Just Send MIDI

“Just send MIDI and see what happens”

What This Means

MAINFRAME-B is a visual instrument, not a show controller. It is designed to stay active and responsive when fed continuous musical data, rather than occasional triggers or cues.

“Just send MIDI” does not mean “do nothing.” It means changing how you think about input. Instead of treating notes as one-off events that cause specific visual actions, you treat them as a steady stream of activity that the system responds to in real time.

This is closer to playing an instrument than programming a show.

Dense Streams, Not Sparse Triggers

MAINFRAME-B works best when MIDI notes are dense and frequent.

Note density, velocity, and modulation collectively influence how the visuals behave. A sparse note pattern will result in sparse activity. A dense, evolving pattern gives the system more information to work with.

You are not trying to “hit” specific visuals. You are supplying continuous input and letting the system translate that into motion and structure.

How to Work With the Output

Rather than authoring fixed scenes, you curate what’s happening:

• Dim or mute zones to reduce visual weight
• Blend zones together to create composite results
• Adjust parameters while the system is running
• Let visuals emerge, then steer them

The system does not need to be restarted or re-triggered when you make changes. It responds immediately.

Practical Notes

• If you want constant visual output without MIDI notes, use Animation Mode #1 (Full strip).
• Explore using simulated MIDI streams to in sprinkle in additional MIDI information.

Why This Matters

This interaction model shifts your role from triggering events to playing the system. Once you stop thinking in cues and start thinking in streams, MAINFRAME-B becomes far more expressive and fluid.