In 2018 I got the idea to write a simple program to send MIDI over a network (local network and internet) for controlling a MIDI instrument connected to a remote pc (think classroom setup scenario). I wrote it (very simple concept demonstrator) and it worked well. Then I got no interest from anyone so I abandoned the project. Since then I have seen other people looking for something like this and I was wondering if I should rewrite it and release it to the community. This is NOT going to let you jam live over the internet with other musicians - the internet latency is way too high for most people. But it will allow you to demonstrate keys and music theory to students (since the latency is not an issue) or even play live instruments on a LOCAL network (my local wifi network gives me 1ms latency, so I can play live if needed). Who wants this? Who needs this? Does anyone want me to to revive this project? I am a programmer and this will be a Windows only program (I don't have a Mac). My plan would be to release this free. This is actually a rediculously easy program to write and I can easily write other variations of this is anyone has any ideas. Music teachers - this would be perfect for what you do!
MIDI over network
- Thread starter zr6ryo
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Edit - I know RTP-MIDI exists but that's a complicated setup that not everyone can do (like students). This is a standalone program to control a connected MIDI device/instrument without the need for somebody to have any technical knowledge other than entering the remote ip address. Add to this a simple click to modify the remote ip and it's reconfigured again.
Flow: local instrument ==> local pc ==> internet/network ==> remote pc ==> remote instrument
So keys on the local instrument are passed to the remote instrument via network and both instruments keys are displayed on screen.
Flow: local instrument ==> local pc ==> internet/network ==> remote pc ==> remote instrument
So keys on the local instrument are passed to the remote instrument via network and both instruments keys are displayed on screen.
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I'd think it sounds like a useful tool to release for free. 
There was a website for world-wide MIDI jamming some 15 years ago, but it died rather soon after I had discovered it. The URL and (if I remember correctly) the browser plug-in may still be with me. Somewhere...
I think I ran into something similar some two years ago, but I paid no attention.
Me, I currently have no interest.
Another approach would be: using some video conferencing app for bitmap-audio jamming. The data stream would be much bigger than with vector-audio (MIDI), but no translation would be needed, and no MIDI-clock would conflict with Internet latency.
Maybe, maybe some MIDI plug-in for such app might one day become useful.
Hi SeaGtGruff. Im one of those weirdos that actually want to make the world a better place. ha ha. This is such a small and simple utility - I actually wrote the bare bones of it last night and have been sitting here playing one of my keyboards from the other one across the room. My network latency is 1ms - so I can actually play live within my network.
Goedemiddag Chris,
That internet latency is an almost impossible hurdle to playing live. Even Skype has latency and they could so easily put in a MIDI transfer feature that would make Skype do exactly what I am doing for those that teach. At least notes and theory could be demonstrated - even though it's not 100% realtime, it's close enough for that. Why they have not added something like that is above me. I bet if they added that, every music teacher using Zoom would immediately jump back onto Skype.
I have seen some of these programs pop up now and then and then also vanish - probably also due to the latency. I wrote the bones of the program last night and have been sitting here playing with it for the last half hour. My internal network has a 1ms latency, so I am playing my Krome and listening to my other keyboard across the room give me an accompaniment.