How does one playback MIDI files on Mac OS X?
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
I’m on Mac OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite and in the past, I used VLC Media Player in combination with FluidSynth to play back MIDI sound files, but according to the answer to this question, this option is no longer viable. As QuickTime Player does not support MIDI playback, either, as it seems, I am looking for a method to play MIDI files, preferably not using GarageBand, which seems to be the only software on my computer that actually supports the MIDI file format.
What options, i. e. plug-ins, programs, etc., do I have to listen to MIDI on my Mac?
macos mac audio vlc-media-player midi
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
add a comment |
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
I’m on Mac OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite and in the past, I used VLC Media Player in combination with FluidSynth to play back MIDI sound files, but according to the answer to this question, this option is no longer viable. As QuickTime Player does not support MIDI playback, either, as it seems, I am looking for a method to play MIDI files, preferably not using GarageBand, which seems to be the only software on my computer that actually supports the MIDI file format.
What options, i. e. plug-ins, programs, etc., do I have to listen to MIDI on my Mac?
macos mac audio vlc-media-player midi
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
add a comment |
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
I’m on Mac OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite and in the past, I used VLC Media Player in combination with FluidSynth to play back MIDI sound files, but according to the answer to this question, this option is no longer viable. As QuickTime Player does not support MIDI playback, either, as it seems, I am looking for a method to play MIDI files, preferably not using GarageBand, which seems to be the only software on my computer that actually supports the MIDI file format.
What options, i. e. plug-ins, programs, etc., do I have to listen to MIDI on my Mac?
macos mac audio vlc-media-player midi
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
I’m on Mac OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite and in the past, I used VLC Media Player in combination with FluidSynth to play back MIDI sound files, but according to the answer to this question, this option is no longer viable. As QuickTime Player does not support MIDI playback, either, as it seems, I am looking for a method to play MIDI files, preferably not using GarageBand, which seems to be the only software on my computer that actually supports the MIDI file format.
What options, i. e. plug-ins, programs, etc., do I have to listen to MIDI on my Mac?
macos mac audio vlc-media-player midi
macos mac audio vlc-media-player midi
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
asked Sep 24 '15 at 11:27
brian-ammon
234128
234128
add a comment |
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
The recent VLC 3.0.0 has returned MIDI support and works on macOS.
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
add a comment |
up vote
20
down vote
In a terminal window:
brew install timidity; timidity yourfile.mid
If you don't have brew, get it here: https://brew.sh/
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
Aria Maestosa looks a bit dodgy, couldn't open any of the midi files I downloaded... A better option is probably to install Quicktime 7, which supports MIDI, and still runs in Yosemite, check out http://osxdaily.com/2014/07/20/run-quicktime-player-7-in-mac-os-x/
I also discovered https://github.com/SamusAranX/MinimalMIDIPlayer recently. It is still very basic but the fact you can use custom sound fonts is promising. Hopefully the developer adds a global soundfont setting soon so you don't have to rename your soundfont to match the midi file you want to play.
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Aria Maestosa does exactly what I need.
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I've recently downloaded Sequences from the Mac App Store (paid) which does the job for basic MIDI playback.
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
I'm not sure if it works on newer versions, but I was able to play midi's on iTunes 11.4 with little trouble.
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
The recent VLC 3.0.0 has returned MIDI support and works on macOS.
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
The recent VLC 3.0.0 has returned MIDI support and works on macOS.
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
The recent VLC 3.0.0 has returned MIDI support and works on macOS.
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
The recent VLC 3.0.0 has returned MIDI support and works on macOS.
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
answered Feb 10 at 14:04
SmiVan
9613
9613
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
add a comment |
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
1
1
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
And it supports custom sound fonts. Actually Quicktime did as well but since they removed the quicktime settings panel, you can't anymore so VLC definitely is the way to go from now.
– Capsule
Sep 10 at 0:00
add a comment |
up vote
20
down vote
In a terminal window:
brew install timidity; timidity yourfile.mid
If you don't have brew, get it here: https://brew.sh/
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
add a comment |
up vote
20
down vote
In a terminal window:
brew install timidity; timidity yourfile.mid
If you don't have brew, get it here: https://brew.sh/
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
add a comment |
up vote
20
down vote
up vote
20
down vote
In a terminal window:
brew install timidity; timidity yourfile.mid
If you don't have brew, get it here: https://brew.sh/
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
In a terminal window:
brew install timidity; timidity yourfile.mid
If you don't have brew, get it here: https://brew.sh/
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
answered Apr 28 '17 at 16:15
jlp
30124
30124
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
Aria Maestosa looks a bit dodgy, couldn't open any of the midi files I downloaded... A better option is probably to install Quicktime 7, which supports MIDI, and still runs in Yosemite, check out http://osxdaily.com/2014/07/20/run-quicktime-player-7-in-mac-os-x/
I also discovered https://github.com/SamusAranX/MinimalMIDIPlayer recently. It is still very basic but the fact you can use custom sound fonts is promising. Hopefully the developer adds a global soundfont setting soon so you don't have to rename your soundfont to match the midi file you want to play.
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
Aria Maestosa looks a bit dodgy, couldn't open any of the midi files I downloaded... A better option is probably to install Quicktime 7, which supports MIDI, and still runs in Yosemite, check out http://osxdaily.com/2014/07/20/run-quicktime-player-7-in-mac-os-x/
I also discovered https://github.com/SamusAranX/MinimalMIDIPlayer recently. It is still very basic but the fact you can use custom sound fonts is promising. Hopefully the developer adds a global soundfont setting soon so you don't have to rename your soundfont to match the midi file you want to play.
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
up vote
12
down vote
Aria Maestosa looks a bit dodgy, couldn't open any of the midi files I downloaded... A better option is probably to install Quicktime 7, which supports MIDI, and still runs in Yosemite, check out http://osxdaily.com/2014/07/20/run-quicktime-player-7-in-mac-os-x/
I also discovered https://github.com/SamusAranX/MinimalMIDIPlayer recently. It is still very basic but the fact you can use custom sound fonts is promising. Hopefully the developer adds a global soundfont setting soon so you don't have to rename your soundfont to match the midi file you want to play.
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
Aria Maestosa looks a bit dodgy, couldn't open any of the midi files I downloaded... A better option is probably to install Quicktime 7, which supports MIDI, and still runs in Yosemite, check out http://osxdaily.com/2014/07/20/run-quicktime-player-7-in-mac-os-x/
I also discovered https://github.com/SamusAranX/MinimalMIDIPlayer recently. It is still very basic but the fact you can use custom sound fonts is promising. Hopefully the developer adds a global soundfont setting soon so you don't have to rename your soundfont to match the midi file you want to play.
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
edited Jul 30 at 6:28
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
answered Dec 1 '15 at 4:26
Capsule
42646
42646
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
add a comment |
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
1
1
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
Agreed. Although Aria Maestosa worked for me on the midi file I wanted to play, I found Quicktime 7 to be a much easier and less bloated solution. FYI: Quicktime 7 runs without issue alongside Quicktime X.
– Jess Riedel
Feb 27 '16 at 19:54
2
2
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
It runs on Sierra too.
– rraallvv
Jun 2 '17 at 19:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
And it still works perfectly in High Sierra too. This is the best solution I found so far to quickly play midi files before importing it in my DAW.
– zakinster
Jan 8 at 14:20
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
Hi, I'm the developer of MinimalMIDIPlayer. If you found this answer via Google (like I just did), it now has soundfont support. Give it a try, it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
– Peter W.
Sep 15 at 21:58
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Aria Maestosa does exactly what I need.
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Aria Maestosa does exactly what I need.
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Aria Maestosa does exactly what I need.
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
Aria Maestosa does exactly what I need.
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
answered Sep 24 '15 at 12:07
brian-ammon
234128
234128
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
add a comment |
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
2
2
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
Thanks for closing the loop on your question. However, link-only product recommendations aren't considered an answer; partly because it doesn't explain how to accomplish the solution (or even what makes it a good solution), and partly to distinguish it from spam. Please see meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/… for guidance on how to recommend software. Link-only product recommendations tend to attract downvotes and are usually deleted.
– fixer1234
Sep 25 '15 at 1:19
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
completely off-topic, that has got to be one of the best names for a software evah! :)
– George Profenza
Dec 2 '15 at 20:06
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I've recently downloaded Sequences from the Mac App Store (paid) which does the job for basic MIDI playback.
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I've recently downloaded Sequences from the Mac App Store (paid) which does the job for basic MIDI playback.
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I've recently downloaded Sequences from the Mac App Store (paid) which does the job for basic MIDI playback.
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
I've recently downloaded Sequences from the Mac App Store (paid) which does the job for basic MIDI playback.
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
answered Nov 21 at 15:56
Albert Rucker
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
I'm not sure if it works on newer versions, but I was able to play midi's on iTunes 11.4 with little trouble.
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
I'm not sure if it works on newer versions, but I was able to play midi's on iTunes 11.4 with little trouble.
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
I'm not sure if it works on newer versions, but I was able to play midi's on iTunes 11.4 with little trouble.
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
I'm not sure if it works on newer versions, but I was able to play midi's on iTunes 11.4 with little trouble.
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
answered Mar 24 '16 at 23:33
Donald Trump
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
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