Re: [Frescobaldi] Digest for frescobaldi@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic

[Rhed Sequoia]

VM,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your time and effort. Unfortunately, what you suggest doesn't fix the problem of Linux Frescobaldi not producing any sound when it plays the Lilypond generated midi file. Music is aural, not visual. Hence, I feel it is paramount that any tool which creates music be able to produce sound, not just print. This is why I called the Linux Frescobaldi "mostly unuseable". It doesn't produce sound. I have never been emotionally moved by reading a sheet of music. Ah, but to properly and passionately interpret that ink on paper into sound can sway the spirit and calm the Elements of Nature. It can also be interpreted so poorly that it sends the masses running in horror.

I can use any text editor, Timidity, and a PDF viewer to replace Linux Frescobaldi. The usefulness of Frescobaldi comes in the seamless combination of those three separate applications into an integrate music IDE, if you will. Windows Frescobaldi works wonderfully out of the box and is very useful because I can listen to the changes to the score as I make them without using any workarounds. I regret that isn't the case with Linux Frescobaldi. You yourself have to use VLC. Have you experienced the seamless integration of Windows Frescobaldi? It is wildly incredible. I hold that same premier standard to Linux Frescobaldi. It is a formidable challenge, especially given how differently Linux and Windows handle sound-cards, but I feel the Linux developers are beyond capable to rise up and conquer this obstacle to make Linux Frescobaldi out-of the-box sound ready just like Windows Frescobaldi.

What you suggest I do with VLC doesn't sound any different than what I currently can do with TiMidity. Although, TiMidity doesn't require all the space for a 1gb+ soundbank. TiMidity does it right out of the box without setting it up . I'm not looking for a concert hall performance of the midi file. Rudimentary sound is fine. The midi files I program through Lilypond are intended to be "performed" on the 15-rank virtual organ I am building. (Talk about a memory hog!) What I do need from Linux Frescobaldi is to be able to instantly hear any mistakes in the score so I can edit the file, regenerate the midi, and hear that the mistake is gone, or rather that I need to tweak it more.

I often work with old, handwritten manuscripts and my brain wacks out at times converting the music to modern notation and writing the music as it is intended to be played and felt, not read. Every nuance and ornamentation is precisely written out exactly as a musician would execute them to breathe life into the music. Hearing it is a much quicker way to find mistakes, not just in the notes but in the feeling and emotion; especially when my generated scores are highly complex and difficult to read. I often use obscure, unconventional time signatures like 65/64 or 129/128 because that's what it takes to get the feeling right. Yeah, put that in front of a musician and ask them to sight read it. Haha. You have any idea how big their eyes would get? I've been reading music for over 50 years and I'd tell you you were crazy.

Right now, I'm sticking with Windows Frescobaldi until this issue can be resolved in Linux Frescobaldi. My computer is dual boot and I'll just have to leave it that way until I can use Linux Frescobaldi. Then, it's bye bye Windows!

On Sat, Mar 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM <fresc...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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• Linux Frescobaldi 3.0 doesn't play midi - 1 Update

Linux Frescobaldi 3.0 doesn't play midi

Viktor Mastoridis <viktor.m...@gmail.com>: Mar 28 09:37PM > 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 > 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

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