Llaisdy

Euterpea requires ALSA:


$ apt-get install libasound2-dev


How to install Euterpea & HSoM, repeated from the Euterpea website:

Install the Haskell Platform from https://www.haskell.org/platform/, then:


$ cabal update
$ cabal install Euterpea
$ cabal install HSoM


Audio might work out of the box:

$ gchi
GHCi, version 8.4.3: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/  :? for help
Prelude> import Euterpea
Prelude Euterpea> play $ c 4 qn
Prelude Euterpea> devices  --  Lists audio devices available.

Input devices: 
  InputDeviceID 1       Midi Through Port-0

Output devices: 
  OutputDeviceID 0      Midi Through Port-0

Prelude Euterpea> playDev 0 $ c 4 qn

If either play or playDev (play to device) actually play a middle C out of your speakers, you are done. Hooray!

Otherwise, …

The Euterpea site links to Ted’s Linux MIDI Guide which gave me all the information I needed to set things up. It’s a very interesting article which I encourage you to read. I repeat the bare necessities below for convenience.

Ted provides this script which runs the software synthesizer (or “softsynth”) FluidSynth (so that, e.g., MIDI files can be converted to audio) and the sound server JACK (so that audio applications can communicate with each other).

Requirements:


$ apt-get install fluidsynth jackd2


You’ll have to logout and login again after installing JACK.

The script:

#!/bin/bash

# Script to launch audio servers for music-making.

case $1 in

  start )
    echo Starting JACK...

    # Start JACK
    # As of Ubuntu 12.10, a period of 128 is needed for good fluidsynth
    # timing.  (jackd 1.9.9, fluidsynth 1.1.5)
    # If you aren't running pulseaudio, you can remove the pasuspender line.
    pasuspender -- \
      jackd -d alsa --device hw:0 --rate 44100 --period 128 \
        &>/tmp/jackd.out &

    sleep .5

    echo Starting fluidsynth...

    # Start fluidsynth
    fluidsynth --server --no-shell --audio-driver=jack \
               --connect-jack-outputs --reverb=0 --chorus=0 --gain=0.8 \
               /usr/share/sounds/sf2/FluidR3_GM.sf2 \
               &>/tmp/fluidsynth.out &

    sleep 1

    if pgrep -l jackd && pgrep -l fluidsynth
    then
        echo Audio servers running.
    else
        echo There was a problem starting the audio servers.
    fi

    ;;

  stop )
    killall fluidsynth
    killall jackd
    echo Audio servers stopped.
    ;;

  * )
    echo Please specify start or stop...
    ;;

esac

You can call it “audio”, keep it in ~/bin, and use `audio start` and `audio stop` to start and stop the apps.

So now this should work:

$ audio start
$ gchi
GHCi, version 8.4.3: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/  :? for help
Prelude> import Euterpea
Prelude Euterpea> devices

Input devices: 
  InputDeviceID 1       Midi Through Port-0

Output devices: 
  OutputDeviceID 0      Midi Through Port-0
  OutputDeviceID 2      Synth input port (4424:0)
Prelude Euterpea> playDev 2 $ c 4 qn