The Palette
(The Practice Version, for internal MIDI configurations.)


You should use this version only if you have a PC running Windows NT or 95, and you have an internal sound card which is capable of and configured for playing MIDI. Please also note that this applet has not been tested for Windows 3.1.

Instructions for Installation and Setup:

1. Confirm that your browser is Java enabled.

2. Find your browsers's java directory. For Netscape, \java will normally be a subdirectory off of the directory containing the Netscape executable (usually something like C:\Netscape\Navigator\Program\java\bin).

3. Make sure that you have two subdirectories under the \java directory, called "bin" and "classes". (If you do not have these, you probably have a broken installation of your browser or an older version which does not support Java.)

4. Download all of the following seven JavaMIDI files onto a temporary directory on your machine (you usually do this by clicking on the right mouse-button and selecting the "save link as" option):


  • javamidi.dll (15K)
  • MidiOut.class (0.3K)
  • MidiOutDevice.class (2K)
  • MidiDevice.class 2K,
  • MidiDeviceNotOpenException.class (0.6K)
  • MidiBadDeviceException.class (0.6K)
  • MidiException.class (0.7K)

    • (Alternately, you can download this file and then unzip it (you will need a 32-bit unzip application, since one of the files has a very long filename).

    5. Copy the file called javamidi.dll from the temporary directory into your java\bin directory.

    6. Go to your autoexec.bat file (probably C:\autoexec.bat) and add the line SET CLASSPATH=dirname where dirname is the full path name of the CLASSPATH directory (for example, something like: SET CLASSPATH=C:\Netscape\Navigator\Program\java\classes).

    7. You may want to bookmark this page now.

    8. Reboot your system to activate the CLASSPATH directory.

    9. Create a subdirectory called midi off of your \java\classes CLASSPATH directory. Copy the remaining six files (all of which have the .class extension) from the temporary directory to the midi subdirectory.

    10. Turn up the volume and go on...you are now running JavaMIDI.


    Instructions for how to play The Palette:


    See what music you can create by clicking the buttons, adjusting the control bars, and mouse painting in the middle. The music you hear is being composed by a music generation program, based entirely on the values of the controls you see. Sit back and listen or dive in and change the generation.

    Access the key to the controls, to find out more about how your clicks create and shape the musical output.




    Many thanks to Michael St. Hippolyte for his excellent JavaMIDI code.

    webmaster@brainop.media.mit.edu