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Topic: Does foobar support midi? (Read 14582 times) previous topic - next topic
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Does foobar support midi?

Can I play midi with foobar?

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #1 –
According to this topic, they're not supported at the moment and probably won't be anytime soon.

~ Florian

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #2 –
As far as I understand, the problem is the lack of a suitable softsynth with a free enough license.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #3 –
How about Timidity? It's GPL...

dev0
"To understand me, you'll have to swallow a world." Or maybe your words.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #4 –
GPL != free
Microsoft Windows: We can't script here, this is bat country.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #5 –
Why not use DirectMusic?

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #6 –
Quote
Why not use DirectMusic?

At a guess, Peter wants to be able to put the actual music data through the player (DSP, visualization, ...)

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #7 –
You can still do that using DirectMusic - like in Winamp.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #8 –
MIDI playback through whatever regular API would suck because if it even got somehow implemented (completely abusing current input API...), it would break all interesting playback features (replaygain, DSP, different outputs, visualisations, dithering, clipping detection, etc etc, hell, even diskwriting). Proper MIDI input needs to get PCM data from rendered MIDI files, and no win32 MIDI playback API supports that properly.
Say "DirectMusic" again and I will eat you alive... I originally came with the idea of capturing PCM data from DirectMusic synth years ago, it was a total pain to work with, and had unfixable issues (can only operate in realtime, broken multiinstance safety on MS side at least with the version of DirectX I had installed last time I played with that, etc)
Microsoft Windows: We can't script here, this is bat country.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #9 –
hehe ok, it just seemed like a quick albeit dirty solution....

What kind of softsynth would you be thinking of? One which creates sounds using physical modelling or having a huge sample base to download?

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #10 –
Quote
How about Timidity? It's GPL...

Timidity sounds like ass.

(just mho)
A riddle is a short sword attached to the next 2000 years.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #11 –
Quote
hehe ok, it just seemed like a quick albeit dirty solution....

What kind of softsynth would you be thinking of? One which creates sounds using physical modelling or having a huge sample base to download?

_Anything_ would be nice as a start.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #12 –
Quote
Timidity sounds like ass.

(just mho)

Same here. I have yet to hear a softsynth that sounds half as good as a GeneralUser GS or MagicSFv2 or any decend SoundFont.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #14 –
my opinion is that midi isn't even needed in foobar. most likely you want midi files because of the musicial notes and not for listening because midi always sounds crap. so you better use a midi editor/sequenzer anyway

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #15 –
Quote
my opinion is that midi isn't even needed in foobar. most likely you want midi files because of the musicial notes and not for listening because midi always sounds crap. so you better use a midi editor/sequenzer anyway

Meh ?
You should see (or rather hear) some old DOS games running on my Yamaha SW60-XG. That thing owned. Too bad I can't install it in any recent machine (ISA card...) and I don't even have any proper playback software for it anymore (in_midi was aimed to cooperate with it properly, other players have issues playing XG MIDI files at least because of XG effects not getting fully reset between tracks).
Microsoft Windows: We can't script here, this is bat country.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #16 –
Midi support would be really, really cool in foobar, especially if fully integrated.

Timidity isn't all that bad, from my ten minutes of playing with it.  Well, some songs sound pretty bad (and some I can't even recognize because it's so bad), but really, I wouldn't expect much more from midis...

I'll still cross my fingers for an appropriate softsynth (since I'm not qualified at all to help make one myself), if for no other reason than completeness -- MIDI is the only format in my music folder that foobar doesn't support.

Edit: vvvv I was, of course, referring to TiMidity++.  Sounds good enough for the most part, but some instruments... bleh.

Edit 2: No, Thor, that's not incredibly likely.  *Maybe* giving Peter a special exception would work if you asked reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal nicely, but even then, it'd have to be closed, which wouldn't be cool.

OR, someone could just derive a plugin on their own and GPL it, like kode has for oh-so-many of his cool plugins</brownnose>.  Okay, only four, but still, if someone's up to it...

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #17 –
TiMidity++ can be ordered to output its audio stream to stdout, which can be picked up by a pipe. ZDoom already demonstrates how to do this, but is designed to use a special version that has a quit signal built in. I have modified that code so it just terminates the TiMidity++ process instead, but this is probably not a good idea.

TiMidity++ does sound fine if you equip a decent patch set.



canadacow's MT-32 emulator project does not run at anywhere near an optimal speed yet... and I should also point out that the MT-32 is definately not a General MIDI device. Sure, it can be fed a set of instruments to emulate GM, but it doesn't sound very good. Plus, the emulator still has some problems with rendering notes off-key.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #18 –
someone ask those TiMidity++ guys to consider changing to a less strickt licence (LGPL? BSD?)

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #19 –
Quote
someone ask those TiMidity++ guys to consider changing to a less strickt licence (LGPL? BSD?)

'Did I spot a volunteer?'

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #21 –
Hi people,

According to canadacow, the Microsoft SoftSynth source code is available. Here's a quote from the thread:

Quote
The Microsoft SC-55 softsynth's source is available. Moreover, Microsoft actually encourages building one's own softsynth starting from their implementation. I would suggest to that group that they simply integrate the MS softsynth into their program. Such an implementation would be compatible both with the default DLS (Instrument library) provided by Microsoft, or another soundfont that more closely approximates the sound they are looking for. The source, of course, can be found in the Windows DDK. If they are sincerely interested, they can contact me and I'll get it to them.


The thread is located here:
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/showthread.php...=&threadid=1957

Kind regards.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #22 –
That source code is available as part of the DDK. I do believe the DDK license bars use of its contained source code in anything but Windows drivers.

Oh yeah, and you can't get the DDK from Microsoft unless you pay them to ship it to you on a CD.

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #23 –
hi

i would also be pleased if foobar supports midi.
but i don't understand, why foobar needs an own softsynthesizer.

why not use a simple midi plug in like in winamp
where u can select your midi device to play the files.
the midi device schoud normally be the wavetable of the soundcard
(every sk has its on midi device, even a sb live/audigy or onboard soundcard)

ok midi sounds worse with this type of "wavtable"
if u don't have a real wavetbale i suggest using yamaha softsynthesizer
(it sounds awesome particularly the xg files)

http://www.yamaha.co.uk/xg/html/midplug/m_mid8.htm

it has the same features as the real yamaha daughterboard
and its the only softsynth which supports xg midi files

of course u cannot use visualisation, diskwriter etc, but
foobar schould only support playing midi files nothing more

( an own softsynth for foobar wouldn't be a good idea, because
only the yamaha ss can play xg files reasonably
, so better use a plug in like the one used in winamp, where u can select
your midi device.)

Does foobar support midi?

Reply #24 –
Foobar2000 does not yet support inputs which do not generate samples. Developing an input which generates silence while producing its own audio through an external means is not a good idea.