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Hi guys, I was wondering if someone could tell me the easiest way to revoice midi files on the PA3X?

I basically want to take the midi files I have and change the voices, effects, eq etc and save the file back.

Do I have to delete the program changes within the midi file or will the PA3X overwrite them with the changed data when saved back automatically?

Many thanks in advance.

Do I have to delete the program changes within the midi file or will the PA3X overwrite them with the changed data when saved back automatically?

Yes, most certainly delete that data.
Once you do that, the rest is rather obvious. Pick your new sounds, volumes and assign the effect values.

Regards
Sharp

You can delete if you wish as James has pointed out, but when you save back the smf using the PA sequencer/editor save routine, it overwrites the midi header bar anyway which is where these are stored...the header bar is NOT visible in any standard sequencer, but it is there!!

What you WILL have to delete is the unwanted MIDI data that may be embedded in various tracks and at various locations throughout the MIDI file.
A common "trick" amongst smf programmers when faced with the limitations of the GM spec sound bank (even the GM2 bank which is not much better!!).

With upper level sounds available there is usually no need to "layer" sounds within tracks, and for the most part the header bar patch data is sufficient.

Have a look at apps like GN Midi, which have "batch" erasing capability. IE you can select a folder with ALL your smfs in it and then have it batch delete ALL patch data for example...this will then process ALL the files in one go and would leave them "clean" with note only data, ready for the PA3 sequencer...

There are many more methods, this is just one

In any case, I would STRONGLY recommend you do all the data deletion (bank and patch, controller, sysex, etc ) in an external DAW sequencer or program....It can be done on the PA, but it is a little more fiddly...

I tend to use Sonar for the "dog work" using the PA3 instrument definition file to load the "expected" patch I want to use, then import the midi into the PA3 for fine-tuning, and re-allocation of patches if necessary....

Hope that helps some,

Dennis

Thankyou both very much for your advise - very much appreciated!!

I look forward to putting it into practice and bling up those tired old midi files I have on my hard drive

You might also take a look at the Roland Makeup Tools system of revoicing SMF's if you want to make suggestions to Korg.

Even if on the SAME MIDI channel, each PC# got a separate page where you could edit, change the sound, and do general header volume, pan chorus, effects, velocity offsets etc. to it. So an SMF with only four tracks, but each had three different sounds on it (in different parts of the song) would have twelve pages where you could edit headers. There is also a button that would make the SMF jump to the first note that that sound would play, very handy for auditioning and making sure you were working on the sound you THOUGHT you were working on!

While flawed as arrangers, and missing multipads, samplers, break/fills and many things you take for granted on modern arrangers, Roland's, especially the G70/E80/60/50 (with their nice touch screens) and the modern BK5/7m/Preludes have by FAR the easiest, most flexible and intuitive Header editing features of anything I have ever played.

Korg would do well to take a VERY close look at this section of the Roland's. After all, having copied Roland's Chord Sequencer from the older G1000 era arrangers, it seems they are not above copying and adapting the best things that Roland have introduced...

Just the velocity offset parameter alone would be an enormous time saver for Korg's header editor, as currently, you want to edit a sound's velocity range (rather than simply turning up or down the volume - with vel-switched sounds, it's radically different), you have to go in and edit each individual CV of each individual Division in a Korg style.