 |
At the time of writing, Non is one of only two sequencers to use Jack MIDI natively.
++Since Jack MIDI is new and not all programs support it, many find themselves confused. This section attempts to explain Jack MIDI ports. +
++The ALSA sequencer interface has long been the standard MIDI routing subsystem on Linux. But many (all) of the programs we use for synthesis these days use Jack for their audio IO. It makes more sense for those MIDI related programs utilizing the Jack Transport for synchronization to also use Jack ports for MIDI delivery. Therefore, ALSA MIDI is quickly becoming obsolete. +
++Jack MIDI ports are not related to ALSA MIDI ports in any way. Jack MIDI ports are just like Jack audio ports, except that the data being transmitted in each buffer are raw, timestamped MIDI events instead of floating point audio samples. Jack MIDI is sample-accurate. This means that a MIDI Note On event can occur concurrently with a sound, and the two will never drift apart as often happens to some extent with ALSA. +
++In essence, Jack MIDI is a way of expressing a direct temporal correlation between audio and MIDI data. +
+| Note: | +Older versions of QJackCtl and other connection managers do not +know about Jack MIDI ports. Please make sure you're using an +up-to-date version. + |
+
+For example, to connect Non to ZynAddSubFX (the CVS version supports Jack MIDI), type the following into the shell: +
++$ jack_connect Non:midi_out-1 ZynAddSubFX:midi_in + |
+Also, be sure that Zyn's outputs are connected to system:playback_* so that you can hear the sounds it produces. +
++It is possible to use Jack MIDI clients and ALSA MIDI clients together via the bridge built into jackd. For this to work you must append the -X seq option to the alsa driver section of the jackd command line. Like so: +
++$ jackd -d alsa -X seq + |
+The way such bridged ports are named varies between Jack versions, but they should be fairly obvious. When used in this way, many of the advantages of Jack MIDI are lost, so it is recommended that you find a Jack MIDI capable synth for best results. +
+ |
The format of .non files is a variation of SMF-2. In an SMF-2 file, each track chunk represents a pattern. Because Non groups patterns into phrases, this usage of SMF-2 is probably not compatible with other implementations (although, the author has never actually seen another program that could play back SMF-2 anyway.) diff --git a/doc/MANUAL.mu b/doc/MANUAL.mu index 8580195..77367f5 100644 --- a/doc/MANUAL.mu +++ b/doc/MANUAL.mu @@ -229,6 +229,65 @@ At the time of writing, Non is one of only two sequencers to use Jack MIDI natively. +::: About Jack MIDI Connections + + Since Jack MIDI is new and not all programs support it, many find + themselves confused. This section attempts to explain Jack MIDI + ports. + + The ALSA sequencer interface has long been the standard MIDI routing + subsystem on Linux. But many (all) of the programs we use for + synthesis these days use Jack for their audio IO. It makes more + sense for those MIDI related programs utilizing the Jack Transport + for synchronization to also use Jack ports for MIDI + delivery. Therefore, ALSA MIDI is quickly becoming obsolete. + + Jack MIDI ports are *not* related to ALSA MIDI ports in any + way. Jack MIDI ports are just like Jack audio ports, except that the + data being transmitted in each buffer are raw, timestamped MIDI + events instead of floating point audio samples. Jack MIDI is + sample-accurate. This means that a MIDI Note On event can occur + concurrently with a sound, and the two will never drift apart as + often happens to some extent with ALSA. + + In essence, Jack MIDI is a way of expressing a direct temporal + correlation between audio and MIDI data. + +// Note: +{ Older versions of QJackCtl and other connection managers do not +{ know about Jack MIDI ports. Please make sure you're using an +{ up-to-date version. + + When Non is started, it will create `Non:midi_in` and + `Non:control_in` input ports, as well as the 16 output ports with + names after the form `Non:midi_out-X`, where `X` is a number from 1 + to 16. These ports will be visible in any connection manager capable + of connecting Jack MIDI ports, as well as via the `jack_lsp` and + `jack_connect` command-line utilities. + + For example, to connect Non to ZynAddSubFX (the CVS version supports + Jack MIDI), type the following into the shell: + +> $ jack_connect Non:midi_out-1 ZynAddSubFX:midi_in + + Also, be sure that Zyn's outputs are connected to + system:playback\_\* so that you can hear the sounds it produces. + + It is possible to use Jack MIDI clients and ALSA MIDI clients + together via the bridge built into jackd. For this to work you must + append the `-X seq` option to the `alsa` driver section of the jackd + command line. Like so: + +> $ jackd -d alsa -X seq + + The way such bridged ports are named varies between Jack versions, + but they should be fairly obvious. When used in this way, many of + the advantages of Jack MIDI are lost, so it is recommended that you + find a Jack MIDI capable synth for best results. + +// Example of Jack MIDI connections in Patchage +< non-patchage.png + :: Non Files The format of `.non` files is a variation of SMF-2. In an SMF-2 diff --git a/doc/non-patchage.png b/doc/non-patchage.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3379098 Binary files /dev/null and b/doc/non-patchage.png differ