Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for using NS MIDI Player! This page contains answers to some frequently asked questions about NS MIDI Player. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Q: How do I connect to a Bluetooth MIDI device?

A: Here's what you need to do to connect to a Bluetooth MIDI device:

  1. After opening the app, tap the output picker (it will initially say "Default SoundFont")
  2. In the sheet that pops up, go to the "MIDI Outputs" section and then tap "Search for Bluetooth MIDI Devices." You may need to scroll to see it.
  3. If the app asks to use Bluetooth, make sure to press "OK" to allow access.
  4. Your device should show up in the list. Tap that list item to connect to it. If you don't see your device, make sure that it is plugged in, turned on, etc.
  5. Once it says that you're connected, tap the Back button. You should now see your device under the "MIDI Outputs" section. Tap it to choose it as the MIDI output.

Q: I am trying to preview drum MIDI files in Quick Look, but I hear a piano sound instead. How do I fix this?

This answer applies to macOS only.

A: I am currently working on this functionality for a future update. The current version of NS MIDI Player on the App Store includes a very early version of this functionality. It can be enabled through temporary settings that you will need to access via the Terminal app. If you would like to try it out, here is how you can enable it:

Open the Terminal app and run the following commands:

defaults write com.nitinseshadri.midiplayer.qlextension NSXRedirectEventsToSingleChannel -bool true
defaults write com.nitinseshadri.midiplayer.qlextension NSXRedirectEventsChannel 9

You can change which channel the MIDI events are sent to by changing the number in the second command. The numbering starts at zero (for channel 1) and goes until 15 (for channel 16). Channel 10 (9 in the command) is the percussion channel. Also, you can disable the feature by changing "true" to "false" in the first command. Changes take effect the next time a MIDI file is previewed.

Future versions of the app will make these settings visible in the app itself, but for now I'd like to make sure the functionality works properly. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

Q: I am running an older version of macOS. Where can I find old versions of NS MIDI Player?

A: Download old versions of NS MIDI Player for Mac here.