I agree with all the points Spencer Chase made in his post today,
particularly his condemnation of people who chat or create other
distractions while music is being played -- in my view they deserve
to be flogged.

Regarding the multiplicity of MIDI files produced by Spencer, Terry
Smythe and others who publish these files on the Internet and make them
freely available to all, I have very few problems with that activity.
If the files are competently made using the right equipment for the
job, the resultant music is of first class quality, replicating the
rolls exactly; I cannot understand why anyone would object to music
produced by this means.

When I put a roll on my piano I do so in order to listen to the music,
not to admire the holes as they pass the tracker bar.  If I can do the
same thing electronically and at the same time eliminate the possibility
of roll damage so much the better so far as I am concerned.

One of my grumbles concerns expression rolls which have been converted
to MIDI.  In many, if not most, cases an attempt has been made to
translate the expression coding on the roll by adjusting MIDI note
velocities (sequencing), which frequently produces passages which play
so quietly that they cannot be heard without a stethoscope.

My other worry is more selfish: I used to publish my own complete MIDI
files on my web site but discovered that they were being downloaded,
burned on to disk and sold.  As this was having a detrimental effect
on my roll sales I stopped doing it, now I fade out the files half way
through.

Keep up the good work Spencer and Terry, your efforts are much
appreciated.

John Farrell
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm