Oh cool! This is the way Rosegarden, a UNIX-based music composition (sequencer) program is supposed to work.
Once I find my MIDI cable (or buy a new one) and then buy a powered USB hub... all should be good.
Back in 2005 while I was already quite sick with diabetes symptoms I bought the m-audio Uno USB to MIDI adapter, and hooked it up to my laptop. It would work for a couple of times and then the connection would be flaky. Sometimes I'd get it to work, other times no go...and this was in Windows XP.
This guy explains the problem in a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tRQkfvnMDU
9 years later I found the solution to this problem in someone's Youtube video. The m-audio wasn't using enough electicity or whatever and so need more to get a proper connection to the laptop. The guy at the music store didn't quite help in 2005 / 2006 / 2007 ( I can't remember which year, it's all a blur). He said "you can't do MIDI on a laptop, use a PC instead"... Ya, real helpful sales clerk.
Anyways, I'll be fine once I get the extra hardware.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNdXdWoHU0w
Rosegarden is a GNU freeware. Back in 2005 I paid about $200 to get the MIDI USB cable and a copy of Cakewalk for Windows.
On Saturday, April 5th, 2014 I found the m-audio UNO USB-MIDI cable. It was at my parent's house, which I remembered taking there in 2009, after I couldn't get it to work on my laptop in 2005.
On Sunday, April 6th, 2014 I got internal MIDI to work via Rosegarden sequencer program... I made a short Youtube video. The secret was to do the folowing:
- In a Linux console, type timidity -iA. This starts the Timidity++ program as a server and allows it to do the MIDI translation to the audio adapter.
- Load Rosegarden sequencer.
- Load Jack Audio Connection Kit (qjackctl).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oahd6N3-Fk&list=UUFDflUcE9asWlWiHHIz07Rg
