With MIDIPlayer X v2.3, users of MiX16 PRO v9.5 can remote control key features of MIDIPlayer X from within MiX16 PRO.

• select a MIDI file from your Mac, assign it to a MIDI cue, and play the cue via MIDIPlayer X
• select which MIDI output MIDIPlayer X will play your cue to
• control MIDIPlayer X’s transport controls: start, stop, and reset

• Once a remote message has been received from MiX16 PRO, MIDIPlayer X will turn off AutoPlay and start / stop commands should be made manually, either from MiX16 PRO or in MIDIPlayer X.

A Standard MIDI File is a file format for exchanging MIDI files between MIDI sequencers. Standard MIDI files typically use the .mid file extension; some applications export them with .midi file extension. Much like .txt or .jpg for text and images, it is a common file format to save MIDI data so that it can be opened by another device or application.

Learn more about Standard MIDI Files at midi.org.

General MIDI, GM, and GM2 are specific feature sets for instruments that bear these marks. General MIDI 1, or GM, was the original specification; General MIDI 2, GM2, represents an enhanced specification for additional functionality. Though both GM and GM2 have additional feature sets, General MIDI often refers to a common mapping of sounds that provides compatibility between different instruments, such that Acoustic Piano is always program change 1, drums are always on channel 10, etc., so that MIDI files played on a GM instrument should have the correct instrumentation.

MIDIPlayer’s built-in Core Audio synthesizer is GM compatible.

Learn more about General MIDI at midi.org

Every Mac includes Apple’s utility application Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) for configuring MIDI hardware and its connections to your Mac. AMS has two windows, Audio Devices, and MIDI Studio, which is the one we’re concerned with here. By default, the MIDI Studio will include Apple’s IAC, Network, and (as of OSX Yosemite) Bluetooth drivers for MIDI communication (not to be confused with the general Network and Bluetooth settings in System Preferences).

If you have a MIDI interface connected, and any required drivers properly installed, those ports will also be available to connect any external hardware MIDI devices. Simply drag between hardware ports to represent any external MIDI cables you have connecting your devices.

IAC Driver: allows MIDI communication between applications. This should be enabled if you want MIDIPlayer to play to a software destination in the same Mac that does not create its own MIDI connection. Using IAC Driver, MIDIPlayer could play to a stand-alone virtual instrument, or a track in your DAW with your favorite plug-in instrument.

Network: allows MIDI communication over a wired or wireless network to another device, such as another Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

Bluetooth: allows MIDI communication to a Bluetooth device, such as an iPhone or iPad.

Audio MIDI Setup will be located in /Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities, unless, of course, you have moved or deleted it.

v2.2.6 Release Notes 6/12/22
Fixes and Improvements
• Patched a bug that occasionally caused files to be skipped when AutoPlay advanced.

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v2.2.5 Release Notes 8/25/21
Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed a bug that could cause hung notes when switching MIDI files.

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v2.2.4 Release Notes 1/24/21
Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed a bug where the player would not respond to tempo controls.
• Fixed a bug where invalid tempos could be displayed.

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v2.2.3 Release Notes 10/15/20
Fixes and Improvements
• Some under the hood MIDI parsing improvements.

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v2.2.1 Release Notes 9/27/18
Fixes and Improvements
• Patched a crash that could occur when playing files containing SysEx.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the wrong output to be selected on launch.

Other Changes
• Updated minimum requirement to macOS 10.12.
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v2.2 Release Notes 1/23/17

New Features
• Expanded AutoPlay to include auto-advance mode to play all files in succession.
• Expanded AutoPlay with repeat mode to continuously repeat the selected file.

Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed a bug that caused Track and/or SysEx indicators to sometimes display incorrectly when a new file is selected.

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v2.1.1 Release Notes 8/17/16
Fixes and Improvements
• Added support for .midi file extensions.

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v2.1 Release Notes 6/27/16
New Features
• New counter mode to show file play time in minutes : seconds, in addition to the standard bars : beats.
• New shortcut for convenient access to Audio MIDI Setup utility.

Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed a bug that caused muted tracks to not show as muted when reloaded.

Other Changes
• Updated key commands.

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v2.0.2 Release Notes 12/11/15
Fixes and Improvements
• Significant reduction in CPU use for improved battery life.

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v2.0.1 Release Notes 09/09/15
Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed an issue that prevented the Open panel from accepting multiple files or folders.
• Renamed some menu items for clarity.

Stability and Reliability
• Fixed issues that caused the app to be unresponsive in OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

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v2.0 Release Notes 09/03/15
New Features
• Rewind & Fast Forward controls
• Mute & Solo channels
• Tempo control
• Bar & beat counter
• Multiple files & folders drag and drop
• Save As…
• Show in Finder

Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed an issue which caused the app not to launch when dropping files on app icon

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v1.0.2 Release Notes 03/19/15
Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed issues that may have corrupted MIDI data during dense passages.
• Properly displays the file’s initial values after reset.

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v1.0.1 Release Notes 02/16/15
Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed an issue that caused the title / filename to fail to display.
• Fixed minor memory leaks while updating MIDI setup.
• Improved processing that could have caused stuck MIDI notes during dense passages.
• Improved the responsiveness of channel indicators.

Stability and Reliability
• Fixed issues that could cause the app to hang or become unresponsive when sending System Exclusive messages.

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v1.0 01/22/15

As of v2.2.1, the minimum macOS is 10.12 Sierra or later.

Previous versions up to v2.2 require macOS 10.9 Mavericks or later.

There is no version of MIDIPlayer X for Windows at this time.

The latest v2.2.1 of MIDIPlayer X requires macOS 10.12 or later.

MIDIPlayer X is built upon the Mac’s CoreMIDI technology, so it is compatible with virtually all commercial MIDI hardware and software you might use with your Mac. Simply select your desired MIDI output in the Output popup menu to play to that device.

MIDIPlayer X uses your Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility to gather information about your available MIDI hardware. Your device must be connected and online in AMS in order for it to appear in MIDIPlayer X’s output menu. In the highly unlikely case that your device is connected and online in AMS yet not showing in MIDIPlayer X’s menu, please contact us for support with your specific device and system information.

Whereas MIDIPlayer X uses Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) for configured hardware, AMS does not show virtual MIDI connections created by specific software applications. To play to another MIDI software application, check the application’s MIDI settings to make sure it is enabled to receive MIDI either through the IAC Driver and/or its own MIDI input.

1. Apple’s IAC Driver will send and receive MIDI communication from the vast majority of music software, provided that said software has the ability to send and/or receive MIDI outside of itself. If you select IAC Driver in MIDIPlayer X’s menu, any and all applications set to receive on the IAC bus will receive MIDI from MIDIPlayer X.
2. Some music software may have a setting for creating/enabling its own MIDI connection separate from Apple’s IAC driver. If such a connection is available, it is often the preferred choice as it will be specific to that application, separate from the “public” IAC bus.

This is actually a somewhat complicated multi-part question. The short answer is that sounds are determined by program changes in the MIDI file and the MIDI device you have selected to play the file to; MIDIPlayer X itself does not play a role in selecting sounds. Read on if you’d like a bit more explanation.

As MIDI files do not contain actual audio data, the “sounds” is determined by:

1. Which MIDI device / output is the file playing to? MIDIPlayer X allows you to select any available MIDI device / output to play the file to using the drop down menu. The choices in MIDIPlayer’s menu will be determined by:
   a) how you have configured any MIDI hardware in your Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup utility;
   b) any MIDI software that publishes a MIDI connection (known as a virtual connection) for you to play to; and
   c) MIDIPlayer’s own built-in General MIDI (GM) compatible synthesizer. By default, MIDIPlayer will launch playing to its own synth, but you can change this at any time.
2. Which sounds is that device using to voice the MIDI data? Once you have selected a hardware or software device, it is up to that device to voice the MIDI data that is in the MIDI file being played. Actual sound selection can be done with MIDI Program Change messages sent by the file, if the author included them in the file, or by manually selecting a sound or set of sounds on the device that you are playing to if the device offers that feature. For MIDIPlayer X’s built-in GM synth, the file must include program changes to select the appropriate sound for each MIDI channel.Please refer to the instructions for your particular device for information on how to select sounds and/or how it responds to program changes.

MIDIPlayer X’s Built-In GM Synth has the default reverb level set by Apple.

At this time, MIDIPlayer X does not provide any controls to edit the built-in synth. However, the synth can be edited by MIDI CCs sent from any .mid file.

Download the file below, and play it to the Built-In GM Synth to set reverb level 0 for all 16 MIDI channels. Any following files will not have reverb – unless, of course, those files also contain CCs to set their reverb send level.

At each launch, a brand new Built-In GM Synth is created, so the reverb will return next time you open MIDIPlayer X. Keep this file handy any time you wish to set the reverb level to 0.

NoEffects.mid

While there is not a native iOS app of MIDIPlayer X at this time, iOS does include Apple’s CoreMIDI technology, so iOS devices can be connected to your Mac for MIDI communication via WiFi or Bluetooth in the Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup utility. This will allow you to play MIDI files from MIDIPlayer X on your Mac to MIDI applications on your iOS device.

MIDIPlayer X is a stand-alone application. There is no current plan to make it available in plug-in format.

A Standard MIDI File’s title should be set by the author. The title is a specific MIDI meta message, but setting it properly is sometimes confusing:

1. Not all DAWs make it clear where the MIDI file title should be set
2. The title can be, but is not necessarily, the same as the filename saved to disk

If not specified properly in the DAW, a Standard MIDI File will look to the first track/region for a name to use as the title. This will often be an instrument name, like Piano or Strings, a default name like Track 1, or whatever the author used as a name for that first track.

As of v2, MIDIPlayer X does not have a random or shuffle mode, however it is relatively simple to play songs in a different order.

When using drag and drop, the selected files will be ordered by the sort order in your Finder window. So if your files are sorted by name in the Finder, they will play in alphabetical order.

There are a couple ways to change the Finder ordering on your Mac. A fairly simple way is to choose View>byList, and then View>Arrange By and choose a different criteria. You can also do this directly in the Finder window by selecting different column headers while in List view. For example, selecting Size will likely produce a fairly random order with regards to song title.

v1.6 1/11/16

New Features
• SliceKeys lets you audition slices from your computer keyboard, in addition or instead of using MIDI.

Fixes and Improvements
• Restores proper looping for OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Other Changes
• Updated key commands
• Restores and unifies REXPlayer compatibility for both OS X 10.10 and 10.11

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For OS X 10.11 El Capitan: v1.5

For OS X 10.10 Yosemite: v1.0.1

v1.5 11/23/15     (OS X 10.11 El Capitan)

Fixes and Improvements
– Bypasses the looping bug introduced by OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

Known Issues
• v1.5 is an intermediate release to restore usability under OS X 10.11 El Capitan. It adds no new features compared v1.0.1.
• v1.5 turns looping off by default, as the loop is not seamless, though looping can be enabled if desired.
• v1.5 requires OS X 10.11 El Capitan; users of OS X 10.10 Yosemite should continue to use REXPlayer v1.0.1.
• A forthcoming version to restore seamless looping in El Capitan is in development.

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v1.0.1 8/28/15     (OS X 10.10 Yosemite)

Fixes and Improvements
• Fixed next/previous button behavior

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v1.0 5/26/15

As many as your computer’s RAM will hold. We stopped testing at 1,000!

REXPlayer assigns the first slice to note number 36 (C2) and goes up chromatically from there.

REXPlayer listens in OMNI mode – it will receive any channel on the selected MIDI input.

Yes, if your Mac is running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later

REXPlayer is designed for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later.

Simply click and drag on the filename in REXPlayer to start the drag export.

REX is an audio file format developed by Propellerhead Software.

REX files can be created and edited only with ReCycle from Propellerhead Software.

Since REXPlayer assigns MIDI notes to the slices, and there are only 128 notes in the MIDI specification (for a single MIDI channel), REXPlayer will only load slices for the notes it has available. At this time, that is a maximum of 92 slices per file.

Unfortunately, OS X El Capitan introduced a bug that caused REXPlayer v1.0.1 to freeze when running under OS X 10.11 and 10.11.1. Apple fixed the bug in OS X 10.11.2, so please ensure you have updated your OS, and to the latest version of REXPlayer, to avoid this issue.