How to import mid files into Ardour?

[leokin]

I have Ubuntu Studio 12.04 LTS and Ardour 3.5.357
Using files (*.mid) from http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/tutr/midiform.htm, I can import them into Ardour. And when I hit play, I can see the individual tracks (13 of them in a bossa nove file) responding visually in the mixer windows, but have no sound.
I've messed with jack settings for a coupl hours with no results.
And lots of searching and reading through Ardour manuals and links.
HELP!

[StudioDave]

Do you have any synths enabled for your tracks ?

Best,

dp

[varpa]

Are you aware that midi files themselves do not make sound? Midi merely records the notes to play, a sort of digital piano roll. You must attach a synth or sampler to the track to actually produce sound from a midi file. Here is a tutorial about adding linuxsampler to an Ardour track: http://www.zthmusic.com/linuxsampler-an ... -together/ There are quite a few other synths available for Linux that could be added in a similar manner. Linuxsampler is more complicated because you must have some samples to use and can only load the samples using an external program like QSampler or Fantasia.

[leokin]

No synths...ok I'll re-educate myself and see how to do that, and also I think something in jack setup needs attention.
One part I yet need to understand is the correct procedure (and why) to set the MIDI driver to "none", and to set the
setup>Misc> to either "Enable...or uncheck... the "Enable ALSA Sequencer support" box?
Thanx for the suggestion; I'll try that and report back.

p.s.
One thing I noticed is even though the volume meters in each of the tracks are actively moving up and down,
the bottom area shows "not connected". I will try to make a screen shot of my setup, if that will be helpful (another something I need to learn how to do).

Thanx so much for your help!

[leokin]

Ok I'm back. When Studio Dave asked if I enabled any synths I embarked on a whole new journey. I still get no sound.
I read lotsa stuff about jack setup for MIDI and tried:
Setup>Settings>MIDI Driver>none (I also tried "seq")
>Misc>turn off "Enable ALSA Sequencer support" (and I tried to enable it too)
After reading about synths and sequencers a lot ( I am yet to understand what exactly each is for), I chose to start Qsynth.
All 13 tracks which I imported (*.mid files) show response in each tracks volume meter in the mixer strip, but I hear no sound.
What I want to do is:
1) Import midi tracks
2) Play them back
3) Dub my guitar over them while listening to them.

The mid files I imported from http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/tutr/midiform.htm
It's a great source of many different types of music genres. They all play back easily to be heard through Banshee. At one time
I also played mid files through Audacious, but now for some unknown reason Audacious doesn't do it.

[troathscream]

You can try to get the KXstudio overlay, there are lots of synths. If they are drum midi files you could fire up ardour and hydrogen and send the midi output of ardour to the midi input from hydrogen, with as a example patchage, and connect the stereo output from hydrogen to your soundcards output(again with as an example patchage), Then you should get sound from the midi file. You can do this also with LV2 host(to load LV2 synths) or festige(to load VSTI like addictive drums).

Greets hope this helps

Troathscream

[leokin]

Ok I'll give it a try!
What is meant by a KXStudio overlay? KxStudio is not part of my packages; I run Ubuntu Studio 12.04 LTS 64 bit.
I sometimes wonder about stuff maybe breaking my system, such as debian versus Precise, and pkgs not found
in Software Center, etc., although I have been adding PPA's for alternate things such as what you mention here.

[troathscream]

Go to this site : http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/
there you can download the KXstudio DVD wich you can boot live to test out, or install the overlay directly with the terminal inside your install of Ubuntustudio 12.04LTS.
If you have problems or questions it even has it's own subsection in this forum : http://linuxmusicians.com/viewforum.php?f=47.
Here is a direct link to the documentation on how to install the overlay on ubuntustudio with the terminal :
http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Documen ... ry:Upgrade (edit this might be the old instructions see : http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Repositories)
there is even an tuturial a few posts under yours on this forum : http://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=9666


Grtz

Troathscream

[leokin]

I checked out the links to KXStudio. I'm paranoid to try and load it as an overlay to my Ubuntu Studio, because if something goes wrong, I'll be re installing my distro for the umpteenth time. When I have time, and the desire to add learning KXStdio to my learning curve, I'll just do a fresh install on one of my hard drives.
So for now I'll stick with UbuStudio and Ardour (ver 3.5.357). I'm still struggling with setting up Jack, Ardour and Qsynth jsut so I can hear the sounds from my midi files which I mentioned here. The meters shaow on Ardour that sound is coming into the Ardour tracks, but stops there.

[leokin]

p.s. I also tried to use Hydrogen per suggestinons but can't figure out how to link the right ins and outs.

[troathscream]

Hi Leokin,

in Patchage your system inputs should be on the left side of the screen, the system outputs are on the right side of the screen. If you fire up Ardour and hydrogen they should appear somewhere in the middle between the inputs and outputs. If you look closely at the inputs and outputs of ardour you should see a midi out or maybe even the midi channels where you loaded the midi files, you the connect the desired midi output (remember inputs left outputs right!) on the rightside of the ardour section in patchage to the leftside midi input of hydrogen. Then you connect the rightsided outputs 1 and 2 (they are the master channel output of hydrogen) of hydrogen to the system outputs 1 +2. I dont know which soundcard you have, but normally output 1 and 2 would be the standard stereo output.
Just try again, or else google patchage, there are some tutorials floating around the www.

I use the cadence tools from falktx's KXstudio, it has some usefull tools.
I never had any problems using the overlay on ubuntu studio, just worked out of the box.

Grtz

TroathScream

Here are some examples of ardour connected to hydrogen on my setup :

[leokin]

I'm still unable to get sound, after trying your suggestion of firing up Hydrogen, etc. ...
Your screenshots look like they may be helpful. Can you post a larger pic please? I can't see any detail of the pics. Sorry for bugging you if I am.

One more note...I've tried using a2jmidi -e and in Jack>Setup> Settings > MIDI Driver > none (and > seq);
" > Misc > Enable ALSA Sequencer support (on... and > off)
I'm not clear after lots of reading about correct Jack setup on when and why those settings are important and what they exactly do.

[troathscream]

I am at work right now, so can't send you the larger pictures.
Do you get sound from hydrogen by loading a demo song included with hydrogen?
Don't forget to connect the hydrogen outputs 1 +2 (could be out L + out R) to your system outputs 1+2 in patchage.
What soundcard do you have, an onboard, PCI, Firewire or USB??

Do you get any sound at all?

I use the Cadence tool (from FalkTx's KXstudio repo's) for jack settings, never had to do anything with those settings you mentioned, but i thought had it at RAW midi for my soundcard s midi input(Hoontech STA DSP24 CPORT).

Grtz

TroathScream

[leokin]

[quote][/quote]I am at work right now, so can't send you the larger pictures.
Do you get sound from hydrogen by loading a demo song included with hydrogen?
Don't forget to connect the hydrogen outputs 1 +2 (could be out L + out R) to your system outputs 1+2 in patchage.
What soundcard do you have, an onboard, PCI, Firewire or USB??

Do you get any sound at all?

I use the Cadence tool (from FalkTx's KXstudio repo's) for jack settings, never had to do anything with those settings you mentioned, but i thought had it at RAW midi for my soundcard s midi input(Hoontech STA DSP24 CPORT).
*****************************************************
Thanx for the quick reply!!
My card is PCI mounted; I always have been getting sound from it, including now. I play cd music, YouTube vids, Hydrogen...etc. through it. I also successfully play Ardour Audio through it.
I installed KXStudio from a LiveDVD yesterday on a separate hard drive so I can experiment with it. Cadence tools, and KX Studio itself looks impressive. I am looking for a manual on how to use all the tools, and basic info on how to go about using the new distro. I'm also on LinuxMusicians.com forum.
I also installed Patchage and QJackctl, which I'm used to using, but then noticed that the Cadence tool are similar to Patchage anyway!
Lastly, here's my card info...

leo@leo-desktop:~$ sudo aplay -l
[sudo] password for leo:
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC882 Analog [ALC882 Analog]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: ALC882 Digital [ALC882 Digital]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 7: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 8: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 9: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

I thank you much for your help! ~Leo

[troathscream]

Here's a link to a suppport page for KXstudio : http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Documentation
if you scroll down to the bottom you will see links to a community written manual (WIP) for the the diverse tools in KXstudio.
I find it strange that you can't get any sound from midi playback from ardour's midi output connected to a synth or hydrogen.

I record our drummers Kit through triggers linked to a midi drumbrain,
i connect the Midi output of the Roland to my soundcards midi input, and connect it with patchage or Catia (http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Applications click on the names of the tools and you will get info about them!) to a midi channel in ardour. I connect the midi output of ardour to the midi input of hydrogen or Addictive Drums VSTI with festige or Carla.
If i play back the recorded midi, i have no trouble with sound output.

My DAW is in our rehaersal space, and i don't have time to go there tonight. I will try (can't promise anything) to go there tomorrow evening and make those screenshots a little bigger, and try to post them here.
i'll also save them to my external HDD so if the resolution is still not clear enough i can maybe email them to you.

Grtz and have a great time experimenting with FalkTx's great tools.