MIDI

MIDI allows us stream Quincy's output to other applications for recording or playback. Coming from an iPad or iPhone a destination for this MIDI signal can be another computer like an iMac or an application residing on the same device like GarageBand. Quincy uses two approaches to help in these scenarios. Virtual MIDI can be used to connect apps on one device and MIDI over Wifi is used to connect to external destinations.

 

Virtual MIDI

Virtual MIDI is a way for other compatible apps installed on a device to pick up Quincy's MIDI stream. This makes it possible to have Quincy drive one or more synth applications at the same time. Another benefit is that Quincy's MIDI signal can be recorded by a 3rd party app like GarageBand.

Virtual MIDI is enabled by default and has no interface in Quincy itself. Instead it will show up in the MIDI section of a compatible application and can be enabled there. In some cases due to the very fractured nature of the state of virtual MIDI on iOS applications may be able to process Quincy's MIDI output, but have no interface to enable/disable external MIDI. GarageBand is an example of that.

When using virtual MIDI there are two settings of specific interest. The "Local Audio" setting can be used to turn off Quincy's sound output if so desired. Another option in settings is called "Run in Background".

 

Working with Virtual MIDI

This aspect of multi-app processing is not exactly standardized and it pays to have good working knowledge of the apps one is working with. To initiate a recording or playback session with multiple apps it is always best to start with a clean slate and quit all running apps. Then launch any delegate apps like synths etc. and finally launch Quincy.

 

MIDI over WiFi

MIDI over WiFi is a feature that can be used to direct Quincy's output to another device, typically a computer (Mac) that is on the same network. Once a connection is established Quincy's output can then be used in any DAW (digital audio workstation) like Ableton Live or Logic X.

Audio MIDI Setup

If you don't see a window like the one above when launching Audio Midi Setup, go to the application menu and select "Show MIDI Window" and then double-click the purple Network icon.

The Audio Midi Setup window has 3 boxes: My Sessions, Directory and Session.

My Sessions

Leaving this to default is OK. If there are no entries in this box, then add one with the + button. The name "Session 1" is needed later on.

Directory

These are available MIDI sources/destinations. Green dot mark destinations available via WiFi, Mac Pro is the machine we are currently using. Make sure the local machine (Mac Pro) is connected.

Session

Important here are the participants: MacPro and iPad. They should both be showing up here. If not, check that the local machine (MacPro in our case) is connected and that the iOS device (iPad here) is on the same WiFi network. Live Routings should also be set as seen.

Ableton Live Preferences

We are using Ableton Live as our DAW. The one thing to check here are the MIDI Sync preferences. To be able to use Quincy's output from our iOS device at least one input connection here must be set to Network (Session 1) or any other name we have set in the Audio MIDI Setup app in the My Sessions box.

 

The channel we are using for Quincy's output here is "3 Bass Deep". Note that the MIDI from parameter has also been set to Network (Session 1).

 

Quincy Settings

To complete our setup we need to adjust our MIDI settings in Quincy. The playback mode setting i located in the settings window. In the MIDI section of the Settings window tap the phrase "Not Connected" that is showing the disclosure arrow.

Here we want to select MacPro as our Device.

 

The MIDI setup is now complete with MacPro as our MIDI destination.

 

Summary

MIDI allows us to extend the reach of what is possible with Quincy quite dramatically. We can record the MIDI signal into a DAW, drive external synthesizers and much more. It may seem like a lot of effort to set up in some cases, especially when routing to external destinations, but with a little practice it will soon become second nature.

Next we will take a look at another way of connecting Quincy to other destinations - this time we will only route the audio signal.