Re: [linux-audio-user] RE: ecasound interactive mode

On Fri, May 26, 2006 at 09:25:21AM +1000, Stuart Allie wrote:
> Hi Joel,
>
> > > With regards to frontends for eca, I am working on one
> > myself. I hope to
> > > have the first release in a month or so. It will try to
> > preserve as much
> > > of ecasound's semantics as possible, and even give you
> > interactive mode
> > > access. I'll try and get a screenshot of the current version up
> > > somewhere for people to look at and make suggestions on.
> >
> > I'm curious what motivates your design, having spent a
> > long time writing one of my own using perl and tk.
> >
> > http://ecmdr.infogami.com
> >
> > Did you ever have a chance to have a look?? Any feedback??
>
> Ecmdr looks good, but just doesn't suit my purposes, and I started work
> on my frontend quite a while ago. I generally create ecs files by hand,
> them run ecasound in interactive mode and use the command line to tweak
> parameters while the song is playing. What I wanted was to be able to
> see, and tweak in real time, as many params as possible, and still have
> access to the command line.

Ecmd has an IAM command line, but without a history buffer,
I concede it is currently a bit awkward for heavy use.

Ecmd currently lets the user tweak vol/pan and most effects
in realtime using sliders. Unhinted effects use text-entry
fields that are not re-read while the transport is running.
That could be changed, perhaps adding an Update button.

Ecmd links sliders for effects for each track to a chain in
the .ecs file. The generated .ecs file can be hacked in any
way at all before transport start. All effects still will be
adjustable in realtime as long as the corresponding chain is
in the .ecs file. (It would make sense to label the chains
by track name instead of number as is currently done.)

> I wrote an early version in python/tkinter
> that worked okay but I found tk a bit limiting. I recently rewrote it
> from scratch in python/qt and it's getting close to what I want.

Will be interested to see screenshots of your work. Also to
hear about tk limitations that got in your way.

> I basically write songs using muse or rosegarden, then record the live
> parts using ecasound. Then I record the midi tracks to audio files and
> use ecasound to do the mixing. So I'm trying to make ecasound look like
> a mixing desk (sort of) more than a multi-track recorder.

> > Are people's requirements and expectations really so
> > different?
>
> Looks that way :)

I can only say 'more power to you!'
 
> Cheers,
>
> Stuart

-- 
Joel Roth