A Virtual Analog Synth!

I have been having too much fun fiddling with different programs to use as softsynths on my computer, and I've been poking around at different sequencers too.  But so far it has been with generally little success, though I have decided that some things are not quite worth the bother right now for me, such as SuperCollider and CSound, but I might look into Pd (oh that's Pure Data for the uninitiated.  Yes, it seems like I was googling for "Pd" only yesterday!  Oh wait that was yesterday.) It seems a little more pick up and play, and honestly I just need something to sit on a MIDI channel and process events so even this seems like a little bit of overkill.

But the little gem in this whole bunch was a program called AlsaModularSynth, available from http://alsamodular.sourceforge.net/, which seems to digitally virtualize all of the old analog synth gear with the major addition that you can go polyphonic with it, and it sits right in the digital tool chain so you can control it with MIDI and then just take the digital audio out and go straight to effects processing or digital recording.  It is going to take a lot more fiddling to get to a comfort zone, but it was pretty easy to get it up and running for a test case.  I am hopeful that there are some nice expressive tones in there, but it seems a bit finicky, like the idea is to hunt down the sweet spots.

Got the LinuxSampler Blues!

It is a little hard for me to sound bluesy, because (a) I've got a headache and (b) linuxsampler is pretty awesome when outfitted with the 900 MB .gig instrument file on their website that has a 5 separate recordings for different velocities for every single note and (c) I just am really having a hard time jamming out the blues in general for some reason or another.

Here it is, next step is getting familiar with the Ardour program, or maybe getting a real song instead of just a jam over a loop.  Anyhow tonight I had a solo blues jam tonight (link didn't work?  try downloading from here), not particularly proud of it but it shows off the new digs ok.

Check out the LinuxSampler webpage (there are Windows and Mac versions as well, I think it started as a linux project and the name stuck.)  The .gig instrument file is there, or if that's all you want just click here.

Thanks for the read, please come again.

Good Android App

I'm currently working on my twelve bar blues using the Hydrogen drum machine and a bass line that I wrote by hand (or I guess by mouse) in Rosegarden, and it is starting to feel a little better but I am still a little shaky!

One  of the reasons it has taken me so long to get the computer going is that I was afraid it would be more of a distraction than a useful learning aid, and I am not entirely sure I was wrong since there is so much stuff I want to try out on the computer.  Coming up is Linux Sampler and giving Ardour a try as replacing Rosegarden as everything but a MIDI sequencer, as well as working toward automating the whole start up process.

But one thing I am fairly confident in saying is that most Android apps for music are not very good.  However, there is an exception to this rule: a very neat, and very customizable ear trainer for intervals, chords, and scales, by the name of Theory, Practice!  I guess I'm not really smart enough to get the links to it on the android market up, so you will have to go search for it there yourself. 

Welcome to the Machine

Ok, got a good enough kernel running now, at least I'm not getting warnings.

Got the Hydrogen drum machine up and running -- it's really easy to use, my only problem at this point going forward is coming up with what drum beats I want, because it is running and syncing perfectly.  

Also syncing up with my keyboard (recording midi and then playing back through it later) works mostly without a hitch, without any noticeable latency.  But there was one hitch, weird thing about this is it dropped in a note that's not really a note (at least it's way to low for anything in a standard orchestra) and I can't figure out how to delete it (it happens right around the 2:00 minute mark, that's  what causes the wierd noise from my keyboard synth.)  I can delete other notes that are suppose to be there, just not this one magic one that I couldn't have played because there isn't a key for it!

Haha, oh well, I am not too worried for the moment.  Anyhow I manage to stretch out a little bit as this as it goes on, I quite creatively called it Test Jam,and just in case that hotlink doesn't work you can try to download it from here.

If anyone wants different formats/smaller files feel free to let me know.

Got My USB MIDI Interface

I got my usb midi interface in the mail today, I have plugged it in and used it a bit and I am excited!  I still need to get a better linux kernel up, the one I am using makes everything feel a little sloppy.  My problem right now is getting another kernel up and running using the ATI graphics driver, if anybody has any great ideas please post it in the comments below!

But just as a taste, here is an mp3 titled Hooked Up, in celebration of me hooking up my keyboard to my computer.  It is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Alright, that's all folks, let you know when I get this thing purring.

Edit: link was broken, now it's working I think.