The ongoing thread about transferring rolls to MIDI has been interesting.
I recently upgraded my home computer (I had to after my old one died),
and my new system has many more capabilities.

For the first time, I am able to listen to MIDI files.  In addition to
the fine ragtime MIDI files of MMD members such as Steve Goodman, George
Bogatko and Robbie Rhodes, I searched the 'Net for other tunes.  It
didn't take long to realize that all MIDI files are *not* created equal.
Much skill goes into creating a MIDI file that is enjoyable to hear, and
some people are more skillful than others.

And, just because a piano roll sounds great, that doesn't mean that the
MIDI will sound great too, and vice versa.  For one particular song, I
have both the original recording and the QRS roll.  I really like the
recording, but the piano roll is only so-so.  However, the MIDI version
turned out great.  The capabilities and/or limitations of the various
media made the difference.

This is a key point -- knowing what MIDI can and cannot do is essential
to producing a good result.  While I would never want to stifle someone's
creativity, I feel that anyone desiring to produce a MIDI file should be
conscientious enough to want to do a *good* job.

Experiment and learn all you can about the process.  Listen carefully to
the MIDI files that you think sound great.  What touches did the
producers of these files incorporate to make them sound so wonderful?

MIDI is a marvelous tool with plenty of potential.  Failure to use it
properly wastes this potential.

Joyce Brite
brite@ksu.edu       http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~brite/