Greetings to forum members, I come through this medium to find out how do I convert a .mid audio file into .smf or the other way around. To meet the need for a Roland BK-9 musical keyboard here in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). It can be software on Windows or Linux platform. Or even a website that converts online. Thank you in advance for any form of contribution through answering this question opened here in this forum.
Respectfully,
Miguel Archangel Ferreira Duarte Júnior.

You have Midi4Fun.

It allows you to convert any MIDI or Karaoke song (*.mid or *.kar) to the MIDI SMF format.
In the version I installed, the installer is in Russian, but the main interface is in English.

Maybe I have a hole in my understanding, but I thought(!) .mid and .smf were just two different file extensions for the same file format.

Certainly if I run the Linux "file" command on some .mid files, they get reported thus:

$ file *.mid *.MID
drum_patterns.mid: Standard MIDI data (format 1) using 2 tracks at 1/480
thejourneyhome.mid: Standard MIDI data (format 1) using 11 tracks at 1/120
Moondance.MID: Standard MIDI data (format 1) using 9 tracks at 1/960

I've just run file $(find . -name "*.mid") on a file tree and I believe every file reported as "Standard MIDI data...". There are hundreds. I haven't found any .smf files on my machine to compare.

Maybe if you're on Windows, which relies on file extensions rather than file formats, it's just that it isn't recognising the file for what (I think) it is.

Try just changing the file extension.

Hi Miguel,

I am a little confused so maybe you can help me out. A .MID file is also called a .SMF; that is a Standard Midi File.

Also there is no such a thing as a .mid audio file. MIDI is just data that is sent to a receiving synth, both hard and soft synths, tell said synth what note to play, the note's duration, and sometimes how much reverb and what panning the note(s) settings.

There are two types of MIDI files, MIDI 0 and MIDI 1. A MIDI 0 file will have all data on one track while MIDI 1 will have the data on many tracks. Are you looking to convert one MIDI file to another?

Or are you looking to convert an audio track to a MIDI track?

More information would be very helpful.

PS - I just looked up your keyboard and it will accept SMFs and that means all MIDI files will play on it. Those MIDI files will have a .mid extension, for example songtitle.mid.

Grato Mário, this extension is required for the standard electronic reading system of this keyboard. That is, the pendrive it recognizes must contain .smf format files. I also know smf, which means Standard Midi Files. It would be a midi file pattern as I understand it from my internet search. But from the little contact I had with this keyboard, that's what I understood. It's to help a professional music friend who plays at night. What I got was the page https://www.converthelper.net/smf-to-midi. But the conversion fails. In other words it doesn't work. But for you to see that there is a possibility to convert from .mid to .smf or the other way around. I also found out that the Apple Program converts midi to smf, Logic X. See what can help me in the form of answers in this topic. But I need help inside Windows or Linux. Did I get to enlighten you?
Respectfully,
Miguel Archangel Ferreira Duarte Júnior.

Gordon's suggestion is that conversion isn't necessary, just renaming the file from xxx.smf to xxx.mid (or vice versa.)

Are you sure about this? But I don't have the keyboard for the test, the owner is a cousin. And he is far from me. If you're sure that just changing the end of the extensions does it, I'll pass that on to him. But it doesn't seem very coherent to me. Reflect, please.

That's exactly what the other fellow forum member in this thread told me. But as I told him, you have to make sure that just changing the extension will work. You are the second one who tells me this. As I said to another colleague, the keyboard is not within my reach, it belongs to a cousin who lives far away. I'm doing you a favor to try to guide you in using these files so that it can work. That from what it seems to me, from what I remember when I was with him and had access to the keyboard, the keyboard only accepted .smf format. But for me to pass this guidance on to him, just change the extension of the .mid files to .smf and that way he'll do it, he needs to be sure. So he doesn't get disoriented. Please, I will ask you to be sure and to reflect on the answer you will give me. That's right ?

Miguel, I have reflected on my incoherent answer, and in my heart, I must admit I cannot guarantee that your .mid files will work when renamed to .smf files. I mean, they could be JPEGs for all I know.

He should try it. But if that would be too "disorienting", what can I say.

Got it, Mark. I ask for your understanding. I will try to inform you by alerting you to what you have told me. This might not work. But I'm already grateful. Whether you're sure or not, it helps.
Respectfully,
Miguel.

I am not 100% certain, no.

What I would do is to first copy the file, then change the file extension, then try the file with the new extension.

Doing that means your original file is safe from any risk of damage.

I think the worst that might happen is that the keyboard refuses to use the file.

I think the most likely result is that it will work just fine.

I get it, Gordon. You are the second one who tells me this. I've already guided you to make the extension change. I will wait for the result. The most that can happen is that the keyboard doesn't recognize how you spoke. But grateful for the tip.
Miguel.

I don't have a "good" answer but I do have some answers.

Per +++ MIDI.ORG +++ the main distinction between MID and SMF files appear to be where the file originates. . I gather from this that SMF is somewhat hardware or software specific whereas a MID file is more device agnostic and computer orientated.

+++ THIS +++ site by the US Library of Congress indicates a SMF file can contain additional data not specified in the MID file specification.

Also, some keyboards require .SMF files to be MIDI Type 0. So just ranking may not work if it's Type 1.

I don't interpret that midi.org document as distinguishing .smf files from .mid files.

As I read this stuff, "SMF" is used as an abbreviation for "Standard MIDI File" while .mid is specified as the extension for this format.

Mark, so you mean that maybe just changing the extension isn't enough. You mean there is a difference between .smf and .mid? Won't simply changing the extensions make the keyboard e-reader read or recognize the newly renamed .mid files to .smf ?

PS : Still no response from the keyboard owner (about the extension change).

The MIDI.org file specification does not specify any file extension, just the formats that may be used within the file.

Ableton has this to say (rather ungrammatically):
"""
[Ableton] Live can import standard MIDI files in the three main formats (SMF0, SMF1 and SMF2) with either *.mid or *.smf file extensions.

[Ableton] Live exports MIDI files in the SMF0 format only, with the extension *.mid.

While MIDI files may have the same file extensions (*.mid or *.smf), from the outside, it's not possible to tell which format a specific MIDI file is actually using. This information is stored in its header chunk only and can be revealed by opening the file with a hex editor. The format of a MIDI file is initially defined by the device or software the file is created with.
"""
https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209068169-Understanding-MIDI-files


All of which strongly suggests that the file extension is a local convention, but that any particular application may or may not accept all three types of content (SFM0, SMF1 or SMF2).

So whether or not the keyboard will accept the renamed file depends upon the content.

I have not tried very hard, but I have so far failed to find any .smf files to compare with a .mid file.

Here is the manual for the Roland BK-9:

https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/BK-9_e3.pdf

On page 44, it says the device can handle Standard MIDI Files (SMF) with extensions .mid or .kar (I looked into .kar and it's an unofficial way to package lyrics with MIDI.)

The manual says not a word about .smf files. I am guessing they are mythical, having arisen in song and legend because "SMF files" could be misinterpreted to mean files with that extension.

Hey, here's a guy who thought he had the exact same problem, it turned out his .mid files were fine, he just needed to reformat his USB stick on the piano!
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3055662/re-have-mid-files-cant-play-on-keyboars-says-needs-smf.html

So Mark, in short, it might not be correct to say that changing the extensions from .mid to .smf means that it will work. Or will it work? Or do you also want to say that there is no mention of smf in the manual? Did not quite understand. Because from what I remember in the keyboard menu, when I was with it, it made reference on the pen drive to the need for .smf files as I remember.
I await the answer,
Miguel.

Miguel, remember, I do not possess a BK-9 keyboard myself.

I located and referred you to the manual. The manual says the files should be type SMF, extension .mid

The thread on the other forum suggests it might be wise to format the USB stick on the BK-9 itself, rather than a computer, before loading files.

Please read the manual and try something and see if it works.

Mark, I don't have the keyboard within my reach. Even to know if changing the extensions works, I need an answer from the owner. I have already sent this suggestion to him, but I wanted to know from you if this information is correct, if changing the extensions works, to know if you are sure. As I said before, when I had the opportunity to access the keyboard a while ago, I remember that it asked for files with the .smf extension. But I saw what you told me in the "SMF" manual to be just an acronym for referring to .mid files. So, in closing, I'm just waiting for an answer from the owner. But thanks for your attention.
Respectfully,
Miguel Archanjo Ferreira Duarte Júnior.

Hi Miguel,

I believe that the BK-9 expects Standard MIDI Files to have the file extension .mid and to be of Standard MIDI File type 0 or 1. (So it will not understand MIDI type 2 files.)


An explanation:

Looking at page 44 ofthe BK-9 manual to which Mark linked, I think I can see how the manual and the keyboard can confuse.

On the extract that Mark showed from p44 of the BK-9 manual, it shows that the keyboard will import files with various extensions and the bit labelled "Standard MIDI Files (SMF)" shows files with extension .mid, or Karaoke files with a file extension .kar.

On the same page in the table to the right, the manual shows what icons appear on the display alongside the name of each file, to identify the type of file.
But the keyboard still expects the file to have a suffix of .mid

Above that second table is an image of the BK-9 display, with some example lines, one of which is:

Gordon, What do you mean by myhouse.mid ? I did not understand. Is it a file that is plugged into the manual example stick, or the thing is more comprehensive than it seems involving rhythm : .stl - Wave : .wav. I understood what you wanted to show. But it's like I said earlier with the physical presence of the keyboard, when I had the opportunity I remember it requesting .smf files. But I will accept your clarification - as not mentioning in the manual about .smf files - Only have SMF as the title of .mid files. And in order not to get repetitive, it's better that we close this topic showing that for a long time without seeing the keyboard and having access to it can be some confusing memory. But to prove that maybe the manual might not mention the .smf files, just having the keyboard in front of me. It's like I said, the owner and the keyboard are far away. I ask for your understanding for the way I can finish this topic, after all the owner hasn't responded yet. But grateful for the help. The question may be if he answered me, if he got anything by changing the extensions. But it looks like it's better to end here, I've already occupied you a lot with this subject. Grateful for the answers.
Respectfully,
Miguel Archanjo Ferreira Duarte Júnior.

Look at the image and inside the top-right blue loop.

It shows the BK-9 display with a file named "Myhouse.mid" and with the icon "smf" right next to it.