🍊 My Workflow

Now I'll share my workflow for creating animation effects using DoraPiano. The process is quite simple, so this article won't be very long. Additionally, I'm not a professional in composition or music-related software, so there might be better alternatives. Anyway, this is the method I'm currently using.

Getting MIDI Files

Currently, the MIDI sources in my shared works come from two methods:

Downloading MIDI files directly from the web

This method is simple. There are many free and high-quality MIDI files available for download on https://www.musescore.com, but be sure to check the License type to ensure the MIDI files you download are legally usable. The MIDI file for this Choral Chambers was downloaded from musescore.

Playing with a digital piano

I have an entry-level digital piano, the Kawai ES110. I connect it to my iPhone and use the free GarageBand app to record GarageBand projects. Unfortunately, GarageBand projects cannot be directly exported as MIDI files. I purchased Logic Pro on macOS, and by opening GarageBand projects with Logic Pro, I can export MIDI files. A good digital piano can better preserve velocity information, making the final sound more realistic.

For example, Tout est bien qui finit bien - Genshin Impact was played and visualized by myself using a digital piano.

Of course, there are other ways to obtain MIDI files, such as composing directly with DAW software, but I won't go into detail here.

Using Logic Pro to Export Better-Sounding Audio Files

DoraPiano's built-in piano sound isn't great (I've tried hard to tune it, but it still can't match the quality of Logic Pro's sounds). Fortunately, DoraPiano supports importing audio files as sound output, so we can use more professional DAW software to create piano sounds (or even other sounds).

I usually use Logic Pro to adjust velocity, add reverb, and more.

Importing MIDI and Audio Files in DoraPiano

Create a new Piece, then import the MIDI file and start debugging the scene animation. Next, I'll select an effect from the Presets as a starting point for adjustments. During scene debugging, I also need to import the audio file generated in the second step, and then align the audio playback time with the scene.