Convert MIDI to SND

Understanding MIDI and SND file formats

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a protocol, digital interface, and connectors for connecting electronic musical instruments, computers, and related audio devices. A MIDI file (.mid) contains a set of instructions for music playback, such as notes, timing, and instrument information, but does not contain actual audio data.

SND is a generic term for sound files, but most commonly refers to the NeXT/Sun SND format, which is an audio file format used on NeXT and Sun systems. Unlike MIDI, SND files contain actual audio waveform data, making them suitable for direct playback on compatible devices.

Why convert MIDI to SND?

Converting a MIDI file to SND is necessary when you need an audio file that can be played back on systems or applications that require the SND format, or when you want to render the MIDI instructions into actual sound data for use in multimedia projects.

How to convert MIDI to SND

Since MIDI files do not contain audio data, the conversion process involves rendering the MIDI file to an audio format (such as WAV or AIFF) and then converting that audio file to SND. This is typically a two-step process:

1. Render MIDI to audio: Use a digital audio workstation (DAW) or a MIDI-to-audio converter to play the MIDI file using virtual instruments and export the result as a WAV or AIFF file.
2. Convert audio to SND: Use an audio converter to change the WAV or AIFF file into the SND format.

Recommended software for MIDI to SND conversion

• Audacity (Free, Windows/Mac/Linux):
  • Import your MIDI file into Audacity (it will use the system's MIDI synthesizer).
  • Export the playback as a WAV file using File → Export → Export as WAV.
  • Then, export the WAV as SND using File → Export → Other uncompressed files and select AU (Sun/NeXT) as the file type.
• SoX (Sound eXchange) (Free, command-line):
  • First, render MIDI to WAV using a tool like timidity++:
  • timidity input.mid -Ow -o output.wav
  • Then, convert WAV to SND:
  • sox output.wav output.snd

Tips for successful conversion

• Ensure your MIDI file uses General MIDI instruments for best compatibility.
• Check the SND file format required by your target system (e.g., encoding, sample rate).
• Test the resulting SND file in your target application to confirm playback quality.