[linux-audio-user] Your synth wishlist?

[Thorsten Wilms]

On Fri, Jul 30, 2004 at 01:27:16PM -0400, Dave Robillard wrote:
> 
> The problem with what you want (having "midi cables" in a modular synth)
> is we don't have a plugin format that supports MIDI yet.  Like
> everything else, we just have to wait on GMPI for this. :(

Couldn't that be handled by an abstraction layer? I mean the modules 
in the gui do not have to be the actual modules behind the scenes, 
same for how the connections are actualy setup.

 
> I don't think the distinction between "assembly" and "patch" is really
> necessary, sounds like the same thing to me.  Basically, you want
> subpatches (within subpatches within subpatches).

Assemblies are about the modules and connections. Paramter values 
would be stored in patches. So you could think of an assembly as 
a virtual synth, an engine. The idea is to not require saving 
an assembly with only slight variations in parameter settings ...


> > To make it all perfect there should be a versioning system, 
> > but I guess that's a bit much to ask for :)
> 
> Versioning as in CVS for patch files?  Well.. yeah, that is a bit much
> to ask for. :)

No wouldn't cut it. Say I would include put an assembly that is already 
in use by multiple assemblies inside yet another one. Now I want to 
slightly adapt it, without breaking all the other assemblies ...
That's exactly the problem I have with Solidworks :)


> > There are some small ideas from my work on Specimen that 
> > might be interesting for single modules. But for now 
> > it should be about the big picture, right?
> 
> Once again, the Plugin Format Problem(TM).  But on the topic of
> specimen, how difficult is it to write alternate frontends for specimen?

No idea, have to ask its author, Pete Bessman.
Oh, I hope nobody will ever want to write an alternative frontend, 
once the redesign is finished.
A peek at the future:
 http://www.gazuga.net/log/

 
> Good ideas, thanks for the input

You're welcome

---
Thorsten Wilms