I Tried “Zelda: Ocarina of Time” MIDI Files — Here’s What Happened

Posted byprimmerfeld

I grew up humming these tunes. You too? That menu theme still hits. So last month, on a rainy Saturday, I grabbed a big set of Ocarina of Time MIDI files and spent a weekend making covers. Coffee at 11 pm. Headphones on. Total time warp.
Curious about every misstep and miracle? I logged the blow-by-blow in a dedicated piece you can skim right here.

Why I grabbed the MIDI files

I wanted the notes, not guesses. MIDI gives the parts. Melody. Bass. Drums. It’s like the song’s bones. I use it to learn fast, teach kids, and build covers without fuss. And I miss Hyrule. That’s reason enough.
If you’d rather relive the adventure by actually playing it, my no-filter thoughts on booting up Ocarina of Time with modern tools are in this emulator deep-dive.
And if you’re hunting for your own trove of game-ready MIDIs, I found a treasure chest at Zelda-Sanctuary, neatly tagged and free to download.
For an even deeper dive, the community-maintained Ocarina of Time MIDI library at Zelda Dungeon catalogs almost every cue from the game.

My setup (fast and messy)

I used FL Studio on my PC. I also tried GarageBand on my iPad for a quick test, and MuseScore to print clean sheet music.

  • SoundFonts: Arachno and GeneralUser GS. Simple and light.
  • A few VSTs: Spitfire BBC SO Discover for strings, a Rhodes piano, and Vital for chiptune leads.
  • Tempo map: sometimes right, sometimes weird. I kept a tuner on my desk. Old habit.

Let me explain a little: MIDI channels are lanes. Drums sit on channel 10 in General MIDI. CC7 is volume. CC10 is pan. I know, that sounds nerdy. But it helps when stuff sounds wrong.

Real tracks I made (and kept)

Here’s the fun part. Real examples. Real hiccups.

  • Gerudo Valley: I built a bright Latin pop thing. Nylon guitar on melody, two trumpets, and a snappy snare with a little tambourine. The MIDI had the rhythm right, but trumpet stabs were too stiff. I humanized timing by 6 ms and added swing at 55%. I also doubled the bass with a clean electric bass. It slapped. I used a touch of plate reverb to glue it.

  • Song of Storms: I did a lo-fi loop. Vinyl crackle, soft Rhodes, and a lazy hip hop kit. The tempo map came in hot, so I locked it at 126 BPM and moved the hats by hand. I rolled off lows at 120 Hz and added a sidechain to the kick. It breathed. My friend called it “study rain.”

  • Lost Woods (Saria’s Song): Chiptune. Square wave lead, simple noise snare, and a sine bass. The MIDI had too many tiny notes in the grace runs, so I merged them. I kept it at 150 BPM and left a silly bitcrush on the master. It sounds like a candy shop.

  • Zora’s Domain: Steel pan and a dreamy chorus pad. The MIDI had pan hard left on the melody. I reset CC10 and centered it. I lowered the reverb tail to 1.8s so it didn’t smear.

  • Kakariko Village: Music box with a toy piano layer. I used MuseScore to print the top line for a violin student. She nailed it by week two. Simple joy.

  • Great Fairy Fountain: Ambient pad bed. I kept the arpeggio soft with a felt piano. I used BBC Discover for strings. The velocity was stuck at 100 on every note in the MIDI, so I drew a little curve. It went from whisper to shine.

  • Hyrule Field: Big strings and a horn layer. I added a low tom roll. The MIDI split the ostinato into two tracks, so I merged them and used legato. Felt like a movie trailer, but sweet.

The good stuff

  • It’s fast. You get the right notes, right away.
  • Parts are split well in most files. Melody, pads, bass, drums.
  • Great for teaching. I made quick sheets in MuseScore for two kids. They learned harmony by hearing it.
  • Remix heaven. Drop in, swap sounds, and you’ve got a new mood.

The not-so-good stuff

It felt easy. Then it didn’t. Here’s why.

  • Some files had wild pan and volume moves (CC7 and CC10). I reset them.
  • Drums on the wrong channel sometimes. I moved them to channel 10 for GM kits.
  • Sustain stuck on a few tracks (CC64). Pianos got mushy. I trimmed it.
  • Velocities all the same. Robotic. I nudged by hand.
  • A few tempos were off or missing markers. I tapped tempo and set it myself.

Small stuff, but it adds up. If you hate cleanup, you’ll grumble.
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If you’re collecting tracks beyond Ocarina, you can browse the extensive multi-game set on ZeldaCentral’s music archive for additional reference material.

Handy tips that saved me

  • Clear all CCs at the start. Then set your own volume and pan.
  • Humanize timing by 4–10 ms. Quantize at 50% so it still breathes.
  • Put drums on channel 10. Use a GM kit if you want quick wins.
  • Try a light SoundFont first. Then swap in fancy VSTs.
  • High-pass the mix at 30 Hz. Add a soft buss compressor. Keep headroom.
  • If a melody feels flat, draw a little velocity ramp. Your ear will smile.

Who will love this

  • Fans who want a cover without guessing notes.
  • Teachers who need quick sheets and parts.
  • Hobby devs who want temp music for a demo.
  • Beatmakers who like flips and mashups.
  • Kids who just want to hear Saria’s Song on a kazoo. Yes, I tried it. It was chaos. Good chaos. If coloring is more their speed, check out the week-long test I did with some whimsical Legend of Zelda coloring pages.

Little quirks I noticed

  • PPQ felt like 480 in most files. Smooth enough for tight edits.
  • Program changes picked odd patches at times. I turned them off and picked sounds myself.
  • A few files looped clean at the right bar. Handy for game mods or a chill stream scene.

Final take

I loved it. Not perfect, but worth the hassle. With a little cleanup, these Ocarina of Time MIDI files sing. Gerudo Valley was my hit. Song of Storms, my comfort loop. If you’re cool with a broom in one hand and a synth in the other, you’ll have a good night.

Would I use them again? Oh yeah. I already am. Next up: Zelda’s Lullaby with a glass harp and a sub bass. Weird combo, but you know what? It might work.