[linux-audio-user] Re:Re: ANN: bristol 0.9.5-60

[Sylvain Robitaille]

On Wed, 20 Sep 2006, Nick Copeland wrote:

> Nice piece of work on the issue with the audio device access failing.

Thanks.  I'm still not sure why I'm unable to use "-audiodev plughw:2,0"
on my system, as that's the add-in card I normally use with other sound
applications, rather than the built-in interface at "plughw:1,0", which
seems to work without any difficulty with Bristol.  I tried "-jack"
(JACK running on interface 2,0), but every time I tried to play a note
Bristol silently exited.

Nevertheless, I can work around this by using the built-in interface
for Bristol (I'll need to run a separate set of cables to my hardware
mixer to get this output without repatching the audio out, but that's
not a serious issue at all), and the add-on card for other apps.

> Can you try using the 'startBristol -gain 8', or more than 8 if you
> need, to increase the final stage output gain.

Ah, yes;  that does it.  Thank you.  I can setup command aliases to start
different synths at various gain levels, as necessary.  So far it seems
that "-gain 64" is quite reasonable on my system, though that _feels_
like it should be scary high.  I haven't checked the B3 yet, but like
I said, I can make a point of setting it differently if necessary.

> If you are working with 16bit audio then using the output gain should
> not really reduce the quality, ...

It sounds just fine to me (in 16-bit) on my system, but I haven't
tested extensively; (I don't really like playing a synth with a mouse,
I'm afraid).

> Another alterntive is too buy a couple 
> of mallets with which to whallop your master keyboard. No?

Ummmm .... no.  :-)  A MIDI-marimba, perhaps?

> Regarding MIDI support - what do need bristol to do?

Well, I would like to be able to control it via MIDI from an external
keyboard (nothing particularly fancy), but so far haven't been able to
do that.  I'm quite certain that I'm just not giving the correct options.

> It should respond to a MIDI keyboard to allow you to play notes,

Right.  No luck yet.  I would certainly appreciate ideas of where I
should be looking.

> but a the moment it will not link its controls to MIDI Continuous
> Controllers.

I'm not very picky: I'd like to be able to play the keyboard and
have Bristol produce the sound, though it would be nice to be able to
manipulate "standard" controllers (pitch and mod wheels, damper pedal,
volume control, assuming controller properly sends the messages) and have
them perform the expected action.  Being able to manipulate knobs via
MIDI CC, in my opinion would be nice, but it would be icing on the cake.

Ultimately, I'll likely want to control Bristol also from a guitar-to-MIDI
converter, which tends to send a lot of pitch-bend information, so at
least that much would matter to me ...

> it should support program change messages ...

Yes, though I don't mind clicking the mouse for that.  My own needs are
generally simple (I'm really a guitar player, not a keyboard player).

> allow the keyboard graphic to reflect the state of the midi keyboard

Shrug ...  I imagine that this may affect performance of the program.
If it does, I'd prefer to be able to disable it, and redirect the
performance to sound-generation instead ...  My opinion is that if I
can get MIDI keyboard control to work at all, the on-screen keyboard is
useful only for testing output, and perhaps to listen to changes while
progamming sounds.

Maybe a blinking "LED" to acknowledge receipt of MIDI data, though?
I miss that on hardware synths, but use a physical LED to troubleshoot
MIDI routing when I need to.

> tying two synths together allows one to play the other, but it does
> not cause the keys on one to be depressed via midi.

Agreed.

> On a related issue, what are other wishes for bristol?

Now that you have virtual cables implemented, an MS20 would be really
nice ... :-)

In my case, though, an MS20 implies being able to patch in external audio.
Perhaps you already handled that with the 2600 emulation, though?
(I don't know if the physical 2600 allowed for external audio to be
patched in, but I imagine it must have)  Would it be something you would
consider adding to Bristol?

> My plans are the midi support, lash support, a korg ms-20 type synth, ...

bingo!  :-)

> finalise the mixer ...

Am I understanding correctly that the mixer is intended to be usable
to mix and process multiple instances of Bristol synth emulations into
a single output?  Maybe the mixer and synth emulations could all work
through Jack, so the mixer could be used to mix other signals as well?
Am I asking for too much?

> perhaps add a bristol modular although I don't like this last idea to
> much as it goes against the idea of being an emulator.

Emulate the modules of some of the original modulars?  I'm not trying
to convince you, as I imagine that you already have thought of that ...

> I will put the EMS Synthi on the list, although I don't have a breadboard
> patching and I was not aware they had patch cable controlled synths -
> this is EMS, no?

Yes.  From what I read (I have no direct experience with any EMS models),
the Synthi 100 was a massive unit that you quite literally built your
studio around (ie: install the synth _before_ the walls go up!)  I don't
_think_ it was modular in the purest sense of that term, though I imagine
it likely had a patchbay.

> A wishlist would make me happy, above and beyond what is in this mail.

A Taurus, perhaps?  I would use that ...  (though I suppose I can get
suitably similar sounds from the MiniMoog emulation)

-- 
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Sylvain Robitaille                              syl at alcor.concordia.ca

Major in Electroacoustic Studies                  Concordia University
Faculty of Fine Arts / Music Department       Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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