Software Synth Midi
Device Setup
Once Jack and
Rosegarden are up and running you can start ZynAddSubFX (or
other software synth). We will be using
Rosegarden's Piano Roll
to trigger the synth's sounds. The Piano Roll interface is added to
tracks in a Rosegarden file with the Pencil Tool, and subsequently they become Track Segments. Using this kind of
setup gives us a clear editable,
visual representation of where the synth starts and stops within the
mix.
As we will be using Rosegarden's piano roll to trigger the software
synth (in a simmilar way we used it to trigger the drum machine) we
first need to setup a midi device. This step is the same for
setting up all new midi devices and follows a similar procedure to that
which was outlined previously in Step 4,
1) In Rosegarden open the Manage
MIDI
Devices
window and click "New.." to create a new device
2) Unlike setting up a Drum Machine
we will not configure the new device's banks, instead simply double
click on the new devices name and give it a more meaningful name.
3) With the new device selected
click
the name of the software synth in the "MIDI Outputs" section. The
software synth I've chosen shows up as ZynAddSubFX.
You can now close the Manage MIDI Devices window as the synth can now
be triggered from Rosegarden.
Piano Roll Track Setup
With the new midi
device set up, you are ready to add a piano roll track segment to
trigger the
synth.
1) Choose a track in Rosegarden by
right clicking on it's name, move your
mouse down to the fly-off menu associated with the new midi device (you
setup) and choose one of the 16 channels that are available for
that device.
2) With your Pencil Tool in
Rosegarden draw a Track Segment (on the track
you setup) and double click that Track Segment to enter Piano Roll
editing mode for it. Click the piano keys to test the synth's sounds.
Multi-channel Track
Setup
You will often need to use more than one synth sound in a composition,
setting up other software synths that use JACK will follow a
similar procedure as that outlined above. However, if you already have
the software synth that you wish to use set up as a midi device and
simply want to use another bank
from that device.
1) In Rosegarden right click on the
track name you
would like to use for triggering that synth-sound and select an unused
channel.
2) In the software synth package
(such as ZynAddSubFX)
edit the channel corresponding to the channel number you selected
in Rosegarden and choose another bank for that channel.
This can easily be set up in ZynAddSubFX by following these
instructions,
2a) Click
the
Panel
Window
button
in
the main interface
2b) Tick
the
appropriate
channel
number
2c) Click
the
blank
area
directly
below the channel number (where the bank's name
would usually appear) and select a bank from the resulting window.
Using Non-JACK
Compliant Synths
Not all synths
for Linux are compliant with JACK, fortunately the package "a2jmidid"
is a daemon that can create virtual ports that JACK can identify and
you can subsequently use to create connections between various
softwares.
1) Using a2jmidid is easy, first install it through your package
manager, then open a terminal and type:
a2j
If
a2jmidid has been installed correctly you will see a message indicating
that it has started. I recomend leaving this terminal window open to
remind you that you have started the a2jmidid process in the
background.
NB. Closing the terminal window will not kill the a2jmidid
process, press Ctrl-c with the terminal window active to stop the
a2jmidid process.
2) In JACK a new Midi
Readable Client has been created with an
associated Output Port. In the following example this port can be
identified as "Midi Through Port-0". Open JACK's Connections Window and
click on the MIDI tab to
identify the name of the new Output Port. You can find an example of
this name highlighted in
the illustration below.
3) Use this new Output Port in
Rosegarden to setup a New Midi Device as per the instructions listed
above (Software Synth Midi Device Setup). Next we will start a non-JACK
compliant synth and
link it to this port.
With your new midi device setup, you are ready to start a non-JACK
compliant synth. Yoshimi is an example of such a synth. When you start
Yoshimi you will need to adjust it's JACK connections manually.
1)
Open the Connections Window of JACK and click the Midi Tab. Locate the
Midi Readable Client Output Port that a2jmidid created ("Midi Through
Port-0" as in the preceding example) and Connect that port to Yoshimi's
Midi
In Port in the Writable Clients / Input Ports section. You can now
trigger Yoshimi from
Rosegarden using the Midi device you just setup. Refer to "Piano Roll
Track Setup" and "Multi-channel track setup" on this page for further
instructions.
2)
If Rosegarden is sending midi data to Yoshimi, but you cannot hear
the sounds from Yoshimi.
In JACK
open the Connections Window and go to the Audio Tab. Connect Yoshimi's
Readable Clients / Output Ports labled "left" and "right" to the Audio
Tab's Writable Clients / Input Ports System "playback_1" and
"playback_2", respectively.
Use the illustration below as reference.
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