Strange behaviour exporting and importing MIDI files

[klausn]

Hi fellow Reason users,
When I export a series of pitch bend events as a MIDI file, and then import the very same file, the result is very different. It seems like this should be a pretty straight forward exercise. What happens is that a simple straight line between two pitch bend events (for instance from 0 to max) is turned into a long series of pitch bend events. This can be verified looking at the MIDI file in a different sequencing software (for instance Sekaiju 8.1). This higher 'sampling rate' is strange, but the real problem is that once imported back into Reason, what was to begin with a linear progression from one event to the next now becomes a stair case as each event is duplicated and repeated at the same location as the next event







Is there some way to avoid this?
Hope some one can help

[jam-s]

That's just the limitation (quantisation) of the MIDI data. You can avoid it when you directly copy the clip from one Reason file to the other one.

[klausn]

Thanks jam-s - I can understand the quantizing, but why does Reason make this sample/hold-like rendering in stead of just connecting the events with a linear curve?

Yes, copying from one Reason file the other is better, but I'm working on a data sonification project where I need to manipulate midi events in a systematic way in a spread sheet. And I would like for the pitch bend curves to be smooth and not stepped when I bring the MIDI files back in to Reason.

I very much hope there's a way to do this

[selig]

I get exactly the same thing when exporting/importing in Reason. Just to check, I ALSO get exactly the same thing if I generate a smooth PB curve in Logic, export it and import it back into Logic. And also either directly between Logic and Reason.

The common denominator being the MIDI file spec…

[klausn]

Thanks for looking into this selig - interesting to learn that it also happens in Logic.
Just to be clear though - the duplication of events and the step-wise rendition happens when importing the MIDI file - these are not elements that present in the midi file. The picture below shows the first 20 or so events in the MIDI file (in Sekaiju). Here we see the higher sampling rate. But both Reason and Logic ought to be able to convert the events to a smooth curve in stead of a stepped.