Simple MIDI record/playback on OS X?

October 7, 2012 7:54 AM

I need a super-simple MIDI record/playback app for OS X.

I have a MIDI keyboard, which has its IN and OUT ports hooked via a USB adapter to my Mac. (I know it works, I can record from it to Garageband, etc.)

I want an incredibly simple app. Just basically a 'record' button which records from MIDI in, and a 'play' button which plays what I just recorded back to MIDI out. I can't seem to find anything that can do this for under several hundred dollars. (Garageband can record MIDI, but won't play it back over the wire.)

posted by dmd to technology (3 answers total)

Did your keyboard come with a CD? It may well have come with Cubase LE, which is a stripped-down version of the Cubase digital audio workstation, and while not incredibly simple, should do exactly what you're looking for. It's very commonly bundled with MIDI keyboards and USB audio devices.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 9:33 AM on October 7, 2012

I can't tell whether midish will work on OSX or not, it's Linux and OpenBSD tested (and OSX is BSD-ish), and some old mailing list messages about porting seemed to say it would be easy to port since MIDI is really just a serial port and it just needs open()/read()/write() type of interface. Maybe somebody with a Mac and MIDI and some programming knowledge could give it a try.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:25 AM on October 7, 2012

midiO is an Audio Unit plugin that should allow you to output MIDI from GarageBand.
posted by b1tr0t at 12:49 PM on October 7, 2012