New control technologies for virtual orchestra playback

A new software application running on the Linux operating system has been developed exclusively to support live performance by a virtual orchestra (VO). The core engine, which allows unlimited expansion, has a rich feature set including temporal flexibility, arbitrary performance navigation, printed score compliance, multiple input/output devices, and editing capability. The base configuration supports 64 MIDI channels and utilizes metaevent extensions to the MIDI 1.0 specification. MIDI files from multiple platforms can be imported. Considerable attention has been given to human factors in VO real‐time music production with meaningful display screens and specialized keyboard designs resulting in a rapid and intuitive user learning curve. [Work supported by Realtime Music Solutions, L.L.C., New York.]