This is the README for MIDIPlayer.1.02.NI.tar.gz [Download] [Browse] [Up]
This is the first Version of MIDIPlayer,a program which lets you
play MIDI files on a keyboard (synthesizer) connected to a MIDI
interface of your computer.
MIDI Software under NeXTstep is very rare and there is currently
(5'95) no program available for NeXTstep I know of which plays MIDI
files with the correct timing. (If you know better tell me!)
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IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
Because MIDIPlayer.app uses the FoundationKit you need NextStep 3.3
or EOF-User to run it!
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
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Needed Hardware and MIDI Drivers:
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Motorola:
- The MIDI driver is included in the systems software but it is
corrupt in release 3.3 of NeXTstep! If you want to use MIDIPlayer
with release 3.3 you need to exchange the files
"/usr/lib/kern_loader/Midi/mididriver_reloc"
"/usr/lib/kern_loader/Midi/midi_reloc_2.0" with the files of release
3.2. If you don't have release 3.2 any more you can obtain the
files from "ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu".
- I don't know of any company which still offers MIDI interfaces
for Motorola hardware but a circuit diagram of a MIDI interface is
included with this player in the file "MIDIInterfaceCurcuitDiagram.rtfd"
Intel:
- You need a MPU-401 compatible MIDI card.
- The MIDI driver can be obtained from "ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu"
as part of the MusicKit.
- Because I don't have access to Intel equipment with MIDI hardware,
I never tested MIDIPlayer on Intel hardware! Tell me if it works!
HP, SUN:
- I don't know anything about MIDI support on these two architectures.
If you know more drop me a mail.
- MIDIPlayer is not compiled to run on HP or Sparc.
Revision history:
1.0 :
- first released version
1.01:
- Due to an error in the linking order MIDIPlayer 1.0 didn't run on
Intel hardware. This should be fixed now.
1.02:
- Fixed a problem with the play mode switches. Now they work
as intended.
What MIDIPlayer does:
- You can open any number of MIDI files by double-clicking them in
Workspace, command-dragging them on MIDIPlayer's icon or using the
"Files/Add Files ..." menu of MIDIPlayer*.
- MIDIPlayer plays the files once, continuous, or in random sequence
depending of the mode buttons you have selected.
- You can change the order of the files in the "MIDI file list"
window by control-dragging them*.
Note: * This only works if there is currently no file playing!
What MIDIPlayer does not do:
- It doesn't display any information (like the contained text
events) about the MIDI files.
- You cannot make any changes to the MIDI files (like changing the
program change events).
- It does not behave very well on corrupted MIDI files. All you
get is an error message in the console window and MIDIPlayer skips
this file and stops playing. The same is true for some files which
are not really corrupt but violate the MIDI file specification in
one or the other way (like appending garbage to the end of the
file).
- It does not play files which tempo is given in real time. I never
encountered such a file yet.
Future plans:
I don't plan to improve MIDIPlayer much because it was only a quick
hack I wrote to test my MIDI file parsing object. Because of that
please don't mail me bug reports concerning the user interface of
MIDIPlayer.
I am thinking about writing a full featured MIDI sequencer program
starting from the beginning again with the player part which will
be available on the net sometime in the future. My motivation to do this
may depend on the resonance I get about MIDIPlayer.
Dirk Schwarzhans
dirk@kalium.physik.TU-Berlin.DE
These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.