Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:18:02 +0400 From: "Yuriy Tsibizov" <Yuriy.Tsibizov@gfk.ru> To: "zarko bulatovic" <zb10948@oss.unist.hr>, <freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org> Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: RE: FreeBSD MIDI support Message-ID: <D6B2C454E5A77B4D8DA0B863D3D6D492071193@demon.hhp.local>
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> Are there any projects regarding this topic? I recently=20 > started coding =20 > kernel modules, however, there are some design issues=20 > involving "way" of =20 > MIDI implementation, so i hoped to contact somebody who's=20 > working on the =20 > same thing, or to join develop. team if there is any project underway. MIDI support in HEAD does not have maintainer, and, as I know, noone was willing to continue its development. Hardware support is limited to two or three cards. If you know MIDI well, you can take this project in your hands. >=20 > Anyways, the first dillema i have is about softsynth=20 > rendering, naturally =20 > early-stage drivers wouldn't use sc's onboard wavetables and their =20 > hardware means of MIDI rendering, so i would rather use=20 > software MIDI =20 > playback. Usage of hardware functionality should come later.=20 > The thing =20 > that bugs me, is it worth coding this inside of kernel=20 > module? Meaning =20 > that some /dev device inputs midi messages to kern.module,=20 > witch uses =20 > built-in software synthessis based on SF2 specification for MIDI =20 > rendering. There are already userland programs that do that,=20 > like timidiy =20 > and fluidsynth.=20 I don't use this software right now, but if they can listen on a pipe = for MIDI sequence than kernel "softsynth" module will not be very useful for me. > Maybe it would be better to start on hardware=20 > functionalty =20 > at once, eg. pure device drivers that control soundcard's MIDI port, =20 > however, allaround kernel module should bring a decent degree of =20 > standardization. This is the way software MIDI is implemented=20 > on Windows =20 > and MacOSX, kernel mode rendering through software=20 > synthersizer (altrough =20 > i think they use DLS synthessis rather than SF2, but that=20 > really isnt =20 > important). So the question is, what is the best goal for=20 > MIDI on FreeBSD, =20 > a quickest way of controlling external synths/MIDI hardware=20 > (meaning ditch =20 > the software synth and set your mind on various hardware=20 > specs), It should work in -CURRENT, but supportred sound card list is short. It should be easy to add midi HW driver for your sound card, because MIDI I/O needs only to "put byte" and "get byte"/"get status" to & from=20 MIDI port. > or an all-around MIDI drivers providing playback without "3rd=20 > party" userland apps? Not shure about this... It will be very limited, because most consumer sound cards does not provide MIDI wavetable synthesizer acceleration. Yuriy.
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