Qtractor 0.2.0 (frolic demoiselle) is out!
------------------------------------------
Qtractor is an audio/MIDI multi-track sequencer application written in
C++ with the Qt4 framework [1]. Target platform is Linux, where the a
Jack Audio Connection Kit (JACK) for audio [2] and the Advanced Linux
Sound Architecture (ALSA) for MIDI [3] are the main infrastructures to
evolve as a fairly-featured Linux desktop audio workstation GUI,
specially dedicated to the personal home-studio.
Qtractor is free open-source software, distributed under the GNU General
Public License (GPL) [15].
Author:
Rui Nuno Capela <rncbc at rncbc dot org>
Weblog:
http://wwww.rncbc.org
Website:
http://qtractor.sourceforge.net
Project page:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/qtractor
Download:
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.2.0.tar.gz
Executive summary:
- Multi-track audio and MIDI sequencing and recording.
- Developed on pure Qt4 C++ application framework [1] (no Qt3 nor KDE
dependency).
- Uses JACK [2] for audio and ALSA [3] sequencer for MIDI as
infrastructure.
- Traditional multi-track tape recorder control paradigm.
- Audio file formats support: OGG (via libvorbis [6]), MP3 (via libmad
[7], playback only), WAV, FLAC, AIFF and many, many more (via linsndfile
[4]).
- Standard MIDI files support (format 0 and 1).
- Non-destructive, non-linear editing.
- Unlimited number of tracks per session/project.
- Unlimited number of overlapping clips per track.
- XML encoded session/project description files (SDI).
- Point-and-click, multi-select, drag-and-drop interaction (drag, move,
drop, cut, copy, paste, delete, split)
- Unlimited undo/redo.
- Built-in mixer and monitor controls.
- Buil-in connection patchbay control and persistence (a-la QjackCtl [13]).
- LADSPA [5], DSSI [11] and native VSTi [12] plug-in support.
- Unlimited number of plug-ins per track or bus.
- Plug-in presets, programs and chunk/configurations support.
- Audio/MIDI clip fade-in/out (linear, quadratic, cubic).
- Audio clip time-stretching (WSOLA-like or via librubberband [9]),
pitch-shifting (vib librubberband [9]) and samplerate conversion (via
libsamplerate [8]).
- Audio/MIDI track export (mix-down, merge).
- Audio/MIDI metronome bar/beat clicks.
- MIDI clip editor (piano roll).
- MIDI instrument definitions (a-la Cakewalk(tm) [15])
- JACK transport sync master.
- MMC control surface enabled.
- Configurable keyboard shortcuts.
Requirements:
Mandatory: libqt4 [1], libjack [2], libasound [3], libsndfile [4],
LADSPA [5]. Optional: libvorbis [6], libmad [7], libsamplerate [8],
librubberband [9], liblo [10], DSSI [11], VST-SDK [12].
Disclaimer:
Qtractor is still in some alpha stage of development, although already
functional it surely has a plenty of lurking bugs. It also lacks some
features that some might find critical in the application field. All is
not lost, as the following are among the ones planned to be worked on in
the times to come (not in any particular order):
- Automation and MIDI controller mapping.
- Session/project templates.
- Puch-in/out and loop recording (takes).
- Audio clip cross-fading.
- Audio effect send/return aux. inserts.
- Clip locking, muting, normalize (gain).
- LV2 plug-in support.
- JACK MIDI support.
- Tempo and key signature map.
- Paste-repeat command.
- MIDI SysEx manager.
- MIDI event list editor.
- MIDI editor (piano roll) draw mode.
- MIDI groove/swing quantize.
- OSC interface.
- Scripting.
- Etc. etc.
Change-log:
2009-07-18 0.2.0 The Frolic Demoiselle
- MIDI clip filename revision logic is now introduced, thus avoiding the
proliferation of several numbered SMF's on each edit/save; some lurking
bugs were exposed in the MIDI clip externalization method but promptly
squashed.
- Fixed a mouse release event glitch while in drag-and-drop items in the
Files tree list widget.
- A dummy plugin type option has been devised, just to bear with some
troubled behavior of the lovely JUCETICE plugins
(View/Options.../Plugins/Experimental/Dummy VST plugin scan). Bad news
are that all, yes all as in every native VST plugins, are
indistinguishable from being just pure audio effects, either mono or
stereo, whatever, and thus all being considered full-blown stereo VSTi
instruments (which are the vast mainstream and rather interesting
majority, nevertheless:).
- The plugin selection dialog (Add Plugin...) now features the option
whether the selected plugins should be activated on insert.
- Mixer strip titles now have distinguishable type icons, either for
audio or MIDI, and shown on all buses and track strips.
- Major optimization breakthrough: muted audio tracks aren't streamed
any longer, saving precious CPU cycles from decoding, resampling,
pitch-shifting, time-stretching, plugin effects, whatever.
- Incredible as it might be, audio/MIDI track record monitoring is now
mixed (or merged) with rolling playback content, thus not as mutually
exclusive between record and playback states anymore; also, track
mute/solo states doesn't apply to recording material anymore.
- Main form timer slot gets corrected and now independent of current
process buffer-size in regard to JACK transport synchronization.
- All file references in session state file are now stored as relative
paths to main session directory.
- DSSI/VSTi plugin presets can now be explicitly recalled from file (ie.
Open/load preset) through this new tool button whether visible while in
the generic plugin form.
- Due to some trouble with newer Qt >= 4.4 applications regarding font
size configuration, a new global user option is now available to the
rescue: View/Options... /Display/Base font size (default is no-op).
- Logarithmic scale is now taken into effect by control parameter
sliders, in the generic plugin editor dialog as provided by LADSPA and
DSSI plugin types.
- MIDI track bank/program does not default to zero (PC#0) anymore.
- Second attempt for Qt4.4 build support, regarding the bundled atomic
primitives, now corrected and way more seriously :).
- Long due DSSI/VSTi plugin host implementation has taken shape for MIDI
instruments (eg. soft-synth plugins); DSSI reached its full host
implementation and VSTi is already kicking as well (HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL).
- DSSI/VSTi plugin presets may now be stored to external XML files,
which should include all parameter values and configuration data chunks,
taken as proper state snapshot and subject for recall.
- Dedicated audio output bus option is now also accessible for all MIDI
instrument plugins, either set globally as a default mode in
View/Options.../Plugins/Instruments or in the plugin context menu for
MIDI tracks, as an undoable command.
- Fixed a potential crash-exception due to freeing a null-pointer,
raised on some ever stringent platforms and while adding tracks to empty
sessions, which is the same to say this was crashing more than always:).
- Loop turn-around is now taken care of, as this has been found missing
and causing noticeable gapping when un-muting or changing MIDI track
events while in playback.
- An off-by-one bug was fixed while inside MIDI cursor backward seek
method, which was missing all other events that have the same exact
onset timing.
- Attempt to load Qt's own translation support and get rid of the ever
warning startup message, unless built in debug mode. (transaction by
Guido Scholz, while on qsynth-devel, thanks).
- Only one application instance is now allowed to be up and running,
with immediate but graceful termination upon startup iif an already
running instance is detected, which will see its main widget shown up
automatically (Qt/X11 platform only).
- Clip fades have now a slight transparency.
- Avoid loop read-ahead on initial audio clip loading.
- Messages file logging makes its first long overdue appearance, with
user configurable settings in View/Options.../Logging; options dialog
was slightly rearranged and moved the Plugins section into a new tab page.
- Audio/MIDI drifting correction was missing its own correct and due
(re)initialization whenever playback is (re)started; also, MIDI metering
synchronization has been fixed once again.
- Fixed session cursor backward seeking, specially applicable when
playback passes the end of overlapped clips.
- Fixed potential crash when opening bogus audio files.
- Time-stretch FIFO buffer implementation is now made generic, as
template, fixing a destructor memory leak in the process.
- Include legacy headers, stdlib.h and string.h, where necessary to
build with stricter gcc/g++ >= 4.3.
References:
[1] Qt4 (core, gui, xml), C++ class library and tools
for crossplatform development and internationalization
http://www.trolltech.org/products/qt/
[2] JACK Audio Connection Kit
http://jackaudio.org/
[3] ALSA, Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
http://www.alsa-project.org/
[4] libsndfile, C library for reading and writing
files containing sampled sound
http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/
[5] LADSPA, Linux Audio Developer's Simple Plugin API
http://www.ladspa.org/
[6] libvorbis (enc, file), Ogg Vorbis audio compression
http://xiph.org/vorbis/
[7] libmad, High-quality MPEG audio decoder
http://www.underbit.com/products/mad/
[8] libsamplerate, The secret rabbit code, C library
for audio sample rate conversion
http://www.mega-nerd.com/SRC/
[9] librubberband, Rubber Band Audio Time Stretcher,
an audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting library
http://breakfastquay.com/rubberband/
[10] liblo, Lightweight OSC implementation
(needed for DSSI GUI support)
http://liblo.sourceforge.net/
[11] DSSI, an API for soft synth plugins with custom user interfaces
http://dssi.sourceforge.net/
[12] VST SDK, Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology (see README.VST)
http://www.steinberg.net/
[13] QjackCtl - JACK Qt GUI Interface
http://qjackctl.sourceforge.net
[14] GNU General Public License
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
[15] Cakewalk (by Roland), powerful and easy-to-use tools
for Windows-based music and sound production
http://www.cakewalk.com/
Cheers && Enjoy.
Hello everyone!
I'm looking for someone knowing readline and its pitfalls. I'm working with
readline and have my troubles:
Namely application specific completion of file- and directory names and the
treating of names with spaces.
Please can someone help me here? Off list would be best I guess. My
mail-address can be ssen by any member.
Please folks I'm absolutely stuck here.
Kindest regards
Julien
--------
Music was my first love and it will be my last (John Miles)
======== FIND MY WEB-PROJECT AT: ========
http://ltsb.sourceforge.net
the Linux TextBased Studio guide
======= AND MY PERSONAL PAGES AT: =======
http://www.juliencoder.de
Hello *,
For a project with selfmade hardware (prototype and will be selled over
my Website if it is working as I want), I am searching for a very
Low-Cost soundchip since I need only Line-IN/OUT and it is only
connected to the Line-IN/OUT of a GSM-Chip.
Can someone tell me, which Low-Cost USB-Soundchip is perfectly supported
under Linux 2.4 from scratch? Linux 2.4 must be, since there are to
many embedded systems where size mather.
Thanks, Greetings and nice Day/Evening
Michelle Konzack
Systemadministrator
24V Electronic Engineer
Tamay Dogan Network
Debian GNU/Linux Consultant
--
Linux-User #280138 with the Linux Counter, http://counter.li.org/
##################### Debian GNU/Linux Consultant #####################
Michelle Konzack Apt. 917 ICQ #328449886
+49/177/9351947 50, rue de Soultz MSN LinuxMichi
+33/6/61925193 67100 Strasbourg/France IRC #Debian (irc.icq.com)
Greetings,
Thanks to Pedro Lopez-Cabanillas and Guido Scholz, this Qsynth release
is now a reality. Main new features are a the new rotating knob style
options, first full translations, German and Spanish and last but not
least, there's this Windows(TM) all-in-one package available (includes
FluidSynth port) for your (sick:) pleasure only. Please read below the
brilliant notes from Pedro about this breakthrouth release. Yes,
before's too late:
Qsynth 0.3.3 (unstable-qt4) is out!
For the clueless, Qsynth is a Qt GUI frontend application to the
excellent FluidSynth (http://www.fluidsynth.org) soft-synth library
implementation for the SoundFont 2 specifications.
Available from the usual place:
http://qsynth.sourceforge.nethttp://sourceforge.net/projects/qsynth
There's the change log for this point release:
- Due to some trouble with newer Qt >= 4.4 applications regarding font
size configuration, a new global user option is now available to the
rescue: Options.../Other/Base font size (default is no-op).
- Knobs: graphic styles are now QStyle derived classes, which are
assigned to the knobs using QWidget::setStyle(). Three styles are
implemented in this way, supporting also the legacy QDial:
* Our former look, tweaked and ported from Sonic Visualizer.
* A port of the new look implemented by David Garcia.
* Another ported widget style, designed by Giuseppe Cigala.
- Spanish translation added.
- Attempt to load Qt's own translation support and get rid of the ever
warning startup message, unless built in debug moderr; also introducing
the very first and complete German translation (patching transaction by
Guido Scholz, thanks).
- Messages file logging makes its first long overdue appearance, with
user configurable settings in Options/Logging.
- Only one application instance is now allowed to be up and running,
with immediate but graceful termination upon startup iif an already
running instance is detected, which will see its main widget shown up
and all engines started automatically (Qt/X11 platform only).</li>
Notes about the Windows(TM) package:
(http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qsynth/qsynth-0.3.3-setup.exe)
* It is a bundle of Fluidsynth 1.0.8 (patched) and QSynth 0.3.3,
compiled in Windows with MinGW 3.4.2 and Qt 4.4.0. The package includes
all the required libraries except DirectX-9, which should be installed
before. The setup program itself was created with NSIS 2.37
(http://nsis.sf.net)
* The patch for Fluidsynth (attached) was needed to allow QSynth to
specify the name of a MIDI port to be opened other than the first one.
The patch was sent to the Fluid-dev mailing list, but maybe we could
offer it also in the QSynth web site? Link to the mailing list message:
http://www.mail-archive.com/fluid-dev@nongnu.org/msg00816.html
* Users should not expect the same functionality level in Windows
compared to the Linux version. In windows it is not possible to connect
the MIDI out from one program to the MIDI input of another application.
QSynth/Fluidsynth needs to read MIDI events from a real MIDI device, as
a keyboard. For something similar to the ALSA sequencer routing
capabilities, you can try MIDIOX/MIDIYoke (http://midiox.com)
Cheers && Enjoy
--
rncbc aka Rui Nuno Capela
Hello again!
I'm sorry, but my earlier experiments don't seem worth the effort. Now I
thought, this has all been done and perhaps someone can help me. I need a tree
stucture in C, based on struct, where each node has a list of subnodes. like
this:
(root(e1(e11,e12,e13(e131,e132,e133,e134,e135)),e2)
If you get what I mean. Does anyone know of such a structure almost made
ready for use? I'm sure I heard the official name for this in my lectures, but
alas it's long ago.
Yes, I did consider doing this in c++, but then readline will get me down on
my knees again and will have my crying in frustration and defeat, as it did
last time. :-(
Kindest regards
Julien
--------
Music was my first love and it will be my last (John Miles)
======== FIND MY WEB-PROJECT AT: ========
http://ltsb.sourceforge.net
the Linux TextBased Studio guide
======= AND MY PERSONAL PAGES AT: =======
http://www.juliencoder.de
Hi!
Does anyone know which character exactly ^m is and how I can reproduce it as
a character in my program code. Unfortunitely I get it from the outside and
have to deal with it.
Kindest regards
Julien
--------
Music was my first love and it will be my last (John Miles)
======== FIND MY WEB-PROJECT AT: ========
http://ltsb.sourceforge.net
the Linux TextBased Studio guide
======= AND MY PERSONAL PAGES AT: =======
http://www.juliencoder.de
Sorry folks!
But I'mtoo stupid. I have a struct, which contains a pointer to itself as an
element. How to write this. I once knew, but now I fail. It's a shame! :-(
Kindest regards
Julien
--------
Music was my first love and it will be my last (John Miles)
======== FIND MY WEB-PROJECT AT: ========
http://ltsb.sourceforge.net
the Linux TextBased Studio guide
======= AND MY PERSONAL PAGES AT: =======
http://www.juliencoder.de
Hello,
I have been trying to use the hdspm driver with a recently purchased RME
Madiface device. The functionality that I require is to play various
files through various channels under program (script) control. I am
happy to report that it *almost* works - in that I can use my simple
userspace programs to play files. However, there are subtle problems -
in that the external MADI A-to-D (an Euphonix 703) does not seem to lock
into the sampling rate (something that works under windows). Its very
close to achieving full functionality (for my needs) - but just that
tiny bit away from being fully useable.
Any ideas?
Havent had much luck contacting RME and Winfried Ritsch (who
wrote/maintains the code).
Information on the the hardware and/or windows code would help to figure
out how to modify the driver (which was originally written for the rme
9652/aes32 devices).
Regards,
D. Sen
Version 1.3 of the Vamp plugin SDK is now available.
http://www.vamp-plugins.org/
Vamp is a plugin API for audio analysis and feature extraction plugins written
in C or C++. Its SDK features an easy-to-use set of C++ classes for plugin
and host developers, a reference host implementation, example plugins, and
documentation. It is supported across Linux, OS/X and Windows.
Version 1.3 is a maintenance release, with several bugfixes (almost all of
which only affect hosts, not plugins) and no new features.
Changes since 1.2:
* PluginBufferingAdapter has several important fixes to bugs that could
cause incorrect timings or output descriptors to be returned
* Conversion between real-time and frames has been improved to avoid
rounding error in round-trip calculations
* Plugin lookup no longer relies on non-portable DT_REG
* The SDK now compiles with gcc 4.3 (knowing my luck it probably
won't, but it's supposed to)
Plugins and hosts remain binary compatible with those built using the 1.0
version of the SDK.
Chris
Rubber Band is an audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting library and
utility designed for musical applications.
http://www.breakfastquay.com/rubberband/
It includes a library that supports a sample-accurate multithreaded
offline mode and a real-time lock-free streaming mode; a command-line
utility program; and a LADSPA pitch-shifter plugin. Version 1.2 is
faster in most situations, better sounding in many, and less
potentially subject to patent claims than version 1.0.1 was.
Rubber Band is Free Software under the GNU GPL.
Chris
