MUSC 108. Introduction to Music Technology - Fall 2013

07Lab1 - Famous Song to SMF

[Overview] [Syllabus]

07Lab1 - Setup

Follow these directions to setup Au Lab and MIDIDisplay: LabSetup.html

Download and unzip SMFTemplate.zip. Alternatively you could open the course common folder and drag the file SMFTemplate.zip to the desktop of your iMac

Unzip the file and open the SMFTemplate.xlt file.

Create five additional tabs: SMF, Bass, Inst1, Inst2, Inst3.

Copy the SMF Template data and paste it into the SMF tab. Keep the SMF Template data available for reference and future copy needs. Your MIDI file will be created in the SMF tab.

The Bass Instrument

Download the Excel file Lab07Data.xlsx. Keep this file open. You'll use it again in Lab2.

Back to the SMF Template file.

Copy the data from the Bass tab cells A1:A449 and paste it into the SMF Bass tab at cell B1, leaving column A blank. Label Column A ms.

The bass instrument is on MIDI channel 3.

Play in MIDIDisplay

Copy cells B2:E449 (PPQ times + MIDI messages) and paste into MIDIDisplay.

Use these settings in MIDIDisplay and verify the bass line plays through all 56 measures without a hiccup. Use a fast tempo.

These two measures are repeated over and over.

Generate Millisecond Times from PPQ times

If you only have PPQ times, it's difficult to tell how the PPQs correspond to millisecond times or notes in the score. It would be nice to be able to convert from the PPQ times back to the millisecond times. It requires two steps in Excel:

1. Convert each PPQ time to a millisecond time based on the fact that a 480 ppq = 1000 ms.
2. Create a formula to create a running total of the Ms times.

Find two empty columns, say G and H and label them as follows:

1. Convert PPQ's to Milliseconds

Enter this formula in G2. Remember Column A is blank and Column B is PPQ.

Copy G2 and paste into G3:G449. Decimal places are good here. You should see this:

2. Create the Running Total

You want is a formula that will do this:

• H2=G2
• H3 = G2+G3
• H4 = G2 + G3 + G4
• H5 = G2 + G3 + G4 + G5
• etc.

Enter this H2:

The $G$2 means to keep G2 as an absolute reference inside the the SUM formula. The cell that varies is G2 without dollar signs. It will use the current row number in the formula. Here's the formula in H5. Notice the selection in column G that is being totaled.

http://www.mrexcel.com/td0074.html and http://www.theexceladdict.com/_t/t040512.htm

You should see this:

Enter this in A2.

Copy A2 and paste into A3:A449. You should see the millisecond the Ms time series generated from the PPQ values. To be safe, copy A2:A449 and Paste Special by Values back into A2.

Continue with 07Lab2.

[Overview] [Syllabus]