Does anyone else collect little Midi things Pirates make?

Something to kick it old school with

from Elemental Forums

As anyone can tell you who remembers software and games from back in the late 80's and early 90's, music on computers hasn't always been what it is today. You couldn't always just listen to your favorite MP3. Back then most computers were only capable of the simplest of noises. Electronic sounding beeps, and boops, and high pitch squeals, noises mostly. Then some sound designer came along and said "well if I play this *beep* for 1/10 of a second, then play it at a higher octave for another 1/10 of a second, I can almost make it sound like a musical note"...and that's how music on the PC was born. God forbid you wanted something to sound like a song or tune you could actually recognize...lol. All electronic music was in the form of wave files we call "Midi's".

Can you believe there are some kids running around today who don't even know what a "Midi" is? Sad, I know. Over the years I've collected a bunch of those old Midi music files, and I've collected a bunch from pirated things (though not the pirated program its-self). There used to be a site I would go to years ago that would find all those Midi things the pirate groups would put out and host JUST the Midi files for download. It really is a lost art making music with a bunch of random computer noises.

Believe it or not all the music from those old school NES games were Midi files. Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Metroid, even the old Sega Genesis games had Midi Music. The most common place to find these Midi files today are from hacked keygens for programs, but, if you go looking for them that way you run into the biggest threat these things posses, Viruses and Trojans. Finding them and collecting them today can be a hassle, but, if you're a fan of the old school sounds then it can be really worth it. When I hear a good old school Midi file it can bring back memories of a little me sitting in front of a small TV in a dark room playing Nintendo when my parents thought I was sleeping or doing homework. Sometimes when I listen to these I can see myself playing an old Mega-Man game, or Street Fighter, or any of the other old classics.

I found a few examples on YouTube of some of the new ones that are put out. It's really shame that the best ones still made are made by illegal hackers. The ones here I'm about to show on YouTube are from old keygens that don't work, so there's no actual pirate content here. I wouldn't recommend trying any of the keygens themselves if you happen to come across any in your travels on the internet. You can't beat the old school goodness of the music though. Enjoy!!!

Here's another good one. This one reminds me of Street Fighter, check it out.

 

misc
26,360 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Heh, good stuff there Raven. Actually, Midi files are still used A LOT today in music production. Thing is, computers are so powerful now that there are prgrams that synthesize (or play a recorded sample) sounds, and sound real (the real good ones anyways). I do some music production myself, and I work with midi on a constant basis (because I only own a guitar).

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I use midi everyday, I have 1,875,000 midi files currently.

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting impinc, reply 1
Heh, good stuff there Raven. Actually, Midi files are still used A LOT today in music production. Thing is, computers are so powerful now that there are prgrams that synthesize (or play a recorded sample) sounds, and sound real (the real good ones anyways). I do some music production myself, and I work with midi on a constant basis (because I only own a guitar).

I play guitar too man, been playing since I was 13. That's good stuff bro, very cool. There's an old video of me playing at a gathering my old UO shard had back in the day floating around the forums here.

Quoting vStyler, reply 2
I use midi everyday, I have 1,875,000 midi files currently.

Also very cool. And here I thought I was the only old timer that still listened to midi stuff. :)

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

what i meant was, in my music productions, songs etc. :sun:

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting vStyler, reply 4
what i meant was, in my music productions, songs etc.

Ooooh, I gotcha. Still, good stuff. You should put up some samples of the stuff you do for us to check out man. I'd like to hear it :)

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Ive posted these before, top one is me singing an old Kid Rock song, bottom 3 are original 'WIP's" and contain several midi driven VSTi's |-)

 

A few bits of songs

 

 

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

If you want, check out my extended version of the Dr  Who Theme I've been working on for my mod:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8949112/DrWhoTheme%20-%20Extended.mp3

There's 11 guitar tracks, and that's it for the real instruments. The drums, bass, and synths are...well, VSTi's driven by midi.

 

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting vStyler, reply 6
Ive posted these before, top one is me singing an old Kid Rock song, bottom 3 are original 'WIP's" and contain several midi driven VSTi's

 

A few bits of songs 

That's really cool man :), hell yeah. Great stuff indeed.

That's not really "old school" video game stuff I was talking about, but, very cool none the less :)

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

That's not really "old school" video game stuff I was talking about, but, very cool none the less

 

yep, but i know what ur on about, been into midi since way back as well, midi has never really changed, just what u can do with it now |-)