## MidiOutputActor

On Irix, the MidiOutputActor sends midi messages to the serial port of the computer VSS is running on. It works on Irix 6.2 and higher; it may or may not work on Irix 5.3.

On Windows (and, eventually, Linux), the MidiOutputActor sends midi commands to the default midi device on the sound card.

To use the MidiOutputActor implementation, load midi.so and create an actor of type MidiOutputActor. Then use `BeginSound` to create a handler, to which you can send `SetInput` messages to attach the midi outputs of handlers of other midi actors to the computer's serial port output. For example:

`aIn = Create MidiInputActor;
sIn = BeginSound aIn;
aOut = Create MidiOutputActor;
sOut = BeginSound aOut SetInput sIn;`

implements a simple midi "thru box".

### MidiOutputActor

The MidiOutputActor understands no messages beyond those understood by all actors.

### MidiOutputActor handler messages

In addition to the messages understood by all handlers, the handler for the MidiOutputActor understands the following message.

SetInput`hSound hInput`
  Attach the midi output of the handler `hInput` to the computer's serial port output.

### Setup

Before starting VSS, type "`startmidi -n vss31 -d /dev/ttyd2`" at a shell prompt.
Use serial port 2, not serial port 1; some versions of IRIX have difficulty using port 1.
The option `-n vss31` is required.

If the midi synthesizer you use is SGI's own "midisynth" software, we recommend that you set the output sampling rate of both VSS and apanel to 44100 Hz. Otherwise, timings and pitches may be incorrect. You may also need SGI's "synthpanel" (or "killall midisynth", brute-force) to control the midisynth synthesizer.

We recommend a Macintosh-style serial-to-midi conversion box which uses its own power supply instead of being parasitically powered from the SGI's serial line.