Default Ubuntu desktop can't play midi files (not Kubuntu)

Will add timidity-interfaces-extra and timidity.desktop file containing midi file type associations (will attach this file to this bug soon) in Baltix 1.9/2.0 version.

Attaching menu launcher - timidity.desktop file containing midi file type associations for timidity-interfaces-extra package.

The attached debdiff includes the provided .desktop in timidity-interfaces-extra. Additionally, the timidity.xpm available in the source is stored i n/usr/share/pixmaps for a plesant menu experience.

Emmet. Could you please check this against the latest Edgy package and adjust accordingly if necessary? Thanks as always!

What happened with this? what needs to be done to get midi playback in edgy?

Fixed with 2.13.2-7.1ubuntu2 (feisty)

Apologies: the above was insufficiently verbose. The timidity-interfaces-extra package has a desktop file, but ubuntu-desktop (or something in ubuntu-meta) still needs to depend on timidity-interfaces-extra in order to meet the original submitter's goal.

problem is still in Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 4.

This will not happen for two reasons:

1. Timidity is in universe. a package in main can not depend on a package in universe. It needs a main inclusion request filed on it, assuming it actually fits the criteria.

2. There's no more cd space for such things.

> This will not happen for two reasons:

how does this decision fit to "Just Works" ?

windows and handy users are assuming they can play MIDI files without problems. if they can not hear MIDI files using default ubuntu, than, in the users eyes, multimedia in ubuntu "does not work".

During the past year, no interested party has prepared the necessary Main Inclusion Request (see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MainInclusionProcess for details) for the timidity extras package. That is the appropriate method by which to include the package in the main archive, and from then into the default install. This bug, while identifying an issue with the environment, no longer provides meaningful guidance towards a solution.

Personally, I feel that the preparation of a gstreamer-midi package (perhaps depending on timidity, but not tiimdity-interfaces-extra) would be a better solution, and that the appropriate forum for such discussion is as a specification request (see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FeatureSpecifications).

MIDI support has been implemented/released in gstreamer-plugins-base 0.10.5 (source package)
but it hasn't been added to the binary package yet.

http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/releases/gst-plugins-bad/0.10.5.html

Another bug about it :
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gstreamer/+bug/111555

Why does my Hardy Beta can't play MIDI files yet ? I checked my gstreamer-plugins-bad version, it's 0.10.6.5. Launching a MIDI in Totem doesn't fail, I can see the bar moving, but no sound. When the track ends, Totem asks about looking for new plugins, doesn't find any so end up displaying "plugin audio/midi decoder" not installed.

Well, looking for a solution to, at least, play midifiles in Ubuntu, I have installed Audacious and installed the package audacious-plugins-extra with synaptic. Since then, Midi files can by played with the Audacious player. Removing Timidity did not change that. Works for me at least (and at last...:-)
Regards,
Peter

gstreamer (with gstreamer-bad) has support for midi files.
The issue is that there is need to install the freepats package (has samples), but there is not automatic dependency with gstreamer-bad.

Can someone install "freepats", then try to play midi files in totem?

MIDI files should work in gstreamer-bad (through wilmidi) in Totem and Rhythmbox. However there is a bug that means this is not working. In my opinion we should fix that bug rather than include timidity by default: https://bugs.launchpad.net/gstreamer/+bug/208068

Freepats is not complete, there are sound files missing and it don't sound so good anyway. But there is a solution: timidi+fluid. If fluid is to large, maybe fluid could at least be used to complete freepats.

Markus
PS: please see also Bug #196135 for a OGG sample to compare freepats and fluid.