Quoted from Geoff on Tuesday, 09 November 2021

I've never seen a type 2 file, but this is for a single file that contains a succession of separate type 0 files. Not sure any exist?

I have a MASSIVE collection of MIDI files, and found a windows search called "xsearch" that lets me search hex contents of a file. It appears that I have 27 type 2 files, which I verified (at least as far as the header is concerned) with my instrument changer and Sema's midi file checker. So in case you want to test them out, here they are. Most appear to be from the same place (all Star Wars related).

For further info, what you will see in each type in the header is:

Type 0:
4D 54 68 64 MThd ID
00 00 00 06 Length of the MThd chunk is always 6.
00 00

Type 1:
4D 54 68 64 MThd ID
00 00 00 06 Length of the MThd chunk is always 6.
00 01

Type 2:
4D 54 68 64 MThd ID
00 00 00 06 Length of the MThd chunk is always 6.
00 02

Thanks for these. I'll have a play with them.

I've had a quick look at a couple of them, both were marked as type 2. One said there were 3 tracks, which seem to be one major track and two very small ones. The other, BATTLE1, shows type 2, but the number of tracks showing is 1 (so says the header). The data seems to show 1 track only. When I load the file into SynthFont I get a message regarding the file format, suggesting that the file says it is Type 2 but is now actually Type 0. Synthfont then loads all the data in, and splits the data by track according to Channel, so I get multi-tracks. No asking me if that's what I wanted to do! I'll try playing it and see what it sounds like, I'm familiar enough with the film to know if the music is correct.

So, at least one of the files in the set WAS a type 2, but now no longer actually is??

Geoff

Hmm - just played BATTLE1, via SynthFont, and it sounded pretty good. A fairly complex arrangement, full range of sounds, very solid. I'll need to try it again via the normal midi/MU90r. But perfectly OK. No hint of anything that might have related to it being Type 2.

Geoff

I was actually curious about that. It should be a series of type 0 tracks, so would that technically still be a single track?

The spec says:

A Format 1 or 2 file has a header chunk followed by one or more track chunks. Programs
which support several simultaneous tracks should be able to save and read data in format 1, a
vertically one-dimensional form, that is, as a collection of tracks. Programs which support
several independent patterns should be able to save and read data in format 2, a horizontally
one-dimensional form.

I'm not quite sure how to interpret "horizontally one-dimensional" vs "vertically one-dimensional".

If I understand it correctly, a type 2 MIDI file would play like an album if played in a normal player, one segment after another, with or without a clear delineation for when each "part" starts and ends, as opposed to a type 1, where all tracks "start" at the same time, and timing in to the song is controlled by delta time.

If this is the case, you potentially would not know just by listening that it was a type 2.

So sort of like loop points, except nothing loops, and each loop section is its own track?

Quoted from Jason on Tuesday, 09 November 2021

So in case you want to test them out, here they are.

Very nice, thank you.

Had a play.

I don't know what's supposed to happen with a type 2 file.

When I load the EMPIRE file into SynthFont (this is the file that looks like type 2, and the data is mostly the main sequence, then followed by a very small sequence and then a slightly larger one, SynthFont seems to disregard the separate sequences, and in effect merges the lot into one file, so I get no noticeable gap between the main Seq, and a small gap between the first and second 'extra' segments. Looking at the Events List within SynthFont, there is no evidence of the extra sequences, everything is run together, and the closing events are correct for the data in the second add-on. The loaded file plays correctly, pause and all.

The data in the main midi file shows as:

All normal up to end of first seq.
one note is turned ON, no OFF yet.
First Seq ends, Track End.
Delta time in midi file is reset to zero
Delay on new delta time
Note OFF on note that was left ON
More delay on delta time
End of track
Start of new track
delta time reset again to 0
delay on delta time
a handful of notes ON and OFF
delay on delta time
End of track

This all ties up with what I hear on playback. The only oddity is that all trace of the separate extra sequences has vanished, the data has been merged into the main sequence, the delta times have been accumulated onto the delta time in the main file, the events occur (correctly) at the new accumulated delta time. Not really sure what the POINT therefore of the type 2 file is.

Although...

If you use a midi <---> text process, you could take say 3 midi files and just edit them together as text and run them as-is as a type 2 file and not bother to adjust the delta times in the add-on segments?

Maybe other sequencer systems could merge in separate modules in the same way?

Geoff

Quoted from Jason on Tuesday, 09 November 2021

If I understand it correctly, a type 2 MIDI file would play like an album if played in a normal player, one segment after another

No, it is not specified how the segments relate to each other. A generic player cannot know how to handle them; type 2 files cannot be used as an interchange format.

A typical application would be a looping segment, and intros/outros.

I have a MASSIVE collection of MIDI files, and found a windows search called "xsearch" that lets me search hex contents of a file.

Another method is the Unix utility file, which in my Linux box outputs this for your collection:

> file *.mid



battle1.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

Battle2.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

boss3.mid:              Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 3 tracks at 1/480

cargo.mid:              Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

cloak.mid:              Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

closcred2.mid:          Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

closcred.mid:           Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

closing2.mid:           Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

crixmus.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 3 tracks at 1/480

Dark_Forces.mid:        Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 2 tracks at 1/480

dfdemo.mid:             Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

Empire.mid:             Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 3 tracks at 1/480

empshort.mid:           Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

executor.mid:           Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 6 tracks at 1/480

fight_1.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 4 tracks at 1/480

Fight6.mid:             Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 2 tracks at 1/480

frigate.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 3 tracks at 1/480

gromas.mid:             Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

jabba2.mid:             Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

media.mid:              Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

starwars09.mid:         Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

starwarsmedley.mid:     Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

Stately.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

sw2_1.mid:              Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

tesb_impmarch_slow.mid: Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 2 tracks at 1/480

tiedemo.mid:            Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

Trainpod_1.mid:         Standard MIDI data (format 2) using 1 track at 1/480

Most appear to be from the same place (all Star Wars related).

Yes, I think that they come from one or several video games set in the movie series universe.

It makes sense for a video game to use format 2 SMF, but gook luck guessing how to play the sequences outside of the game if there is more than one track. For instance, "boss3" may be background music for a "boss" level, with a main theme (track 1) playing in loop until the boss character is defeated or wins, and then one of the other tracks is played.