[linux-audio-dev] Plugin APIs (again)

David Olofson david at olofson.net
Wed Dec 4 16:45:01 UTC 2002


On Wednesday 04 December 2002 22.27, Steve Harris wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 04, 2002 at 09:44:12 +0100, David Olofson wrote:
> > > Hoever
> > > making sure htat the API is scale neutral (unlike generic MIDI)
> > > is important. I'm not sure what the best way to ensure this is.
> >
> > I use "linear pitch". 1.0 would be your MIDI standard middle C.
> > +1.0 would give you the next higher semitone, and +12.0 would
> > give you the next higher octave.
>
> Thats somewhat semitone biased, if we use +1.0 is middle C, +2.0 is
> one octave higher then we are tuning neutral, and, coincidentally
> compatible with 1.0volt/octave analogue synths.

Well, I just decided to use 12.0 per octave in Audiality. No 
particular reason (yeah, right! ;-), and it's easy enough to change. 
With fixed point numbers, this affects accuracy slightly, but with 
floats, it makes no difference whatsoever in that regard.


> > Well, then there's no problem. It's just that if we design an API
> > for simple instruments, I can quarantee that it won't be too long
> > before we're here again, discussing a third API for "advanced
> > instruments". (That will probably happen anyway, but we can at
> > least *consider* covering what we know already.)
>
> Well, no, because for advanced instruments (eg. a full featured
> sampler) we have jack.

Well, yes - modulo a sample accurate event system that deals with 
stuff beyond MIDI.


> > Or we just design an event system and strap that onto JACK as
> > well as a stripped version of LADSPA. :-)
>
> I think its reasonable to expect a jack app to be able to natively
> understand MIDI/OSC/CV/whatever.

Sure - but how do I connect a sequencer to it, and how do I make it 
all stay in sync? I think people will soon expect timing and reliable 
of softsynths to be *better* than h/w synths + MIDI; not worse.


//David Olofson - Programmer, Composer, Open Source Advocate

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