Installing & First Launch

Getting up and running takes only a minute or two. PXR MIDI Player is a free download (with an optional pay-what-you-like contribution), and it runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Requirements#

A Mac running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.
A MIDI sound source: either a connected hardware synth or sound module, or the app's Built-in Software Synth, played on your Mac with no extra hardware needed.

Installing the app#

Download the latest version from the official product page: pixelrefresh.com/product/pxr-midi-music-player-for-macos.
The download is a .zip. Double-click it to unpack the disk image inside. Some browsers, Safari among them, unpack it for you, in which case you already have the disk image.
Open the disk image. A window appears with the app alongside a shortcut to your Applications folder.
Drag PXR MIDI Player onto Applications.
Eject the disk image, then open the app from your Applications folder.

That is the whole installation. Nothing is installed anywhere else, no background processes are added, and removing the app later is a matter of dragging it to the Bin.

First launch#

From version 1.2.6 onwards, PXR MIDI Player is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple. Anything earlier is not signed, so if you are opening an older copy, see If you have an older download below.

The first time you open it, macOS may ask you to confirm that you want to open it. Click Open and you are away. You will not be asked again.

Note

Keep your internet connection on for that very first launch. Apple's check runs online the first time the app opens, and the answer is remembered from then on, so it only matters once. Everything after that works offline exactly as you would expect.

Verifying your download#

There is nothing for you to do. Because the app is signed and notarised, macOS confirms both that it came from Pixel Refresh and that not a byte of it has changed since, and it does that automatically every time you open it. That is a stronger guarantee than any manual check, and it needs no Terminal and no copying of long codes.

If a download ever does arrive damaged, macOS will refuse to open it and say so. Download it again from the product page and it will be fine.

If you have an older download#

Versions before 1.2.6 are not signed, so they still show a security warning, saying the app is from an unidentified developer or "could not be verified". Nothing is wrong with those copies, they simply pre-date the Developer ID.

The easy fix is to download the current version from the product page, which will not do this. If you would rather open the copy you already have, the steps depend on your macOS version (Apple menu, About This Mac, if you are unsure):

macOS 15 (Sequoia) and later: double-click the app and let it be refused, then go to Apple menu, System Settings, Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and click Open Anyway beside the message about PXR MIDI Player. The refused attempt has to come first, because until then macOS has nothing to offer you.
macOS 14 (Sonoma): right-click (or Control-click) the app, choose Open, then Open again.

Choosing where the sound comes out#

Nothing will play until you tell PXR where to send the music, so this is the one step worth doing before anything else.

Open Settings with ⌘, (or PXR MIDI Player → Settings).
Go to the MIDI Output tab.
Pick one of:
- A hardware MIDI device from the list (your synth or interface), or
- Built-in Software Synth to play through your Mac's speakers using the Built-in GS Lite Synth (a Roland Sound Canvas-derived bank built into macOS).

Your choice is saved automatically and remembered next time.

See MIDI Output & Devices for the full picture, including SoundFonts, multi-port setups, and automatic format routing.

Giving access to your MIDI folders (optional but recommended)#

If you keep your MIDI files in particular folders, add those folders under Settings → General → MIDI Library Folders. This lets PXR read companion files (like cover art and MT-32 setup files) sitting next to your MIDI files without asking for permission each time.

The Settings window on the General tab, showing the tab toolbar, a MIDI Library Folders list with Add and Remove buttons, toggles for Performance Mode, Keep Mini Player Always on Top, Show Track Start Notifications and MIDI Device Notifications, a Language picker set to English (UK), and an Updates row with a Check Now button.

Open MIDI files with PXR by default#

To make double-clicking a MIDI file in Finder open it in PXR:

Right-click any .mid file and choose Get Info.
Under Open with, choose PXR MIDI Player.
Click Change All... to apply it to all MIDI files.

Next step#

Head to the Quick Start to play your first file.