# Suggestions for playing music from real-time data generated in Julia
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448
**Category:** Signal and Image Processing
**Created:** [September 11, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448 "2020-09-11T11:32:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Benny](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Benny)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448/1 "2020-09-11T11:32:51Z")
A little project I have in mind requires making data in real time (well, maybe 100 times a second at most) that is used to output music in real time. Details are scant because I haven’t really done anything yet, I’m trying to see what my options are and would love suggestions from the more experienced. So far I envision two vague approaches:
1. Computing a MIDI stream that an existing software synthesizer can use to make music. I like the idea of this because of functionality (especially audio effects like reverb) I honestly have no idea how to implement from scratch. However, I haven’t been able to find any way to stream MIDI from a Julia script to a software synthesizer. JuliaMusic has some options for playing MIDI files, but I don’t know if that’s at all applicable for MIDI data I’m making on the fly.
I found pyfluidsynth, a Python binding for FluidSynth, and it made me wonder if I need a Julia binding for a synthesizer to do this with Julia.
2. Computing a waveform from periodic pitch and volume data, and streaming samples of it regularly. I pulled this off with PyAudio’s callback mode a few years ago. I’m not stoked about this option because, again, I would rather use existing software instead of reinventing the wheel. Still, if I must, I need a way to play WAV-like audio data. So far I’ve found PortAudio.jl (but Pkg.add isn’t working for it, not sure why). If the 1st approach is unfeasible, I’m open to suggestions for this one.
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### Author:  [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 1:17pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448/2 "2020-09-11T13:17:51Z")
It looks like
[https://github.com/JuliaMusic/MIDI.jl](https://github.com/JuliaMusic/MIDI.jl)
has all the building blocks to emit a stream of MIDI chunks — I would suggest asking how to connect to a midi server in an issue.
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### Author:  [@Benny](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Benny)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 11:05am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448/3 "2020-09-12T11:05:18Z")
I’m unsure about how to ask this because I don’t know what a MIDI server is. I do see an open issue that seems related: #8 [Allow midi events to be written directly to a midi device](https://github.com/JuliaMusic/MIDI.jl/issues/8).
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### Author:  [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448/4 "2020-09-12T13:37:55Z")
It’s a sink that can receive MIDI events and convert them to an audio signal. You may be able to use a network connection via [RTP-MIDI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTP-MIDI) too, but I am not familiar with the details (all my MIDI knowledge comes from having musician friends who ask me for computer setup help occasionally, which I provide [along these lines](https://xkcd.com/627/)).
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### Author:  [@kevbonham](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kevbonham)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/suggestions-for-playing-music-from-real-time-data-generated-in-julia/46448/5 "2020-09-12T13:59:21Z")
> [@Benny](#):
>
> So far I’ve found PortAudio.jl (but Pkg.add isn’t working for it, not sure why). If the 1st approach is unfeasible, I’m open to suggestions for this one.
I don’t see this package in the general registry, so it likely hasn’t been registered. You can use Pkg to just add the GitHub repo directly though `] add https://github.com/JuliaAudio/PortAudio.jl`