(forgot to send it to the list)Implementing the vst2 interface in csound (how is that going, Michael ?) will
help a lot towards this aim :

Duration is encoded in noteon events for notes whose duration is known by the
sequencer at the time of sending the noteon event (e.g. drawn in score or
pianoroll editor) : if we have no concern for 'real' realtime this is much
more pratical than any control change or poly aftertouch message since notes
are represented in the sequencer as notes, not as curves. 
- Hosted by upcoming release of most sequencers
- Multiplatform

BTW if we are still concerned by 'real' realtime which we are, the plugin
(csound) could generate the noton and noteoff events itself in response to
other msgs and have them recorded by the sequencer (since vst2 plugins can
send midi as well as receive it), so they could be dealt with thereafter as
notes eg on a pianoroll.

Richard Bowers wrote:
> 
> It's obvious that this subject has raised considerable interest and that
> there's a need to establish what people want from a MIDI/Csound 'interface'
> (for want of a better word) because there are clearly different concerns
> here.
> 
> For my part I am quite aware of MIDI's limitations re composition but am
> also aware of its advantages (via sequence editors) for organising dense
> material. It's for this reason that I would like to see some way of simply
> using a MIDI sequence (without any concern for 'real' realtime) in the
> manner in which we are accustomed with standard .sco files - but
> transparently. ie you set up some sort of configuration file which maps the
> MIDI messages to particular parts of the orchestra and then the MIDI file
> may be used and re-edited etc. without the use of any other conversion
> software.
> 
> Eg. you could assign channel 2s controller7 messages to instrument25 and
> make each 'csound note's' duration last until the next message of the same
> type - thereby enabling ramping using the standard score convention. The
> output can then be assigned to a global variable for use anywhere within the
> orchestra.
> 
> If this were possible, using the 'mapping' method, you would at least be
> able to draw on the functionality of good sequencers (they are, after all,
> pretty good graphic editors and offer a wide range of event filtering,
> graphic input, patching functions etc.).
> 
> Surely I'm not alone in thinking that this would be desirable?

-- 
Greetings,
Michel
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