README for Sequencer64 0.97.1 (Native JACK, CLI, tempo, play-lists...)

Chris Ahlstrom 2015-09-10 to 2023-02-18

Sequencer64 is a live MIDI looper with a song-creation layout window. Sequencer64 is a reboot of seq24, extending it greatly over the last six years. The heart of seq24 remains intact. It is an old friend with a whole lot of added equipment. It has an extensive manual and Windows installers:

https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-doc.git
https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-packages.git

Sequencer64 has build options for ALSA, PortMidi, JACK, Gtkmm 2.4, Qt 5, Windows, and a command-line/daemon.

Sequencer64 is now in maintenance mode (bug fixes and minor backports only). It is superceded by Seq66. However, the new Seq66 "transposable trigger" feature has been back-ported as of 2021-05-06 so that Seq64 can play tunes saved with transposed triggers. Many related bug fixes as well. Try loading and playing the Kraftwerk tune from seq66/data/midi, which uses this feature.

WARNING This feature can save old tunes with the new triggers, which are not supported by other forks of Seq24. Back-up your tunes!

Native JACK support: Seq64rtmidi/seq64

Seq64 has native JACK MIDI/Transport, with virtual/manual ports and
auto-connect like ALSA, based on RtMidi massively refactored. It falls
back to ALSA support if JACK is not running.  See README.jack for basic
instructions on native JACK.

GUI-less application: Seq64rtmidi/seq64cli

The RtMidi/JACK version without a GUI.  Controlled via MIDI control events
(start/stop events must be set up), it relies on a good working
configuration generated via the GUI or edited by hand.  MIDI files are
loaded via play-lists (see data/nanomap.rc and data/seq64cli.rc).  Seq64cli
supports a "daemonize" option and log-files.

Windows support derived from PortMidi: Seq64qt5/qpseq64.exe

Qpseq64 uses a Qt 5 user-interface based on Kepler34 and the Sequencer64
PortMidi engine.  Windows built-in MIDI devices are detected, inaccessible
devices are ignored, and playback (e.g. to the Windows wavetable
synthesizer) work. It is built easily via Qt Creator or qmake, using
MingW.  The Qt 5 GUI still has a few features to be added, but will
be the official GUI of Seq66 (in the near future).  See README.windows for
more information.

See the INSTALL file for build-from-source instructions for Linux or Window,

and using a conventional source tarball.

Recent changes:

*   Version 0.97.1:
    *   Added Phrygian scale thanks to user WinkoErades.
    *   Fixes re issue #222.
*   Version 0.97.0:
    *   Fixed an issue reading track names in the midifile class.
    *   Fixed an issue with dropping note events at the edge of a measure.
    *   Back-ported the c_trig_transpose SeqSpec from Seq66, so that Seq64
        can read/write these newer files. Also updated the Song editor to
        show the transposition values.
    *   Fixed a bug in the pattern editor that created unnecessary empty
        screen-sets.
    *   Fixed a bug in "Save As" for an unmodified file in the Gtk UI.
*   Version 0.96.9:
    *   Fixed issue #207 where growing a note left two broken notes.
    *   Quick fix to issue #216 for note on/off tweaking.
    *   Minor fixes.
    *   User freddi converted README to markdown.
*   Version 0.96.8:
    *   Reduced the size of the pattern editor to 800x480 to fit on small
        screens.
    *   Many many tweaks and optimizations.
    *   Fixed bug in event_list::link_new().
    *   Sped up the MIDI record code to try to avoid issues recording
        chords from a MIDI keyboard.
    *   Fixed issue #206 MIDI Start/Stop/Continue; but still an issue
        with events not detected until the next event comes in.
*   For earlier version information, see the NEWS and ChangeLog files.

This package is oriented to developers and users who do not mind building from source, with a little help. It is organized and well documented. Initial work/thought/documentation started in July of 2015, when I was laid up after some old-man surgery :-(.

// vim: sw=4 ts=4 wm=4 et ft=markdown