Play a MIDI song using more MIDI devices parallel
It is possible to play a song through MIDI cables by more than one MIDI device.
Each device could use up to 16 MIDI channels.
The MIDI song needs to contain META port number or META devicename / portname commands (usually at beginning of each track).
Select more MIDI devices for MIDI output
Choose some MIDI devices and assign optional a list of port numbers and port names to each device.
Move up, Move down
This changes the order of the devices in the list. The first device is used as default device if a song does not use ports or uses ports that are unknown.
Port numbers (1-256)
are in META port command counted 0-255. The MIDI standard has declared using port numbers out of date. Many applications still use numbers.
Port names
MIDI standard calls them device names. In GNMIDI more port names can be used for one device in case that different songs use other port names and mean the same device.
Matching port names have in GNMIDI and GNMixer more priority than matching port numbers.
GNMIDI ignores the case of the port names
Enter a list of numbers or names
The list of names will be separated by commas e.g. 3, Yamaha, Yamaha CVP-305
Default handling
If a MIDI song uses a port number or port name that is not found in the assigned ports of chosen output MIDI devices then the first MIDI device in the chosen output devices is automatically used as default.
If only one device is chosen then surely only this device will be used independent of the MIDI ports in the song.
MIDI modes and reset settings
The MIDI song must contain all settings necessary for the different devices. If not all devices use same MIDI mode (e.g. GM compatible) then the player setting should use no mode and the MIDi song needs to do the initialisation properly.
Latency problem
Latency is the delay time between sending a MIDI command to a device till hearing the sound.
Good MIDI devices react so quick (no or minimal delay between sending a command till hearing the sound) that there is practically no latency.
If MIDI devices react slower than other MIDI device then playing them parallel a song then the delay can be heard awefully.
For playing songs parallel to more devices use MIDI devices with no latency problems.