Help - converting MIDI to wav
I am trying to convert a MIDI track I wrote to a wave files. Actually I am trying to do
several MIDI tracks. The first one I did worked!! But, I have been utterly frustrated at
trying to get a second one to work.
Here is what is going on.
“Track 1” appears in the user interface, and the PLAY button works fine
I hit “Save As” in the drop-down menu, and change the file type to .WAV
I get the Mixdown song user interface with setting “offline mixdown”, entire song,
tracks to mixdown=Track1 [MIDI], process master channel, stereo channels, use soundcard settings
stereo wave file for each output, Microsoft Sound Mapper
I get the message saying the MIDI files need to be converted. I go through the process (I do
see an Error Opening MIDI IN message, but it did work once despite this),
hear the MIDI track play, hit Finish, and see the message "No Wave Tracks to Render!"
How do I fix this??
Jonathan
By the way, no “Microsoft MIDI Mapper” in the device manager tables (is this name a proxy
for whatever actually happens to be in the system?), there is a Conexant AC-Link Audio defined somewhere
and a Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
There’s no “fix” as such, but maybe some correcting advice as how midi differs from audio…
Firstly, you have to have something ‘play’ the midi tracks you have created; an external synthesizer or keyboard, a VST instrument, or an external midi sound module. Midi is not audio, but rather a recipe for a midi instrument on how to turn a musical thought into sound, actually like the punched paper roll of a player piano. (hence the ‘Piano Roll’ term used in n-Track, too.)The ‘Microsoft Midi Mapper’ is usually not the best choice for instruments, because the majority of soundcards will not let you render the synth sounds to audio without some cumbersome repatching.
Secondly, you need to set up n-Track to output the midi data(!) to the proper instrument. That is, the midi port of your PC (to feed the data to an external synth), or a VST instrument, which has to be loaded into its own channel in n-Track. Be aware about the midi channel, too. You have to set up the instrument to receive on the same channel as the midi track is sending its data to.
Thirdly, in order to render any midi to audio in n-Track, you have to have at least one audio track present, even if it doesen’t contain any wave file(s) at all - it jus has to be there for the rendering to work.
Be aware that some VST instruments will not allow for offline mixdown. also be aware that you have to make the render as a stereo wave file - most instruments will just leave you a wave file full of buzzy, distorted junk if you render to mono.
I hope this helps…
regards, Nils
EDIT
You cannot save a n-Track file as .wav. Save it as a .sng file instead (n-Track’s proprietary format). Use ‘Export midi file’ option if you want to use the midi file outside of n-Track.
I have found the easiest way for me to convert MIDI to WAV and retain the original MIDI is to:
A) change the soundcard settings to record “what you hear” or “wave out mix” (depends on the soundcard).
B) record the MIDI track. (mute the ones you dont want)
You end up with a new WAV track of the MIDI track.
You can then remove the MIDI track from the project, yet still have it in your saved files in case you want to change it later.
Others probably do it differently, but this is one way.
cliff
Thanks for the quick response guys. I should have added a couple of details (which, if I had known to add, would probably have meant I would never have had the question)!!
I am composing the track in the “piano roll”, and all I needed to do was to change the MIDI recording source to "Audio"
Thanks again.
There are three cases and the method is different for each case.
What MIDI device are you using? Soundcard MIDI, built-in MS Wavetable softsynth, plugin synth, or external MIDI synthesizer? If soundcard, MIDI, which soundcard?
Given some of your text, I suspect soundcard MIDI or else built-in MS wavetable synth. In that case, “record what you hear” works.
It’s best to convert each MIDI track separately. Solo that track and do an offline mixdown. Import the resulting wave file, and mute the MIDI track.
If the wizard pops up to convert MIDI, hit Cancel to make it go away forever, because it’s a bad wizard (unless it’s been dramatically revised lately).
[edit]
Jeff, the wizard is still a very poor wizard, whose magick doesn’t seem to effect the real world in good ways. Fortunately, the 'freeze` function works great on midi instruments! 
Jonathan, it is surprising no-one suggested getting a soundfont playing plug-in (there are a couple freeby ones available that work swell in nTrack) and using soundfonts, also available in massive piles for free all over the net, especially since you already use the piano roll for composition. Do a little searching in the forum, and you will find mucho prior discussions to guide thee along the way. 
'til next time;
tony w
Just to clarify (as Tony knows), Freeze only works for plugin instruments (VSTi and DXi). No good for external or soundcard MIDI instruments.
I meant to say “the 'freeze` function works great on plug-in instruments!”, of course…
'til later;
tony w