Running commercial audio software on linux

[glokraw]

The fun-loving www.pluginboutique.com had yet another freebie offer this week, WA Production's Imprint and Pumper, free with a purchase. So I skipped the weekend drive-through's, and got the Rigid Audio ANGUS Kontakt-synth.
I checked some youtubes, and decided it's ease of use to make new sounds,
and a healthy supply to get started with, were worth the small gamble.

The gamble intensified, as the installer required the latest Kontakt version
and that required the latest Native Access version
What happened to the new-synth ???

Fortunately, I've slow-danced with the NI Prom Princess of Panic
a few times before, and was able to dance without stepping on her toes
Rigid Audio's synth is easy to make new sounds with, and I've discovered enough cool sounds, that the Fish-n-Chips basket is a fast fading dream.
There's even a functional randomizer button

Kontakt-RA_ANGUS-ubuntu.png

Now got to get the ole 6string working with WA's Pumper and Imprint...

[glokraw]

While beefing up a different linux, I noticed Cakewalk Z3TA+ 1.5 includes a standalone version, so I fired it up, and chose wineasio for the output,
and the jaunty default preset started playing...but it sounded different
Then I noticed I had minimized the Kontakt standalone and rakarrack effects,
so they were still playing. I added the Calf distortion plugin to z3ta, and hope to
premier on the Ed Sullivan show in the near future.

z3k6CalfRak.jpg

[glokraw]

While rummaging about in the studio, I came across an old hard disk,
so I booted it up, lo and behold it was an older version of
Studio 1337 Puppy Linux distro. I checked the terminal's bash history, and

wine Reaper.exe

was atop the list, so I launched qjackctl and then Reaper, and a project loaded with Cakewalk's Dimension Pro, Rapture, and AlgoMusic's M51, with a jolly good set of sounds to play with.
This drive will be a valuable time capsule, so I need to backup that
.wine folder, for more safe keeping, and diverse uses. Bandlab have yet to work with either of these fine instruments, at least publicly, but updating them for their modernized free DAW would sure be
suite.
Cheers

Rapture-DimensionPro-PuppyStudio.png

[glokraw]

The creator of Native Instruments Absynth is now a solo dev on the homestretch of releasing his own new synth, Plasmonic.

https://rhizomatic.xyz/index.php/plasmonic/

It's a vst3 and a standalone .exe, I tested the vst3 demo in Reaper 6.14, with wine-stable 5.02 in Ubuntu Studio 20.04 and it appears in working order.
The demo times-out at 30 minutes awaiting reload, and is save disabled, but very useful to see if a purchase is desired on release day. (Native Instruments products in general, are 30 minute sessions, Kontakt being 15 minutes) The interface has some popup panels, a few pictured below, lots of fodder for sound creators. Not sure if a release price is known, there was a nice preorder buy-in deal for Absynth fans, and Absynth also will work in Native Access capable linux setups. I really like the pluks and rythmic sounds I heard in brief testing.

plas-envelopes.png

plas-expression.png

plas-lfo.png

plas-trigger.png

Plasmonic-Ubuntu.png

[glokraw]

Matt Tytel has presented his new synth, Vital, and oh so aptly named, if you want a really fun, really powerful, and really affordable Synth. Like Fathom modular synth, which shares the preceding traits, Vital isn't super light on cpu, but the sounds are gorgeous, the interface doesn't attract bats, nor make the cat claw the ceiling. What's not to love???

I tested the windows vst3 in Ubuntu Studio 20.04, with Reaper and wine-staging
V 5.21, and used a Sonuus GM2 guitar-to-midi gadget to trigger the sounds.

There is also special intro pricing available for a few days, a link is in the notes of the video below, which shows off a few lovely sounds, and a free version of Vital will be out on the 24th of November:



The Vital shop worked fine, just make an account, slap-da-plastik, and
on

Vital-Reaper-Ubuntu.png

I would describe the sounds as a fine mix of melodic bread&butter,
useful and musical rythmic sounds, and some nicely innovative experimental sounds. I had great fun earlier with Dualism dual-arpeggiator playing
the sounds with all the variations/syncopations a good dual-arpeggiator
has to offer, eventually set it on latchmode, and just drifted about in my limited cranial spaces. Discussion is ongoing at

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=555319

and at 'discord' and probably a few elsewhwere's.
Cheers

[glokraw]

New version of Harrison Mixbus daw id out, V 6.2.70,
shown with the new Vital synth, and U-he's ACE with a one of it's spectacular weekend Bass presets

VitalACEMixbus.png

[Paree]

New version of Harrison Mixbus daw id out, V 6.2.70,
shown with the new Vital synth, and U-he's ACE with a one of it's spectacular weekend Bass presets


VitalACEMixbus.png

How good is mixbus for MIDI stuff?

[glokraw]

I think it's main focus is on mixing/mastering, I wish I knew more, but I don't do a lot of midi beyond basic routing and recording. Mixbus makes use of some Ardour code, so there may be some related midi search engine results. The demo is easy to install, installs in /opt, with a mild white noise periodically, and a purchase unlocks it, so no reinstall needed. The quality of it's vst plugin scan seems much better in the new version. You can load a song, to see/hear how the Harrison Console basis presents itself to your music.
Cheers

[glokraw]

And speaking of linux vst plugin scans, here's Mixbus with a pair of keepers:

MixbusAmplitubeRaum.jpg

[Paree]

Tested Spitfire Audio Labs, It works, However.
1. Spitfire Audio app should be installed manually
2. Somehow it doesnt recognize any location other than the default, hence if you are on an ssd+hdd config like me, it could be a problem since the amount of space these samples take is huge.

Sforzando Works! However aria engine which can be used to load sforzando xml configurations doesn't work. Factory sounds +Tablewrap2 + Soundfonts are all playable.

Alterego doesn't work because of the same xml issue.

[glokraw]

Good to know about Spitfire, my earlier attempts were not
successful, but the game has just started

I have some Cakewalk SFZ's, I'll try to load some in Sforzando.
In a perfect world, inux could have the best sfz support on any platform,
but herding cats and coders is tough these days, and coders
spare man-hours are oft hard to come by. Maybe someone can
mention that need at the soon-coming LAC.
Cheers

[glokraw]

SynthMaster has a new beta, big change list, but still working in
Wine-staging 5.22 and Reaper 5.9 in Ubuntu Studio 20.04

SynthMaster2.99 beta in Ubuntu Studio.png

[Paree]

Good to know about Spitfire, my earlier attempts were not
successful, but the game has just started

I have some Cakewalk SFZ's, I'll try to load some in Sforzando.
In a perfect world, inux could have the best sfz support on any platform,
but herding cats and coders is tough these days, and coders
spare man-hours are oft hard to come by. Maybe someone can
mention that need at the soon-coming LAC.
Cheers

Carla is my go to for anything sound font or lv2. Carla is godsend.

[glokraw]

This is Kirnu Cream arp/sequencer, with SynthMaster One sharing it's panel, and playing a guitar preset, and MTPower drumkit on a separate track. Using the Cream hold function, aka 'latch mode', the machines can rule when the drummer is all done in, and the guitarists arm hangs limp

These all have simple serial-number registrations

Kirnu-SM_ONE-MTPower.png

[glokraw]

Carla is my go to for anything sound font or lv2. Carla is godsend.

There's a ton of good LV2 plugins, and Carla provides an attractive
and functional setting. Editors can be basic, or the fancy ones from a developer,
patchbay routing is handy, many file formats can be loaded without a plugin
to frame them, and vst plugins work well if wine and linvst are installed,
with typical path setup and scanning. The developer, falkTX keeps very busy,
maintaining Jack Audio Connection Kit, wineasio, his long-running kx-studio repository,
and taking Carla cross-platform, and that's all in 'spare' time
Dragonfly, Calf, Rakarrack, Diva, and ZebraHZ certainly seem at home in the default Carla gui, a gorgeous and well ordered workplace makes a big difference
when the mind and eyes are getting tired.

Carla-Calf-Invada-DragonFly-rkr.png

Carla-Diva-ZebraHZ.png