This reference describes the raw MIDI IO support for scripts in Renoise; the ability to send and receive MIDI data.
Please read the INTRODUCTION first to get an overview about the complete API, and scripting for Renoise in general...
The Renoise MIDI API allows you to access any installed MIDI input or output device. You can also access unused MIDI in/outputs via Renoise's MIDI Remote, Sync settings, and so on; as set up in the preferences.
When accessing a new device, not used by Renoise nor by your or other scripts, Renoise will try to open that device's driver. If something goes wrong an error will be shown to the user. Something like ("MIDI Device Foo failed to open (error)"). In contrast, none of the MIDI API functions will fail. In other words, if a "real" device fails to open this is not your problem, but the user's problem. This is also the reason why none of the MIDI API functions return error codes.
All other types of logic errors, such as sending MIDI to a manually closed device, sending bogus messages and so on, will be fired as typical Lua runtime errors.
For some simple examples on how to use MIDI IO in Renoise, have a look at the "Snippets/Midi.lua" file.
Return a list of strings with the currently available devices. This list can change when devices are hot-plugged. See 'devices_changed_observable'
renoise.Midi.available_input_devices() -> [list of strings] renoise.Midi.available_output_devices() -> [list of strings]
Fire notifications as soon as new devices become active or a previously added device gets removed/unplugged. This will only happen on Linux and OSX with real devices. On Windows this may happen when using ReWire slaves. ReWire adds virtual MIDI devices to Renoise. Already opened references to devices which are no longer available will do nothing. Aka, you can use them as before and they will not fire any errors. The messages will simply go into the void...
renoise.Midi.devices_changed_observable() -> [renoise.Observable object]
Listen to incoming MIDI data: opens access to a MIDI input device by specifying a device name. Name must be one of "available_input_devices". Returns a ready to use MIDI input device object. One or both callbacks should be valid, and should either point to a function with one parameter(message_table), or a table with an object and class, a method. All MIDI messages except active sensing will be forwarded to the callbacks. When Renoise is already listening to this device, your callback and Renoise (or even other scripts) will also handle the message. Messages are received until the device reference is manually closed (see midi_device:close()) or until the MidiInputDevice object gets garbage collected.
renoise.Midi.create_input_device(device_name [,callback] [, sysex_callback]) -> [MidiInputDevice object]
Send MIDI: open access to a MIDI device by specifying the device name. Name must be one of "available_input_devices". All other device names will fire an error. Returns a ready to use output device. The real device driver gets automatically closed when the MidiOutputDevice object gets garbage collected or when the device is explicitly closed via midi_device:close() and nothing else references it.
renoise.Midi.create_output_device(device_name) -> [MidiOutputDevice object]
Returns true while the device is open (ready to send or receive messages). Your device refs will never be auto-closed, "is_open" will only be false if you explicitly call "midi_device:close()" to release a device.
midi_device.is_open -> [boolean]
The name of a device. This is the name you create a device with (via 'create_input_device' or 'create_output_device')
midi_device.name -> [string]
Close a running MIDI device. When no other client is using a device, Renoise will also shut off the device driver so that, for example, Windows OS other applications can use the device again. This is automatically done when scripts are closed or your device objects are garbage collected.
midi_device:close()
No public properties or functions.
Send raw 1-3 byte MIDI messages or sysex messages. The message is expected to be an array of numbers. It must not be empty and can only contain numbers >= 0 and <= 0xFF (bytes). Sysex messages must be sent in one block, must start with 0xF0, and end with 0xF7.
midi_device:send(message_table)