Hi all,

I have been using pd for quite some time already, but only recently I have migrated to Linux from Windows (currently I am using Linux Mint 17 64-bit). Dealing with MIDI objects was very simple with Windows, but I am having a hard time configuring it on Linux. With Windows, I could simply create a simple patch using some MIDI objects and I would hear output straight away.

My current pd instllation on Linux does produce sound when the DSP is on (such as with [osc~]), but no MIDI sounds are heard when I try the "Test Audio and Midi..." patch nor with any of my patches.

Here is what I am doing:

• first, I open QjackCtl (GUI for JACK) and click START (so I am assuming I am starting JACK by doing so, am I right?)

• then I open pd-extended, which has "jack" selected as its audio output (my choices are OSS, ALSA, portaudio and jack). Pd always gives me the following error message when I open it:
  couldn't open MIDI input device 0
  couldn't open MIDI output device 0
  opened 0 MIDI input device(s) and 0 MIDI output device(s).

• as for MIDI, pd always loads with default-MIDI selected, but I go to that menu and chose ALSA-MIDI. This makes pd output:
  Opened Alsa Client 129 in:1 out:1

• when I do so, I can see that Pure Data appears in QjackCtl's Connection under the tab ALSA

• Now if I open the Test Audio and MIDI patch, I can hear the oscillators, but when I click on the [tgl] MIDI OUT, nothing can be heard (but I can see a [bng] blinking).

• I have also tried tried to install a program named TiMidity (together with some sound samples for it) in order to play MIDI files on Linux (as far as I understood, this is necessary in order to hear any sound from a MIDI file, unlike Windows which can do it out of the box). Now, when I play MIDI files via the terminal ("timidity filename.mid"), I can hear it playing. Also, after reading about it, I learned that the command "timidity -iA -B8,2 -Os" makes Timidity become the ALSA sequencer device (after this command, timidity appears in the list of "Writable Clients/Input Ports" in QjackCtl's Connection (tab ALSA). But I still don't hear any MIDI sounds...

So does anyone know what am I doing wrongly? Any help or ideas would be highly appreciated! Thanks a lot.

Regards,
Gilberto

Hi Giberto, if you want to use MIDI with PD and Jack I suggest to put the flag -alsamidi in the startup flags in pd preferencies. This will automatically start Alsamidi when you start PD.
then you have to open some midi device to receive and play what you're sending via PD. I use Qsynth and it works fine. You just have to do the right output2input connection in Jack. ie puredata2Qsynth in ALSAConnectionMenu and Qsynth2System in AudioConnectionsMenu.
that's it
cheers

Fantastic, thanks a lot, this really solved my problem! I simply downloaded Qsynth and connect it to pd via QjackCtl. Then loaded some soundfonts with it and that was all! It is strange that Timidity didn't work out, but no problems now.

Take care!
Gilberto

Glad to hear that! I never used Timidity but I know it works too, don't know how though.
I just use Qsynth because it can handle sf2 and I have some nice ones.
You can do the same using Phasex, ZynAddSub, amsynth, etc..
cheers