The linux DAW thread

[glokraw]

Hey there,,,
My main issue though is how I can deal with the connectivity of my rme fireface 400 within Linux.

The link goes to a recent inux audio firewire discussion,
might be a lucky bookmark or bump

https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21332

[glokraw]

Found a nice multi-platform arp plugin for linux, the 2015 era Hypercyclic, from MU_Coder, who have a forum here. I opened it in linux Reaper, added Surge synth and MTPower drums to give it something to play, chose one of the available arp presets, and pressed it's play button, then used Reapers 'Save live output to disk' option, to record a good handful of arped Surge pluk presets, to meld, offset, and edit on a rainy day. A nice pdf comes in the Hypercyclic download, and things to learn about Surge and MTPower are also in the future. But it's nice to get some tunes down without needing the manuals first

http://www.mucoder.net/en/hypercyclic/#download

https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/nightly

https://www.powerdrumkit.com/download76187.php

(MTPower is a windows dll, but the devs have tested it in wine,
and I used LinVst 2.8 to wrap it as a .so for linux daws)

Hypercyclic-arp-Surge-MTPower.png

[glokraw]

DrumGizmo is a linux vst plugin, that despite improvements and popularity, I've not had time/inclination to try, until today. It's a box for samples, and needs a midi source to play them, so I loaded up the late H.G. Fortunes Drumburst plugin, that has a midi-out button, (see bottom-left of screenshot) and used reaper to team them up. The link below has a drumgizmo tutorial, which was quite helpful in setting things up.

https://libremusicproduction.com/tutori ... zmo-ardour

Drumgizmo kits are 4 gig and up, but there are things I haven't checked yet regarding integration of other sounds, beyond the basic test.

https://drumgizmo.org/wiki/doku.php?id=kits

https://github.com/torgeir/drumgizmo-aasimonster-reaper

https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=15946

i also started linux Hydrogen, and routed it's audio to Reapers audio input, so I had three distinct drumkits flailing away. Some craftiness could put this to good advantage. There are reaper and ardour templates for drumgizmo, for those who like such things.

I did a second test using UGO's 32 bit Dualism (dual arpeggiator plugin) to play the samples, using it's latch mode to save arm strength. It has lots of common arp controls to use for making some fresh beats. Time for a little 60 bpm nap, now, before the jaybirds wake up.
Cheers

gizmo-drumburst-hydrogen.png

[glokraw]

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, little did they know that cavemen would someday roam at https://vst4free.com/dev/9/ looking for sonic jewels and gold nuggets. Psychic Modulation were a productive plugin developer in the humid days of 32 bit plugins, and have released a ton of them as freeware, found at the link. ArpTron is in the screenshot. There are many sampled instruments on the site, I got a fretless zither, some tibetal bowls, and a Krakli plucked string instrument (Richman 2) for the wee hours before birdsongs.
Long live the weekend

pastBlast.png

[glokraw]

Who's got an old Yamaha rompler with 500-600 XG sounds,
a hundred + drums styles, and the fiddly bits to control them?

So there's an IK Multimedia UNO hardware synth on ebay,
current next bid of $102 ($199 generic GuitarCenter price)

https://youtu.be/NnC6KedrinM

It's arpeggiator is better than average, and has a hold function.
You can midi connect the rompler and UNO by 5pin midi ports, so your rompler keys trigger the UNO arp, which in turn plays the rompler sounds.
So a simple 6 note run can be played by the arp with multiple octaves, up and down twice, or whatever you choose in the arp options. Cycle thru the huge array of rompler sounds to find the keepers.

Press the computer app-of-choice record button, and let fly...
Play one sound with minimal repetition, another with a long version,
and another with randomization, octave count based on whay you cook up...

Also the rompler will have many drum sounds and kits, to arpeggiate over
the rompler's chosen beats. Boring bass lines are another area to be reguvenated. The 'real' fun starts when using the many linux effects on sounds you've chosen. Cutting up the varied recorded parts and layering them in audacity can be very successful. Recorded runs of high notes can be played slower in audacity, and duplicate tracks can be added, offset for syncopated or rythmic spacing, and volume varied to taste...

Those among us who are not Rudess-class players (yet) can apply
basic cranial apptitudes to electronic hardware genious, and (cue the reggae beats)
...be happy...

The sonic options will require some thought to develope a workflow
that is not just giddy consumption of diskspace and time.
Choose a genre, some beats, and surround them with sound variations on a theme

The UNO is also a portable beast of a hardware synth on it's own, with some free extra soundbanks available. It can fit in a desk-drawer at work, and be tweaked at lunch/coffeebreak, as it's a flat panel where the odd spill likely won't get thru the dial cutouts unless one is very slow to the rescue...

The UNO firmware updater requires win 8 and higher, so getting one already with the latest version would be smart, if you have no windows users handy.
I still have the original release version, which works fine for what I've mentioned.
Cheers

[glokraw]

New Kawai K1 version 1.2 from Nils, hosted in Qtractor daw!

Qtractor-daw-Nils-K1.png

apt install /home/yourname/NilsK1v-x86_64.deb

installs the plugin in /usr/local/lib/lxvst

but you can then move the .so file to your desired linux vst path

[audiojunkie]

I've heard good things about the K1v plugin. I haven't taken the time to listen to it yet, but it seems to have been receiving good reviews. I'm glad it works on Linux!

[glokraw]

Nils, the K1 plugin dev, seems to have the same enthusiasm as Urs Heckman, when it comes to extending product reach, even towards hardware setups.

Here is linux Guitarix standalone in Ubuntu Studio 20.04, sharing screentime with new Guitar Rig 6 standalone. If someone can't make a decent tone with these, we still have samplers to fiddle with

GuitarixRig.png

[glokraw]

Guitarix gui is super easy to use, and the author has designed a throng of circuit based heads and stomps, with misc effects, and at a price that is oh so affordable. A typical delay and reverb are in the rack view

https://guitarix.org/

Guitarix-rack.png

[glokraw]

F-I-N-A-L-L-y the Patroneo step sequencer is working in Ubuntu Studio, as a readline dependency is fixed In the screenshot, there is a simple sequence playing Yoshimi synth, with 5 of it's 16 synth layers loaded, all on midi channel one, with the Yoshimi output being recorded with Timemachine. Very easy to build unique sounds drom the nice collection built up over the years, as a sound-compatible cousin of zynaddsubfx.

A squint at the Patroneo gui reveals it is very capable beyond my example, and it's jack routing means the human imagination can enter all-hands-on-deck mode,,,
more midi cables

https://www.laborejo.org/documentation/ ... glish.html

Patroneo-seq-Yoshimi.png

also, the colors of the steps can be edited as desired, as seen in a youtube video from 2018 or so:

https://youtu.be/HeuadfYQbZI

[glokraw]

I used Tone2's NanoHost to wrap the late (but still great) H.G. Fortune's DrumBurst plugin for standalone duties, adding it's beats and sounds to linux Hydrogen drum machine. Unique percussion parts are easy to achieve, with just a few linux patchbay connections, and a wine installed to launch the executable. Since both drum machines have mixers and are pattern based, precise control of 48 parts is possible. There are also 24 patterns in Drumburst, a right-click on one will bring up some control options for control freaks
Along with Hydrogens pattern capabilities, the hogs rule the sty

WARNING: switching Drumburst presets
while playing live might spike your audio, as the presets are loud, so set volumes accordingly, employ a limiter etc.

In the pic, you can see the Drumburst midi-out is enabled on all channels. (middle-left)

NanoHosted plugins appear in qjackctl as

WINE midi-driver

nanohost-Drumburst-Hydrogen.png

[Paree]

All monoplugs vsts are now free and they have a native vst version, their synth monique sounds really good

[glokraw]

Thanks paree, for the timely update!

At the kvr product page,

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/moniqu ... -monoplugs

click a download link,
you'll go to a page of product choices...right-click
on one you want, and use the popup option to 'get link',
and then press the blue 'copy link' button.

Paste that link in a new browser tab, and you'll
arrive at the actual download page, and click the download widget in
the upper-right of the page...

Some good info and videos at the always upbeat bedroom producer site:

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2020/1 ... ique-free/

Is that the weekend I hear scratching and clawing at the front door?

Thanks to Monoplugs devs for sharing their fine creations!
Monique will reside along with Odin2, Surge, Helm, Dexed, and Yoshimi/zynaddsubfx
as powerful music tools for linux musicians.
Cheers

[Paree]

Not to mention all the uhe synths and carla!

[Paree]

Just tested out Akai MPC beats on wine, it works perfectly. Cakewalk by bandlab also works flawlessly on wine