I will be building a nickelodeon for commercial use and will be using
a solenoid system driven by MIDI.

Has anyone used the General MIDI format to drive the extra instruments,
i.e. marimba, triangle, bass drum, etc.?.  Has anyone converted O-rolls
to MIDI and are the files available?

John Preble, in Louisiana
jfp@acadiacom.com


 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ The application of MIDI files to supplement or replace the paper
 [ music roll is still in its infancy, but for piano-based instruments
 [ (i.e., with only one chromatic division) the trend seems to be that
 [ the MIDI file is an image of the music roll, with no channels
 [ re-assigned.  
 [
 [ Thus, if a MIDI file which is an image of the O-roll is played by
 [ a General MIDI synth, it will sound exactly the same as the paper
 [ O-roll playing on a 88-note player piano.  About the only convention
 [ needed is to agree that Middle C on the music roll will be Middle C
 [ (note 60) on the MIDI file.
 [
 [ This approach is very different from the philosophy of "General
 [ MIDI", which intended for creating music using an electronic
 [ synthesizer, wherein specific channels and "notes" are defined
 [ for the percussion.
 [
 [ MMDer George Bogatko is creating new music rolls for nickelodeons
 [ and orchestrions, and has worked out a MIDI file format which
 [ controls Carl Lambie's perforator.  Perhaps this format could be
 [ adapted to play the instrument, instead of "playing the punches!"
 [
 [ Could you please tell us your recommendations, George?
 [
 [ -- Robbie