TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs

Subject: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Jun 02 - 02:49 PM

I now have the latest versions of Quicktime and Windows Media Player. They're nice for a lot of things, but they sure like to make their presence known. Now, when I play a Digital Tradition MIDI, the screen displays Quicktime or Windows Media Player, covering up the lyrics.

How can I change black to what I used to have, when I would just hear the tune when I "click to play," and don't see the player?

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jun 02 - 03:50 PM

Joe,

If Quicktime is the problem, read this thread

I've always had Windows Media opening a new window. I guess you could you Control Panel/Add Remove Programs to go back to your older version.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Jun 02 - 04:10 PM

I just click the "minimize" button.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jun 02 - 04:13 PM

Or, following Socha's suggestion, just click somewhere on the lyric web page so that it's comes to the front

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: IvanB
Date: 22 Jun 02 - 05:02 PM

Guest probably has the best solution, since WMA doesn't seem to have a minimize on startup option. Just make sure 'Always on Top' isn't checked in your config.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:04 AM

Hmmmm. Yes, I know of those solutions - but I object to having to click one or the other away when all I want to do is play a MIDI and look at lyrics.
Dagnabitall.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: pavane
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 07:12 AM

If you have a different MIDI player program, associate the .MID extension with that instead. If not, it is very easy to write one in VB. It only takes a few lines of code to call the windows sound routines.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 06:04 AM

Just to expand the above posting.

From WINDOWS EXPLORER click VIEW then select OPTIONS from the drop down.

Scroll down until you find MIDI Sequence and double-click on it.

Double-click on OPEN and change the Application box to point to the program which you wish to use to play MIDI files.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: nutty
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 09:19 AM

I use Crescendo .... which is much more user friendly ....is free ....... and lets me be in control

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 09:25 AM

Nutty,

Crescendo certainly does not let you be in control. It's full of spyware!

The others are free too btw

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 09:48 AM

I dumped Crescendo; it screwed up my other settings and was more trouble than it was worth from my point of view. Incidentally, changing file associations via Explorer will not prevent unwanted applications from opening soundfiles accessed through a non-Microsoft browser; you have to adjust the settings in the application itself as well. With Quicktime, I forbade it to play midis or aiff files; Netscape's unobtrusive native plugin is perfectly capable of handling these. I have no idea what plays midis in Opera; presumably a native plugin. It keeps itself to itself, at any rate.

Subject: RE: TECH: Oh, behave! Playing MIDIs
From: pavane
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 01:13 PM

Of course, if you find a Karakoe MIDI player, it can show you the words too! Assuming the MIDI file has them, of course.

Did you know that my program HARMONY can automatically put the chord symbols, (e.g. as imported from abc or just edited in) instead of the words, into a MIDI file? Then you can use a Karaoke MIDI player to show them.