[Audio] Where do I even start to learn music editing?

While I'm a decent mapper and scripter, I decided to finally check out the music hacking scene and I am just completely lost. The way I understand it, 3rd gen Pokemon uses like converted MIDI files, but not just any MIDI, it has to be formatted the right way with the right instruments or something like that.

Basically, I aim to import Tales of Link music, which comes in .wav files. Running through a wav to mid converter came out surprisingly decent, but I need to learn how to construct midi files to touch it up and make it sound better than a basic converter can. Beyond that, simply converting the converted mid with mid2abg and listening to that that through Sappy, and it didn't even come out like a song. There's a lot more to make midi files compatible with Pokemon and I currently have no idea how any of it works. If I can learn what requirments these files need to work with the GBA, and if I can learn how to edit midi files to meet those requirements, I can get somewhere. I'm sure the high quality sound mixer and all instrument patch will greatly benefit the process, but as I have no knowledge on how any of this works, I wouldn't even know how to implement all that either.

I can't help but lose some confidence as a hacker when I feel like such a complete noob at an area I have no experience with. Still, that's why I came to ask for help, because I want to learn. I just need to know where to start, because as it is, I have no idea how any of this works.

its feel ,bro https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=364849

Thank you for the link, I will definitely try that out. The tutorial is only for installing the high quality sound mixer however, and I'm still looking into editing and creating midi files, so that I may convert and compose music to be compatible. As of yet, I still understand next to nothing of how midi compatibility even works with the GBA.

You can learn some of the basics with my video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88QW9kx0lwM

Ooh thank you! I'll check it out.

LukeeGD said:

You can learn some of the basics with my video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88QW9kx0lwM

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Thank you so much, your guide helped immensely.
Firstly, you introduced me to Anvil Studios, all the midi editors I could find with Google weren't free, so that alone was a lifesaver.
Then there was the fact that it has to be exported through midi-0, and how to loop it.
And finally showing the basics of Sappy, and what voicegroup offsets are.

This however, is where I hit a wall. Now that I know what a voicegroup offset is, I thought to finally implement the all instruments patch, since it not only includes more instruments, but simplifies it all to a single offset. But for some reason, I am unable to patch Emerald. I've tried many different Emerald roms from many different sources with no luck. I thought to try Emerald's normal voicegroups in the meantime, but could not find any resource that lists the different voicegroup offsets like the one you linked for FireRed.

I'm not sure what to do now, I have no idea why the patch won't work.

U.Flame said:

I'm not sure what to do now, I have no idea why the patch won't work.

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What I do when UPS patch fails, is I use NUPS patcher instead of tsukoyomi, and when patching, pick "Ignore" to ignore the error.

LukeeGD said:

What I do when UPS patch fails, is I use NUPS patcher instead of tsukoyomi, and when patching, pick "Ignore" to ignore the error.

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Wow the solution really was that simple! Thank you! I now know how to insert midis! Now I just to need to find the ones I need, or learn to compose and/or edit music in general. At least I now have the tools for it.