Hi guys,
So far I have the following sites for downloading free midi files.
http://rock.mididb.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/francisyeow/midi.html
http://www.ultimatemidi.com/midi1.html
www.musicrobot.com

I haven't actually tested these, but just wondering if there are any more sites I can perhaps look and try out?

What I'm going to do is just download the Midifiles and try to play it on my Triton Studio, but perhaps I'll delete the stuff/tracks I don't like and tweak it with my own playing.

Terry- Since you have the Triton Rack- perhaps you can tell me your experiences with General MID files?

Thanks,
KN_Fan

Curious..... Are we to suffer the same fate with midi files as people did with Napster??? I told my wife how excited I was about being able to get all these songs, and she brought up that question.. I told it's not really the song you'd hear on the CD, rather it would sound different on various keyboards..... I don't see it infringing on anything.. Does anyone else?

Squeak

I'm not sure about infringement...but I'll keep downloading until the issue surfaces.

I was thinking about this the other day (don't flame me for saying this okay people? ) Now- I can understand making money in this industry, but I can't blame those people who downloads music through the Internet. Man- those boy bands and Britney look-a likes (now we got more from American Idol...whooeeey!) they're filling their bathtubs in their mansions with 100 dollar bills while some of us are struggling with 50 dollar gigs once a week. Those pop stars can make money, don't get me wrong- its just they are screaming "injustice" when they're only making 25 million (arbitrary number) this year (as opposed to 30 million last year) due to "internet downloads"...yeah. I can bust my butt for 20 years and be happy if I can achieve 1 million (or less).

Why am I digressing to this point? ha.ha.ha..I don't know, I'm just bored at work and the weather is so nice outside....by no means I'm starting a war or anything

There have been quite a few websites shut down and fined for hosting midi files of copyrighted music in the past few years. Mostly they were also hosting lots of ad banners to turn a buck off of other people's work. There have also been a few slimeballs that have been downloading vast quantities of midi files so they could sell their "50,000 midi files one one CD". So people who can make really good midi files stopped sharing them on the web and what you're left with is mediocre files by amateurs or ripped-off commercial files.

Think of midi files as player piano files in a digital format or as sheet music and you can get a better understanding of why copyrights apply to them the same as prerecorded music. In fact, the Library of Congress now allows you to submit original midi files for copyright as a recording.

The "why should poor me support copyrights when megastars are rich enough already" justifications only helps undermine the only protection that songwriters have. Most songwriters aren't wallowing in bucks - they are regular guys trying to sell the results of their talents and labor the same as everyone else and maybe get lucky. Copyrights are the only thing that keep a market for their work viable. Something about it being "just music" seems to justify the rip though, even to other musos.

Just to add more spice to the discussion :

Net download only justifiable on those "well known" pop/rock stars. Unless the promoters/directors and those big wigs can reduce their commision fees and pass on the savings to us. I'd actually go to the music store and buy the CDs if they're less than 13 bucks a piece (also if I can listen to 30 seconds sample to each song...). I know...I'm a cheapskate....Again- just a discussion...not a flame war

KN_FAN,

I have spent the last several years remixing 868 midi backing tracks, with or without melody tracks. I have them setup to be used on keyboards. I use the following format: Tracks 1 and 2 are for melody instruments, Track 3 is for bass/tuba, track 10 is for percussion. Total tracks available is 16. I use this format because I have a KN6500 and it uses tracks 1&2 for melody instruments. The majority of midi files on the internet are really not made for use on a keyboard, but only for your listening pleasure and may require considerable modifications before you find them usable for your keyboard playing. If you let me know a song title, I will see if I have it and email it to you so you can see if the midis are to your liking. The songs are free for the asking. If you like the sample, I can email you the song listing or I can email the song listing and you can see if any are what you want. Since they are setup the way I like them,I strive to obtain a sound close to the original recording, you can make your own modifications to make them sound the way you want.

Peter