Midi should always work!

[Gonzhauser]

1. The soundcard setup doesn't always work.
2. Even on systems without hardware midi support it should work.

What about defaulting to support playback in software with timidity?
This way midi would *always* work in a fresh installation.
I think this is what Win***s does with its software midi player.

Thanks.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Could you please elaborate as to how you ran across this bug or provide steps to reproduce it? Thanks in advance.

[Gonzhauser (gonzhauser)]

Brian Murray schrieb:
> Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu
> better. Could you please elaborate as to how you ran across this bug or
> provide steps to reproduce it? Thanks in advance.
>
> ** Changed in: Ubuntu
> Assignee: (unassigned) => Brian Murray
> Status: Unconfirmed => Needs Info
>
>

1. Download a midi file (*.mid)
2. Double click it in Nautilus
3. It should play but nothing happens

Possible solution: Always install timidity and freepats by default and
automatically
let timidity handle midi files in software. This should work even on
soundcards without
midi support.

[Kristian Rasmussen (krasmussen)]

I'd like to vote for this. Just playing a midi file should not imply loading modules, downloading soundfonts etc.. Totem or (insert flaver of audio player) should be able to load a midi file and play it with a standard soundfont/instrument set/whatever for people just wanting to preview a midi file.

[Pascal De Vuyst (pascal-devuyst)]

Thanks for your report. Your idea might get more attention and have the possibility of being implemented if you submit a specification for it. First check whether the idea is already registered [WWW] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+specs, and if so, contact the specification's drafter about your ideas. Otherwise, you can start writing a spec yourself. [WWW] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FeatureSpecifications

[Gonzhauser (gonzhauser)]

There should be a Firefox plugin, too.
Go to
http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/01singlestrokeroll.html
and try to listen to the examples.
Works on Windows.

[Gonzhauser (gonzhauser)]

There are already three specs for midi. I think they describe essentially the same problem like this bug.
Unfortunately, they are not targeted for gutsy and nobody seems to work on it. :(

[Mark Van den Borre (markvdb)]

Please have a look at bug 111555 "package gstreamer sw midi playback plugin". All this seems to need is some packagine love.

[Gonzhauser (gonzhauser)]

Playing midi files in Nautilus and Firefox works in Intrepid.
I think this bug can be closed.
I tried the vicfirth site with gecko-mediaplayer and it doesn't work.

[Emmet Hikory (persia)]

I'm marking this bug Fix Released. Whlie MIDI doesn't always work, the remaining issues aren't ones that can be solved at a broad level. Sound card configuration needs detailed bugs about specific cards that don't work. Applications that don't work as installed with MIDI need specific bugs about how they do not work. gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad contains a MIDI plugin, so if users install this package, client MIDI works in nearly any circumstance.

[jpka (jopka)]

In Interpid (clean & new install) playing of midi files using any GUI player NOT work for me (after spent many hours, i'm only able to play in command line via 'aplaymidi'). But more important that games like doom2, using both native Linux version and win32 via wine, not plays midi music. This should work out-of-box; midi playing seems not to be patented issue.

[jpka (jopka)]

Sorry, in addition to my comment, I must say that I write it about using soundcards without hardware midi playing (and in this case, solution is same for all cases, i.e. soundcard-independent).

[Emmet Hikory (persia)]

Understood, but it's not something that this bug can help fix. Install gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad for most of the GNOME apps. For doom2, file a separate bug against doom2. For wine, file a separate bug against wine.

[YamaPlos (yamaplos)]

With all due respect, this is something that win 98 seemed to have it right, and 11 years later, here we are, and it seems SO complicated. Good that Intrepid has it solved! Too bad I had to go back to Hardy a couple days ago because of other programs I couldn't get to work :-)

Hopefully someone with better understanding on how to follow through that I will be able to get this submitted in a way that those who can fix things will find adequate.

Due to my ignorance, all I can say is: bug: MIDI reproduction doesn't work. IMHO it should. Thanks!