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Audio Conversion

Convert RMI to WAV — Free Online Converter

Convert RIFF MIDI (.rmi) to Waveform Audio (.wav) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration....

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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 .wav file when it's ready.

About RMI to WAV Conversion

RMI (RIFF MIDI) and WAV (Waveform Audio) are siblings in the RIFF container family — both use Microsoft's Resource Interchange File Format as their structural foundation. RMI stores MIDI performance instructions within RIFF chunks, while WAV stores uncompressed PCM audio samples. Converting between them stays within the RIFF family while fundamentally transforming the content from musical instructions to rendered audio waveforms.

This conversion extracts the MIDI data from the RMI's RIFF structure, synthesizes it through a software synthesizer with a SoundFont bank, and stores the resulting PCM audio in a WAV container — the sister RIFF format. The output is uncompressed, master-quality audio suitable for any professional audio workflow.

Why Convert RMI to WAV?

WAV is the universal uncompressed audio format accepted by every DAW, audio editor, video editor, and professional tool ever made. Converting RMI to WAV produces a master-quality render that can serve as the source for all subsequent format conversions. Starting with WAV, you can later encode to MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, or any other format without accumulating generation loss.

Since both RMI and WAV are RIFF containers, the conversion stays within Microsoft's binary framework — the output inherits WAV's universal compatibility while shedding RMI's Windows-only limitation. WAV files play on every operating system and device, unlike the Windows-exclusive RMI format.

Common Use Cases

  • Rendering Windows MIDI mapper content from RMI as uncompressed WAV for professional audio production
  • Creating master audio files from Windows-era RMI compositions for mixing and mastering in any DAW
  • Producing uncompressed WAV stems from DirectMusic RMI game soundtracks for remixing and reuse
  • Archiving legacy Windows kiosk RMI music as uncompressed WAV for maximum preservation fidelity
  • Generating sample library entries from synthesized RMI instrument patches as WAV files for studio use

How It Works

FFmpeg reads the source RIFF container with 'RMID' form type and extracts the MIDI data chunk. The MIDI event stream is dispatched to a software synthesizer — note-on events trigger velocity-scaled sample playback from SoundFont instrument patches, program changes select instruments, and controllers manage dynamics (volume, pan, expression, sustain). The rendered stereo PCM is written into a new RIFF container with 'WAVE' form type, using fmt (format description: sample rate, bit depth, channels) and data (raw PCM samples) chunks. Both source and output are RIFF containers, but with entirely different content types.

Quality & Performance

WAV stores uncompressed PCM — the encoding step introduces zero quality loss. Every sample from the synthesis output is preserved exactly as rendered. The quality equation depends entirely on the SoundFont. RMI files were designed for the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, which produces a characteristic sound. A matching SoundFont recreates that character; a different SoundFont produces different timbres. WAV captures whichever result the synthesizer produces with perfect fidelity.

FFMPEG EngineFastLossless

Device Compatibility

DeviceRMIWAV
Windows PCPartialNative
macOSPartialPartial
iPhone/iPadPartialPartial
AndroidPartialPartial
LinuxPartialPartial
Web BrowserNoNative

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

  • 1Render at 24-bit 48 kHz for production work — this provides maximum headroom for subsequent mixing and mastering
  • 2Use 16-bit 44.1 kHz for final delivery or distribution to save space without audible quality loss on synthesized content
  • 3Transfer RIFF INFO metadata manually from the source RMI to the output WAV to preserve attribution — both formats support the same INFO chunk structure
  • 4Consider FLAC instead of WAV for archival — identical audio quality at 50-60% of the file size with lossless compression
  • 5Preview the synthesis result with a single RMI file before batch converting to verify the SoundFont produces acceptable instrument timbres

RMI to WAV converts between RIFF siblings — from MIDI instructions to uncompressed audio. This is the foundational conversion for any professional use of legacy Windows MIDI content.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Despite sharing the RIFF container structure, the contents are fundamentally different — RMI holds MIDI instructions, WAV holds PCM audio samples. The conversion requires synthesizing audio from the MIDI data, not just repackaging bytes.
Dramatically larger. A 40 KB RMI file rendered at 44.1 kHz stereo 16-bit produces approximately 10 MB per minute of audio. A 4-minute composition becomes about 40 MB as WAV.
Use 24-bit if the WAV will undergo further processing (mixing, mastering, EQ) — the extra dynamic range provides headroom. Use 16-bit for final delivery or when file size matters.
Approximately. The Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth uses proprietary Roland-derived samples. Some SoundFonts closely approximate the Microsoft GS character, but exact replication requires the actual Microsoft synthesizer on Windows.
WAV supports RIFF INFO chunks with the same structure as RMI. Metadata like INAM (title), IART (artist), and ICOP (copyright) can theoretically transfer between RIFF siblings, though FFmpeg does not perform this transfer automatically.

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