[LAU] [RFC] A “poor man’s”, yet professional level studio setup

[Brandon Hale]

As someone who has worked with and was in the Linux Laptop Orchestra for 
over 6 years, I had to bring this up: I wrote the software 
infrastructure for Dan Tramte's 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWrGLy7Z30>Woman Technologist Shifty 
Eyes <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWrGLy7Z30> and we used jack 
transport over local Ethernet to sync video with xjadeo on that piece. 
Believe it or not, it works! With the Linux Laptop Orchestra, there is a 
main Ethernet switch that every computer plugs into, so if you go that 
route I would definitely use one. Even a small one would help.

I can't say we ran into any major problems with doing jack transport 
over the local network, and everything remained in sync. There is a big 
however though: every laptop in the orchestra is the same model and has 
the same components. So, maybe it wouldn't work so well if the computers 
were all different models. I'm not sure. If you have any questions about 
how that worked, definitely send me an email. I worked on and wrote my 
own piece <https://youtu.be/s6-g1r1bqe8> for the Linux Laptop Orchestra 
as well that synced the computers together using pd-l2ork. Reach out if 
you have any questions on how the orchestra works!

Brandon Hale

On 2/21/21 9:21 PM, David W. Jones wrote:
>
> On February 21, 2021 3:51:05 PM HST, Sam Kuper <sampablokuper at posteo.net> wrote:
>> On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 05:15:23PM +0100, Francesco Napoleoni wrote:
>>> Basically, what I am trying to achieve is a network mainly made of
>>> Ethernet cables (while minimising audio cables), with the following
>>> nodes:
>> A nice idea indeed.
>>
>> I have been aiming to achieve something similar in the long run.
>> Ideally with entirely libre hard- and software, eventually.  It will
>> be
>> a while before I achieve libre hardware and do away with audio cables,
>> though!
>>
>>
>>> * a master (or maybe better, a “conductor” ;-) ) machine controlling
>>>    and transmitting the transport information, ideally a tablet or a
>>>    minipc with a touchscreen showing the “big clock” and the “big
>>>    buttons” (transport controls)
>>> * another machine (the router) with audio h/w and a DAW, receiving
>>>    audio data from the network. The same machine could also host a
>>>    notation software, perhaps
>> Here, I would do things differently.
>>
>> I think the primary machine should host the sequencer (or DAW,
>> depending
>> on features needed).
>>
>> If you want a peripheral device for transport controls and time
>> display,
>> fair enough.  But this machine need not (and for
>> simplicity/reliability,
>> probably *should* not) run a sequencer or DAW itself.  Instead, it
>> could
>> be something like a Mackie Control, or a hardware or software clone
>> thereof: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mackie-control-universal
>> (Maybe an Arduino or Teensy-based clock with 7-segment LED displays
>> and
>> transport buttons; maybe a tablet running Replicant and some suitable
>> app from F-Droid, if such exists.)  It should only need to communicate
>> to/from the primary machine via MIDI: traditional MIDI cables, or
>> MIDI-over-USB, or some kind of MIDI-over-IP, but still just MIDI.
>>
>> This is a much more maintainable approach, IMO.
>>
>>> * N >= 1 hosts running synths, virtual instruments
>> As per my message in the other thread :)
>>
>> All best,
>>
>> Sam
>>
>> P.S. I am writing this offline.  Perhaps someone else has already made
>> the observations above.  Sorry if so and I seem to be duplicating
>> their
>> effort.  I'll only find out once I am back online and sync emails.
> Linux Laptop Orchestra
>
> http://l2ork.music.vt.edu/main/
>
>
>
> ---
> David W. Jones
> gnome at hawaii.rr.com
> authenticity, honesty, community
> http://dancingtreefrog.com
>
> Sent from my Android device with F/LOSS K-9 Mail.
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