Midi over Lan

[ak1196]

Okay so I've set my "ethernet" to Hamachi but I want to know how, and if its possible, to send Midi information over "LAN" where that is not really Lan.

Great software,
Ak.

[CopperPhil]

Hi,

No sure to understand the question, so let's go for a full explanation (I think that the more interesting part is the last one)

You can create a CopperLan network very simply, just install the CopperLan package on several computers and activate the LAN Ethernet port. That's it. No need to configure IP address, it means that you can connect several computers on the same LAN *without* needing a DHCP or configuring static IP address

Once the package is installed, a set of Virtual MIDI ports are created. These ports allow legacy MIDI software to talk to anything else over the network. In addition, any physical MIDI port can be hooked by CopperLan and so a MIDI keyboard can be connected to anything on the network.

Example:
- plug a MIDI controller on the computer A.
- Then launch the CopperLan Manager, go to "Edit" tab, "MIDI on computer A", "MIDI to CP interface".
- you'll see the MIDI controller name. Set it "on". If it fails it means that this controller is already in use by another application, so release it then try again to set in "on" in CopperLan.
- then go to "Connect" tab, click on "MIDI on computer A", you'll see a few VMIDI ports and your MIDI controller.
- select your MIDI controller
- then you can patch MIDI stream on a channel basis, or you can create a virtual MIDI cable. Add a destination, browse the network until you select the final target. Let's say "VMIDI1 on computer B"
- That's it. From now, any MIDI command sent by the MIDI controller will be delivered to "VMIDI1 on computer B". So you can launch your favorite sequencer on computer B and select VMIDI1 MIDI IN port.

And finally, you asked "is it possible to send Midi information over "LAN" where that is not really Lan" and the answer is YES!

CopperLan is extending the network to any CopperLan software or hardware connected using Ethernet, USB, or anything else.

As I said before, it's very easy to setup a computer to be part of the CopperLan network. CopperLan gear equipped with an Ethernet interface is natively part of the network too. But USB equipment can also access to the CopperLan network just like it is connected using Ethernet! Such gear is declaring itself as a "CopperLan over USB device" and is handled by the computer's CopperLan stack.

The great thing is you can move your CopperLan USB device from computer A to computer B and continue playing without needing to reconfigure anything! Existing connections are automatically re-routed to the new location. You can see a demo of this concept in this video, from 4:42:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg7VxG6jnu1kSzXqPAINgLw

And finally, MIDI is translated to CopperLan, not simply transported. It means that messages sent by a high-resolution native CopperLan controller can be sent to a MIDI port. And similarly a message sent by a MIDI keyboard can be used to control a CopperLan native synth.

[ak1196]

Thank you for your response. But I basically want to send MIDI signal over the internet. The reason I mentioned LAN is because "Hamachi" is a way, so I've been told, of tricking the computer into thinking your on LAN. So I was wondering if you knew this was possible or if this is new to you. Or even if there is a way to avoid Hamachi altogether.

Ak.

[CopperPhil]

Haaaaa ok, I see!

Well, CopperLan is not IP based so it is limited to a LAN network. It does not pass through routers or gateways, and of course it can't go through internet.

However we've validated a VPN tunneling... It seems that Hamachi is also doing some kind of peer to peer tunneling. But the CopperLan network needs stability and very low latency to be fully functional. Not sure that it's a good idea to extend this network across Internet.

[ak1196]

Sorry for the extremely late reply.

Okay, so you can do it via a VPN or something. Ignoring the latency implications, because I want to know if its possible or not, not if its feasible or not.

How would I go about setting this up over LAN/VPN/Hamachi(/anything)?

Ak.

[CopperPhil]

It directly depends on the tunneling system... it must be able to support non-ip protocols. CopperLan on Ethernet is IEEE802.3 compliant, registered on IEEE as 8927h Ethertype. So you probably have to enable this protocol.
I can't give further help unfortunately...

[ak1196]

Okay, let's say it's over an Ethernet. How would I get Copperlan to search or try to connect with the other computer? That's what I'm trying to figure out now.

[CopperPhil]

... if CopperLan is installed on each computer, if the right Ethernet interface is selected (in the CopperLan Manager's settings), and if the physical network supports CopperLan protocol (this point is just here because you mentioned VPN like connection, it's obvious with an Ethernet local network), then you have nothing more to do. The computers automatically see each others. You see several "MIDI on [computername]" in the CopperLan Manager's "overview" tab.

[bronswerk]

When the Copperlan manager is setup on the "other" computer, are both Copperlan managers in essence the same? Meaning a change on one Copperlan manager is automatically reflected by the other?

Didn't try this out sofar, but my old computer (Windows XP) still has a program on it (SoundDiver, a general midi editor and librarian) that likely won't run smooth on my new Windows 7 64bit.

[CopperPhil]

Yes, parameter synchronization between several controllers (CopperLan Manager's Edit tab = universal controller) pointing on the same parameter is a key feature in CopperLan.
You can watch demos about this from my youtube channel.