MusiConnect Patented AlwaysPlay Technology

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1 MusiConnect Patented AlwaysPlay Technology PianoDisc has expanded its MusiConnect technology with its newest version MusiConnect 2.2 which allows the PianoDisc system to play more music than ever before. The new MusiConnect 2.2 is a General MIDI support which features AlwaysPlay, a patented technology that allows the customer to sample, play, and enjoys MIDI files from a huge variety of sources. While itunes has no native support for MIDI files, MusiConnect can import any General MIDI file and convert it into a format that itunes understands. Once MusiConnect imports music into itunes, the customer can burn a CD, sync their music with an ipad, or even play their music directly from the computer (depending on the configuration). PianoDisc s own extensive music library has already been converted and is ready to play without any conversion. MusiConnect supports both Type 0 and Type 1 MIDI files. Many MIDI files that are available on the Internet do not include a piano part. This is where PianoDisc s AlwaysPlay works its magic. It examines those piano-less files and chooses a part for the piano to play. So no matter what song is chosen, even if it didn t have a piano performance to start with, AlwaysPlay ensures that the piano will have a part to play! Therefore, PianoDisc offers the largest library available due to AlwaysPlay. MusiConnect AlwaysPlay Instructions Be sure that you have itunes on your computer which can be found and downloaded on Apple s website. Next you will need to download the free MusiConnect program from located on our Support page with a link at the bottom (pictured below). Click on MusiConnect. Then select which download you prefer for either Windows or Mac. 1

2 Downloading MIDI Files Once you have these programs downloaded to your computer you can begin your search for MIDI files on the Internet. For example, type in MIDI File Freedom at Midnight David Benoit and look at your options. Many MIDI files are free, some may require a purchase. In most cases, if there is something you really want, you can find it on the web. When you have made your selection, download the file and save it to folder on your computer where you can easily find it later. As a suggestion, create a dedicated folder called MIDI Files in your Music Library, along with your itunes and MusiConnect programs as shown below. 2

3 Importing MIDI Files Using MusiConnect Now that you have your MIDI file downloaded you can begin the conversion process using MusiConnect. When you first open the MusiConnect program you will be greeted by a Welcome page asking you to register. This is not necessary. Simply close that window and go to the Main page (shown below). By default, the Music Albums folder will appear. Import your MIDI file into MusiConnect by clicking on the Add Folder icon at the top left. Locate the file in the folder where you saved the song. You can add one file, or several, depending on how many you select. You will not see these files appear in the window of the Main Screen (pictured above), which is the Music Albums default screen. These selections will be under the General MIDI library. Simply choose the General MIDI library to view your imported files. 3

4 Synchronizing MIDI Files into itunes Using MusiConnect The General MIDI library will appear as the first diagram below. Highlight the file you wish to import into itunes by holding the shift key and left-clicking on the single song or multiple songs. Once the file is selected, it will be highlighted like the one in the second diagram below. Now you are ready for the next step. The itunes program must be open during this process. Locate the Synchronize to itunes icon in the upper left corner and left-click on it. A new window will appear, like the one pictured below, asking if you wish to synchronize the song select OK to complete the process. After a few moments, synchronization is complete. Now your music can be accessed in itunes. 4

5 Organizing Imported MIDI Files in itunes You can now close the MusiConnect program and open itunes. In the diagram below, this is what your itunes library may look like after importing a MIDI file. Please note that itunes can take on many different views depending on the user s preferences, such as the Sidebar being displayed as in the example below. These can be modified under View in the menu bar at the top of the program. As you see in the enlarged view above, your newly imported MIDI files will be located in its own Playlist, probably listed as Untitled under the song s name. Because of this, you may wish to import one MIDI file at a time, just in case you need to manually name each selection. This will help keep your library more organized. 5

6 One way of renaming you Untitled MIDI file is to right-click on the song and select Get Info which will allow you to edit the Name, Artist, Album, Genre, etc. The other way is to simply left-click on the section of the file you wish to edit on the main screen. MIDI File Conversion to MP3 Format The transferred files will be in a WAV (PianoDisc) format in itunes, which will play fine on your PianoDisc in this format. The WAV format was designed for those who would like to burn a CD for playback on a PianoCD system which has since been discontinued, but still being used today. However, you can create an MP3 version if you wish. This is only necessary if you wish to customize the selection with artwork or save memory space by compressing the data to MP3 (highest quality). In itunes, right-click on the song and choose Create MP3 Version, then you can delete the older WAV file after the process is complete. Please note, you can verify whether the file is WAV or MP3 by right-clicking the selection and going to Get Info where the description will be found under Summary. Once you have an MP3 version, you can copy and paste your favorite artwork from the internet giving your new MIDI file an identity of its own as seen below. Sync Your Device and Enjoy the Music Now you are ready to enjoy your new music. Once you have built your MIDI library, you can create Playlists and sync your updated library to your ipad, iphone or other device. You can also play them directly from itunes wirelessly connected to your iq Intelligent Player System. Having MusiConnect AlwaysPlay opens you to a whole new world of music. There is no limit what PianoDisc can offer in the way of music enjoyment now that you can enjoy any MIDI file. 3/6/14 6