TuxGuitar output to JACK
Since TuxGuitar has had ALSA and other output support via plug-ins, we can basically use any softsynth that has a MIDI input port as the output device. You connect TuxGuitar to that port of the synthesizer, and then connect the output of that application to JACK.
TiMidity++
TiMidity is a software synthesizer that can use GUS patches and SoundFont banks to process MIDI information into audible sounds. It is one of the two recommended methods to get MIDI playback capability on Linux systems, the other being FluidSynth.
The main reason most people use it is because you can have it as a daemon (process running in the background), so MIDI playback would be an integrated and seamless feature. It can use OSS, ALSA and JACK back-ends; we're going to focus on the latter in this guide.
[image of tuxguitar icon here]
Playback:
If you work in a JACK environment a lot, you would love to have more programs output to the server instead of some other back-end or mixer. However, TuxGuitar needs an active TiMidity++ JACK process - you will not get sound if you try to use the default ALSA TiMidity ports (normally "128:x").
[image of qjackctl alsa tab here]
You don't have to kill that one, we can start a separate process. Whether you want to daemonise it is up to you and your specific Linux/GNU/BSD/Unix distribution.
In a terminal or run-command applet:
Code: Select all
timidity -iA -OjCode: Select all
timidity -iAD -OjCode: Select all
timidity -iANotice that now you have another set of ports. Start TuxGuitar and go to Tools > Settings > Sound. Under "MIDI Port" select the new port; by default it's "130:x" so if you don't have any other connection you can safely pick "130:0".
[two demonstrative screenshots here]
...to be continued