If you want to...
...play sound files
Below are some sample sound
files. If you click on one of them
and your computer has a media player
that can play the file, it will load the file and
play it. It may take from a few to many seconds to load the file,
depending on your Internet
connection speed, the response of your media player, amount of RAM you
have, etc.
Here is the same piece in 2 standard
Windows sound formats (MP3 and
MIDI):
1300 MP3 192
Very good
quality. Size: 2.9 MB. Converted from wav file at
192 kilobytes/second
1300 MP3 128
Good quality. Size: 1.5 MB. Converted from wav file
at 128 kbps.
1300 MP3 96
Fair quality. Size: 1.1
MB. Converted from wav file at 96 kbps.
1300 MIDI Sound is not as good as MP3
and varies with your sound card. Size: 6 KB.
Here
is what happened when I
played the above files on 3 different
computers. All have a DSL connection and run the Windows 98 SE
operating system.
On a 700 MHz Compaq, 128 MB RAM, with
Internet Explorer as the browser,
all the files loaded very quickly and were played immediately by
Windows Media Player and sounded fine.
On a 550 MHz IBM computer, 256 MB RAM,
the Netscape and Mozilla browers
opened the MIDI file in QuickTime after about 5 seconds and played it
badly. On the same computer, Internet Explorer opened the MIDI file
with WinAmp and it sounded fine.
On a 400 MHz Altec computer,
128MB RAM, the MIDI file opened
quickly in Windows Media Player but it did not sound good. The 96 kbps
MP3 file loaded slowly (about 15 seconds) into a temporary file and
then Real Player played the file, sounding okay.
From this, one conclusion would
be: Get a good media
player like WinAmp and make it the default player for MP3 and MIDI
files. WinAmp has a free version and a Pro version with more
features for $15.
...change a file association from one
program to another
You might want to do this if the "wrong" media player is
playing your sound file. Try this web site: toejumper.
...find a program to display a score as
you play on a keyboard
You need a MIDI keyboard, a MIDI
interface, and a software program like PowerTracks Pro (low end) or
Cakewalk or Sibelius (high end). Many programs will do this.
...find a program that will
analyze chords automatically
MidiNotate will do this and is inexpensive.
Cubase and Sibelius will do it but are costly.
...find a program that shows guitar chords
Many programs do this. See the
list of sequencers. As always
PowerTracks Pro is the least expensive program to start with.
...find a program that will
record onto the hard drive
Many programs do this.
PowerTracks Pro, Logic, Cubase, etc.
...find
a program to use with my chorus or choir
Many programs possible. MusEdit
(inexpensive), Finale, Sibelius.
...find a program that handles lyrics very well
If you have a lyric-intensive chorus,
Finale handles lyrics extremely well (but otherwise may be hard to use).
...find
a program that will record my voice
Again, many program will do this. Logic is
an excellent one but complicated. (Autoscore purports to record your voice and display
pitch as it does so but how many people have actually gotten it to
work?)
...find
a good starter program for sequencing
PowerTracks Pro. ($29).
Primarily an audio program, not a notation program.
...find a better software media player
Please see the page on software media players. Try WinAmp.
...test your hearing
Web site to test hearing
Home
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