Introducing: MIDIART Live!

This is a simple example of what a MidiWorks File might look like.
As the music plays, the screen erupts with beautiful patterns and
colors synchronized with the music.  The rest of this page explains it all.

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MIDIART Live is the first computer software application designed specifically to transform both live and pre-recorded MIDI data streams into psychedelic computer graphic imagery. The images generated by MIDIART are derived directly from the musical information embedded within the MIDI data stream. This gives the performing musician the ability to visualize the music they are performing in real time. With MIDIART Live, music can now be visualized directly using MIDI and a computer, without the need for expensive multimedia producers, graphic artists, and animators. MIDIART Live also takes advantage of the control information that can be embedded in the MIDI data stream, to give the performing musician or video artist interactive control over the graphic parameters used by the image generating algorithms in MIDIART.

The Details

In order to transform MIDI data into visual images, MIDIART Live utilizes software components called Image Generators. An Image Generator is a self contained image generating algorithm which determines how the music will influence the computer graphic images that are created. MIDIART Image Generators receive individual musical note and velocity (volume) information from the MIDI data stream in real time. A typical Image Generator will display a number of graphical objects or visual elements which correspond to each musical note it receives. MIDIART Live contains a variety of different Image Generators, and the images created by any one of these can be combined or mixed with images created by other Image Generators.

In order to give the musician or video artist a degree of control over the images produced by an Image Generator, each Image Generator used in MIDIART Live provides a number of image controlling parameters. These parameters control animation effects, visual element sizes, color cycling effects, etc., depending on the Image Generator selected. Each parameter can be adjusted as the music is being performed, either by pressing command keys on the computer keyboard, or by activating these command keys externally using MIDI control messages sent from a MIDI keyboard or MIDI controller unit.

MIDIART Live also contains other important performance related features, including the ability to easily save and restore image controlling parameters to disk files, as well as storing and re-playing command key sequences in order to automatically change the animation effects during a musical performance.

A new performance related feature allows a MIDIART Live performance to be saved as a single data file called a MIDIWork file. When a user selects a MIDIWork file from the Windows Explorer, the MIDIWorks Player will be started automatically to re-create the performance. MIDIWork files can be attached to Web pages, giving people all over the world the ability to view your performances. The MIDIART Live software includes the latest version of the MIDIWorks Player, which allows you to test the MIDIWork files that you create.

Software/Hardware Requirements

MIDIART Live requires a 486 or Pentium based PC running the Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or Windows 95/98 operating systems. (There is currently no version for the Macintosh.) MIDIART also requires the use of an SVGA video card in 256 color video mode. (Your display settings must be set to use the 256-color color palette.) For sound generation, MIDIART Live requires a wave table based sound card or any external MIDI sound generator device connected to the PC via a MIDI interface card. The sound card or MIDI interface card must be correctly configured under Microsoft Windows. NOTE: Other sound cards seem to work well too.

Try MIDIART Live Today!

You can download MIDIART Live ONLY by selecting the link to the MidiArt Home Page below. There you'll find links to all MidiArt programs and other MidiArt song files i'm sure you'll like. The software is now freeware, which means it costs nothing and is fully functional. (If you enjoy the product and wish to contribute to its continued development, you can make a donation to the authors MIDIART development fund. Refer to the README.HLP file included in the software package for information on making a donation.)
NOTE: MIDIART Live is not required to play MidiArt files. Use the MidiArt download link at the bottom of the page to download the MidiArt Player..

The software that you download is in compressed ZIP file format. If you don't have the software to unzip the ZIP file, check out WinZip.com. After you download the ZIP file, un-zip the file and execute the single self-extracting Windows executable file. This will automatically invoke the SETUP program for installing the MIDIART Live software.

Worried about viruses? All the files you download from this Site was scanned for viruses using Computer Associates Inoculate PE. It was found to be free of viruses prior to delivery to the Web server. If you want to scan the files yourself, run your anit-virus program after downloading any files, or check out the latest Computer Associates anti-virus software.

The MIDIWorks Player

What is a MIDIWork?

You can think of a MIDIWork (short for "MIDI Work of Art") as a new kind of music video performance that you view on your PC. The "video" that you see is generated by your computer (computer graphics), and the "music" comes from pre-recorded MIDI files. Both the video and the music are synchronized. This is because the computer graphic images are actually triggered by the musical events recorded in the MIDI file.

A MIDIWork file, like a MIDI file, is a small data file containing performance information, and requires a player program (software), which uses the information in the data file to create a performance. The player program for a MIDIWork file is called the MIDIWorks Player.

When the MIDIWorks Player is installed on your computer, all MIDIWork files (which contain the .MWK file extension) become "associated with" the MIDIWorks Player program. This association allows you to simply double click on any MIDIWork file inside the Windows Explorer in order to view the music/video performance. When you double click on a MIDIWork file, Windows will automatically start the MIDIWorks Player program and send it the name of the selected MIDIWork file. The player software then creates the music/video performance.

MIDIWork files are only slightly larger in size than MIDI files, and so they are easy and fast to download over the Internet. And since they are not Windows executable files, they can not contain computer viruses.

A MIDIWork file is created using the MIDIART Live program. MIDIART Live gives professional and amateur musicians the ability to visualize the music they perform (either pre-recorded or live) and record their music/graphic performance as a MIDIWork file. MIDIART Live gives users complete control over many image generating parameters that manipulate the visual images created during a performance. (These parameters include animation effects, visual element sizes, color cycling effects, etc.) When a MIDIWork file is created, these image generating parameters are saved in the file. The MIDIWorks Player will restore these parameters in order to accurately re-create the performance that was created using MIDIART Live. (Note that the MIDIWorks Player does not allow users to control these same image generating parameters.)

PC Hardware Requirements

The MIDIWorks Player requires a 486 or Pentium based PC running the Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or Windows 95 operating systems. (There is currently no version for the Macintosh.) An SVGA video card in 256 color video mode is also required. (Your display settings must be set to use the 256-color color palette.) For sound generation, you should have a wave table based sound card or an external MIDI sound generator device connected to your PC via a MIDI interface card. The sound card or MIDI interface card must be correctly configured under Microsoft Windows.

Download the MIDIWorks Player

You can download the MIDIWorks Player by simply selecting the MidiArt link below. The software is freeware, which means it costs nothing and is fully functional. (If you enjoy the product and wish to contribute to its continued development, you can make a donation to the authors MIDIART development fund. Refer to the README.HLP file included in the software package for information on making a donation.)

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