In this post, I’ll explain how to clean up a MIDI file and import it into notation software to create a clear and organized sketch for the orchestrator. On major film projects, music preparation houses like JoAnn Kane Music or Fine Line Music Service typically handle this process for us. However, when I was starting out, I did all of this myself and developed a range of tips and tricks to make the workflow as efficient and painless as possible.
Fun fact: before my career as an orchestrator took off, I worked at JoAnn Kane Music Services (JKMS) doing MIDI transcriptions. This experience was invaluable, as I learned directly from the experts how things are done and then applied that knowledge to my own use.
The goal when transcribing and sketching MIDI is to provide the orchestrator with all the information they need to do their best work quickly and accurately. You should avoid making any artistic or creative decisions. Do not add dynamics, slurs, or accents, and do not correct mistakes. If something looks like a major screw up, contact the composer’s team. If it is a minor slip, then just put a note in the sketch for the orchestrator to deal with.
Note for composers and assistants preparing files for orchestrating
Composer deliverables should include a MIDI file, a full mix, and stems. Sometimes, if there are specific notes for the orchestrator, these can be put in as markers and/or included in a separate text file. We are not interested in the original work files. They take forever to load as plugins and VI’s will not match up and there is rarely information there that we can not get from a MIDI file. Some people have experimented with exporting XML files but we have not found any advantage in the work that we do.
Export the MIDI file just as the audio was printed. Do not try to quantize or clean it up, and do not delete anything, including all the synth MIDI. If you are using Logic, join MIDI regions before the export (otherwise, each region is exported as a separate track).
1. Open the MIDI in Digital Performer
Why Digital Performer [DP], you ask? Over the years, we’ve tried every DAW out there, and DP stands out as the best for cleaning up MIDI. The arrange window is clean and easy to navigate. The Chunks/Sequences feature allows you to have multiple versions in the same file—perfect for keeping a clean version or original meters after a rebar for reference. The smart quantization tool is a real time-saver; it’s intuitive and usually gets the quantization just right. Additionally, changing meters is a breeze, and by default, all MIDI and audio stay aligned to the same timing. It is not just me though, all of the major prep houses in LA that do MIDI sketching use DP. You can of course use any DAW to clean MIDI, the process is still the same, it just is not as easy!
Open the MIDI file in DP (you can do this by dropping the file on the program icon in the toolbar, or if you have DP set as the default for opening MIDI, just double click the MIDI file).
Note: To add an app to the toolbar, hold down Command, select the app, and drag it to the toolbar until you see a plus sign.
Leave the measure numbers as they are, unless the composer was using negative bars in their DAW, in which case you will want to make them match their first bar of music. A giveaway of this would be the audio files might start before bar one of the MIDI file. Another situation where you might adjust measure numbers is when a cue starts in the hundreds or thousands. This is not ideal for scores and parts as it wastes space and time saying and thinking in long numbers. I trim the numbers out, leaving the last two the same. For example, 1332 will become 32. This means it is easy to refer back to the original files if need be. We will mark the sketch and score as ‘Trimmed’ and let the composers team know what we have done so they can make the Pro Tools session match.
Save the DP file. We have a DP folder in the project directory. All the DP sessions are in the top level of that, then all of the audio files for the whole project are stored in a single audio folder.
Organize the track layout: put the full mix at the top, followed by the stems in a folder, and make sure they line up correctly. Organize the MIDI tracks in score order, with folders for each section. Synths and other random things can go at the bottom. Make sure all track names make sense. If they do not, ask the composer team. Before making any changes, duplicate the chunk so you have an original untouched copy and one to tidy.
2. Cleaning up the MIDI
Have a listen and make sure the meters make musical sense. We often change them either because the composer did not have time to sort it or because we have a better idea, either way, you always want it to be whatever is best for humans. In some cases, you might need to retime the MIDI. For example, if you have action music written at 60 bpm that has lots of 32nd notes, you should double the tempo to 120 bpm so that fastest notes are 16th notes. Or go the other way, and make something that is whole notes at 160 bpm into 80 bpm to make it more musical and natural, as it should be. Other things that might be helpful to look out for are fast 3/4 that should be 6/8 or 12/8. Always go with what will feel and read best for the players. If you do make any changes here, you need to send a new MIDI file back to the composer’s team to prepare Pro Tools sessions.
You might run into a situation where the main duration are triplets in 4/4, but it makes more musical sense to interpret them as eighth notes in 12/8. You can do this in DP by selecting “Scale Tempos…” and “Scale Time…” and scaling to 150% of the current value, as shown below. Remember to create a new chunk before making any changes and export a new tempo map for the composer’s team.
Go through every track and quantize note starts and ends. The DP smart quantize function is perfect for this. Split out any polyphonic parts onto separate tracks so they import much easier. You want to avoid the notation software having to put things in layers or voices. I think it is important to only work on what you can see. While it might seem like a timesaver to select and quantize the whole document, it might not all go the right way, so select and view a part or section at a time and work on that.
If you know the composer’s template, you can clean out any duplicate MIDI now. If you are unsure, leave it and deal with it in your notation software. Once you have checked and cleaned all of the MIDI, you can save it as a new MIDI file. We use a macro, so we can’t screw up the file naming.
3. Creating a sketch using notation software
Open the cleaned up MIDI file in your notation software. We use Keyboard Maestro to automate this part of the process. First, we run a macro that exports the tidied MIDI file from DP and opens it in Finale. Then, we run another macro to create a sketch with all the project info and correct settings using variables. The macros automatically save both the MIDI and sketch files in the appropriate project subfolders. Here is a video demonstrating how they work:
Be sure to use a clean template with no fancy fonts. When people are sketching for me, they will use my template so all fonts match what I use. I keep my template simple with no fancy text fonts that might be missing on someone else’s computer. You have to imagine that on a big movie there might be 10 others, on different computers that will need to handle the file, you want it to look the same everywhere. Also, if things are going to be XML’d to other notation programs, you want it as clean as possible. In Finale, whatever file you have set as your default will be what the midi import uses for settings.
Make sure all the track names make sense and that clefs are correct. Add tempo markings from DP, add brackets for the different orchestral sections, and correct enharmonic spelling. Insert double bars where the music shifts to outline the structure of the cue.
Go section by section and delete obvious duplicates. Strings often need the most condensing as it is common for lots of patches to be doubled. Merge back any polyphonic parts. The idea is to get the sketch down to a minimum number of staves, but keep it easy for the orchestrator to copy and paste things back out. If in doubt, just leave duplicates. For example, there might be a trombone line on a trombone patch doubled in an ensemble patch. If it is my team cleaning up for me, they can just leave one copy, but if you are not sure, leave and label both.
Original MIDI
Sketch Delivery
For strings, add tremolo articulations where needed and use circles for harmonics. Keep them at the sounding pitch (use 8va or 15ma where needed, this is just the guide for the orchestrator, not the final notation). I prefer people to not say the same thing twice, so no need to clarify with text when the articulation marking says it all. The only thing this would clarify is your lack of musical knowledge.
Keep normal octave transpositions (piccolo, contrabassoon, etc.) You can label the stave as “picc. sounds 8va” to be clear, and opposite for the contrabassoon. Harp harmonics sound an octave above the notated pitch.
Look out for patches that are sounding in a different octave (e.g. CineWinds Piccolo, CSS Contrabass) or ones that contain octave doublings (some Spitfire Strings patches do this). This is where listening to the stems really helps.
Listen for brass mutes. If a patch name says ‘mute’ or ‘sord’, it is assumed to be a straight mute, and can be marked as con sord. Some patches are not named accurately though. For example, the CineBrass muted horns patch is actually stopped horns. Always use your ears to confirm; an actual horn straight mute or ‘sord’ is mellow/muffled, as opposed to the zingy, metallic sound of a stopped horn, which should be marked with the “+” sign (no added text needed). Of course, there is a stopping mute, but this is not something we need to worry about: just mark the stop and they will work out what is best. To geek out on the horn further, check out this post.
Fun Fact: in an orchestral setting, ‘con sord’ will be a straight mute and for trumpets and trombones and it will be made of metal. As always, know your defaults!
For percussion, put instruments on their correct lines, and mark if they ring with a ringover articulation, (Piatti, Sustained Cymbal, Gran Cassa).
If there are not a lot of instruments, you can leave them on their own lines. If there are a lot, you can combine multiple instruments onto one stave. For the record, I am not a fan of using single line staves for percussion! Timpani samples always ring, so no need to mention it. If it is the one case in a century where they used the one library that does not ring, then you can mention that, and buy a lottery ticket.
Listen out for one shot samples of rolls. Often the duration of a suspended cymbal or bass drum crescendo is different to what you hear, so in these cases go with the audio and what makes musical sense, the orchestrator will adapt it.
Tidy harp and piano parts and remove unnecessary overlaps. I prefer notes to be written as proper durations, not short notes with ringovers. A harp rings by default, so if the harp is playing a melody, chords or accompaniment, all notes are ringing, no need to state the obvious. For harp glissandi, you can notate the scale or add a diagram. No need for pedal information in the piano other than perhaps say ‘with pedal’.
Keep rhythmic spelling simple. Use eighth notes for short notes rather than quarters with staccato dots.
Listen for gestures (one shots, risers, clusters, etc.), from libraries like Symphobia, or all the circular bowing/evolving textures from Slate + Ash or Spitfire. If you can hear the notes, write them down; if not, then just use placeholders and text descriptions. If you are not experienced with any of the extended techniques, call a friend who is.
For choir, if there are obvious syllables then add them in, but it is not something to waste a lot of time on. The composer is usually just using anything that works and I will usually work out my own lyrics.
There may be synths, atmospheres, or grooves that have no MIDI. In those cases, transcribe and describe them. The same goes for rhythm section or vocals. I want everything I hear to be notated in the sketch. It has happened more than once that the synths were not updated from version 1 and the orchestra is on version 4 and there are now clashes we need to fix or point out so having everything notated is important. I will also want to put guides for any synths in my score. If you find harmonic discrepancies, make a note in the sketch file for the orchestrator. Do not correct anything. The same applies to rhythmic discrepancies.
Lastly, proofread it!
For more tips and tricks check out these posts.
How I open DP Files
How I control DP in the background
My Orchestration and Arranging setup