MIDI View

[j_e_f_f_g]

I've been working with MIDI on Linux, and really missed my "MIDI Input Viewer" for Windows. So this weekend, I made a linux version. Here's the description:

Occasionally, a musician has need to check what MIDI data is actually being sent from a specific MIDI instrument.

MidiView is a software program that graphically displays the MIDI data as it is being received at your computer's MIDI In jack. In this way, you can visually see the actual MIDI data while it is being sent by some instrument.

MidiView also has a "MIDI Thru" function. So, you attach a MIDI controller to your computer's MIDI In, and a sound module to the computer's MIDI Out. Then, while you're playing the controller and hearing the sound module responding to that MIDI data, MidiView will be displaying the MIDI data in sync. This can be useful in helping to setup the controller, as well as checking to what MIDI events the sound module is responding.

MidiView also allows you to filter out certain types of MIDI events so that you isolate only those events of interest.

As usual, a deb file is provided for 64-bit folks:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/mid ... _amd64.deb

32-bit users will have to dig out your neanderthal flint tools and compile source:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/midiview.zip

Falk and GMaq:
If you don't already include a MIDI diagnostic utility with your distro, consider this one. It's tiny, desktop agnostic (doesn't pull in gnome nor kde libs), doesn't require JACK, has no dependencies beyond the kernel, and is easier to use for MIDI diagnostics than ALSA command line utilities.

[nils]

jack_midi_dump

[autostatic]

Thanks for this j_e_f_f_g. I've installed it but I can't run it directly because the binary is not in my search path (/usr/bin/midiview/midiview) so you might want to adjust that.

[male]

I've been working with MIDI on Linux, and really missed my "MIDI Input Viewer" for Windows. So this weekend, I made a linux version.

There are already several tools for this... You might have checked freecode or google first.

(edit: removed comment that, while I actually agreed with its content, sparked an unconstructive tangent. sorry. --raboof)

[tux99]

There are already several tools for this... You might have checked freecode or google first.

Correct, but every tool has advantages and disadvantages, so one more tool certainly doesn't hurt. If you don't like it don't use it!

(edit: removed reaction to removed statement --raboof)

[Pablo]

There is also qmidiroute but more apps are always welcome, of course. Thanks for this.

What Autostatic said. Anyway, I tried to run it but:

Code: Select all

pablo@desktop:/usr/bin/midiview$ ./midiview
Need to install font -*-helvetica-bold-r-normal-*-18-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

What package do I need to install to get this font? I am running ubuntu 13.04

[j_e_f_f_g]

jack_midi_dump

Oh god no. When you're testing MIDI or audio functionality of hardware, you don't want JACK (whose configuration is often the cause of midi/audio issues). You want something that goes directly to ALSA so you can definitively ensure that your device is working at the OS level. No sound servers or abstraction layers. You deal with those only after you've successfully tested with ALSA.

At some point, I intend to make a similiar GUI utility to test digital audio at the OS (ALSA) level.

the binary is not in my search path

Ah ok. I use Debreate to make my packages, and I misconfigured it here. I'll fix that.

I should note that since this utility has no dependencies beyond what any desktop linux has, you can actually copy the exec "midiview" anywhere, and run it from there. Well, actually it does require one X font that it appears some distros don't include with X. I'm going to look into resolving that. (If you want the help pages, you also must copy the files whose names end with ".txt". But the exec will run without the help pages). Copy both the 32-bit and 64-bit midiview execs to a usb stick. Then if you need to diagnose MIDI on someone's computer, just pop in the usb stick. Regardless of whether he's running gnome, kde, enlightenment, openbox, etc, it should run without needing to pull anything in. (Except for that font. I hate non-base-os dependencies.)

consider making a small website for it

I will, but after I finish porting all the windows stuff. I'm so pressed for time that I'd rather do it at one time.

is there a git repo I can follow?

I've never done git before. At some point, I'll look into it. But again it's a time issue. I've got Parkinson's disease which has slowed me down tremendously. Right now, I'm just trying to get software finished, and that takes priority over everything else related to my free projects. I need to get the basic tasks done before I tend to peripheral issues. (And my spare time is getting less).

Feature requests and bug reports, for now, will just have to go to me via this forum.

There are already several tools for this

Undoubtably, but I definitely want one that has a GUI but doesn't require gnome nor kde libs (nor anything beyond X), and goes directly to ALSA. That eliminates a lot of choices, and since it would have taken me just as long to audition choices as the 5 days to port exactly what I wanted... now there's another tool. It's not like people are saying "There's too much linux audio software. We already have Ardour and Audacity and Muse and Rosegarden, etc, so what do we need this Non stuff for?", right?

If you don't like unixisms maybe you should find another OS.

Actually, I've found about 5 other OS's, and that's why I know that certain things are preferable, or more evolved, on particular ones. Linux documentation is one area that needs particular improvement. Man pages are fine for a headless server, but inappropiate for a desktop. Local help pages, presented in a desktop window when the user presses a well-established shortcut, needs to become the norm for linux apps. It shouldn't be a "Windows-ism". It should be an "every desktop app does it"-ism.

I hope j_e_f_f_g has thick enough skin

Oh believe me, that stuff doesn't bother me. I do have my opinions/preferences and will advocate them very passionately. But bottom line is if someone wants to say "jeff's software is useless and should have a nuclear device detonated on it", that's fine with me. And it should not be censored. Negative commmentary can be every bit as useful as positive. There's this music critic whose taste in music I despise. I read his negative reviews. If he really hates something, and especially if he uses the word "pretentious", I put that item on my "must listen to" list. You have to be able to evaluate criticism, especially in regard to whether the critic's views/preferences mirror your own. With that skill, no one should take it personally. Take it passionately, and do dissent if that's how you feel. But not personally.

I'm not offended by anything male has said.

What package do I need to install to get this font?

Trying to remember. It's got to be xfonts-base, xsftt, libxfont1, or libfontenc1.

(removed some comments on already-removed originals. sorry --raboof)

[autostatic]

You need to install xfonts-100dpi.

[j_e_f_f_g]

You need to install xfonts-100dpi.

You need to listen to autostatic, and not me.

Wait. I don't have that one installed. It should be one of the other ones. 100dpi probably pulled it in.

[Pablo]

Installing xfonts-100dpi didn't work at first, but it worked after a session restart. I already had xfonts-base, xsftt, libxfont1 and libfontenc1.

I haven't read the whole discussion but I love linux and jack. In general, I don't like windows "promiscuity" or user applications that talk directly to hardware. Maybe for learning purposes is fine but not for a distro.

However, I admit that the case might be different for audio production use especially when there is a need, apparently not so well covered by canonical ways. I observed that midiview doesn't create alsa MIDI ports, which is strange, but maybe needed for the purpose.

Anyway, I admire FLOSS developers a lot. A bit of competition is good but it saddens me when you start calling names. You both have strong points and I think you would learn from each other if you met in person, with open views.

[shanipribadi]

Is this for alsa RawMIDI only? Can it be used to read the midi output of another program like pd or seq24?
I can only choose VirMIDI in the midi port choice.

[raboof]

If you've been following this thread, you might have noticed I've moderated some things away. I appreciate the fact that Jeff stated he does not want censorship, however I think the changes improve the quality of the thread.

Of course there's still a lot in this thread that's not about viewing MIDI. I'm leaving that here, as it's a meaningful and polite discussion, but it might be better to move it to a separate thread. Let me know if you want me to help with that.

[raboof]

On-topic, other GUI MIDI monitors are KMidimon (KDE) and GMIDImonitor (GTK).

[raboof]

Of course there's still a lot in this thread that's not about viewing MIDI. I'm leaving that here, as it's a meaningful and polite discussion, but it might be better to move it to a separate thread. Let me know if you want me to help with that.

As this thread was getting rather big, I've split it in 3:

• We had a small discussion regarding an alternative tool, https://code.google.com/p/midisnoop/ , being in Debian/KXStudio without ALSA enabled. http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic ... 44&t=11102
• We had a discussion regarding the relative merits of ALSA, JACK and various other approaches. http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic ... 44&t=11101

[GMaq]

Hi,

After narrowly missing a saber-toothed tiger attack and enjoying a delicious lunch of fire-roasted mammoth I was able to construct this 32-bit package of MIDIView from some nearby primordial ooze complete with Freedesktop launcher and Icon.

http://bandshed.net/avlinux6-debs/midiv ... 1_i386.deb