Free Alternative to Quicktime Musical Instruments?

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Free Alternative to Quicktime Musical Instruments?

Is there a free softsynth for midi on Mac OS X, other than QT Musical Instruments?

The reason I ask is that QT does not implement all the standard controllers of the midi specification, particularly 5, 65, and 84 relating to Portamento, and 68 for Legato.

The quality and variety of instruments is ok with me.

17in flat panel iMac G4, 800MHz, 512MB SDRAM, 32MB VRAM., Mac OS X (10.4.5), My other computer is an Intel iMac, OS 10.4.11.

Posted on Jun 4, 2009 12:50 PM

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Answer 1

CMCSK

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Jun 4, 2009 4:25 PM in response to ttelos

Check Versiontracker and Macupdate

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Answer 2

ttelos Author

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Jun 4, 2009 6:14 PM in response to CMCSK

Update what, QuickTime? I have 7.6, released 2009.

The Midi 1.0 specification harks back to 1983,
and already contained controls for Portamento and Legato.

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Answer 3

ttelos Author

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Jun 5, 2009 2:05 AM in response to ttelos

[Here|http://homepage.mac.com/ttelos/Fmu/MonoPortamentoLegato1a.mid] is a tiny midi file (type 0: all in one track) that specifies the following,
all referred to Channel 1 (please correct me if I'm wrong):

1:01:000 Mono Mode On
1:01:001 Pan Flute
1:01:002 Portamento Time 63
1:01:003 Portamento On
1:02:000 C3 2 beats
1:04:000 C#3 1 beat
2:01:000 Portamento Control 67 (i.e. slide next note from G3)
2:01:001 C3 1 beat
2:04:000 Legato On
3:01:000 C3 2 beats
3:03:000 C#3 1 beat

[Metro|http://www.sagantech.biz> is the sequencer I use, to generate midi; 240 clocks per second.

A couple of tools I have found useful are [Midi Monitor|http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor> (version 1.2.1)
and [Mighty Midi|http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11329/mighty-midi] (version 1.0, from 2003).

When I launch Midi Monitor, after having activated Apple's [IAC Driver|http://www.omegastudios.com/expertsforum/?tag=audio-midi-setup], and play midi with Metro, Midi Monitor registers nothing but clock signals at time zero. When I play ditto with QuickTime (7.6), or with [Harmony Assistant|http://www.myriad-online.com/cgi-bin/download.pl?prod=HA&lang=EN] (9.4.7c), it registers nothing; but when I play with Mighty Midi, then Midi Monitor lists the midi commands I have described above.

Please listen to my [sample midi file|http://homepage.mac.com/ttelos/Fmu/MonoPortamentoLegato1a.mid] (especially if you have midi hardware) and tell me if you can find any signs of Portamento or Legato. (Legato is not so much a slide as a suppression of the second note's attack portion.)

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