The content above is beyond my control

MUDCAT USERS - Get the MIDItext software here.

MID2txt and Txt2MID

Download the software
Alan's home page

Purpose
These programs allow Mudcat users to post MIDI files containing melodies to the discussion forum. MID2txt creates a text file whose contents can be copied and pasted into the forum’s message box. Other users can then copy from the forum and paste into a text editor such as Notepad and save as a text file. Txt2MID converts this back to a MIDI file. For users of ABC notation MID2txt also produces text in ABC format.

WINDOWS 9x
Installation
The downloaded file (MIDItext.exe) should be placed in a folder of your choice (possibly a new one called MIDItext). Run it (double click in a Windows Explorer window or, in DOS change to that directory and type MIDITEXT at the DOS prompt). This will extract the following files:

MID2txt.exe
MID2txt.ico
Txt2MID.exe
Txt2MID.ico
Readme.txt (contains the same information as this web page)

In Explorer or My Computer, with part of your desktop visible, right click on MID2txt.EXE, and select "Create Shortcut" from the menu.

Repeat this procedure for Txt2MID.exe.

Right click/drag "Shortcut to MID2txt.exe" to the desktop and select "Copy here". Repeat for "Shortcut to Txt2MID.exe".

Right click on each of these icons and select Rename from the menu. Rename them whatever you like, possibly "MIDI to Text" and Text to MIDI"

Note that the shortcut files can be dragged to some place other than the desktop, either during the above procedure or later, but you will want them to be visible when you are using the programs.

If you want the MIDI and text files you are converting to be in a separate working folder (recommended), right click on each of the new icons and select "Properties" then the "Program" tab. Type the full pathname of this folder in the "Working" box and click OK. (The folder must exist first.)

Using the programs
Obtain or create the MIDI file by whatever means you can. It should contain the melody only, one note at a time, and if possible it should include the key signature. If you obtained the file by playing the tune on a MIDI keyboard you should also fix any timing errors (often called quantising) as they can make it difficult to convert to ABC. Your MIDI software should allow you to do all this. If your MIDI software allows you to enter the name of the piece you should do this also.

When you have a MIDI file you want to post to the forum, drag it across to the "MIDI to Text" icon. This will create a text file in the working folder with the same name as the MIDI file but a .txt extension. Open this file in Notepad, select all and copy. Then in the discussion forum click in the message box and type Ctrl-V (paste). Note that the file is in a Mudcat friendly format including a small amount of HTML code.

You should not change anything at this point except perhaps the MIDI file name listed at the top of the file and the track name. Once you have pasted the text into the message box you can add salutations etc. before and/or after the pasted text.

If you wish to convert the MIDI information posted by another Mudcat user use the mouse to select the small red text and press Ctrl-C (copy). Open Notepad and paste. Save this file with a .txt extension. Then drag it across to the "Text to MIDI" icon. You now have a reconstituted MIDI file. The name of this file is the file specified in the first line of the text you copied and pasted.

WINDOWS 3.1
Installation
The downloaded file (MIDItext.exe) should be placed in a directory of your choice (possibly a new one called MIDItext). Run it (double click in a File Manager window or, in DOS change to that directory and type MIDITEXT at the DOS prompt). This will extract the following files:

MID2txt.exe
MID2txt.ico
Txt2MID.exe
Txt2MID.ico
Readme.txt (this file)

With Program Manager and File Manager both open size their windows so they are both visible. In File Manager select the miditext directory.

In Program Manager select "File" then "New". Select "Program Group" and click OK. Type MIDItext in the "Description" box and click OK. The new group window will open.

Drag mid2txt.exe and txt2mid.exe from File Manager and drop them into the group.

Click once on mid2txt to select it, then in Program Manager's "File" menu select "Properties".

Type "MIDI to Text" in the description box. In the "Working directory" box type the full path name of the directory which will contain your MIDI and text files.

Click on "Change Icon". Click OK (in the box that says "There are no icons available for the specified file".) Click on "Browse". Select the c:\miditext directory then choose mid2txt.ico. Press OK twice.

Follow the same procedure for txt2mid (Text to MIDI, txt2mid.ico).

You should now have two icons in the MIDItext group.

Using the programs
Obtain or create the MIDI file by whatever means you can. It should contain the melody only, one note at a time, and if possible it should include the key signature. If you obtained the file by playing the tune on a MIDI keyboard you should also fix any timing errors (often called quantising) as they can make it difficult to convert to ABC. Your MIDI software should allow you to do all this. If your MIDI software allows you to enter the name of the piece you should do this also.

When you have a MIDI file you want to post to the forum, double click on the "MIDI to text" icon (also works in WIN 95). You will be prompted for a MIDI file name. Type in the name with or without the .mid extension and press Enter. The program will expect the file to be in the working directory you specified during installation or you can enter the full pathname if it is somewhere else. This will create a text file in the working directory with the same name as the MIDI file but with a .txt extension. Open this file in Notepad, select all and copy. Then in the discussion forum click in the message box and type Ctrl-V (paste). Note that the file is in a Mudcat friendly format including a small amount of HTML code.

You should not change anything at this point except perhaps the MIDI file name listed at the top of the file and the track name. Once you have pasted the text into the message box you can add salutations etc. before and/or after the pasted text.

If you wish to convert the MIDI information posted by another Mudcat user use the mouse to select the small red text and press Ctrl-C (copy). Open Notepad and paste. Save this file with a .txt extension. Then double click the "Text to MIDI" icon. You will be prompted for a text file name. Type in the name with or without the .txt extension and press Enter. You now have a reconstituted MIDI file. The name of this file is the file specified in the first line of the text you copied and pasted.

DOS
Installation
Place the files MID2TXT.EXE and TXT2MID.EXE in a directory of your choice and make sure the path statement in your autoexec.bat includes this directory.

Using the programs
Example: To convert the file MIDIFILE.MID, from the DOS prompt, in the directory containing this file type:

MID2TXT MIDIFILE.MID or
MID2TXT MIDIFILE

The file MIDIFILE.TXT will be created. The contents of this file are ready to be copied and pasted into the Mudcat's message box.

To convert text in the forum to MIDI, copy and paste the small red text into a file e.g. MIDIFILE.TXT. Then from the DOS prompt type :

TXT2MID MIDIFILE.TXT or
TXT2MID MIDIFILE

The result will be a MIDI file named according to the file name in the first line of the text you copied and pasted.

Restrictions
This software is designed to allow mudcat users to share folk song melodies. If we attempt to do more than this we'll have Max complaining about the amount of bandwidth we are using. Also ABC requires more compromises if we attempt to do more than this. Therefore the program is designed specifically for simple melody lines, one note at a time. The maximum number of notes (1000) should be more than enough for this purpose.

MID2txt ignores most of the MIDI events in the file, leaving the melody and practically nothing else. Nevertheless, when you create a file for posting you should keep it simple - just the melody with the correct time signature. If your MIDI sequencer allows you can enter an initial tempo, key signature and the name of the piece. Key changes and tempo changes are stripped out so leave them out. The programs do convert key velocity so you can put some expression into your playing. You should play the melody only, one note at a time.

Your MIDI files may be format 0 or format 1. If this means nothing to you it doesn't matter. Format 1 files will give you a warning message about the number of parts, but if the file contains the melody only there will be no problem.

Note that these are DOS programs so the file names are restricted to 8 letters and the extension should be .mid for MIDI and .txt for text.

Latest version
March 10 1998.

Download the software
Alan's home page