RMF

Beatnik's format that combines MIDI and audio data. (Can also deliver just MIDI or just audio.)

sound quality

• The MIDI data is played with CD-quality sounds in stereo.
• The audio data will play at whatever quality it was encoded with.
• Plays MIDI data with consistent set of instrument sounds, unlike what happens when playing raw MIDI files.

visuals

• Beatnik Player has a functional and attractive (if a little video-gamey) panel.
• A web author can also specify that the player be hidden.
• When Java programs and applets are regularly playing RMF files, the user-interface could be anything at all.

browser issues

Browser requires the Beatnik Player plug-in, which is fairly commonly installed.

• 6 million downloaded to date
• 10-20 million installations/year expected since Beatnik is now bundled with Macromedia's Director and Netscape's Communicator 4.5.
• download
• The installer properly sets up your browser to work with the plug-in.
• Be sure to do "Thomas Dolby's Beatnik Walkthrough" after you've installed Beatnik. It's very cool.

authoring issues

Ideal format for MIDI-based music with the occasional custom sample in the mix. Extremely good "compression ratios" possible, compared to compressed audio.

The Beatnik Player plug-in includes many Javascript hooks that allow a web author to affect the music being played in response to user actions (clicks, mouse-overs, etc...):

• change pitch
• change tempo
• change patches
• play arbitrary notes/samples
• etc...

The following resources are available at this page:

• To convert AIFF/AU/WAV/MIDI files to RMF on Windows 95/98/NT, use the Beatnik Converter, (which I wrote).
• To author full-blown RMF files from AIFF/AU/WAV/MIDI files on a Power Macintosh, use the Beatnik Editor.
• To find out more about how to author interactive web pages using Beatnik and RMF, see the Web Authoring DocPack.
• To download software to help in authoring using NetObject Fusion or Macromedia Dreamweaver, see the Web Developer Tools section.

server issues

Server does not require special software.

security issues

Music can't be separated from author/copyright information. Music can only be played, not copied or processed.

more online info

http://www.headspace.com/beatnik