MIDI that contains MP3 track: How can it be possible?

A midi file contains midi data. Full stop.

A midi file can contain SysEx data, but this data would be there for no purpose other than to be transferred to a device that would understand the data contained in the Sysex packet, and be able to do do something with it. If the device used MP3 data directly, then this data might be MP3 data.

There is talk here about the upcoming Midi 2 specification, this system is in the pipeline but not much is 'real' yet. This system MIGHT have facility to handle MP3 data.

There is no reason why a specific piece of hardware that needed to communicate both midi data and mp3 data could not use it's own file format, let's call it a mipi file, carrying blocks of either midi or mp3 data. In this scenario, the devices at each end of the connection would know all about the file format, and be fully capable of doing what was needed regarding creating/processing the data in the mipi file. However, any devices expecting to receive a midi file would be confused and would not know what to do with the non-mide parts.

How this might relate to the device you refer to, I don't know, but maybe this system was intending to use a new, special, format, but this would NOT be a midi file, and could not be handled by any other device.

Geoff

It might be possible to store an MP3 file inside of a MIDI file, but I don't think there's a standard way to do it. My guess is this device's specific MIDI + MP3 file format was only supported by this device.

As Giulio noticed, in the manual, there's a note on PDF page 20 (printed page 90) that says "For what concerns the description of the MIDI files containing MP3 files, please consult the advanced user manual." However, I can't tell if the advanced manual was ever released. The brochure PDF mentions the website www.vsgalileo.com. In the Internet Archive Wayback Machine captures of that site, I found a download page, but the advanced manual is only mentioned as "available soon" up to July 2007. Then in the May 2008 capture, the advanced manual is no longer mentioned at all:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040806134305/http://www.vsgalileo.com/download.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20070716230449/http://www.vsgalileo.com/eng/download.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20080531081222/http://www.vsgalileo.com/eng/download.asp

In the manual, the MIDI Implementation Chart mentions a date of June 18, 2003, and the PDF properties show the manual was created July 31, 2003. So that suggests this product was released in 2003. I guess after 4 or 5 years, they might have given up on ever publishing the advanced manual?

Quoted from Geoff on Monday, 26 December 2022

A midi file contains midi data. Full stop.

A midi file can contain SysEx data, but this data would be there for no purpose other than to be transferred to a device that would understand the data contained in the Sysex packet, and be able to do do something with it. If the device used MP3 data directly, then this data might be MP3 data.

There is talk here about the upcoming Midi 2 specification, this system is in the pipeline but not much is 'real' yet. This system MIGHT have facility to handle MP3 data.

There is no reason why a specific piece of hardware that needed to communicate both midi data and mp3 data could not use it's own file format, let's call it a mipi file, carrying blocks of either midi or mp3 data. In this scenario, the devices at each end of the connection would know all about the file format, and be fully capable of doing what was needed regarding creating/processing the data in the mipi file. However, any devices expecting to receive a midi file would be confused and would not know what to do with the non-mide parts.

How this might relate to the device you refer to, I don't know, but maybe this system was intending to use a new, special, format, but this would NOT be a midi file, and could not be handled by any other device.

Geoff

Thank you so much for your help Geoff!

Quoted from Bavi_H on Monday, 26 December 2022

It might be possible to store an MP3 file inside of a MIDI file, but I don't think there's a standard way to do it. My guess is this device's specific MIDI + MP3 file format was only supported by this device.

As Giulio noticed, in the manual, there's a note on PDF page 20 (printed page 90) that says "For what concerns the description of the MIDI files containing MP3 files, please consult the advanced user manual." However, I can't tell if the advanced manual was ever released. The brochure PDF mentions the website www.vsgalileo.com. In the Internet Archive Wayback Machine captures of that site, I found a download page, but the advanced manual is only mentioned as "available soon" up to July 2007. Then in the May 2008 capture, the advanced manual is no longer mentioned at all:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040806134305/http://www.vsgalileo.com/download.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20070716230449/http://www.vsgalileo.com/eng/download.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20080531081222/http://www.vsgalileo.com/eng/download.asp

In the manual, the MIDI Implementation Chart mentions a date of June 18, 2003, and the PDF properties show the manual was created July 31, 2003. So that suggests this product was released in 2003. I guess after 4 or 5 years, they might have given up on ever publishing the advanced manual?

Thank you Bavi_H for your detailed and enlightening research!