[X3D-Public] X3D for Web Authors Examples Archive, plus audio test scene of different sound formats

[cbullard at hiwaay.net]

MIDI is still widely used in music production.  As a delivery format  
not so much for music (we exchange midis like docHeads exchange XML:  
as input).

The URL below is an example of a midi-based production (the orchestra)  
with wav file overdubs (voice and guitar) (A youtube video but the  
process is the same) which is then rendered out as an mp4.  This is  
just to refute the idea that midi is an "old format" not in much use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVeAuKoemNo&feature=c4-overview&list=UUQvOiEo12qnnekOauzmXY_Q

That and "Softly As I Leave You" are both heavily midi-derived but  
rendered.  Just as with graphics, it all comes down to the rendering  
engines.

Supporting midi doesn't cost much I would think.  Would one used in a  
mixed set of file types for a 3D real-time world?  I have but I  
discourage it because midi rendering varies horribly by platform.   
It's a cheap way to get sounds but it sounds cheap unless as with the  
production above a professional synth is used and then the mixing  
takes care of equalization, effects, compression, expansion, etc.

The bad news is wav files while preferred for production aren't pushed  
much.  MP3s are.  Ogg doesn't exist outside the small groups that use  
it.  MP3s are.

Sad but so.  And as an aside, mp3 reproduction from browser to browser  
has the same problems as other formats: uneven performance in the  
equalization (what would be for graphics folks, a color palette map  
per renderer.

No free lunch.  I'd keep midi and wav and make mp3s a "strongly  
advised" option to get around the ip encumbrance problems.  Midi can  
be optional but Lauren is right about automation, robotics, etc.  
although I don't know if that is used as much as it once was.

len

Quoting GLG <info at 3dnetproductions.com>:

> Another vote for keeping MIDI. The standard is not only widely used for
> music production, but it also has applications in automation, robotic, etc.
>
> Lauren
> 3DNetProductions.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: X3D-Public [mailto:x3d-public-bounces at web3d.org] On Behalf Of Michalis
> Kamburelis
> Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2013 7:03 PM
> To: Don Brutzman
> Cc: x3d-courses at movesInstitute.org; X3D Graphics public mailing list
> Subject: Re: [X3D-Public] X3D for Web Authors Examples Archive, plus audio
> test scene of different sound formats
>
> Don Brutzman wrote:
>>> Browsers shall support at least the wavefile format in uncompressed PCM
> format (see [WAV]).
>>> It is recommended that browsers also support the MIDI file type 1 sound
> format (see 2.[MIDI])
>>> and the MP3 compressed format (see 2.[I11172-1]). MIDI files are presumed
> to use the General MIDI patch set.
>>
>> Wondering what other file formats ought to be listed?
>
> Ogg Vorbis, please. It is an open format, offering good lossy
> compression, beats MP3 IMHO (is not encumbered in any patents), and is
> widely accepted (at least in game gev, with both open- and closed-source
> engines).
>
> view3dscene and Castle Game Engine support only Wav and OggVorbis
> formats and so far everyone seems happy with it :)
>
> And I would think about removing MIDI from the list of advised formats.
> MIDI is a rather old format (and idea). At least for a modern game
> engine, MIDI support seems rather useless.
>
> Michalis
>
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