MIDI files and PIMap files

To play a MIDI file on the 3DO Station, you need the following files:

The MIDI file itself
The PIMap (program-instrument map file), which tells the 3DO system how to match MIDI numbers with sounds
Compiled patches (.ins) or samples referred to in the PIMap

This section discusses the PIMap file format, including the currently supported flags and an example file.

Working with PIMaps

A PIMap associates MIDI program numbers with 3DO instruments.

Parts of a PIMap

A PIMap consists of several lines, separated by carriage returns. Each line contains:

MIDI program number (1-128)
Filename
- If the filename ends in .aiff, .aif, or .aifc, it is considered to be the name of a sample file and the file is attached to the appropriate sample player instrument.
- If the filename does not end in .aiff, .aif, or .aifc, it is assumed to be an instrument name. For example, if the file ends in .ins, it is a compiled ARIA patch.
Optional flags

Currently supported flags

The following table lists the flags that are currently supported as part of a PIMap:

Table 1:  Flags in a PIMap.
--------------------------------------------------------
Flag   |Description                                     
--------------------------------------------------------
-f     |Play sample file using a fixed-rate sample      
       |player that uses fewer ticks than a             
       |variable-rate player would                      
--------------------------------------------------------
-m n   |Set maximum number of voices (default is 1)     
--------------------------------------------------------
-l n   |Set low note for a sample                       
--------------------------------------------------------
-b n   |Set base note for a sample                      
--------------------------------------------------------
-h n   |Set high note for a sample                      
--------------------------------------------------------
-p n   |Set priority for instrument, default = 100, max 
       |= 200                                           
--------------------------------------------------------
-d     |Set a detune value. This works only on          
       |instruments that use the default sample playback
       |module (sampler.dsp); not on compiled ARIA      
       |instruments.                                    
--------------------------------------------------------

Note: The base note is the "home" note of the sample and is not necessarily the lowest (bass) note.

PIMap example

The example below shows a small PIMap file. The following points are of interest:

The PIMap file assigns the appropriate samples to the different ranges of the instrument.
Each .aiff file covers no more than a half octave, as you can see when you look at the low notes, base notes, and high notes assigned to the different .aiff files.
The gong is fixed pitch.
The clarinet is set up as a multisample with octave spacing.
The organ has its MaxVoices set to 4 to make it possible to play chords.
The sample bell.aiff is played by the instrument varmono16.dsp because the instrument is specified before the sample is specified.
The instrument ending in .ins (windnoise.ins) is a compiled ARIA instrument.

Example 1: PIMap example file.

1 clarinet1.aiff -l 30 -b 48 -h 53
1 clarinet2.aiff -l 54 -b 60 -h 66
1 clarinet3.aiff -l 67 -b 72 -h 84
2 gong.aiff -f
3 bass.aiff -p 150
4 organ.aiff -m 4
5 varmono16.dsp
5 bell.aiff
6 sawenv.dsp
7 windnoise.ins

Note: In addition to .aiff files, you can also use instruments you previously created in ARIA (.ins files). The last line of the example above illustrates this.