Subject: [linux-audio-user] Looking for a software drum machine usable on stage
From: Charles Goyard (charles_AT_terrien.org)
Date: Tue May 11 2004 - 09:38:55 EEST
Hi all,
this is my first post on the list, so I'll introduce myself shortly. I
play (bass guitar) in a punk rock band with a drum machine (an old Boss
DR-5). We are kind of limited by the drumbox, because of the small
memory size (200 patterns, 20 songs), the non-extensible and boring drum
kits and the lack of certain features. As a system administrator with a
bits of programming knowledge (I know Perl, a bit of C and some other
useful things) and a free software fan, I said to myself : let's get a
software drum machine on a laptop, it should have unlimited features.
So far I looked at a number of projects, but none is usable on stage.
Here's what I need :
1/ A simple programming interface (Hydrogen is perfect). It can also be
something like a simple programming language editable in a text editor.
2/ For length-fixed songs, it's just a playback of a .wav, no problems.
3/ On some songs, we stop the drumbox, play a bit, and start it again.
When I hit the stop pedal, it stops immediately (and therefore I need to
hit "reset" to be sure to be at the beginning of the pattern when it
starts again). It would like it to stop at the end of the pattern if I
hit the stop button.
4/ It should "know" the song structure:
"start" : plays part1 of song
"stop" : stops :)
"start" : again part1
"stop" : still stops
"start" : plays part2 of song
5/ We need programmable tempo changes.
6/ Big display, playlist control, easy to load songs ! We're on stage,
it's dark,, there is smoke, and it's not very practical to
"file/open/click/click/click..." with a guitar in the hand and people
jumping over you. Song name should be displayed BIG (full screen), the
name of the next song should be already programmed, so I just have to
press space (or a pedal wired to the parallel or whatever port) to jump
to the next song.
I just spoke about a pedal. I can build a "stop/start, next song" pedal
and code something that reads events and make it to the audio app.
For some songs, just chaining two or three .wav files works well enough.
But when it comes to things more elaborate, I have been unable to find
something appropriate.
== The point is to have something simple to use on stage. ==
I imagine a little program that feeds a software drumbox MIDI (or JACK?)
events for stop/start/jumpto/tempo changes. I just don't want to
reinvent the wheel.
If someone has something that does the job or some hints/useful
libraries/glue, I would be happy !
Thanks for your reading, enjoy music !
-- Charles you can listen to some of my music on http://www.raia.info/ (french web site, sorry for non-french-speaking people)
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