Skip to main content
Audio Conversion

Convert RMI to FLAC — Free Online Converter

Convert RIFF MIDI (.rmi) to Free Lossless Audio Codec (.flac) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration....

or import from

Secure Transfer

HTTPS encrypted uploads

Privacy First

Files auto-deleted after processing

No Registration

Start converting instantly

Works Everywhere

Any browser, any device

How to Convert

1

Upload your .rmi file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.

2

Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.

3

Click Convert and download your .flac file when it's ready.

About RMI to FLAC Conversion

RMI (RIFF MIDI) stores Standard MIDI File data inside Microsoft's RIFF container framework, the binary structure that underpins Windows multimedia. The RIFF wrapper adds metadata storage (INFO chunks for title, artist, copyright) and structural compatibility with Windows multimedia APIs like MCI and DirectMusic. RMI was the format processed by midiOutLongMsg and midiStreamOut calls in the Windows MME subsystem throughout the Windows 95 through Windows XP era.

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is the open-source standard for lossless audio compression, achieving 50-60% size reduction without discarding any audio data. Converting RMI to FLAC extracts MIDI from the Windows RIFF container, synthesizes audio through a SoundFont engine, and losslessly compresses the result. This is the ideal archival format for preserving Windows-era MIDI content with zero quality loss.

Why Convert RMI to FLAC?

RMI files are inaccessible outside Windows — the RIFF MIDI container is not recognized by any non-Microsoft audio framework. FLAC provides a universal lossless format that works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and most web browsers. For archiving legacy Windows multimedia content, FLAC preserves maximum synthesis fidelity with broad cross-platform support.

FLAC is also the preferred lossless format for music libraries, media servers (Plex, Jellyfin), and professional audio workflows on non-Apple platforms. Converting RMI to FLAC makes legacy Windows MIDI content accessible to modern media management infrastructure without any quality compromise.

Common Use Cases

  • Archiving Windows-era DirectMusic game soundtracks from RMI as lossless FLAC for long-term preservation
  • Migrating corporate Windows multimedia libraries from RMI to FLAC for Plex or Jellyfin media servers
  • Creating lossless reference renders of legacy Windows kiosk music for audio production workflows
  • Preserving Windows CE and Windows Mobile notification sounds as FLAC for historical software archives
  • Building a lossless music collection from Windows-era MIDI compositions stored in RIFF MIDI format

How It Works

FFmpeg parses the 12-byte RIFF header, validates the RMID form type, and extracts the embedded MIDI data chunk. The MIDI event stream is processed through a software synthesizer loaded with a General MIDI SoundFont — note-on events trigger velocity-scaled sample playback, program changes select instrument patches, and controllers adjust volume, pan, expression, and sustain. The synthesized stereo PCM is encoded using the FLAC codec with linear prediction, residual computation, and Rice entropy coding. Compression level (0-12) trades encoding speed for file size with no quality difference.

Quality & Performance

FLAC encoding is mathematically lossless — the decoded PCM is bit-identical to the encoder input. Quality is determined solely by the SoundFont and synthesis engine. A premium SoundFont with multi-velocity samples produces natural-sounding results; the default General MIDI bank sounds functional but synthetic. FLAC typically compresses synthesized MIDI audio to 50-65% of raw PCM size — synthesized content often compresses well because it lacks the random noise floor present in microphone recordings.

FFMPEG EngineFastLossless

Device Compatibility

DeviceRMIFLAC
Windows PCPartialPartial
macOSPartialPartial
iPhone/iPadPartialPartial
AndroidPartialNative
LinuxPartialNative
Web BrowserNoNo

Recommended Settings by Platform

Spotify

Resolution: N/A

Bitrate: 320 kbps

OGG Vorbis preferred

Apple Music

Resolution: N/A

Bitrate: 256 kbps

AAC format required

SoundCloud

Resolution: N/A

Bitrate: 128 kbps

Lossless FLAC/WAV for best quality

Podcast

Resolution: N/A

Bitrate: 128 kbps

MP3 mono for spoken word

Tips for Best Results

  • 1Use FLAC compression level 5 (default) for the best balance of encoding speed and file size — higher levels save minimal additional space
  • 2Add Vorbis comment metadata to the FLAC output (TITLE, ARTIST, COPYRIGHT) to preserve information from the RMI's RIFF INFO chunks
  • 3Render at 48 kHz for production use or 44.1 kHz for distribution — both are standard FLAC sample rates
  • 4Keep the original RMI file alongside the FLAC render — MIDI data can be re-rendered with improved SoundFonts in the future
  • 5Verify the synthesis output by converting a single representative RMI file before batch processing an entire legacy collection

RMI to FLAC converts Windows-specific RIFF MIDI into the universal lossless audio format. For archiving legacy Windows multimedia content, FLAC provides zero-loss preservation with cross-platform compatibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

For archival and production use, no — FLAC preserves maximum quality from the synthesis step. For casual listening, AAC or MP3 at 192 kbps is sufficient and much smaller. Choose based on whether the file may be used as source material later.
FLAC is much larger than RMI. A 50 KB RMI file rendered to 4 minutes of audio produces roughly 25-30 MB of FLAC. RMI stores compact MIDI instructions; FLAC stores actual synthesized audio waveforms.
No. FLAC levels (0-12) only affect encoding speed versus file size. Level 5 (default) offers a good balance. Level 8 saves a few percent more space but encodes slower. Audio quality is identical at all levels.
Approximately. The Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth has a distinctive character. SoundFonts like Merlin GM or WeedsGM attempt to replicate it. For exact replication, you would need to render through the actual Microsoft synthesizer, which is only available on Windows.
Not automatically. RIFF metadata and Vorbis comments (FLAC's metadata format) use different structures. You must manually add title, artist, and copyright as Vorbis comment tags in the FLAC output.

Related Conversions & Tools

Reverse Conversion

FLAC to RMI

Also Convert RMI to

Also Convert to FLAC