I’ve recently discovered sonic pi and very interested in it. I’m both a software engineer and pro keyboard player. I would like to integrate midi input with live coding, as my keyboard chops are strong (compared to my live coding chops).
I did not have a problem running the midi input “live piano loop” in the tutorial. I alleviated the obvious latency issue with use_real_time. Latency for single notes is acceptable.
However, when I play a chord, the notes don’t sound at the same time. There is a smearing, as they play more like an arpeggio (very close, but it sounds obviously smeared to me). I’ve coded midi streams in the (distant) past and I understand it is a serial protocol, and all those notes come in a sequence, and timing is implicit as each comes in (therefore the notes of a chord don’t all have the same exact timestamp). However in typical music software the timing is close enough so it sounds like a chord (sounds clean). I think here (with sonic pi) there is too much time lag between the notes, maybe due to how incoming midi is processed?
I’m using windows 10, and understand I can experiment with midi drivers. I also have a macbook air m1 which I use for performance, and I’ll give that a try (although realize sonic pi is not native yet).
Does anyone else run into these issues with midi input?
Hey @rgcorman, thanks for the info so far!
What nlb is trying to say is that it might be useful to help diagnose the issue if you have an example of the code you were trying to run that we could test on our own machines, just in case - plus any extra information about your setup. (Perhaps something like .sonic-pi/log/scsynth.log might give us clues about the devices setup and whether some synths are being triggered late for example )
Thanks you all for responding, I apologize for the delay following up.
I’m just running the midi input live loop from the Tutorial, with my keyboard name substituted.
live_loop :midi_piano do
use_real_time
note, velocity = sync “/midi:arturia_keylab_essential_61_0:1/note_on”
synth :piano, note: note, amp: velocity / 127.0
end
My setup is a Windows 10 AMD Ryzen 2700 PC, just using sound out through Sennheiser usb headset. The Arturia Keylab Essential 61 keyboard uses USB midi.
The scsynth.log file:
Starting SuperCollider 2022-01-06 08:25:39
Device options:
MME : Microsoft Sound Mapper - Input (device #0 with 2 ins 0 outs)
MME : Microphone (罗技高清网络摄像机 C930c) (device #1 with 2 ins 0 outs)
MME : Headset Microphone (Sennheiser (device #2 with 2 ins 0 outs)
MME : Microsoft Sound Mapper - Output (device #3 with 0 ins 2 outs)
MME : Headset Earphone (Sennheiser PC (device #4 with 0 ins 2 outs)
MME : Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High De (device #5 with 0 ins 2 outs)
MME : Speakers (PlayOn Virtual Audio (device #6 with 0 ins 2 outs)
MME : Audials Sound Capturing (Audial (device #7 with 0 ins 6 outs)
MME : 1 - LG HDR 4K (AMD High Definit (device #8 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Primary Sound Capture Driver (device #9 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Microphone (罗技高清网络摄像机 C930c) (device #10 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Headset Microphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #11 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Primary Sound Driver (device #12 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Headset Earphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #13 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device) (device #14 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Speakers (PlayOn Virtual Audio Device) (device #15 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows DirectSound : Audials Sound Capturing (Audials Sound Capturing) (device #16 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows DirectSound : 1 - LG HDR 4K (AMD High Definition Audio Device) (device #17 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device) (device #18 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Speakers (PlayOn Virtual Audio Device) (device #19 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Audials Sound Capturing (Audials Sound Capturing) (device #20 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Headset Earphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #21 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : 1 - LG HDR 4K (AMD High Definition Audio Device) (device #22 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Microphone (罗技高清网络摄像机 C930c) (device #23 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows WASAPI : Headset Microphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #24 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Microphone (罗技高清网络摄像机 C930c) (device #25 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : SPDIF Out (HD Audio SPDIF out) (device #26 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Input (MSVAD Wave) (device #27 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Speakers (MSVAD Wave) (device #28 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (10)) (device #29 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (11)) (device #30 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (12)) (device #31 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (13)) (device #32 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (14)) (device #33 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (15)) (device #34 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (16)) (device #35 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (17)) (device #36 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (18)) (device #37 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (19)) (device #38 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (20)) (device #39 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (21)) (device #40 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (22)) (device #41 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (23)) (device #42 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (24)) (device #43 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (25)) (device #44 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (26)) (device #45 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (27)) (device #46 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (28)) (device #47 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (2)) (device #48 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (3)) (device #49 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (4)) (device #50 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (5)) (device #51 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (6)) (device #52 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (7)) (device #53 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (8)) (device #54 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing (9)) (device #55 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Line Out (Audials Sound Capturing) (device #56 with 0 ins 6 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Output (AMD HD Audio HDMI out #0) (device #57 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Headset Microphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #58 with 2 ins 0 outs)
Windows WDM-KS : Headset Earphone (Sennheiser PC 8.2 USB) (device #59 with 0 ins 2 outs)
Requested devices:
In:
(default)
Out:
(default)
Selecting default system input/output devices
Booting with:
In: MME : Microphone (罗技高清网络摄像机 C930c)
Out: MME : Headset Earphone (Sennheiser PC
Sample rate: 44100.000
Latency (in/out): 0.013 / 0.091 sec
SC_AudioDriver: sample rate = 44100.000000, driver’s block size = 64
SuperCollider 3 server ready.
late 0.143571377
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late 0.109263897
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The references to Audials drivers looks like something to check–I still get the issue even if that software is off, but maybe the drivers are an issue.
To follow up: when I run sonic pi on my macbook air m1, with the same usb midi keyboard, it works much better. The sounds in a chord sound close enough to be usable, which wasn’t true on my Windows PC. It sounded more in sync on the mac when playing out either the internal sound or through a scarlett audio interface. I didn’t try the audio interface with the PC, but I don’t think the sound card was the issue–I know it affects overall latency, but this issue is more of a timing between midi notes issue, which to me would not seem related to output latency.
I’m chalking this up to my general principal of never trying to use Windows for music apps–I just never get as good results as with Macs. I love Windows and use it for all kinds of other things but with music stuff it drives me crazy.
is that it might be useful to help diagnose the issue if you have an example of the code you were trying to run that we could test on our own machines, just in case - plus any extra information about your setup. (Perhaps something like 
but why “trying” ? It isn’t clear ? too much “direct” that’s your point ? sorry if so 
