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I managed to setup development projects for

- Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (Windows XP, Vista?)
- Apple XTools V3 (Mac OS X Leopard, Tiger?)

I collected all dependencies and included them into the packages.
The projects compile on these platforms. And the resulting Windows versions are quite useful (including the VST version). The audio engine (based on Core Audio) works on Mac OS X too but currently no MIDI input and no VST or Audio Unit plugin. But it should be fairly easy to assemble something in the direction. At least a solid base for further active development is made this way.

I've planned to set up IDEs for Linux and FreeBSD desktop operating systems too (Eclipse? CodeBlocks?). That are 4 different platforms and supported IDEs then!

The project bases on the latest available Linux sources from Paul and on the extensions from J&H. The UNIX commandline build mechanisms are probably currently broken due to the new project directory structure. (I am no friend of UNIX command line tools however - I prefer IDE environments for some comfortable development including SVN version control.)

I'm just checking common interest here...

If there is interest, I could provide a SourceForge project, where the binaries and the SVN source tree can be downloaded.

The problem is currently, that Zyn is somehow a "Linux development only" and obviously discontinued by Paul. He also did never show interest to really support other platforms and compilers (reflected inside this forum and the latest source code too). Setting up and manageing a real cross platform development project could give the projects a certain kick.


URGENTLY needed:

- documentation project for Zyn
- VST plugin development (fork) team - you know why
- GUI designers for a new VSTGUI / Audio Unit implementation


New GUI: Be aware that ZynAddSubFX is a monster of a synthesizer. There are countless internal parameters and windows. I do not know, whether a "real" VST implementation (GUI port and native implementation) would ever see the light of world because of complexity. So also a documentation project is urgently needed!

At last: I would like to akt as a "project manager" for the cross platform developmet. But I am not willing to spend the rest of my life with "developing on users demand" for a free and open source project like this one. Experience did show, that such doing usually quite ungrateful is...

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i'm useless to your project,

but i love Zyn & hope this pulls off!!

better win vst support would be to die for!!

a new gui would be great (grymmjack offered before i think). but a stable win vst version is all i need/want, the sound of this synth is top notch!!

Subz

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Yes, I hope, that some (open source) developers really see the potential of this synthesizer. That's the reason, why I did start with the project. Especially the sound and the resonable performance are quite professional. The GUI isn't that good novadays - but hey, it is at least super portable *lol*!

However, why do you think, the Windows VST version is no good yet?
What are your special wishes? I mean also for the planned Audio Unit plugin we should think about a better integration...

Here is a screenshot with Zyn on Mac OS X Leopard (running as an application):
http://sourceforge.net/dbimage.php?id=163578

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djsubject wrote:i'm useless to your project,
but ...
Subz
You are not useless.
It seems you are an experienced user. What urgently is needed, are such persons to participate on the documentation project for Zyn for instance. Also a sound patch database could be collected and so on.

If the (xplatform zyn) project starts on sourceforge, there will be a WIKI too. So if you have something to contribute ...

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Good stuff matterblue! Your efforts are appreciated. Just some thoughts off the top.

Instead of multiple windows, a single tabbed interface, and for me a simpler implementation of the synth engines, like losing the multitrimbral component since I doubt it ever gets used much. But, perhaps its easier and better to repackage the complete engine in a more usable and stable interface.

I know nothing about synth code and interface integration, but it would be interesting to read a simplified overview of how the gui is currently implemented, and what would be required to provide a fresh graphical implementation.

Attention and info on the key areas could help to spur development.


:)

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The project is set up on sourceforge now:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sonicports/
It is only one part of a porting initiative for several audio applications.

Everybody can download
- the latest compiled Windows releases of Zyn
- the complete platform independant project source code tree either from SVN or as a zip package.
- possibly other material (documentation, sound patches and so on) supplied to me in the future

I am still working on the other ports now (Mac OS X and BSD desktop OSs) for Zyn. My first goal is to provide a starting point for further development. The development package meight be unzipped and compiled with only a few steps and a simple mouse click on rescent full featured development IDEs.

Hopefully there are really some interested developers and designers to work together for this project. Maybe even Paul joins the team again and does further development.

Regarding the GUI for a VST version: it must be a plattform independant framework used. So that it remains compilable on all supported OSs. Otherwise it would lead to a fork.

And yes, the window mania of ZynAddSubFX is really a kind of terrible *lol*. But I think, breaking down the multitimbrality isn't a good idea. I think, what VST introduced (regarding 'all now monotimbre again') was a step backwards in the evolution of music creation and synthesizer design. We should not reduce or remove powerful features, which are already present.

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Matterblue, I want send to you My most sincere congratulations for having opened this path.
I tried binary files you uploaded on the website soundforge using win xp prof. sp2.

I tried stand-alone executables ZynAddSubFX_ASIO, _MME and _DS and all works OK.
I noticed that the stand alone executable not incorporate the latest changes about play mode "LEGATO" and the ability to export to a wav file the sample generated and used by the PAD Synth. (put an eye on this
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... highlight= )


I tried also the VSTi ZynAddSubFX_VST.dll with these hosts: VSTHOST Hermann Seib, BUZE, BUZZ, AODIX, REAPER.
Your VSTi don't work on none of these hosts and does not even open a minimal window.

I normally use the VSTi version of ZynAddSubFx 2.2.1 made by J&H (Native Windows Port. BETA RELEASE 5, Complete distribution Provided by J&H, Audio Development Team, Germany).
My sequencer and VST host is BUZE (a modern remake of Jeskola Buzz Tracker) and I never had stability problems with ZynAddSubFX.

Anyway , you have done a good work.
Paolo BHS.

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I will take a look at the VST dll and see what happened with the release compile.
I'll also take a look at that thread - you are right I did not implement last changes (because not knowing anything abaout). I used exactly the 2.2.1 code base from J&H (Beta 5). This package did not work any longer with latest Microsoft Visual Studio compilers (7.0 and higher) (it was made in 2005 with old VC 6.0) and also did not compile on the Mac, of course.
I also did not change the VST code - I assume, anything was going wrong with the last cross portability changes or the configuration...

I will put a note here, if I found and fixed the problem.

Thank you for feedback!

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I can't find that source code extension. Unfortunately I do not work with CVS (but SVN). So I can't synchronize the trunk to implement / add only that 'export' feature. I cannot risk to loose all portability changes by overwriting the entire source tree with the CVS data. Regarding the VST compatibility there are too many changes applied (allover the entire source code). If I get the time, I will try to do a manual diff to find the extended code for the export feature. But I think, such feature is probably rarely used...

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I think that the best thing to do for now is to be able to obtain a VST running and stable from your source.
Then might be interesting to try to make some parameter automation via the VST interface.
Then I think it is more important to implement the "Legato play mode" rather than exporting wav file of PadSynth.

The GUI is no so essential in this moment for me.
You can find my music here BuzzMusic BHSMusic

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The VST version was fixed. It was only a configuration problem (false export symbol).

It would be nice, if Paul could manage to upgrade his sources with the portable version from the Sonic Ports sourgeforge distribution. The problem is, that he probably still uses the old 'Linux only' codebase. This would require, that we manually implement all changes Paul makes to the sources. This is quite a little bit uncomfortable and also not practicable in the future.

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Hi Matterblue,
have you upload the fixed VST on the sourceforge site ?
You can find my music here BuzzMusic BHSMusic

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In case someone is interested in joining forces:

http://home.gna.org/zyn/ (http://home.gna.org/zyn/)

Probably these project goals will be interesting for non-Linux people:

* Fix some inherit issues preventing hard-realtime mode of operation, causing clicks sometimes (memory allocation/sleep in audio process context)
* Make synth engines reusable in source form
* Make all synth engines parameters controlable on the fly (as opposed to original "parameter change takes effect on next note on" strategy)

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pbhs wrote:Hi Matterblue,
have you upload the fixed VST on the sourceforge site ?
Yes. The files were uploaded Friday. A few hours after you reported the error.

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nedko wrote:In case someone is interested in joining forces:

http://home.gna.org/zyn/

Probably these project goals will be interesting for non-Linux people:

* Fix some inherit issues preventing hard-realtime mode of operation, causing clicks sometimes (memory allocation/sleep in audio process context)
* Make synth engines reusable in source form
* Make all synth engines parameters controlable on the fly (as opposed to original "parameter change takes effect on next note on" strategy)
Well, the current Windows / Mac version from us does not produce any clicks, cause we removed the UNIX threading mechanism (especially on the plugins).

It is very uncommon on Windows and professional Mac audio applications to use threading inside audio processing plugins. Audio processing hosts use plugins to process audio in blocks and treat them in serial. There is really no need for a plugin to use any internal threading models. Not even for the GUI. Threading is (and should be) mastered only by the host applications - dependant from the used audio streaming frameworks and drivers. And that's actually a good idea.

We know, that the Linux world uses a hell of threading in general for all kind of stuff. And so all the audio processing mechanisms on Linux are anyhow threading based. This means, plugins handle threading internally as they want. That's a complete disaster. Because you never will get a stable audio production environment, if all the plugins do what they want with the processor cycles...

We know that and we believe, that developers of UNIX based audio applications and plugins (especially on Linux) have to intensively think abaout a clear mechanism and roles for propper realtime audio processing. The current situation is absolutely unsatisfactory on Linux. The available audio systems are quite instable and by far not a piece of a pie as stable as on Windows or the (professional music studio standard) Apple Macintosh. For some certain reasons. Well. Apple is UNIX too. But they have clear design regarding audio interfaces and programming guidelines. Linux should try to come to a point in near future.

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