What's the easiest way to add 'loopStart' and 'loopEnd' controllers to a MIDI? by TheUltimateKoopa at 11:23 AM EDT on September 29, 2012
Whenever I try searching on Google, instead of simply getting a "how to add them", I just get a load of complaining how there's a gap between the loops because the program they use to play MIDIs stops at the loopEnd and takes a while (i.e. a fraction of a second) to loop back to the loopStart.
But nothing that simply explains how to add a loopStart and loopEnd.
I did just read about how to add the loopStart in Anvil Studio, but nothing about loopEnd. IS the loopEnd always simply the end of the MIDI itself, and can't actually be changed? So, would I have to just sequence, or edit any of my MIDIs so that they only play up until I want it to loop? So if I wanted it to loop at the beginning of the 54th measure, would I simply have to have it so that only 53 bars were in the MIDI?
Oh look, I found out how to do it...
Open a MIDI in AnvilStudio. Go to Track 1, then composer, then put the cursor where you want the loop to start, and then go to add MIDI event and select Even 0xb06f...
Guess what? I did that.
WHY THE FUCK IS THERE NO "LOOPSTART" EVENT? AND WHY DON'T MY MIDI LOOP?
When I follow a short tutorial on how to add the loopStart, I expect it to be able to loop. There's NOTHING that explains how to add a loopEnd, so again, I assume that the loopEnd is fixed to being the end of the whole MIDI. So, when I add event b06f with a value of 127, as suggested by that so called 'tutorial', I expect to have my MIDI loop. But not only does it NOT loop, there isn't even a fucking "loopStart" event at all. I actually opened it up in foobar2000, and it didn't even have any <MIDI_LOOP_START> or <MIDI_LOOP_END> value at all.
Sure that's for some kind of OHRRPGCE thing, but all I simply want to do is add loopStart and loopEnd to MIDIS. I don't want to know how to get it to look in GaymMaker, or Yoyogames, or any RPGMakers, or anything. I just want it to have loopStart and loopEnd.
loopStart+loopEnd are just marker events, the same events that are usually used for indicating sections in a song (verse chorus etc.) You should literally be able to just type the text "loopStart/loopEnd" because that's all it is, a piece of text, no special code or anything.
loopEnd doesn't have to be at the end of the song, either - you could add a fadeout as well, for instance.
Anyway in my experience looping doesn't work too well in foobar2000, it gives me hung notes, at least using S-YXG50, so I turned it off... I guess the appeal of listening to songs indefinitely has worn off regardless.
Also, how do you just add the text? If you mean open in Notepad, how the heck do you know where to put the loopStart and loopEnd markers?
Also, I would assume that the only way to get rid of hung notes would be to reset any controllers, and any accidentals, or something, immediately before the loopEnd.
I do it in Logic. You should look to see how AnvilStudio handles marker events. If it doesn't, then you're outta luck and should try some other software.
"In my experience looping doesn't work too well in foobar2000, it gives me hung notes, at least using S-YXG50, so I turned it off... I guess the appeal of listening to songs indefinitely has worn off regardless."
Yet another reason I use XMPlay - the loops are as seamless as VGMStream. IF done right. Yes, there are rare instances where the loops are badly timed by about an eighth of a second. I'm looking at YOU, Minish Cap! :P
TheUltimateKoopa, no, you just need to use a midi sequencer that allows you to add marker events. I am using old Logic, the last Windows one. There is probably something free you could use but I dunno what. Have you tried importing a midi with looppoints in Anvil and seeing if it shows the markers visible anywhere? I don't see why a midi sequencer wouldn't have the ability to create markers. Check help files, etc.
"the loops are as seamless as VGMStream. IF done right."
Interestingly it used to work for me, I was always careful about shortening notes away from the loopEnd point by a tick to avoid hung notes... then kode54 updated the plugin at some point and it stopped working. I dunno, it's annoying, and I don't care enough about looping to bother anyway, especially now I use playlists so much. No big loss. Looppoints are not part of the MIDI standard anyway.
Since, to be honest, you are actually human, like 99% of the internet, and you're likely to know.... how do you split a percussion track into separate tracks for each drum? I'm sure you know what I mean... like a separate track/staff for bass drum, for example?
I've already gone past the loops. If you read my last post, I asked how to split up percussion tracks, i.e. how to have the bass drum, snare, hi-hats, and so on, in separate tracks/staves/staffs whatever you want to call them?
It is but I don't recommend it these days, it is super old and does not work with new computers properly. I use it because it is the thing I've always used and know how to deal with its quirks.