Subject: [linux-audio-dev] GUIless friendly applications
From: Mario Lang (mlang_AT_delysid.org)
Date: Tue Nov 05 2002 - 17:39:41 EET
Hello.
I'm a blind Linux user since 1997, and I'm also
interested in doing music on Linux.
Since I'm the synth-type-of-guy, I'd really love
to be able to play with software based synths, a little
bit of step seuqencing, and some sample based stuff.
Controlling my SuperNova DrumMachine via MIDI (and being able
to sequence it) would also be nice.
Well, since blind people are still very GUIdisabled in Linux, the only things I can use are those which are either
CLI or curses based,
or expose their functionality through a easily programmable
API.
If only choice number two is available, that isn't that nice, because I'd like to
be productive sometimes, and if you have to write yourself
every little bit of convenience thing, you are not really making music, you're programming :).
THe biggest problem there is that you actually
dont do much realtime modifications. And realtime
changes to sequences or parameters of things are very important
for experimental type of electronic music.
SO I've looked around, and found some stuff, but
still have nothing really useful.
Here is the list of software which is nicely
done, and GUIless friendly:
Ecasound!!! Kai, cool done! But its not the thing I need
unfortunately.
GDAM. Looks promosing because the workhorse
code is nicely separatedd from the GUI, and I already
managed to program gdam123 a bit to allow rate control,
but again, its not really what I'm looking for although
it seems nice.
Ardour is also somewhat accessible from what I hear, but
again, its a multitrack recorder, not what I need.
SSM: I looked at the code, and it seemed quite
horrible to me. GUI and workhorse code are tightly coupled, I see
no way for me to get to the underlying functionality.
What I'm really missing is:
Some Sequencer which is capable of MIDI out and in
Some Synth software which is controllable through that
sequencer. SSM seems nice, but its a GUI-only thing,
PD is even more GUI...
Some LADSPA plugins seem promising, but again its too much
putting-things-together work.
Can anyone add anything to that list?
Can anyone help with the listed problems?
Is some software author (i.e., the SSM author) interested
to work with me on getting GUIless controllability?
I'm not a good C programmer, but I'm at least
familiar with what we'd need to work efficiently...
Or am I missing anything completely? Some trick
to circumvent the need for some GUIs? Can anyone
give an example on how to create a short trtack
with some samples and a synth line without X?
--
CYa,
Mario | Debian Developer <URL:http://debian.org/>
| Get my public key via finger mlang_AT_db.debian.org
| 1024D/7FC1A0854909BCCDBE6C102DDFFC022A6B113E44
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