[linux-audio-user] Modular synths of the world, unite and take over :-)

[Lukas Degener]

Roman Kaljakin wrote:

>I am pleased to announce Octavian - a realtime software synthesizer for GNU\Linux 
>operating system.
> Octavians's design is like analog modular synthesizers,(...)
>
Well, here we have another modular synth framework. :-)

Hi Roman, i realy like parts of your ui design. just looked at the 
screenshots so far, but i think i will try octavian soon.
I would have reacted earlier to your announce, but i was somewhat busy 
and didn't follow lad traffic very regulary.

Sseems we have a little problem.
Ok, maybe problem is not exactly the right term, let's put it this way:
Right now, there is beast, there is gAlan, there is ams, and of course 
there is also pd, jmax, etc. and lately Octavian, and, rats, there maybe 
a zillion of other apps out there that i do not yet know of (authors of 
such apps, please append your project to my list:-) )

While each of this projects may have unique approaches to certain 
problems, or use different metaphors for similar things, i guess it is a 
valid assumption, that they all have _very_ similar goals in terms of 
functionality. At least that was my impression after talking with Stefan 
(beast) and Torben (gAlan).

The Big Question(tm):
 How can we avoid redundant work?

My (somewhat utopious) suggestion:
maybe we should think in components that use/modify a common 
datastructure/model.

This has almost (but not completly) nothing to do with merging ;-)
It means that we have to agree on what exactly that common model would 
be, and after that, we would go on writing
different components that actualy work with this model. The problem of 
course would be to define that model.

But once we have managed this, it should be possible to have different 
components cooperate on the same instance of that model at the same 
time, without knowing about each other, i.e. all "inter-component" 
communication would be established via the model. I tend to think of 
this as a "Macro Model/View/Controller" pattern. (i have forgotten the 
actual term, something like "Document Oriented Design" i think.)

So this goes out to Matthias, Torben, Stefan, Roman, and of course 
everyone else interested in such a thing:
What do you think?

Regards,
Lukas