Software MIDI bridge uses serial port to transmit MIDI

Computers & Mobile Music
Software MIDI bridge uses serial port to transmit MIDI
midi_relay.gif

Got a cool idea for a physical computing project (or actual music instrument) that uses MIDI, but don’t have a computer with an actual MIDI port? Use a Windows-based computer? Then Stephen Hobley (of laser harp fame) has you covered with his serial port MIDI relay project. After getting tired of relying on expensive, unwieldy adapter boards, he wrote a slick piece of software that monitors a regular serial port, and passes messages between it and the operating system’s MIDI interface. Excellent idea!

Under Linux, I *think* you can configure the snd-serial module to achieve the same effect, however I don’t have any experience with OS X. Have you done this with your favorite operating system/program? Got tips, or a better way to accomplish the same thing?

6 thoughts on “Software MIDI bridge uses serial port to transmit MIDI

  1. Spikenzie says:

    The Software MIDI bridge looks great!

    For the Mac (or Windows or linux) users out there, there is always a software solution that I came up with when I didn’t want to use hardware solution, the Serial-MIDI Converter. You can get more info and download it here:

    http://www.spikenzielabs.com/SpikenzieLabs/Serial_MIDI.html

    1. Collin Cunningham says:

      seconded – Spikenzie’s Serial-MIDI has been a big help for this mac user.

      (Thanks a bunch, Mark!)

  2. Angus Gratton says:

    FWIW, I’m running a “MIDI with Arduino” workshop next weekend and to help I’ve developed a similar bridge that runs without dependencies on Windows, OS X and Linux.
    http://projectgus.github.com/hairless-midiserial/

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