[arch-general] Kernel Module snd_seq_midi No Longer Inserted Automatically

[Steven Grace]

On 04/09/2015 12:20 AM, Ralf Mardorf wrote:

> there also isn't a module snd_seq_midi loaded on my MIDI and audio
> production machine.
>
> $ lsmod | grep snd_seq_midi
> $

Ralf, thank you for your response.

On my Arch systems I have the same result as you for "lsmod | grep 
snd_seq"; snd_seq_midi is not listed. However, I'm convinced that 
snd_seq_midi *was* listed until sometime in March, and it's still listed 
on an Ubuntu-based installation running on the same machine.

> For what is the module needed?

Without snd_seq_midi I don't have normal ALSA MIDI input, although I 
believe I still have some form of raw MIDI input. The output of 
"aconnect -i" doesn't list my MIDI devices until I manually add 
snd_seq_midi.

Ralf, I know you're a musician, so if you use MIDI please feel free to 
verify this on your Arch system. With a MIDI input device connected (and 
powered on, if USB), I predict that "aconnect -i" won't list your MIDI 
device/interface. Add snd_seq_midi with modprobe, and "aconnect -i" 
should now list your MIDI device.

I don't wish to bore the list with the specifics of how MIDI works in 
Linux. All I'm trying to find out is how to diagnose this module problem 
further. I know that module snd_seq_midi is part of the "linux" package 
but I don't know what process used to add the module automatically; was 
it the Linux kernel, or ALSA, or something else? I think the change is a 
regression and I'd like it to be fixed but I don't know what package is 
responsible and would like to know how to find out. Thanks.