o11c wrote:Lilypond will convert crescendos, etc, into MIDI volume levels. Variations in the duration of the note can be done either directly (which would produce awful sheet music) or by changing the tempo.
Lilypond is not a sheet music editor, but it can generate sheet music. There is a lot more information in the source, than in 'printed' sheet music.
To make you understand what I mean:
Example : Jazz music often uses so called Walking bass. When transcribing into any notation software you will use a simple quarter notes sequence. When playing back with drums on a medium tempo, it will give a flat rhythm, with no "groove", no "swing" feeling. To get the right feeling, Bassists use so called "drive": They anticipate most quarter notes roughly a 32th before the beat. In jazz music too, to have readable music, musicians, use a conventional binary (music) notation, which becomes something about a triplet quarter note-eighth note, the eighth note being a bit louder than the others.
To give a real open source music you will have to give
two LilyPond files, one straight written designed to make the source understandable, the second with manually shifted an accented notes (kind of boring, believe me) almost incomprehensible in visual form. Unfortunately, only a dedicated tool can do it easily. Intentionally exaggerate a bit to make the problem clear, and some workarounds can be found.
Example 2: Big Crunch told me that Meway is a really good pianist (I am not). You could perhaps, to understand what i mean, ask him to record a (small) piece, and send you the resulting midifile. Then have a look on it. You will see that the file or the corresponding LilyPond one is almost impossible or very difficult to edit. (
Easier than an audiofile though)
Nuances: I will just have an example to explain the problem: when translating an crescendo to Midi, most (not all) notation software do a linear interpolation between 2 volume levels ( MIDI controller 7). Pianists do not use it to have their nuances, thus the appropriate controller should be the velocity or/and aftertouch (most GM instruments respond only to channel pressure and not to the polyphonic one).
Lilypond
IS a sheet music editor and a nice one , I like it:
you could find useful to have a GUI for it:
http://lilypond.org/easier-editing.html
My suggestion is to do the MIDI-to-OGG conversion with a known conversion set - timidity with the FLUID soundfonts - rather than be dependent on the whims of an arbitrary GM implementation
Good suggestion, did I say it wasn't?
I don't actually suggest MIDI as a source or final format, simply say there is no reason to avoid it as an intermediate form; we only need to document under what software conditions the conversion was made.
[...]I have admitted my ignorance in some aspects. However, you are also ignorant by claiming that MIDI cannot have quality in any case, citing falsely MIDI's inability to do things I know MIDI can do because I have done it.
Nard wrote:Midifiles are the bare minimum which can include some interpretation and nuances. They cannot include samples though (drum loops...)
That's what I said. It underlines midifiles limits as a source, nothing else, they are TRUE, and I never said that it was a reason not to use them. Where did I suggest to avoid them? Where can you see I wrote midi could not have any quality?
The truth is, MIDI, can't cover all cases. But I believe it could be used to generate some good music.
It is my opinion too.
Actually the best Music production software for Linux system is definitely RoseGarden
http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/
It is included in ubuntu studio.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
software list at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Studio
Audio editing and sequencing Ardour is, in my opinion better for Musicians than Audacity which I use it though for hard editing (with a very nice shareware called Amadeus). Finally, it could be necessary to lave a look on MusicXML (i haven't yet done it)
I'm sorry if I came across so, it was not my intention.
You did. You read my post as if it was a negative critic on your suggestion. It was not. On the opposite I highlighted the interest of LilyPond. (and it's limits). And even if it was one, you do not have to think it is directed to the person. I would NEVER place a positive or negative opinion post if I didn't think something positive could result from it. Relief is better seen with several eyes than with one as long as they point in different directions
Note: I said:The problem with these (nice)
/software intended/ for typesetted music is that they are not that much convivial to a lot of musicians. mistyping, sorry for that.
cordially
Nard