Results for Linux

The Rosegarden team has announced the release of version 12.04 (codename “Freedom”) of Rosegarden, the audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor, and general-purpose music composition and editing environment for Linux.

The most notable change for this release is a feature we hope you will find to be completely transparent. Tom has labored for months to get through a gantlet of challenges and deliver automatic MIDI channel allocation. Instead of having a permanent, fixed relationship between, for example, instrument #1 and channel 1, instruments float by default, and grab channels on an as-needed basis. As control over a channel passes from one instrument to another, the controller state is preserved such that problems with sustain controllers, pitch bends and so on getting out of sync should be eliminated. Segments may be moved about freely with no concern about the pitch bend in this one conflicting with the pitch bend in that one, even though they both reside on the same track.

Changes in Rosegarden 12.04

• Code cleanup, commenting, and simplification.
• Extensive reworking of certain aspects of the track editor to enhance performance, improve reliability, and reduce bugs.
• Fix for bug #3466912.
• Fixed a crash when adding a track after going from record to stop.
• Fixed a crash on add track, undo, redo, load RG sequence.
• Fixed a track label clobbering bug.
• Miscellaneous bug fixes.
• Fixed a bug where icons were not appearing on the instrument popup menu.
• Fixed a bug where two tracks with the same instrument could be armed at the same time.
• Added some missing GPL license text.
• Fixed a static init order bug that would cause playback to not work for some users.
• Handle tempo ramps during MIDI export.
• Handle ornaments during MIDI export.
• Handle repeated segments during MIDI export.
• New logical instruments that allocate channels on the fly.

Rosegarden 12.04 is now available to download as source code for Linux.

More information: Rosegarden

The Rosegarden team has announced the release of version 11.11 of Rosegarden, an audio and MIDI sequencer and musical notation editor for Linux.

A long time in the making, this release combines a number of bug fixes with two major sub-projects that happened to come together right at the same time, and several completely new features as well. It is probably our most substantial offering since the landmark 10.02.

Changes in Rosegarden 11.11

• New Features
  • Linked segments.
  • “Turn Links into Copies” entry is added to the segment menu.
  • Repeated segments may be may be displayed in the notation editor in several optional ways.
  • Redundant clefs and keys may be hidden automatically.
  • In the configuration dialog a new tab controls the preceding features.
  • Changed the behavior of SegmentSplitCommand to ensure that if a segment was selected before being split, the two new split segments would also be selected.
  • FitToBeatsCommand. In contrast to CreateTempoMapFromSegmentCommand which takes a beat track and adjusts tempo to puts the beats evenly in real time, FitToBeatsCommand takes a beat track and adjusts tempo to put real time and beats exactly on the given notes.
  • Made PasteConductorDataCommand an actual command, adding code to make it safe when there are existing tempos and time signatures.
  • EraseTempiInRangeCommand.
  • ExpandFigurationCommand, which lets you define a bar of figuration and expand it for every block chord in a segment.
  • Improved performance of VU meters.
  • Linked segments can be used to create repeats with 1..n alternate endings (with some caveats).
  • Segment ? Create Anacrusis automates a tedious sequence of steps, making it a snap to start pickup notes at precisely the right time, with all the following segments lining up properly.
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed B#/Cb octave export problem in MusicXML and Mup.
  • Fixed problem with segments repeating when they shouldn’t have been.
  • Fixed the solo buttons in the transport toolbars in the notation and matrix editors, and changed the behavior so that the solo button is in the same state everywhere, no matter what content is being displayed in a particular window.
  • Fixed the settings amnesia problem with the main window parameter area.
  • Fixed a bug where events beyond the end marker of the first segment in a join would appear in the joined segment.
  • After joining segments, the newly created segment is now selected.
  • Pitch tracker now tracks pitches when they are in octaves below notated with “ignore octave error” on.
  • Pitch tracker honors “ignore octave error” flag.
  • Default pitch tracker settings are no longer stupid.
  • Flats were not cancelled on a C-maj key change.
  • Rulers in notation were desynchronized when a segment was deleted while some zoom factor was in use.
  • The “anacrusis problem” which was giving a broken notation when a segment in contact with a preceding one was not starting at the beginning of a bar.

Rosegarden is available to download as source code and binary packages for many major Linux distributions.

More information: Rosegarden

Computer Magazine is featuring Cumulus by Loomer on the DVD of its latest edition.

Cumulus is a granular sampler which radically transforms sample content by breaking it into tiny slithers of audio called grains and reorganizing them to form new sounds.

Loomer Cumulus

Cumulus is capable of a wide ranges of timbres: from evolving atmospheric soundscapes; to organic physical textures.

Up to eight Scenes can be created; a Scene corresponding to a particular sample position and set of synthesis parameters. Scenes can be played in realtime via MIDI, or arranged internally using the built-in sequencer.

Cumulus for Windows, Mac and Linux (VST/AU/RTAS) is now available with Computer Music Magazine.

More information: Computer Music / Loomer

Loomer has released updates to Manifold and Resound, two cross-platform effect plugins.

Manifold is a software audio effect processor that enhances an audio signal, producing a fuller, livelier, bigger sound.

Resound is a software audio delay effect processor that emulates the sound and operation of vintage magnetic-tape echo units.

Changes in Manifold / Resound v1.6.0

• Native 64-bit VST plug-in for Mac OS X (64-bit VST support requires Mac OS X 10.6 or greater; 64-bit Audio Unit requires Mac OS X 10.5 or greater; all other formats require Mac OS X 10.4 or greater. )
• Integrated undo and redo, with unlimited history size.
• [Resound] Split mechanical tape emulation controls into separate Noise and Flutter parameters.
• Category support in preset browser.
• MIDI Program Changes are now multi-threaded, and so will no longer potentially stall the audio synthesis.
• Fix for GUI freeze that could occur in certain Mac OS X VST hosts.
• Slightly reduced CPU usage and removed potential audio thread stall that could rarely occur when editing parameters.
• Windows RTAS plug-in is now installed to the correct location on 64-bit Windows operating systems.
• Fix for rare issue that stopped presets from loading in Linux Renoise when LADSPA plug-in support is enabled.
• Fix for issue that could cause some presets to be instantly marked as changed after opening them in Pro Tools or Maschine on Mac OS X.
• Factory presets now load significantly faster.
• Fix for crash (on both Windows and Linux) that could occur when ‘space’ is pressed when confirming the overwrite preset dialog.
• For Windows VST (32-bit and 64-bit), the preferences file can be placed alongside the DLL file to facilitate USB or portable installs.
• Preset meta data (ie, author name, notes, tags) is now correctly displayed after loading an .FXP based preset or restoring a saved project.
• VU meters now automatically reset their overload status after a few seconds.
• Various host compatibility fixes.
• PDF manual is now printer-friendly.

Manifold and Resound are available to purchase for £35 GBP + VAT each.

More information: Loomer

Harrison Consoles has announced the release of Mixbus 2.0, a progressive workstation that combines open-source development with Harrison’s 30-year heritage of building world-class mixing systems.

Mixbus provides an integrated “analog-style” mixer along with a world-class editor in a very cost-effective package. Version 2.0 represents a dramatic leap forward for mixing and editing in the box.

Changes in Mixbus 2.0

• New Mixer Features:
  • 8 Mix Bus Sends! We doubled the mixbuses so there are enough for groups as well as FX returns. Even more of what made Mixbus special!
  • Plugin Effect Control Sliders allow you to map plugin controls directly to controls on the mixer strip. Give your plugins the Mixbus treatment!
  • Input Trim, Makeup Gain, Sidechain, and Master Limiter controls are now available directly from the mixer window.
  • Improved Mixer navigation and display, including narrow mixer strip and the ability to show/hide Mix Buses as needed.
  • New Phase-Correlation meter on the Master Bus displays mono compatibility of the stereo mix.
  • Polarity (phase) buttons on the top of every mixer strip.
  • Plugins, sends, inserts and the fader now appear in a single redirect box at the top of the mixer strip. This allows easier signal reordering and allows more space for Mixbus controls.
• Editor Improvements:
  • New, improved Crossfade, Layering, and Automation editing.
  • “Smart Object” Mode : Allows a combination of object and range mode.
  • Ripple Editing mode : Greatly speeds up the process of spoken-word and radio edits.
  • Regions are transparent while being dragged, but switch to opaque when you drop them in place. Line up transients on overdubs with ease!
• Other Improvements:
  • New, better documentation and easier installation.
  • More keybindings such as mute/solo/record for selected tracks. Keyboard power-users never have to touch the mouse for recording & editing.
  • Taller, higher-contrast faders on the mixer strips.
  • Many user-suggested menu tweaks which make the most-used functions easier to find.
  • Range-selection behavior now allows you to drag down across multiple tracks at once – while also supporting edit groups.
  • Realtime automation recording is much more robust; you can even record automation while looping!
  • Automation and Region Gain Line editing is much faster. You can now grab a range of time and drag the automation line for quick level rides.

Mixbus 2.0 is available to purchase for Mac and Linux (Windows under development) for $219 USD.

More information: Harrison Mixbus

Martin Zuther has released version 1.22 of K-Meter, a free software tool for metering and monitoring audio levels.

Implementation of a K-System meter according to Bob Katz’ specifications.

All meters and counters have been thoroughly validated. So far, K-Meter only supports mono and stereo signals, but I have added experimental support for surround sound. I’d love to get some feedback on this.

The K-System average meters register RMS only, but support of ITU BS.1770-1 loudness weighting is planned.

Changes in K-Meter v1.22

• Windows: run-time dynamic linking to FFTW, releases include FFTW DLL.
• Windows: stand-alone application (ASIO, DirectX).
• Manual with full documentation.
• Another complete re-validation of K-Meter.
• Validation is now possible directly from within K-Meter.
• Wave files and instructions for validation of peak meter, overflow counter, phase correlation meter and stereo meter; corresponding fixes.
• Experimental support for 5.1 surround sound.
• Changed overflow detection.
• Notify host of plug-in latency.
• Silenced output for unsupported sample rates.
• Fixed a few memory leaks and some minor bugs.
• Streamlined code and started commenting the code.
• Beautified meters.

K-Meter is available as a freeware effect released under the GPL license. Linux and Windows VST plugin versions are available to download, as well as a standalone version for Linux and the source code.

More information: Martin Zuther