FAQ

This is online musebook midimic FAQ written by musebook team.

Update History : Version 1.10 (June 16, 2003)
  • initial release

FAQ Updates
  • 06-16-2003 : Online FAQ started

Q. What is MuseBook MidiMic?

A. MuseBook MidiMic is real-time Sound2MIDI software which converts sound detected from microphone into MIDI data in real-time. That is, you can hear your voice or instrument play changing into some other instrument voice you choose as you sing or perform. Any monophonic instrument play, for example, guitar, violin, trumpet, etc, including YOUR VOICE can be used as sound input. MuseBook MidiMic supports Pitch Bend, Volume Change, and Brightness effect of sound and realizes sound very similar to original one. Additionally, MuseBook MidiMic saves converted MIDI data so as to interface with other MIDI instruments. You can put them into your favorite sequencing program, like sonar and many more!

Q. What is Pitch Detection Technology?

A. Pitch Detection Technology is described as a technology which recognizes base frequency from a monophonic sound - sound with one instrument voice. This technology has been studied for long and shown some advancements. However detecting live sound while it is performed still has a long way to go. Errors in real-time pitch detection lie in i) possibility of picking up background noise, ii) unpredictable sound captured in onset/end of sound, iii) difficulty of post error correction as the detection process is done in real-time. Besides, different characteristics in waveform and frequency spectrum of each instrument adds far more difficulties. However, AMuseTec's real-time pitch detection technology is proprietary! and the most advanced! Based on this technology, our software detects a tone from microphone or other input source in real-time and displays the result within the minimal error range.

*MuseBook Tuner is very good to find about our Pitch Detection Technology. It recognizes real-time sound input and displays current pitch frequency and does fine tuning.

Q. Does MuseBook MidiMic convert voice singing with accompaniment?

A. No, unfortunately it doesn't. There is no technology developed to recognize multiple instrument voice played altogether. Even a monophonic pitch detection is not perfect at this time. Depends on software that you use, there are some differences in percentage of accuracy. (Mostly the errors occur in octave recognition.) Considering current achievements, so called polyphonic pitch detection is not possible at the moment and may take a few years. MuseBook MidiMic uses AMuseTec's proprietary (monophonic) pitch detection engine and its detection technology is known for doing a better job than its competitors.

Q. Can MuseBook MidiMic convert a pre-recorded Wave file into a MIDI file?

A. Yes, you can do this job provided that you play the Wave file and let the sound goes into as sound input of MuseBook MidiMic. (Play the Wave file with MIC ON or select input source as sum.) However, if you want better conversion result, you are advised to use our MuseBook Wav2Midi for this purpose. MuseBook MidiMic recognizes pitch, volume level, timbre, brightness of sound in real-time. Because this process is done at very short, discrete time frame, there are some possibilities of errors. However, MuseBook Wav2Midi, through its pre and post-processing, reduces these errors significantly.

*Use MuseBook MidiMic for your live performance and MuseBook Wav2Midi for your recorded wave file.

Q. I entered registration code, but I get "ERROR: Invalid registration code" Why?

A. Number 0(zero) and letter o, number 1(one) and letter l(small) are easy to confuse. Likewise, number 8(eight) and letter B(capital), number 9 and letter q(small) can be confusing too. Please check and provide the correct registration code.

*Tip : To prevent typing mistake, copy and paste each part of registration code on Enter Registration Code field.

Q. Both MIC and LINE IN lamp are off on my application. Why?

A. With MuseBook MidiMic you can select any input source supported by your soundcard. MuseBook MidiMic displays the most common input source on the application which are MIC and LINE-IN. When you select either of them, the corresponding LED is turned-on with the other off. However if both are off, it means, you have selected another input source apart from MIC or LINE-IN.

* Some soundcard may not work with MuseBook MidiMic's mixer interface, which results in its inoperation. In this case, both LED will be off and not be selectable nor volume control is supported.

Q. What is WINDOWS RECORD CONTROL and INPUT SOURCE SELECTION in MuseBook MidiMic? How are they different?

A. MuseBook MidiMic supports all kinds of Input source selectable by your soundcard. MIC and LINE-IN are the most common, hence are displayed on the main view for your choice convenience. However if you wish to use some other input source you can call Windows Record Control window and may do so. Basically Input Source Selection in MuseBook MidiMic will affect the same result in Windows Record Control. If the Input Source is not selectable in MuseBook MidiMic, you may use Windows Record Control instead.

*Some soundcard supports independent Mixer interface. In this case use it to control input source and volume level. Note that its mixer's inoperation doesn't affect sound input in MuseBook MidiMic, hence your sound will still be converted to MIDI.

Q. What is MIC BOOST function and When do I use it?

A. MIC BOOST function is effective when you choose MIC as input source. It boosts the sound level by +20dB, so it is useful when the input sound level is too low to be detected.

*Depends on your soundcard or its compatibility with MuseBook MidiMic's mixer interface, MIC BOOST function may not be supported.

Q. What is NOISE REDUCTION and when do I use it?

A. Input signal from a microphone, mixer, soundcard, or power may have noise in it and this can cause errors in pitch detection. You may improve the pitch detection hit ratio by Noise Reduction. In normal case, noise in 60Hz, 120Hz... bandwidth are generated because the power is not properly grounded. Please check if it is well grounded in this case. Input signal in silence has noise in low frequency. In this case, the best is to use "Effective note range controls". By defining the compass of effective notes, you can prevent unwanted note (generally from A0 ~ B1) from being detected.

Q. What is CAPTURE NOISE PRINT and when do I use it?

A. NOISE PRINT is frequency spectrum form of noise included in input signal. In silence, frequency spectrum of input signal should be displayed as flat. However when there are noise, several peaks are shown at irregular intervals. In this case, you are advised to remove this noise pattern. CAPTURE NOISE PRINT will store frequency spectrum form of the noise then help to remove them effectively followed by pressing NOISE REDUCTION button.

Q. How do I remove the captured noise pattern?

A. Press CAPTURE NOISE PRINT when MuseBook MidiMic is still, and it will remove the saved noise pattern.

Q. I see two triangular shapes on keyboard image. What is this and when do I use it?

A. The two triangular shapes on keyboard image is named "Effective note range controls" by us. This will define the compass of effective notes and subsequently prevent unwanted note from being detected. This is useful to reduce possible errors caused by noise input. (The left lever indicates the minimum effective note and the right lever indicates the maximum effective note.) Not only a microphone, mixer, soundcard, or power but also a human gives out low frequency from his body. This can be included as noise when you hold a microphone and detected as low tone, subsequently resulting in errors in pitch detection. The noise can be removed by NOISE REDUCTION but the best is to extract low frequency bandwidth originally from the detection. If you play the guitar, you can place the left triangular shape on C2 or so (as the lowest tone of guitar is E2). Men's voice after puberty get changed and becomes deeper. In this case C2 for the lowest tone is recommended too.

Q. How do I register MuseBook MidiMic?

A. Registration is easy! To register MuseBook MidiMic, you must have the program pre-installed in your PC.

1. Start MuseBook MidiMic program. And click Enter Registration Code... from the menu.



2. You will be provided with an Enter Registration Code dialog. Enter your name and license code that you were given after ordering.



Note : Sometimes letter and number can be confusing, for example, '0'(zero) and letter 'o,' '1'(one) and letter 'l'(small), '8'(eight) and letter B(capital), '9' and letter 'q'(small). So it is easier when you copy and paste the codes part by part.

3. 'Congratulation' message will appear, which means your program is successfully registered.



4. To see your registration Information, go to Help - About MuseBook MidiMic...



5. The licensor information will appear as below.




If you encounter problem while registration, please email to musebook@musebook.com

Overview

musebook® midimic


Real-time Sound2MIDI Software
  • Use your own instrument,
  • even your singing voice,
  • as a MIDI controller!
  1. Monophonic sound straight into MIDI data!
  2. Any monophonic instrument can be used.
    - Plucked strings such as Guitar, Bass Guitar, etc.
    - Non-plucked strings such as Violin, Cello, etc.
    - Woodwinds such as Recorder, Bassoon, Oboe, etc.
    - Brasses such as Flute, Saxophone, Trumpet, etc.
  3. Wide range of pitch bandwidth from A0 to C8
  4. Powered by AMuseTec's proprietary Pitch Detection engine.
wave input: mary.mp3 » midi outout: mary.mid

Practical Use

Your instrument as a MIDI controller
  1. Need a MIDI controller? Why pay through nose? musebook midimic WILL do!
    - Replace high price MIDI controller with MuseBook MidiMic; e.g. MIDI Guitar, MIDI Saxophone, etc.
    - Your own instrument + MuseBook MidiMic = MIDI controller
  2. Even your voice can be used as a MIDI controller.

Your voice as an instrument
  1. Play it by ear with your voice and get MIDI sound in real-time
  2. Change your singing voice into any musical instrument of your choice.
    - Voice into trumpet or humming into flute, etc.
    - Expressive MIDI Performance in Vibration, Dynamics and Timing, etc.
    - Changes in octave; e.g. soprano voice into Bass or Tuba

Voice Realism
  1. MuseBook MidiMic produces MIDI sound emulating the input sound
    - Greater realism of your input sound into any musical instrument
  2. Nothing's going to change but voice of instrument
    - You can select any instument among 128 MIDI instruments
    - Pitch bend, volume change, and brightness are delivered

Requirements

Requirements are following:
  • O.S. : Windows® 98 / ME / 2000 / XP
  • CPU : Pentium® II 400MHz or higher, IBM® compatible PC
  • RAM : 64 MB or more
  • HDD : 10 MB free space
  • Soundcard : 44.1KHz 16bit mono recording, MIDI play
  • Microphone : Low noise level and flat frequency response is recommended
  • Speaker : Headphone is recommended to prevent output sound interfere input sound
  • Software : Microsoft® DirectX 8 (Windows XP already has DirectX 8.1 installed. For free download: http://www.microsoft.com/directx)

Features

Features are following:
  • Real-time Processing : Sound feature extraction per 0.044 second
  • Pitch Bandwidth : A0 ~ C8 (Piano 88 keys, 26 Hz ~ 4,500 Hz)
  • Pitch Detection Tech. : Utilizes Real-time Pitch Detection SDK for the best result
  • Frequency Analysis : Analyzes the frequency pattern of the input sound by recent signal processing algorithm
  • MIDI Data Out : Converts sound detected from microphone into MIDI data in real-time
  • Input Source Selection : Supports MIC / LINE-IN / other input sources supported by your soundcard
  • Signal Display : Volume envelope, Wave form and Frequency spectrum
  • MIDI Effects : Supports Pitch bend, volume change, brightness effects
  • Noise Reduction : Reduces unwanted noise from low frequency in real-time
  • Note Denotation : Displays sung or performed note on stave with note syllable and its octave number
  • Octave Transpose : Change in octave from -5 ~ +5 octave
  • Preset Setting : Save, and load your settings under presets, as you like
  • MIDI voice selection : 128 MIDI instruments in general extendable (depends on your MIDI equipment)

Download

End User License Agreement to Evaluate MuseBook MidiMic

This user license agreement (this AGREEMENT) is a legal agreement between you (individual or single entity) and AMuseTec Co., Ltd. (AMUSETEC) for the MuseBook MidiMic program (the SOFTWARE) that is accompanying this AGREEMENT. By downloading, using, copying, transmitting, distributing or installing the SOFTWARE, you agree to all of the terms of this License. If you do not agree to any of the terms of this License, then do not download, use, copy, transmit, distribute, or install the SOFTWARE.

SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT:

1. The SOFTWARE is the property of AMUSETEC and is protected by copyright laws of Republic of Korea and international copyright treaties.

SCOPE OF GRANT:

2. The SOFTWARE is not free software. Subject to the terms below, AMUSETEC grants you a non-exclusive trial license to use a limited version of the SOFTWARE free of charge for the purpose of evaluating whether to purchase an ongoing license to use the SOFTWARE. If you use the SOFTWARE without functional limitation, a registration fee is required. See the AMUSETEC web site at http://www.musebook.com/ for information about online ordering.

3. Unregistered use of the SOFTWARE without functional limitation is in violation of Korean and international copyright laws.

4. You may freely distribute the SOFTWARE personally to anyone. However, you must not change original format or contents of the SOFTWARE. The evaluation for use by or on behalf of a commercial entity or for personal use is limited. This license is effective from your date of use and shall remain in force until terminated.

5. Commercial distribution of the SOFTWARE is restricted without prior written permission of AMUSETEC.

6. You must not modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or create derivative works based on the SOFTWARE.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES:

7. YOU AGREE THAT AMUSETEC HAS MADE NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES TO YOU REGARDING THE SOFTWARE AND THAT THE SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. AMUSETEC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, MERCHANTABLE QUALITY OR NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY:

8. IN NO EVENT WILL AMUSETEC BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OF USE, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS, OR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF AMUSETEC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

9. This AGREEMENT is the complete statement of the Agreement between the parties on the subject matter, and merges and supersedes all other or prior understandings, purchase orders, agreements and arrangements. This AGREEMENT shall be governed by the laws of Republic of Korea and international treaties. Exclusive jurisdiction and venue for all matters relating to this AGREEMENT shall be in courts and fora located in Republic of Korea, and you consent to such jurisdiction and venue.

Please write us if you have any doubts or questions to: C-2107 Intellige2, 24 Jeongja-Dong, Bundang-Gu, Seongnam-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 463-841, South Korea. AMuseTec Co., Ltd. or musebook@musebook.com

Copyright 2003 by AMuseTec Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

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AMuseTec Co., Ltd. exclusively owns all the proprietary rights musebook® midimic. You should be granted the license before using any of musebook software. By downloading musebook softwares, you are to agree to the terms and condition of our license agreement. Please read it before downloading.

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