Hello. I am new to Linux and MIDI stuff. I use Ubuntu.
I have a cheap 61-key MIDI keyboard and a MIDI-to-USB adapter. The keyboard doesn't have MIDI input port, just output. Since the keyboard's build in sound is awful, I want when I play the keyboard the signal to go to the PC and then the PC to send it via the 3.5mm stereo port to the speakers. But I don't want to make tracks, I want to play live. I will be glad if somebody help me.
Thanks.
How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz
Re: How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
What kind of sound would you like?
Just to get going and make some noise, I suggest a general MIDI soundfont, played by fluidsynth.
So, from the software center, get qjackctl, qsynth and fluid-soundfont-gm.
Launch qjackctl and start the jack server, launch qsynth, and load the soundfont you will find in /usr/share/sounds/sf2/. In the connection window of qjackctl, connect your MIDI keyboard to fluidsynth and the audio outputs of fluidsynths to the system_playbacks.
Your user needs to be in the audio group.
Sometimes is not so easy, so if you have any doubt or something goes wrong, ask again.
Cheers, Pablo
Just to get going and make some noise, I suggest a general MIDI soundfont, played by fluidsynth.
So, from the software center, get qjackctl, qsynth and fluid-soundfont-gm.
Launch qjackctl and start the jack server, launch qsynth, and load the soundfont you will find in /usr/share/sounds/sf2/. In the connection window of qjackctl, connect your MIDI keyboard to fluidsynth and the audio outputs of fluidsynths to the system_playbacks.
Your user needs to be in the audio group.
Sometimes is not so easy, so if you have any doubt or something goes wrong, ask again.
Cheers, Pablo
Re: How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
You may be surprised by routing the 'awful' keyboard sounds through qjackctl into rakarrack multi-fx, guitarix2 amp-sim/fx, jack-rack (with a slate of ladspa fx), calf, invada, and mda plugins, and all the LV2 things you find in synaptic.
Run a cable from the keyboard headphone output, to the soundcard line-input.
In the Audio tab of qjackctl, connect the left side 'system' to a right side fx that you
start, then connect that fx on the left side, so 'system' on the right side.
(rakarrack will do that by default, but may be mono, so click the > widget by
its entry to open the connections, and redo for stereo. You should change that
in it's preferences, for keyboar use.)
In the Alsa tab, connect your midi keyboard
on the right half, to your midi input on the left. This may vary with usb cabling.
Look at the qjackctl wiki page, or google /youtube for qjackctl connection
and setup screenshots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qjackctl
Timemachine is a great simple recording software, and can be the final connection
of your qjackctl routings. Audacity can import its tm.w64 files, then save and export in the common
mp3, flac wav etc formats.
ladspa plugin collections installed using synaptic, usually include
amb, caps, fil, swh, vco, and tap, providing dozens of fx for audacity, jack-rack, qtractor etc
Run a cable from the keyboard headphone output, to the soundcard line-input.
In the Audio tab of qjackctl, connect the left side 'system' to a right side fx that you
start, then connect that fx on the left side, so 'system' on the right side.
(rakarrack will do that by default, but may be mono, so click the > widget by
its entry to open the connections, and redo for stereo. You should change that
in it's preferences, for keyboar use.)
In the Alsa tab, connect your midi keyboard
on the right half, to your midi input on the left. This may vary with usb cabling.
Look at the qjackctl wiki page, or google /youtube for qjackctl connection
and setup screenshots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qjackctl
Timemachine is a great simple recording software, and can be the final connection
of your qjackctl routings. Audacity can import its tm.w64 files, then save and export in the common
mp3, flac wav etc formats.
ladspa plugin collections installed using synaptic, usually include
amb, caps, fil, swh, vco, and tap, providing dozens of fx for audacity, jack-rack, qtractor etc
Re: How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
slowpick, thanks for the suggestion, but I use a laptop, I don't have line in port.
Pablo, Qsynth makes noise + quiet tone. May be the problem is settings related. I will attach a screenshot of the settings I use. Fortunately I found another program - ZynAddSubFX Software Synthesizer - which works almost perfect. There is no noise, but that program doesn't have a regular grand piano. I couldn't find in internet the instrument file needed (.xiz) to have grand piano. Could you recommend me software similar to Qsynth?
Pablo, Qsynth makes noise + quiet tone. May be the problem is settings related. I will attach a screenshot of the settings I use. Fortunately I found another program - ZynAddSubFX Software Synthesizer - which works almost perfect. There is no noise, but that program doesn't have a regular grand piano. I couldn't find in internet the instrument file needed (.xiz) to have grand piano. Could you recommend me software similar to Qsynth?
- Снимка.jpg (135.69 KiB) Viewed 2536 times
Re: How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
Hi, if you want a grand piano, you can also try linuxsampler + qsampler with the maestro concert grand piano.
Hint: To install linuxsampler and qsampler, add the KXstudio team PPA to your software sources before installing. You can get the grand piano from the linuxsampler project page.
As for qjackctl's settings, I don't see anything wrong, but I suggest increasing the frames/period value, I hope 256 frames/period is a good compromise between latency and stability (you don't want x-runs, red numbers in qjackctl's display). BTW, jack does start, doesn't it? I see "stopped" in the screenshot. Start it!
Well, you will have to experiment a bit, some reading and patience.
Hint: To install linuxsampler and qsampler, add the KXstudio team PPA to your software sources before installing. You can get the grand piano from the linuxsampler project page.
As for qjackctl's settings, I don't see anything wrong, but I suggest increasing the frames/period value, I hope 256 frames/period is a good compromise between latency and stability (you don't want x-runs, red numbers in qjackctl's display). BTW, jack does start, doesn't it? I see "stopped" in the screenshot. Start it!
Well, you will have to experiment a bit, some reading and patience.
Re: How to play live using MIDI keyboard?
w64 is the default format but you can tell timemachine to record to wav. SeeTimemachine is a great simple recording software, and can be the final connection
of your qjackctl routings. Audacity can import its tm.w64 files, then save and export in the common
mp3, flac wav etc formats.
timemachine --help
timemachine is awesome because it can record the past but for a simple jack-aware recorder, I prefer jack_capture, which can record to other formats and autoconnects to its inputs all the ports that are connected to the system_playbacks (so you record what you are hearing from the speakers, but internally).
BTW, the OP didn't want to record...
I hope he is getting somewhere.