check my other computer, and friends on the same ISP, and then I'll call my ISP.

Thanks.

Mary (still working on this bug)

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 08:01 PM

Looks like that's your best bet, then.  Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.  Do let us know how it works out.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 08:13 PM

Hey, I just came home (100-yard-commute) and I can get the Windows Media Player to play a midi file on my home computer with just a left click. At least 1/3 of my problems are solved. Next I'll see if I can hear my piano midis by installing Crescendo on this computer. (It really irritates me that the page doesn't tell you what you need to be able to hear them, and they don't answer emails either.) Then I'll play around with the other computer at work.

Thanks again. I'll let you know what I find out.

Mary

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 08:36 PM

I installed Crescendo on the home computer, and now I can hear Chopin at the Internet Piano Page linked-to above! That's 2/3 of my problems solved. Don't tell me about all the problems I haven't seen yet.

Mary

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Jan 01 - 11:47 PM

Joe...the "InternetPiano" link Mary posted loaded partially, then Netscape went belly up, and I couldn't even close it....I re-booted. and it happened again...*shrug*

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 06:37 AM

My problem is that when I click 'save as'in explorer
a screen flashes up and disappears in the blink of an eye without waiting for me to input anything!!!
Like some sort of autocomplete is in operation
In desperation I just put netscape 6 (yes I am that desperate) on my computer, and that is now giving me the option of saving midi files where I want or opening them with winamp. I can save them where I want from Winamp too I just discovered. The abc files are the real problem, I managed to trick them into downloading using Malcolms suggestion of using the text and then save as .abc
The abc files I already have on my computer are fine, the problem is in downloading new ones

Roger

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Snuffy
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 07:17 AM

abc files shouldn't be a problem, as they're just plain text, but there can be a problem if you load them off the web with all the HTML code.

You'd have to strip that out - use Find & Replace in your word processor. Then remember to Save As text file.

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 12:22 PM

In Window Media Player 6.4 (the version I have), you can go to View/ Option/ Format Tab and change the associations there. I have found that checking the settings there do seem to override Winamp and Real Player for me. Changing settings here have also seem to have stopped QuickTime player taking over MIDIs in IE5.

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 01:55 PM

I just tried checking and unchecking a few boxes (in internet explorer properties) and now I can get the 'save as' box to throw up a file download box and then a 'save as' box. Now I just have to work out why ABC2Win says the files contain no tunes, I have viewed them as text and they do!!

Roger

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 03:08 PM

Roger, it doesn't look like the tunes are ABC2Win friendly. If you open the text, you can save that as a .abc document, and it should work better.

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 03:22 PM

There may possibly be some spaces in the text that prevent ABC2Win recognising it as music; I've had that problem in the past.  A little judicious editing may be all that's needed.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 03:38 PM

When I've looked at the abc files in notepad, it has these little dots instead of line breaks. I don't know how they're getting there, but they're the buggers that are causing the problems.

If you get rid of the dots and put all the text fields on their own lines, it should work.

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 05:37 PM

Jon, it worked! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. Now my problems are ALL solved. ;-)

I have mplayer.exe and mplayer2.exe. I went to mplayer2/view/options/format and checked the block for midi. Now it works!

I can only guess that when I downloaded RealAudio or Winamp it scarfed up this designation. Then when I uninstalled them, there was nothing to open midi files with. (even though in the associations dialog that Malcolm directed me to, I associated midi files with mplayer. Oh well, it works, so I'm happy even though I don't understand it.

Subject: RE: Help: problem downloading abc & midi files
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 05:52 PM

Real Audio did (or maybe still does) provide a means of playing MIDI but it used to be an add-on. If I remember correctly, it relied on software to generate the MIDI sounds and was not very good quality although perhaps better than cheap sound cards with FM systhesis. I am not sure about Winamp but I can not see it trying to take over MIDI.

As for the file assosciation bit, it is a mystery to me. Sometimes the folder options seem to work, other times they don't. I would guess that there is a load of junk in the regitry that overrides some changes.

Jon