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Miniseq.jar is a piece of java software that allows the playback of several midi sequences through a single midi output, simultaneously.
This port of Miniseq.jar is based on javax.midi from Oracle, and runs on java platforms 100% compatible with Java Virtual machine from Oracle.
Miniseq.jar is currently released from and tested on the following platform only:
Ubuntu 14.04
with
java version "1.8.0_60"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_60-b27)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.60-b23, mixed mode)
Please View the source files in package miniseq.
For a quick test, do the following steps in java:
String song = "<cD<eC<gD<bB..<cD<eC<gD<bB";
InputStream in = new ByteArrayInputStream(song.getBytes());
Miniseq seq = new Miniseq();
seq.play();
seq.readFrom(new miniseq.FeatureInputStream(in));
Note that once miniseq is playing, you can feed new songs to the sequencer by calling seq.readFrom() repeatedly, and the sequencer will start playing them when requested.
Class miniseq/Main includes a simple tcp server application for programmatic extension. You can start the server by running:
java -cp Miniseq.jar miniseq/Main -server 12345
where 12345 sets the server port.
Said server accepts continuous tcp sessions one at a time. You can either create a new connection to the server for each new song to be played, or let the server wait on the client socket and send new fragments via same socket as they become available.
Server input routine has a quick patch for http format, so songs can be sent either as a raw byte stream (UTF-8), or in the message part of a http request. In either case, the client must not expect a http answer from the server. The client should do an automatic timeout when all data is sent. This enables the server to respond to other requests, too.
For an example client application, see miniseq/Main. Running (while server on):
java -cp Miniseq.jar miniseq/Main -client 12345 -seq cdefg
or, for interactive mode:
java -cp Miniseq.jar miniseq/Main -client 12345
Miniseq comes with its own human-readable midi format, .seq. An ingenious format was chosen for two purposes: firstly, when midi is used to play different kinds of effects of variable length, .midi resource files are sometimes an overkill, while a simple command to play a series of notes suffices from the user's perspective; secondly, a custom song format enables defining midi songs in a way that multiple songs can be played simultaneously without necessarily breaking anything.
A .seq file is always text - miniseq reads songs in either UTF-8 or Latin-1, with some restrictions. For playback commands, the 7-bit ascii character set is sufficient. If the song should include extended midi events - for example, text events or comments - you should consider using UTF-8 as source file encoding.
A .seq file consists of lines of notes. A linefeed (hex 0x10) starts a new line. Each line is treated as a track of midi data. General midi channels are indexed from 1 to 16; miniseq takes the programmatic point of view and indexes the same channels from 0 to 15, or, in fact, from 0 to F hexadecimal notation.
It is possible to explicitly set the output midi channel in the beginning or in the middle of a line, but it is usually best not to. Instead, let the sequencer decide which channel to use. Standard drum channel 10(9) is an exception.
An example song could be defined in a file like this:
x0 p0 cccedddfeeddc /*(1)*/
x9 f#*16
There are two parts fixed to midi channels 1(0) and 10(9). The first line plays a short melody with GM Acoustic Grand Piano - midi program 0 - and the second one plays a sequence of 16 quarter note ticks with the standard drum set in channel 10(9).
This can be simplified a little by omitting channel selection for the first part and letting miniseq pick up a channel:
p0 cccedddfeeddc /*(2)*/
x9 f#*16
Furthermore, midi program selection can be omitted, because Grand Piano is the default instrument:
cccedddfeeddc /*(3)*/
x9 f#*16
Miniseq can be instructed to play another sequence simultaneously. (Hint: fire miniseq.Main with parameter -client and with -file myfile.mseq)
p105 g#6*16
This would play a series of banjo sounds in g sharp in the higher octave. Selecting an octave for a note is optional and defaults to 5, which is the middle octave.
Notes are expressed in a modified European notation, where notes c,d,e,f,g,a are commonly understood, h is one tone higher than a (in US notation, b), and b is flattened h. Sharpening a note is done by postfixing as many #-characters as necessary. Similarly, flattening is done with the character -.
Octaves are expressed from 0 to 9, where 5 is the default middle octave on piano keyboard.
Finally, note length is expressed with letters from I to A (case sensitive). Note length is attached to the note in much the same way as in sheet music. Contrary to the midi file format, where note on and note off are separate midi events.
The following table summarises note length notation:
I a 64th part of a whole note (1/64)
H a 32th (1/32)
G a 16th (1/16)
F a 8th (1/8)
E a quarter note (the default) (1/4)
D a half note (1/2)
C a whole note (1/1)
B a double note (2/1)
A a quadruple note (4/1)
Note length indicators can be queued.
cFF means the same as cE (1/4)
cCCCC is the same as cA (4/1)
eCD is a lengthened whole note (3/2), and just the same as eDC or eEEEEEE
Finally, note offset volume is expressed as v, where two hexadecimal digits follow letter v. cv7F means middle c with velocity 127. e#v40 means middle e sharp with velocity 64 (the default). Incremental and decremental versions v+ and v- increment and decrement respectively the current default offset volume by given amount.
Where no note should be played, a stop is indicated with the letter . and possible length modifiers. .E means a quarter note stop, .C a stop for a whole note - being the same as .... or .*4
Playback tempo can be set in bpm, in the beginning of a sequence or in the middle of it. Miniseq will keep track of the tempi of simultaneously playing sequences and keep them separate as long as their first tempo change events are not of the same value.
t160.0 sets playback tempo to 160 beats per minute.
t200 sets playback tempo to 200 beats per minute.
Default note offset volume can be set in the beginning or in the middle of a sequence.
V7F sets default note offset volume to 127 (maximum).
V00 sets default note offset volume to 0 (inaudible).
x0 selects midi channel 1 for following notes on the line.
xF selects midi channel 16.
p0 selects GM program number 0 (Acoustic Grand Piano)
p127 selects GM program number 127 (Gunshot - maximum)
<c<eg plays a chord (c major). Notice that the last note is not prefixed.
[ceg]bDE plays a 3/2 note b and simultaneously notes c, e, g
To fire a generic midi event, use the ! notation:
!<midi event type|hex1><param1|hex2><param2|hex2>
!B0700 fires a control event (B) of type program volume change (07) with value 00 (silent)
!B0A7F fires a control event (B) pan position 0A(10) with value 7F(127) - right
To fire a series of midi events with fixed interval, use !* notation:
!B0A=00>7F,2,8 fires a series of pan position events, from initial value 0 (left) to final value 7F(127), with pan increment of 2 between two successive events, and with interval 8(1/64) (interval of 1/8 whole notes)
To record a sequence,
M1234 cdefg M
where 1234 is an arbitrary number for the recorded sequence.
To play back a previously recorded sequence on current channel,
N1234*4 (taken previous example and the same line or channel, this would result in the same as writing cdefgcdefgcdefgcdefg
To record a sequence without playing back simultaneously,
R01 ccccddd R
To play back,
R01
t170 .B t100 . t170
V08 R61cIc#6IaGR R62g#6GdHR .C !*B0A=00>7F,2,8 N61*18 . N61*18 . N61*18
x9 !*B07=40>70,10,16 !B0A00
x9 M1 c5c5G*4. c5*3. ..Fc5*2.F c5*3. M N1*3
x9 M2 ..Fc#5*3 .Fc#5c#5G.Hc#5Hc#5.Fc#5*2.Fc#5 .Fc#5G.G...F M N2*3
x9 .F M3 e6v20e6v35 . M M31 N3 . M N31*7
x9 M4 .I f3#v15*6f3#v10I*16 .I*15 M N4*7
x9 M5 .B ...F.If4v25.I*15 M N5 M6 .F f4v30*2 ..F M N5 N6 N5