TIP0001:
Shareware is not free!
It is simply software that you can try before you buy it. GNMIDI trial period is 5 days, after this period you should register if you like it or must delete it from all your harddisks. You can try next update version again for 5 days.
GNMIDI Shareware registration costs 30 Dollar (till 30.12.2004) at company www.Regsoft.com (read information in readme.txt).
Your shareware advantage: registered users can download future extensions till version 2.99 without further costs.

TIP0002:
Registration
Your license will be personal for you, which is similiar to rent it for lifetime with single payment. It is not permitted to trade or distribute your personal license. It is illegal to use license of other persons.
In case of abusing license or copyright rules (e.g. giving it to others) you loose the registration and with it the permission to use the software, extension downloads and have to bare judgement consequences.
Be careful to specify your correct name, address and e-mail address at order.

TIP0003:
Shortcut to start and stop internal MIDI player
Press <space> key to start current MIDI file with karaoke display quicklier, use it also for stopping MIDI playing.
Before using MIDI player first time you maybe need to change some MIDI settings in menus depending on your devices and wishes.

TIP0004:
Hours of entertainment with MIDI music
Create your own MIDI archive with your MIDI files in a directory folder on your harddisk.
GNMIDI entertainment operation (Ctrl-A) plays MIDI files from your archive in random order sequentially.
Make use of the useful search and restrictive criterias of this operation.
Karaoke files surely will be played and shown with synchronized lyrics.

TIP0005:
More General Midi (GM) compatibility for keyboards
Check midi settings in MIDI menu to force the MIDI player to play a GM Reset at beginning of a new song, or to ignore all GM incompatible MIDI commands which could confuse your keyboard.
If you don't play GM MIDI or your device can handle all GM/XG/GS compatible MIDI files then set "no special midi mode" which plays the original MIDI files without compatibility changes.

TIP0006:
Look into deepest internal secrets of a MIDI file
The MIDI to ASCII text conversion allows to view the internals of a MIDI file. Press "A" symbol to convert. When you need to see more of text or want to edit the text then press Ctrl-E (pencil symbol). Save the modified text file and convert it back to a MIDI file with "A" symbol, when you have not inserted some typing errors.

TIP0007:
GNMIDI supports also .kar
.kar files are midi files in Karaoke song format. The song words are encoded in text commands with special formatting. Most sequencers and keyboards need other lyrics format. GNMIDI offers converters between .kar and .mid for some popular formats in both directions.

TIP0008:
Send us your GNMIDI recommendation
If you have registered GNMIDI and find it useful for certain purposes then please tell us for which task you are using GNMIDI operations. Maybe we can publish your ideas here.
Email: info@gnmidi.com

TIP0009:
No extra costs for extensions till version 2.99
GNMIDI Shareware is no still project, we have created already over 42 extended versions in only 5 years, in most cases new operations were added. For registered users this is no reason for panic, because there are no extra costs for you till version 2.99. Download newest GNMIDI version from time to time from http://www.gnmidi.com and install it your over old version.

TIP0010:
Closing this dialog box 
You can close this dialog also with <Esc> key. If you don't like to show this dialog at each program start then turn this option off within this dialog.

TIP0011:
Describe your MIDI files from your archive
With right mouse button click in open midi information window you get possibility to store extra information to your midi file. Rate its quality or enter song title and composer or artist. For playing with muted melody you can set song melody channel here.

TIP0012:
Short MIDI files for use with Internet
In WWW it is important for a quick download that files are stored very compact, GNMIDI can compress too incompact stored MIDI files and save extra bytes. Or cut the most interesting part of MIDI song into a new MIDI file, without loosing the MIDI settings. Sometimes it helps to convert to format 0 or 1 to save more bytes.

TIP0013:
Play melody self to a purchased or selfmade MIDI song
GNMIDI mute melody operation makes it easy to play melody or any other instrumental part self to MIDI files with perfect accompainment. You only need to set the melody channel in GNMIDI and in your keyboard and play the midi file with mute melody. You can even record your playing with GNMIDI record operation.

TIP0014: 
Skip 30 seconds during playing
If you play your MIDI file with interneal player, then you can press <TAB> key to jump 30 seconds forward, with <SHIFT>+<TAB> keys (press at same time) you can jump back 30 seconds.

TIP0015:
Adapt notes to a scoresheet
When you want to play melody with MIDI accompainment to a scoresheet there can be a difference in song keys which you need to find out by counting the number of halftones.
You can enter this difference now in description dialog for future playings.

TIP0016:
Split windows
GNMIDI windows are splitted into upper and lower part, the upper part shows MIDI information and the lower part shows karaoke text if availabe. 
The splitter bar can be moved by dragging it up or down. In menu Window/View you can select different font attributes for upper and lower part.

TIP0017:
Translate drum instruments
Notes of channel 10 are reserved for drums, each note plays other drum sound.
Some keyboards don't use General MIDI compatible drums and it is necessary to replace the drum instruments to hear the correct drum sounds.
GNMIDI can replace a whole table of notes and stores the translations in a .rpl file.

TIP0018:
Questions or registration problems
Write to info@gnmidi.com if you have questions about ordering GNMIDI.

TIP0019:
Supported Operating systems
At the moment we test only with Windows ME, XP and 2000. 
Older program versions (till 2.35) were tested under 95, 98, NT4, but now Windows NT and 95, 98 are not anymore available to us for testing and system depending problems under not supported systems cannot be solved here. 
You can surely register if you use one of the not supported systems but you must try the
software demo with your system self and be sure that it works, we cannot check this and cannot guarantee it.

TIP0020:
Batch conversion
Some GNMIDI operation can be applied to a whole set of MIDI files in one folder including subfolders. 
In menu file there is a menu item batch conversion that offers batch operations. 
First fill a dialog with options (if the operation needs options) then choose a folder that contains the MIDI files to convert, and then choose a folder (or create a new one) where the conversion results will be stored with same filenames.
At end of conversion a text file might pop up that contains additional information to certain file conversions.

TIP0021:
Changing channels
The dialog can change all channels in one step. Be careful that two tracks 
don't use same channels unwanted after changing, because they could conflict
at settings. When changing to channels that are already in use, you should
change channels circular:
e.g. all channels are in use then after changing 3->16 and 6->3 channel 16
would be used twice, solution is to change also 16->6 in same step which 
becomes unused during change.

TIP0022:
Sysex dump transfer
Ctrl-X opens dialog to send or receive sysex data between a MIDI device and computer.
Larger sysex can be sent from .syx files or .dmp files (readable files in hexadecimal form). Short sysex can be sent directly from the edit field.
It is more comfortable to send sysex from selfdefined sysex elements (button, dropdown list item).

TIP0023:
Use selfdefined sysex elements
GNMIDI provides more comfortability in sending sysex data by reserving some buttons and a dropdown listbox which can be filled with your most common used sysex commands. The second listbox item in Sysex dialog gives opportunity to define own sysex elments. 
Each sysex element can have its own transfer delay setting. Delay after sending a sysex is necessary to give the MIDI device enough time to handle the data properly.

TIP0024:
Describe sysex commands
Sysex commands are a series of data bytes that are usually specified in hexadecimal numbers. A valid sysex always starts with data byte F0 and ends with byte F7. The data bytes between must be in range 0 - 7F. The meaning of sysex command can be found in your MIDI device manual.
GNMIDI allows to describe sysex commands, which makes it easier to identify it (from comparing the beginning). 
When receiving or sending a sysex command GNMIDI shows the description for all known sysex commands. The descriptions can be entered with the describe button in sysex dialog.

TIP0025:
Synchronize song text(Karaoke editor)
With key Ctrl+K you can start the karaoke editor for entering song text and synchronizing syllables with melody notes.
And more quicker you can synchronize text lines and melody with the synchronizing editor (key Ctrl+Y): The song plays live and you should press the synchronizing key whenever the next text line is about to be sung. 

TIP0026:
Synchronizing speed control
Some songs play notes and text so fast that it is hard to check if syllables/lines are synchronized well to the melody.
Within the GNMIDI karaoke editor and synchronizing editor you can select slow song speed, then the song will play slower and it is easier to synchronize and to check it.

TIP0027:
Create a shortcut to GNMIDI on desktop
Click right mouse button on desktop background this will open a menu. 
Choose New/Shortcut menu item.
You are asked to enter the program file location. Use browse button to find the file GNMIDI.EXE in your GNMIDI folder where you installed the software on your harddisk.
Then click next and enter a shortcut description e.g. GNMIDI  and click finish.
The GNMIDI icon should appear on your desktop window with the title that you choosed.
You can drag and drop the icon with left mouse button to wanted window position.

TIP0028:
Help and online manual
You can start program help in GNMIDI with key F1.
Delivery does not contain a printed manual. In Internet at GNMIDI homepage http://www.gnmidi.at you find the HTML manual pages and
you can download the printable PDF manual.

TIP0029:
Languages
GNMIDI software is available in languages English and German. 
For delivery it is assumed that orders from Germany, Austria, Switzerland prefer German language and all others prefer English language.
If that is not true for you then please write your wish directly after your order to info@gnmidi.com or comment your choice in your order form.
You can also download GNMIDI software in the second language from GNMIDI homepage.

TIP0030:
Importing a .st3 Karaoke file
With operation File Open you can open .st3 files too (only .st3 version v4.5). The content of the .st3 file will be converted into MIDI with lyrics and a temporary MIDI file will be offered in a window for work.
Export into .st3 format is not possible with GNMIDI, for this you need a special karaoke edior that creates .st3 files.
