Midi Import Timing Oddities

Melbu21 · 01-23-2015, 02:45 PM

When I import a midi file to reaper, some of the midi data seems jumbled. Certain notes start before the beat while others get cut off prematurely.

I've attached a screenshot to show the problem. The notes on top and bottom are supposed to be in time with each other. Has anyone ever had this issue or know what might be the culprit? It is very odd.

DarkStar · 01-24-2015, 01:57 AM

Not seen that here - can you attach the (ZIPped-up) MIDI file, so we can look at what's happening?

And try it in another host?

Melbu21 · 01-24-2015, 03:59 AM

Here is the midi file. The problem occurs in other hosts as well, but not as severe. In another host, the notes are not cut off - but they still begin early on some measures and not others. I've attached a screen shot of the problem persisting slightly different in another daw.

Perhaps the problem lies in the program exporting the midi file? (Notion)

DarkStar · 01-24-2015, 08:51 AM

Hmm, OK, here we go ...

... Big pic: https://i.imgur.com/tqFwz4u.png

This shows
(a) the MIDI file imported into Reaper
(b) the MIDI file imported into XT2
(c) the MIDI file exported from XT2 and imported into Reaper.

What I see
(a) the second F#1, the first D#1 and the first F1 are all 35 ticks early in the MIDI file; they are the lower notes and it does not seem to be coincidence- was there something special in the Notion notation about them?

(b) the second F#1 thus overlaps the first and causes it to be truncated,
(c) and the second F#1 is truncated by the Note Off for the first F#1 ?
(d) in Reaper, the tick values are all 1/5th of what they should be (Bug) - e.g. the first F#1 shows a numeric length of 89 ticks; in XT2 it is 445 ticks
(e) the tick values in the timeline are similarly incorrect, see the screenshot below,
(f) after exporting the clip from XT2 and importing it into Reaper, whatever was messing up the tick values is no longer present (see the 'correct' tick values in the second Event List, above), but the second C#2 now has a length of 0.
(g) at the end of the clip, there seems to be an F#1 with a length of -1, this could be messing things up,
(h) the MIDI file has a tempo event in it (90 bpm) - that could be messing things up? It shouldn't, but ...

... Big pic: https://i.imgur.com/FQaTWM4.png

Melbu21 · 01-25-2015, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkStar

What I see
(a) the second F#1, the first D#1 and the first F1 are all 35 ticks early in the MIDI file; they are the lower notes and it does not seem to be coincidence- was there something special in the Notion notation about them?

(https://i.imgur.com/FQaTWM4.png

There was nothing special at all about them. I just wrote them in normally. Thanks for your help in diagnosing the problem. Now I have to wonder, why do the midi notes occur before the beat in XT2. Wouldn't that seem to indicate there is a problem with Notion's midi export, rather than with Reaper's and XT2's import?