Fwd: Linux Frescobaldi 3.0 doesn't play midi

[Rhed Sequoia]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rhed Sequoia <rhe...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Subject: Linux Frescobaldi 3.0 doesn't play midi
To: <fresc...@groups.google.com>

Hi,

I have Linux Mint Cinnamon Xia (Ubuntu) and I just installed Frescobaldi 3.0. Linux Mint hasn't upgraded to the newer versions. I launched Frescobaldi and everything seems to work fine except Frescobaldi silently plays the generated midi file at 100% volume. I get nothing. I have Timidty installed and it works fine. I can open the same midi file in Timidity and listen to it. I can also upload the file to Midiano and listen to it. (Much better midi voices) These workarounds are fine, but inconvenient. The built-in midi player and convenience of instantly hearing the piece I'm working on is why I use Frescobaldi. Frescobaldi should work out-of-the-box in Linux just like it does in MS Winblows. I don't understand why this is so difficult. I asked about this problem back in 2022 when I was using popOS! It's now 2025 and the same problem persists.

I also tried installing Flatpak Frescobaldi 3.3 and it didn't work either. I removed it since it was marked as unverified.

I tried to Wine Frescobaldi 3.2. I guess it's alcohol intolerant. I'm sure I could Virtualbox Frescobaldi and have it work just fine, I just haven't tried that yet because I'd have to install and set up Virtualbox then install Winblows and set it up in a virtual environment. My objective is to get away from Winblows, not have to depend on it for a single application. All of the other applications I used on Winblows which have Linux counterparts work beautifully fine out-of-the-box. I'm thrilled. Frescobaldi is the exception.

I've tried to change the midi port in Frescobaldi, but there is only one midi port listed. I'm at a loss how to get this mostly unuseful Linux software to work. I would appreciate any knowledgeable suggestions or guidance. Thank you.

[Knute Snortum]

What do you have in Edit -> Preferences -> MIDI Settings -> MIDI ports?

--

Knute Snortum

--
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Issue tracker: https://github.com/frescobaldi/frescobaldi/issues
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[Federico Bruni]

Il giorno ven 28 mar 2025 alle 10:18:54 -04:00:00, Rhed Sequoia
<rhe...@gmail.com> ha scritto:

> I also tried installing Flatpak Frescobaldi 3.3 and it didn't work
> either. I removed it since it was marked as unverified.

The verification doesn't mean much. You can safely install it.
I'm (@fedelibre) the maintainer of Frescobaldi flatpak package and I'm
also one of the owners of Frescobaldi organization on GitHub. This
should be enough to have the verification, but not for Flathub rules.

I've been asking Wilbert, the original author of Frescobaldi, to copy a
small text file in frescobaldi.org to get it verified on Flathub, but
he never did it. I'll try again after 4.0.0 release, then give up.
If we (active Frescobaldi contributors) can't control frescobaldi.org
we may have to change the application ID to something else e.g.
io.github.frescobaldi to get the Flathub verification and a website we
can keep up-to-date.

Please don't use a virtualized Windows to use Frescobaldi! Linux is
much better and I'm sure there's a solution for your problem. Reply to
Knute's question and we'll help you.

[Rhed Sequoia]

For the nonce, I'm just using Timidity to play the midi. When Frescobaldi updates the midi file, Timidity automatically plays the updated midi file so I don't have to reload it manually.

What problems are you having with keeping your web site updated? I was a senior-level web accessibility expert for over 15 years and worked on major web applications. Perhaps I can help.

[Jean Abou Samra]

Le 28 mars 2025 à 19:33, Rhed Sequoia <rhe...@gmail.com> a écrit :

What problems are you having with keeping your web site updated? I was a senior-level web accessibility expert for over 15 years and worked on major web applications. Perhaps I can help.

Thanks, but the problem is not a lack of knowledge in Web development. It's just that the creator and former main developer of the project has left and we don't have access to the server.

[Knute Snortum]

On Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 11:33 AM Rhed Sequoia <rhe...@gmail.com> wrote:

For the nonce, I'm just using Timidity to play the midi. When Frescobaldi updates the midi file, Timidity automatically plays the updated midi file so I don't have to reload it manually.

Okay, but what do you have in Edit -> Preferences -> MIDI  Settings -> MIDI Ports in Frescobaldi?

--

Knute Snortum

[Viktor Mastoridis]

On Fri, 28 Mar 2025 at 14:19, Rhed Sequoia <rhe...@gmail.com> wrote:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rhed Sequoia <rhe...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Subject: Linux Frescobaldi 3.0 doesn't play midi
To: <fresc...@groups.google.com>

Hi,

I have Linux Mint Cinnamon Xia (Ubuntu) and I just installed Frescobaldi 3.0. Linux Mint hasn't upgraded to the newer versions. I launched Frescobaldi and everything seems to work fine except Frescobaldi silently plays the generated midi file at 100% volume. I get nothing. I have Timidty installed and it works fine. I can open the same midi file in Timidity and listen to it. I can also upload the file to Midiano and listen to it. (Much better midi voices) These workarounds are fine, but inconvenient. The built-in midi player and convenience of instantly hearing the piece I'm working on is why I use Frescobaldi. Frescobaldi should work out-of-the-box in Linux just like it does in MS Winblows. I don't understand why this is so difficult. I asked about this problem back in 2022 when I was using popOS! It's now 2025 and the same problem persists

....

I've tried to change the midi port in Frescobaldi, but there is only one midi port listed. I'm at a loss how to get this mostly unuseful Linux software to work. I would appreciate any knowledgeable suggestions or guidance. Thank you.

 

"mostly unuseful Linux software" ?

That's not a very kind way to express a frustration with a software that exists solely (or mainly) by the kind volunteering work of many people across time and space.

Please use a more respective tone in the future - or try alternatives.

I use Frescobaldi for 20 years, and it has been at the centre of my creative notation work.

I never used its midi player - I use VLC with excellent results, and here's how:

•  download a high-quality .sf2 soundbank from the internet - the larger, the better; a very large (1gb+) soundbank will take a few seconds to load in VLC, the first time you open a midi file (but it's worth it:-); keep the player open for the rest of your session
• in VLC > Tools > Preferences > Show Settings (all) > Fluidsynth - add the path to your soundbank; save, close the player
• In your file browser, set VLC to be the default handler of midi files
• Double-Click on a Frescobaldi midi file and enjoy a high rendition of your notations
• Click Stop when you have finished (not pause) to release the old version from VLCs memory
  
• When you update the notation and its midi file, simply click play or double-click the file name on VLC

I hope this helps.

VM

[Yannick CHARLES]

Hi all,

For information, my midi setup on Linux with Lilypond / Frescobaldi is as follows :

-I use jack / qjackctl to manage midi transport between softwares

-fluidsynth with qsynth with a general midi soundfont as a midi synthesiser (I don't have in mind the name of the soundfont I use, I can check if it helps)

-when qjackctl and qsynth are launched, then I have to go to Frescobaldi midi preferences and refresh midi ports. Else Frescobaldi seems not to be able to connect to the synth

This is for midi output.

For input, I'm able to use Frescobaldi midi input quite well in replace mode (e.g. to enter the voices of a choral part when the melody is already typed) . I also have to refresh ports before using and of course connect a midi interface (piano or small keyboard).

I also managed to get an old Rumor running in a terminal to read midi input and render lilypond code, if I have a new voice to enter, with rythm. I find it more convenient than the built in midi input, in this use case.

I'm not sure which Frescobaldi version I'm using, and can't check right now. It might be 3.2 or so. I'm not using the flatpak version but running directly from python. If I remember correctly, I had trouble with midi in the Flatpak a couple of years ago when I first tried it, so I turned back to run the application directly from source.

I hope that helps !

Cheers

Yann