[linux-audio-user] Your synth wishlist?

[Dave Griffiths]

On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 23:29:04 -0400, Rob wrote
> On Thursday 29 July 2004 18:26, Dave Robillard wrote:
> > So, what features are important to you in a synth?  What
> > annoys you about the current crop of linux synths?
> 
> I would really like an *easy* and *intuitive* way to map 
> arbitrary MIDI controllers to various functions, filters, 
> whatever... I have this PCR-30 with 8 knobs, 8 sliders and a 
> joystick and would really like to be able to do something with 
> all that twiddly goodness that i can tweak while actually 
> playing rather than stopping, editing a config file or whatever.
>
> Something like a "Map a controller..." menu option that then 
> listens for a MIDI controller producing a lot of data and then 
> asks you to click on the filter or whatever that you want to map 
> it to, that'd be nice.

What about clicking a "set midi control" toggle button that puts the synth in
a mode where you waggle your midi controller at the same time as the
corresponding software slider and they are bound togther. That way you could
really quickly set up controls without going into menus etc.

Thats what I'm planning for the noiseweapon synth anyway...

FWIW this ladspa only softsynth is something I've been itching to do for ages,
I think it's a really good idea. Maybe it would require some specialist LADSPA
plugins that would be needed for a softsynth, but I think this is where the
functionality belongs, rather than in client code. 

After my recent experiments I'd recommend leaving the GUI out of the picture
for as long as possible, and implementing it in a scripting language instead
of C++ - I find it a much more productive way of developing, plus your
software is availible for people who don't want or can't use GUIs with no
extra work.

cheers,

dave