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| sandbox:ios_midi_connection_intricacies [2019/05/13 07:11] – created basic outline wim | playground:ios_core_midi_connections_explained [2019/05/13 12:47] – [Types of connections] wim | ||
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| - | ====== iOS MIDI Connections Explained ====== | + | ====== iOS Core MIDI Connections Explained ====== |
| It can be confusing understanding how to connect apps via MIDI in iOS. This article attempts to explain the concepts, common misconceptions, | It can be confusing understanding how to connect apps via MIDI in iOS. This article attempts to explain the concepts, common misconceptions, | ||
| + | <WRAP box> | ||
| + | NOTE: This article is mainly concerned with Host and IAA apps. The rise of AUv3 apps has thankfully simplified MIDI routing a lot within hosts so not as much needs to be said. | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | (Work in progress) | ||
| ===== Concepts ===== | ===== Concepts ===== | ||
| - | Core MIDI is Apple’s name for its inter-app | + | Core MIDI is Apple’s name for its MIDI routing mechanism. Understanding certain concepts about Core MIDI can go a long way toward understanding how to connect things. |
| + | |||
| + | ==== Types of connections ==== | ||
| + | There are multiple types of connections to consider, each with their own concepts. | ||
| + | * App to App | ||
| + | * Hardware | ||
| + | * Network Session | ||
| + | * BlueTooth | ||
| + | |||
| + | === App to App === | ||
| + | == Ports and Virtual Ports == | ||
| + | The most important concept to understand when connecting apps is that of virtual MIDI ports. This is how apps identify MIDI end points. Virtual ports that send MIDI out are //source// ports, those that receive MIDI are // | ||
| + | |||
| + | Hardware, BlueTooth, and the Network session are ports as well. They can be senders, receivers, or both, depending on the hardware or apps using them. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == App Source vs. Destination == | ||
| + | Ignoring hardware, BlueTooth, and the Network Session for now, there are multiple ways apps can receive MIDI from other apps. | ||
| + | - **Select which app(s) to listen to**\\ In the MIDI settings of apps that work this way, there should be a list of apps currently advertising themselves, from which you can select one or more apps to listen to. Some apps allow multiple selections, some don’t. Some show only currently running apps, and some remember apps whether they’re running or not. | ||
| + | - **Listen for any incoming MIDI directed to them**\\ These apps generally advertise their “destination” virtual ports so that apps can select to send to them. To connect this way, go to the sending app MIDI settings and select the app you want to send to. | ||
| + | - **Listen to all MIDI Input**\\ This one is bad. The app listens for any MIDI input that isn’t directed to a particular receiving app. Since hardware controllers have no way of selecting to which app they send, MIDI from //any// hardware will be picked up by such apps. Some make it even worse by not even providing a MIDI channel selector. Korg Module is an infamous example of this. It will pick up any and all hardware MIDI input and //there’s nothing that can be done to overcome this//. | ||
| + | - **Combinations of the above**\\ Yes, sometimes apps can do it more than one way. For instance, in AUM, one can select an external app to listen to, or one can select “AUM Destination” to listen to. More on this later. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Apps can //send// MIDI to other apps in a few ways too. | ||
| + | - **Select which apps to send MIDI to**\\ In the MIDI settings for there should be a list of app ports to send to. These apps are advertising their virtual destination ports. Some sender apps will allow multiple destination selections, some will not. | ||
| + | - **Send all MIDI out on the app’s own virtual MIDI port**\\ Such apps may not have a MIDI output setting at all. Instead, they will show up in the available MIDI inputs list of apps that work that way (see #1 above). | ||
| - | ==== Virtual Ports ==== | + | === Hardware |
| - | ==== Source vs. Destination ==== | + | === BlueTooth |
| - | ==== Network Session | + | === Network Session === |
| ==== MIDI Clock ==== | ==== MIDI Clock ==== | ||
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