XMF (Extensible Music Format) is a
tree-based digital
container format
A container format (informally, sometimes called a wrapper) or metafile is a file format that allows multiple data streams to be embedded into a single file, usually along with metadata for identifying and further detailing those streams. Notab ...
used to bundle music-oriented content, such as a MIDI file and optionally the sounds it uses, liner notes or other content grouped by language-codes.
The first XMF definitions were to allow the bundling of a musical performance with the musical sounds used. For instance, a
MIDI file
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
could be stored together with a
Downloadable Sounds A DLS format (from Downloadable Sound) is any of the standardized file formats for digital musical instrument sound banks (collections of virtual musical instrument programs). The DLS standards also include detailed specifications for how MIDI pro ...
file, and both files would travel together inside one XMF file. This specific use of an XMF file is referred to as XMF File Type 0 (streaming) or XMF File Type 1 (non-streaming), depending on whether the type of the MIDI file is 0 or 1, respectively.
There are currently five XMF File Types defined. The latest of which is XMF File Type 4 (counted from zero) and is called Interactive XMF (iXMF).
The specifications for the XMF were first published in 2001 by the
MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
.
Features
* Resources can be referenced internally (in the XMF file) or referenced externally using a
URI Uri may refer to:
Places
* Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland
* Úri, a village and commune in Hungary
* Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India
* Uri (island), an island off Malakula Islan ...
.
* Resources can be country- and language-coded so that text could be shown in the right language depending on context.
* Resources can be compressed using
ZLIB
zlib ( or "zeta-lib", ) is a software library used for data compression. zlib was written by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler and is an abstraction of the DEFLATE compression algorithm used in their gzip file compression program. zlib is also a ...
.
* Size information is stored using
variable-length quantities, ensuring that the format can support an infinite number, while at the same time saving storage space.
See also
*
DLS format
*
RIFF (File format)
*
Standard MIDI File
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and rel ...
*
MO3
MO3 is a tracker module file format developed by Ian Luck for the BASSMOD engine. MO3 files contain samples encoded in the MP3 or Ogg Vorbis formats, rather than straight PCM samples. This results in reduced file size for the module, while main ...
References
External links
*
MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA)
* {{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128035622/http://www.midi.org/xmf/ , date=November 28, 2007 , title=XMF Working Group, of the MMA
XMF Specification (All)About Mobile XMF
MIDI standards
Music notation file formats
Video game music file formats