[PD-announce] PD to single device with multiple MIDI ports

jfm3 at ouroboros-complex.org jfm3 at ouroboros-complex.org
Tue Jun 3 04:18:46 CEST 2003


I have a MOTU MTP AV. This is one "device" in alsa, but it has eight MIDI
ins and outs.

You can get something similar if you want to test this by loading the
snd-virmidi device into your Linux kernel (you are running Linux, aren't
you?).

I start up PD with -mididevs 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 thinking I'm going to get
eight MIDI ports. Never mind that I'm going to have to suffer away with
midiin and midiout rather than the nicer midi objects. Here's what
happens:

[jfm3 at localhost opatch]$ sudo pd -alsa -rt -mididev 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 -noaudio
couldn't open MIDI input device 1
couldn't open MIDI input device 2
couldn't open MIDI input device 5
couldn't open MIDI input device 6
couldn't open MIDI input device 7
couldn't open MIDI input device 8
couldn't open MIDI output device 1
couldn't open MIDI output device 2
couldn't open MIDI output device 5
couldn't open MIDI output device 6
couldn't open MIDI output device 7
couldn't open MIDI output device 8
opened 2 MIDI input device(s) and 2 MIDI output device(s).
Using ALSA interface
retrying connect...
priority 98 scheduling enabled.
memory locking enabled.
priority 96 scheduling enabled.
memory locking enabled.

Notice that only two MIDI "devices" are recognized. One of these is my MTP
AV and the other is the Virtual MIDI driver. Sure enough, if I poke around
at a midiout object for long enough, I find that "device 3" corresponds to
MIDI in and out #1 on the MTP AV, and that "device 4" corresponds to MIDI
in and out #1 on the Virtual MIDI driver. I can't get at any of the other
ports, which makes me depressed.

If I run alsa-patch-bay and connect the first Virtual MIDI driver port to
the second port on the MTP AV, I can get MIDI on two of the ports in the
MTP AV. Furthermore, I can play back on all twelve (or more!) ports in
MusE or Rosegarden, so I know it's not a driver or hardware issue.

Do I need to dig out the Pd source and stare at this for a while, or am I
missing something?

(jfm3)







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