[linux-audio-dev] Which sequencer framework for a simple MIDI drum looper ?

Hello. I write hoping that some nice LADs might enlighten me ? I've been feeling a recent itch to write a simple step-sequencer, which outputs MIDI messages to the ALSA seq ; it is intended to drive a drum machine. My ideal app is provided with a graphical UI which includes HUGE buttons (to give you an idea, the GUI in FL Studio comes to mind). It may seem silly at this point, but I could not find an existing app which exactly suits me. But anyway, I think it will be a piece of fun trying to write something myself... I shamefully admit being no good at C/C++ programming, but I could write some GUI code in Python/Java, which would communicate with the sequencer engine, over OSC for example. Regarding said sequencing engine, I have found 3 possibilities so far : - Chuck http://chuck.cs.princeton.edu/ - Midishare (can be driven in Java, Lisp, ...) *provided that I can get it to compile on my Gentoo box ... http://midishare.sourceforge.net/ - Milk (Python MIDI engine for ALSA) http://www.quitte.de/milk.html: The former two seem slightly more complete ; in particular, I very much liked Breakage, which uses Chuck : http://www.blackholeprojector.com/ (Actually, this app would have been a very good fit, but it is Windows/Mac only :-o) I'll finally make my point : which framework would - in your experience - be the most practical to use ? Or the most interesting to learn ? Many thanks for your attention. NB : I am aware that Hydrogen is one fine app ;-), and probably a step sequencer can be written as a Pd patch in seconds, but that is not what I am after at the moment ; I insist on the user interacting with big, Playschool-like BLOCKS :-)