1vkeybd(1)                   General Commands Manual                  vkeybd(1)
2
3
4

NAME

6       vkeybd - virtual keyboard on X
7
8

SYNOPSIS

10       vkeybd [-options]
11
12

DESCRIPTION

14       vkeybd  is  a  virtual keyboard for AWE/OSS, MIDI/OSS and ALSA drivers.
15       It's a simple fake of a MIDI keyboard on  X-windows  system.   Enjoy  a
16       music with your mouse and computer keyboard :-)
17
18

OPTIONS

20   Common Options
21       --device mode
22              Use the specified mode for output device.  The argument are awe,
23              midi or alsa, for AWE/OSS, MIDI/OSS and  ALSA  devices,  respec‐
24              tively.  Default is alsa.
25
26       --config file
27              Use the specified file as config file (see section "KEYBOARD").
28
29       --preset file
30              Use  the specified file as preset list file (see section "PRESET
31              LIST FILE").
32
33       --channel num
34              Specify the channel to be played for normal instruments.   Valid
35              only for MIDI and ALSA devices. Default is 0.
36
37       --drum num
38              Specify  the  channel  to be played for drum instruments.  Valid
39              only for MIDI and ALSA devices. Default is 9.
40
41       --octave num
42              Specify the number of octaves to display keys.  Default is 3.
43
44
45   ALSA Device Option
46       --addr destination
47              Set ALSA client and port numbers to be connected.   If  argument
48              begins with 's' or 'S', the port is opened as subscription port,
49              and events are sent to all connected subscribers.  The port  can
50              be  connected to other ports via aconnect(1).  Otherwise, vkeybd
51              connects directly to the specified port.  The argument must be a
52              form  like client:port or client.port, where client and port are
53              index numbers listed in  /proc/asound/seq/clients.   Default  is
54              's'.
55
56       --name string
57              Specify  the  name of client/port.  Some applications like tk707
58              check the client/port name whether it is  a  valid  MIDI  device
59              port.   This  options  makes vkeybd possible to "fake" as a real
60              MIDI device.
61
62
63   OSS Sequencer Device Options
64       --seqdev file
65              Specify the device file path for sequencer access.   As  default
66              /dev/sequencer is used.
67
68       --seqidx num
69              Specify the synth device index for AWE32/64 WaveTable.  If nega‐
70              tive value is given, the device is auto-probed.   Default  value
71              is -1.
72
73
74   MIDI Device Option
75       --mididev num
76              Speicfy  the  file  path  of  MIDI  device.   Default  value  is
77              /dev/midi.
78
79

FILE MENU

81       Connection shows whether the vkeybd connects to  the  device.   On  OSS
82       system,  only  one  application  is allowed to access sequencer device.
83       Thus, if one wants to play another program even using  another  device,
84       he  needs to disconnect vkeybd once.  On ALSA or OSS emulation on ALSA,
85       you don't have to switch vkeybd off, since multiple access is allowed.
86
87       With Save Config , the current keymap and view configuration are  saved
88       on ~/.vkeybdrc config file.  This file will be read at the next invoke.
89
90

VIEW MENU

92       Thie menu shows the check buttons to toggle the display of control but‐
93       tons.
94
95       With Key/Velocity button, a key and a velocity scale  bars  are  shown.
96       The  key  scale indicates the lowest note value of the visible keyboard
97       (as default 48 = C4).  The velocity scale bar is  used  to  change  the
98       velocity of each note-on.
99
100       With  Control button, controls for the current channel and for the MIDI
101       continous-controls are enabled.  The channel  number  is  increased  or
102       decreased by clicking the right or left button around the shown channel
103       number.  The bank and preset are remembered for each channel.  You  may
104       choose  the  CC  to be adjusted by pull-down menu, which indicates Mod‐
105       Wheel as default.  Then change the parameter value with the  scale  bar
106       at the right side.
107
108       With  Pitch button, you may adjust pitch wheel.  The pitch goes back to
109       the center position when you click the Pitch Clear button at the left.
110
111       With Program button, the selection list of playing instrument  is  tog‐
112       gled.  The shown presets are read from preset list file.
113
114

KEYBOARD

116       Each  visible  key is mapped on your computer keyboard from 'z' to '\'.
117       To use the computer keyboard, you should turn off auto repeat on your X
118       display via xset(1) :
119
120           % xset -r
121
122       The key assignment can be changed by editting the config file ~/.vkeyb‐
123       drc.  Once save the current configuration via  File/Save  Config  menu.
124       The  config  file  is  the  Tcl  source, and you may change the list of
125       keymap as you wish.
126
127       The keymap is a list of elements consisting on the key symbol  and  the
128       corresponding  note  offset.   The  key  symbol is the X key symbol for
129       assigned key, and note offset is the shifted note number from note  key
130       of  beginning of keyboard, which is changed by Key scalebar.  For exam‐
131       ple, when a pair of {a 8} is defined and the lowest MIDI key is  48,  a
132       MIDI note 56 will be turned on by pressing the key 'a'.
133
134

PRESET LIST FILE

136       The preset list file is used to describe the list of MIDI preset names.
137       If the command line option is omitted, the  default  preset  list  file
138       ~/vkeybd.list,  ~/.vkeybd.list  and  $vkblib/vkeybd.list  are  searched
139       sequentially.  The preset list will appear when Program  toggle  button
140       is on, and you can select a tone to be played from the list.
141
142       The  preset  list  file  can  be  converted from SoundFont(tm) file via
143       sftovkb(1) utility.  For example,
144
145           % sftovkb synthgm.sbk > vkeybd.list
146

SEE ALSO

148       sftovkb(1), X(1), xset(1), aconnect(1)
149
150

AUTHOR

152       Takashi Iwai <tiwai@suse.de>
153
154
155
156                                January 1, 2000                      vkeybd(1)
Impressum