I have some compositions in the form of MIDI files. I would like to have a "preview" of what they would sound like with real instruments, without actually having an expensive orchestra playing them.
Are there any software programs (price is not an issue) that can take a MIDI file as input and apply real-sounding instruments to the different tracks and then produce a more or less "listenable" music file (i.e. make the notes sound as close to human performers as possible)?
Please note that I do not want a plugin or a DAW enhancement - I want this to be as simple as possible, preferably a stand-alone program.
Here is what my research has yielded so far:
- Garritan Personal Orchestra: the sound is good, but no indication of whether it can work with MIDI files. Nothing on whether it can be integrated into the new Sibelius - if that were true it would be a good start.
- Miroslav Philharmonik: there is a stand-alone version that I downloaded, but it is immensely complex and there is no indication as to whether it can open MIDI files.
- various other programs offer this functionality with MIDI instrument input (such as a synthesizer), but I am looking for MIDI file input of already composed and arranged pieces.
What are my best options? Does anyone have experience with such programs?