[sdiy] Linux and Sound

[Fernando de Izuzquiza]

 > While I'm still building my analog transistor-based synth, I could not
 > help but comment on some of the comments seen in recent posts about a 
lack
 > of open source softsynths, or ease of use for sound in Linux.

As the most open and complete sound synthesis and processing software 
package I recomend "csound"
It's free and it works on any machine (Mac, PC, Linux, SGI, Sun, 
NeXT...) and you can do anything imaginable with it's many objects. Or 
you can write you own. It is very fast (to write you instruments and to 
compute the sound)
Good also to try weird filter configurations, etc.
Analog circuits is what make me happy really but if I want/need to 
synthesize on the computer, csound is the most open tool I know.
I've been working with Max/MSP too for a long time and it offers other 
advantages due to it's graphical interface, but csound is a more 
reliable lab tool and a great musical instrument. And you can output to 
any format, say 96kHz, 32bit, eight channels.  =:)
Just a recomendation for anyone that didn't know about it.

Fernando

 > De: Michael Baxter <mab at cruzio.com>
 > Fecha: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 11:21:31 -0700 (PDT)
 > Para: Synth DIY <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
 > Asunto: [sdiy] Linux and Sound
 >
 > Hello SDIYers,
 >
 > While I'm still building my analog transistor-based synth, I could not
 > help but comment on some of the comments seen in recent posts about a 
lack
 > of open source softsynths, or ease of use for sound in Linux.
 >
 > This is patently false; softsynths and numerous powerful free sound 
tools
 > exist in Linux, and they are easy to use. In particular, the new 2.6
 > kernel series dramatically improves the I/O situation for multimedia. 
I
 > have kernel 2.6.5 via SuSE Linux 9.1 running on a picayune laptop, and
 > this new kernal makes my applications and I/O run as much as 100% 
faster.
 > Linux is powerful, robust, and easy to use, and most importantly it
 > provides freedom -- an important ingrediant for SDIY development, 
IMHO.
 >
 > I generally agree with what I think is the general sentiment in the 
SDIY
 > community that real knobs are better than computer keyboards and 
displays
 > for control surfaces -- but I wanted to dispell the myth that Linux 
and
 > sound are hard to use or don't work well for digital sound synthesis 
and
 > processing on Linux.
 >
 > What follows are links to some of Dave Philips prolific Linux Journal
 > articles on sound, particularly a recent international meeting of 
Linux
 > Audio Developmers. Following are links to numerous open source 
softsynths.
 >
 > Kindly yours,
 > Michael Baxter
 > Technical Editor, Linux Journal
 >
 > At the Sounding Edge: Sounding Better All The Time
 > http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7514
 >
 > Music Education with Linux Sound Tools:
 > http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7606
 >
 > Open Source SoftSynths:
 > http://zynaddsubfx.sourceforge.net/
 > http://alsamodular.sourceforge.net/
 > http://qsynth.sourceforge.net/qsynth-index.html
 > http://www.fluidsynth.org/
 >
 >

Fernando de Izuzquiza
~ location sound recordist ~
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