[LAD] automation on Linux (modular approach)

[rosea grammostola]

Thanks Ralf (qtractor) and Chris (rosegarden) for taking the time to 
give comments on my post.

I believe the comments of Ralf about Qtractor, so it is doing the job 
pretty well, with an drawing curve.
But qtractor is not really an modular approach focusing application.

Non-daw and non-mixer are ( http://non.tuxfamily.org/ ) and in my post I 
quoted:
>>
>> Damn, this should be a lot easier. Even the ancient Cakewalk was 
>> lightyears better.
>> _I think we have a great opportunity here for some developer to make 
>> the world a better place. Simply make *non-daw's* timeline 
>> controllers output midi CCs"_ 
This is actually possible as I found in the non-mixer manual:

"1.1.2.3.1.3.1. Control Voltages

The control voltage concept should be familiar to anyone who has 
experience with analog modular synthesizers. MIDI, while having definite 
advantages in many respects, multiplexes control data in such a way as 
to make connecting one MIDI control to a parameter involve a significant 
inconvenience, usually requiring the adjustment of settings on both ends 
of the connection in order to separate the control data streams.

Control Voltages, on the other hand, provide a simple 1:1 source to sink 
relationship and offer much higher resolution, both in time and value, 
than can be natively expressed through MIDI. The chief advantage of CV 
in the context of Non-DAW is the ease with which an control sequence can 
be connected to a mixer module parameter. If you have a MIDI controller 
that you'd like to use to control parameters of Non-Mixer, consider 
/jm2cv/, a JACK MIDI to Control Voltage daemon which was written by 
Peter Nelson specifically for use with Non-Mixer. jm2cv can be acquired by:

git clone git://fuzzle.org/jm2cv.git "


http://non-mixer.tuxfamily.org/MANUAL.html#n:1.1.2.3.1.3.1.

That makes the state of automation on Linux, with the modular approach a 
lot better :)


All though... it appears that there are at least two existing problems 
right now:

   1. Zynaddsubfx/ yoshimi and probably other standalone synths, doesn't
      have an very good midi mapping.
   2. Non-Mixer doesn't support LV2 (they are working on dssi, they
      support ladspa) and they are not planning to do so.


About point 1, it would be nice if the developers of standalone 
application make automation / midi mapping as good as possible. PHASEX 
seems to be a good example.

About point 2, I don't see a way to do automation with LV2 plugins, when 
you work the modular way, right now. If I'm right that's a real lacking 
point. In my opinion, it would be a missed chance if non-mixer will not 
support LV2 plugins, and I know I'm not the only Linux audio user who is 
thinking so.

What is needed here I think, is an (external, non non-dev) developer who 
is willing to code LV2 support into non-mixer. You will make the Linux 
audio world a better place, cause non-mixer / non-daw gives us new 
possibilities (for example automation). I take it for granted that some 
programmers don't like LV2. But if you don't do it for yourself, do it 
for the community ;)


Thanks in advance,

\r

ps. I'm not involved in developing Non things