Similar to the genre equalizer on Windows Media Player. This feature will take any classification of music (be it rock, rap, classical, bluegrass, jazz, etc) and mask it as any other genre.
It will adjust the tempo and take the timbre of different instruments and exchange them into other more genre-appropriate instruments or voices. It can easily insert musicality (cresc, decresc, rubato, ritardando, etc) into a piece that was previously lacking in such.
Granted--MC Hammer may never be Aaron Copland... but it'd be fun to play with.
Perfect for those who enjoy multiple genres of music and for those particular to only one.-- SuiGenerisKitten, Nov 24 2005 The (dreadful) GM soundset. http://www.midi.org...nd.shtml#instrument [wagster, Nov 25 2005] The 'adjusting the (sp:) timbre' part sounds a little magical, is this remixing or are you proposing it to be real-time?-- Adze, Nov 24 2005 real-time... I would like to know why this is being fishboned. It's not out of the realm of possibility.-- SuiGenerisKitten, Nov 24 2005 You have not explained how altering *instrument* characteristics (as opposed to EQ settings) can be achieved in real-time. If you know how, I'm sure there'd be some rich companies in Japan who'd love to talk to you.-- Adze, Nov 24 2005 I have to admit I know very little about computers, but I thought it was an interesting idea and with the quality of a midi file, I know this isn't impossible.
I'm not proposing something that would make your average sound into somehing with the same quality. You wouldnt expect to get better quality.
I dunno, last time I checked, this website didn't place the most emphasis on "it can happen right now" but "wow, that *might* be possilbe". Can my imagination only be limited to my knowledge of how things work?-- SuiGenerisKitten, Nov 24 2005 For sure, it's an interesting idea, and I'm glad you know about the MIDI route. But generally speaking 'bakers seem to be expected to have a rough idea about how an idea can be achieved ([jutta] has the final say of course). Otherwise the idea tends to get MFD'd with a "magic" label.-- Adze, Nov 24 2005 This is probably not much help, but I can take any song and sing it as a country/western ditty, which is kind of strange because I'm not really partial to country music. It is almost as easy to make any song sound heavy metal so I could see this being a feature in the future. (+)Something like classical or Irish folk songs might present more of a challenge though.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 25 2005 [Adze] I very much see your point. Thanks for the uhh... input, [fries]-- SuiGenerisKitten, Nov 25 2005 Doesn't Apple's Garage Band software do some of this already? I don't work much with sound software, but have friends who do and I am fairly certain that what you have described is currently available to some degree - but that doesn't deny your level of personal invention. This happens all the time with ideas - it just means that someone got there first. You may want to look at www.ircam.fr - it's a comprehensive research facility based in France, but has english translations.-- xenzag, Nov 25 2005 [2 fries] seems to have forgotten to leave his bun.-- hidden truths, Nov 25 2005 Maybe it's Camouflaged.-- skinflaps, Nov 25 2005 Web sites often have (incredibly annoying) background music that plays by sending MIDI data to your soundcard. What instruments are used is controlled by Program Change messages which select from a range of 64 standard instruments (and some drums) defined by the General Midi standard (link). The instruments are almost always bland and badly synthesised, so you wouldn't lose much by replacing them with stylised sounds, or having metal/country/pop versions of the GM soundset which could be selected from a control panel. The results would probably be amusing and no worse than the usual fare. [+]
Sadly, to do this with audio would indeed require magic.-- wagster, Nov 25 2005 This was an awfully big Marine...-- calum, Nov 25 2005 Thank you [hidden truths] you are right, I did forget.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 25 2005 random, halfbakery