I think piano sonatas sound TONS better in MIDI format

[paganinio]

First of all, I know all about the differences between MIDI and wave formats. I know MIDI is usually NOT played by a human player.

Yet, I think MIDI sounds TONS better. It sounds accurate and to the point.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. I know a (pseudo-)professional pianist who also thinks the midi sounds great. She even wished she could play as well as the midi. (Note: she was listening to Brahms Hungarian Dance number 1.)

I have heard midi piano pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy. I can identify all of their famous works, thanks to midi.

So, is there anything wrong with my opinions? Why does everyone seem to prefer the huge EAC/lossless files, when MIDI is tiny and sounds better?

[71 dB]

Huh?  I don't know if I understood what you are saying. Do you say a Beethoven Piano Sonata played monotonically by a computer software sounds better than a recording of a real human pianist? 

MIDI is just information about how a piece of music should be played. That information might have originated from a playing of an human player but it can also be totally monotonic.

[Dana]

So, is there anything wrong with my opinions? Why does everyone seem to prefer the huge EAC/lossless files, when MIDI is tiny and sounds better?

You're a heretic who should be stoned. Listen to Glenn Gould

[greg]

Honestly, I see your point, because I have thought the same way about a few works. 
For example, the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano and Trumpet...

http://www.scena.org/midi/music/ShostakovitchPC1.mid

The music shocked me when I first heard it in MIDI, but an actual recording doesn't do much... it just lacks that energy, directness and spark.


I also remember liking the first movement of the Prokofiev 2nd sonata a lot (can't find it anymore)- though I wouldn't say I prefer it to Richter.

[Wanderer]

They sound even better when read from the score.

[jochanaan]

They sound even better when read from the score.

And better still at a live performance, even if it's just a practice room somewhere.

[Gurn Blanston]

You're a heretic who should be stoned. Listen to Glenn Gould

What makes you think he isn't stoned? 



----------------
Listening to:
Quatuor Festetics - Hob 03 82 Quartet in F for Strings Op 77 #2 1st mvmt - Allegro moderato

[MN Dave]

This thread is so WRONG 

[karlhenning]

This thread is so WRONG 

QFT

[greg]

I once had a friend who thought the graphics for Super Mario for the Super Nintendo were better than Resident Evil for the Playstation. His argument was that the graphics were crystal clear and there was no pixelation, as there is in Resident Evil. I honestly thought he just lost it.
Sure, he had a point, but that's just one aspect. I like clarity as much as the next person, but it seems the only advantage is clarity and nothing else.

[SonicMan46]

First of all, I know all about the differences between MIDI and wave formats. I know MIDI is usually NOT played by a human player.

Yet, I think MIDI sounds TONS better. It sounds accurate and to the point.........................

Hello Paganinio - curious why you've been on this forum for 2 yrs and have so few posts, and then all of a sudden emerge w/ the statement above that has been questioned already by others? 

Do you really understand what MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is?  If not, check out the Wiki Article HERE - MIDI is a wonderful protocol that allows musical instruments, such as keyboards, computers, etc. to interact w/ each other, but to state that the sound outproduces (or even equals) a standard digital recording is rather preposterous - but I'm 'all ears' and will await further proof - 

[Dana]

What makes you think he isn't stoned? 

Alley-oop!

      Seriously though, papaginio - different strokes for different folks, right? If you like MIDI sounds better than human-produced sounds, you should check out electronic music (I don't know much, unless the Postal Service counts )

[mikkeljs]

paganinio, MIDI is not accurate! That´s what interpretation should do. MIDI is reading the music only vertically, but have you thought about the architecture of a melody or any element? If you are building a plain, you want it to be as little clumsy as possible, it should be able to just fly through the air fast and easy, but a plain has a quite funny shape. To make a clear phrase, you need to know its units and context, which a MIDI program doesn´t know.

But I believe it will come soon. I´m currently working on a program that can interprete musical elements. Interpretation is about following the score as accurate as possible.

[Andante]

Well I have no experience with MIDI,  in general the smaller the file the less info it has, I d/l FLAC and burn WAV which sounds pretty good on my Hi Fi system I can't tell the difference between between my d/l and a commercial CD.

[mikkeljs]

I just ran into a sound library called EastWest something. Its a huge sampling of all instruments in all pitches in all dynamics and articulations, and when you use it with Finale, it really sounds like an original orchestra. That´s just the start. I thought about the possibilities in writing all details into the score, as if you were going to perform it.

I thought I would start doing this with an orchestra work by Sorabji, since those will surely not be performed in the next 50 years.

[Scarpia]

You're a heretic who should be stoned. Listen to Glenn Gould

I thought "Glenn Gould" was a brand of midi player.  There's a person in there? 

[DavidW]

QFT

I remembered a time when a certain composer shared his music on midi.

[False_Dmitry]

The only kind of "music" for which midi has any use - IMHO - is usually followed by a screen that says

You LOST! Your score was 1147, which is too low for the Hall Of Fame
You killed 1 dragons
You found 3 pieces of treasure
You located 1 secret weapon
You suffered 17 serious wounds
You completed Level One
Play again? Y/N

[mikkeljs]

The only kind of "music" for which midi has any use - IMHO - is usually followed by a screen that says

You LOST! Your score was 1147, which is too low for the Hall Of Fame
You killed 1 dragons
You found 3 pieces of treasure
You located 1 secret weapon
You suffered 17 serious wounds
You completed Level One
Play again? Y/N

That sounds exactly like my life

[StephenC]

First of all, I know all about the differences between MIDI and wave formats. I know MIDI is usually NOT played by a human player.

Yet, I think MIDI sounds TONS better. It sounds accurate and to the point.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. I know a (pseudo-)professional pianist who also thinks the midi sounds great. She even wished she could play as well as the midi. (Note: she was listening to Brahms Hungarian Dance number 1.)

I have heard midi how to play piano pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy. I can identify all of their famous works, thanks to midi.

So, is there anything wrong with my opinions? Why does everyone seem to prefer the huge EAC/lossless files, when MIDI is tiny and sounds better?

Well to be objective to the topic I would agree that MIDI somehow sounds better at times. But I would go for a real human pianist than a computer software plays. There is nothing wrong with it if that is your opinion bout the difference it could make but still, I would go for the real thing.