MIDI Software and early 2000's ringtones

Even though I am a badass producer, I have never come to know the golden secrets of MIDI files and those really dry MIDI type of songs on sites like this. What software is used to create these? Are we talking about trackers? Because it seems like there is a very specific, limited software that is used to create ringtones and the like.

You can use any software that is capable of saving MIDI files.. I did a lot of stuff for Doom levels using an old version of Cakewalk:

But I'm sure newer sequencers exist for pure MIDI file creation. The only reason the songs sound limited is because of the super generic General MIDI sound set used by most soundcards.

great info. tell me more about the General MIDI sound set, because it sounds like this is key.

edit. i just exported some midi from reason, but it's doing all the tracks as piano. lol.

Polyphonic Ringtones for mobile phones are based on General MIDI but (at least in the early days when Nokia and Ericsson were pushing it) they were a slightly different format. It was certainly possible to just create a MIDI file that conformed to the General MIDI spec and then transfer it over to the phone and it'd 'just work', but if you worked in the format that was specific to the ringtones at the time, you would be able to address different sound sets.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the format, and my Google-fu is lacking today.

The short of it is that, as Modey says, you should be able to just use any MIDI sequencing software that is capable of working within the General MIDI spec.

You will need to use something other than Reason, since Reason's MIDI support is extremely limited (as you have found out). You need to be able to set the MIDI channel per track and send MIDI program change events, something that you cannot do in Reason. You could try downloading Reaper and just running it in trial mode (which is completely unrestricted, it just shows a nag screen for a few seconds on startup).

  On 4/12/2012 at 3:57 AM, sheatheman said:

i just exported some midi from reason, but it's doing all the tracks as piano. lol.

badass producer

  On 4/13/2012 at 3:25 PM, oscillik said:

Polyphonic Ringtones for mobile phones are based on General MIDI but (at least in the early days when Nokia and Ericsson were pushing it) they were a slightly different format. It was certainly possible to just create a MIDI file that conformed to the General MIDI spec and then transfer it over to the phone and it'd 'just work', but if you worked in the format that was specific to the ringtones at the time, you would be able to address different sound sets.

 

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the format, and my Google-fu is lacking today.

 

The short of it is that, as Modey says, you should be able to just use any MIDI sequencing software that is capable of working within the General MIDI spec.

 

You will need to use something other than Reason, since Reason's MIDI support is extremely limited (as you have found out). You need to be able to set the MIDI channel per track and send MIDI program change events, something that you cannot do in Reason. You could try downloading Reaper and just running it in trial mode (which is completely unrestricted, it just shows a nag screen for a few seconds on startup).

that was helpful. thank you. i'm installing reaper now. you guys have provided a nice springboard for this pursuit, albeit a superfluous one. hopefully i'll be jamming to some custom midi ringtones on my iphone soon.

  On 4/13/2012 at 3:26 PM, BCM said:

  On 4/12/2012 at 3:57 AM, sheatheman said:

i just exported some midi from reason, but it's doing all the tracks as piano. lol.

 

badass producer

yeah... maybe "assbad" is a better word.

  On 4/13/2012 at 3:25 PM, oscillik said:

Polyphonic Ringtones for mobile phones are based on General MIDI but (at least in the early days when Nokia and Ericsson were pushing it) they were a slightly different format. It was certainly possible to just create a MIDI file that conformed to the General MIDI spec and then transfer it over to the phone and it'd 'just work', but if you worked in the format that was specific to the ringtones at the time, you would be able to address different sound sets.

 

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the format, and my Google-fu is lacking today.

 

The short of it is that, as Modey says, you should be able to just use any MIDI sequencing software that is capable of working within the General MIDI spec.

 

You will need to use something other than Reason, since Reason's MIDI support is extremely limited (as you have found out). You need to be able to set the MIDI channel per track and send MIDI program change events, something that you cannot do in Reason. You could try downloading Reaper and just running it in trial mode (which is completely unrestricted, it just shows a nag screen for a few seconds on startup).

I thought they just used different codecs that were compatible with the GM2 spec?

man i miss General Midi fm synth built into to old PC x86 motherboards

i remember being like actually livid when the Doom OST was released and it used those shitty post 1995 sample based midi file sounds. i won't have any of that, i refuse it with a solid gold fist

  On 4/15/2012 at 11:37 PM, xxx said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu53m4Ym-VU

when I read polyphonic ringtone in osc's post, I started humming this to myself, and didn't realize I what I was humming until I got to this post. funny how brains work innit

  On 4/15/2012 at 2:17 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 4/13/2012 at 3:25 PM, oscillik said:

Polyphonic Ringtones for mobile phones are based on General MIDI but (at least in the early days when Nokia and Ericsson were pushing it) they were a slightly different format. It was certainly possible to just create a MIDI file that conformed to the General MIDI spec and then transfer it over to the phone and it'd 'just work', but if you worked in the format that was specific to the ringtones at the time, you would be able to address different sound sets.

 

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the format, and my Google-fu is lacking today.

 

The short of it is that, as Modey says, you should be able to just use any MIDI sequencing software that is capable of working within the General MIDI spec.

 

You will need to use something other than Reason, since Reason's MIDI support is extremely limited (as you have found out). You need to be able to set the MIDI channel per track and send MIDI program change events, something that you cannot do in Reason. You could try downloading Reaper and just running it in trial mode (which is completely unrestricted, it just shows a nag screen for a few seconds on startup).

 

I thought they just used different codecs that were compatible with the GM2 spec?

I thought that's what I said anyway?

Oh I must have misunderstood this line: "Polyphonic Ringtones for mobile phones are based on General MIDI but (at least in the early days when Nokia and Ericsson were pushing it) they were a slightly different format"

I thought you meant like it was a different MIDI format from GM. My bad.