Please help-1st time install of 64Studio/linuxsampler questi

[Greg]

Hey Guys, please forgive the total newbie questions. I've done a lot of forum searching and reading but not found all my answers... or at least didn't recognize them if I did. I've never had a linux machine before, so some of this command line stuff is pretty mysterious at this point.

After a year of cold feet, I just installed 64Studio 3.0, AMD64 on an HP wx4600 workstation, core 2 duo 3.0 machine with the intent of running linuxsampler as a slave to a Powermac running Digital Performer. I'm replacing a Gigastudio on XP pro machine that died. I have a good start... The 64Studio install seems to have worked ok, as did Java and Fantasia installs. Connected with Jack, I have midi input to fantasia and audio output (analog only at this point) through my Gina24 card. I'm excited that I've gotten this far, and like what I hear from linuxsampler way better than Kontakt, but, I have some questions.

1. does fantasia/linuxsampler support midi cc#11?
I can hear that it responds to cc#7 and cc#10, but not cc#11(expression). Is there a list somewhere of supported midi cc#'s?

2. "LinuxSampler not build with database support" How do I add database support?

3. Tips on the best strategy for managing orchestras, instruments, midi maps, and saving all the loaded instruments and channel settings. I probably won't need to send patch changes on a specific channel, more likely to have a separate channel for every instrument and add channels as needed.

4. Is it possible to have more than 4 ports, 16 channels each?

5. Should I expect similar or (hopefully) better performance and number of instruments able to load compared to Gigastudio on XP?

6. When I started up today, my Gina card was assigned a different address (hw:0) in the qjackctl setup window. Yesterday it was hw:1. I just restarted and now it's set to hw:2. Why would this happen, is there a way to have it be the same every time?

Thanks for you help,
Greg

[ccherrett]

Hey Guys, please forgive the total newbie questions. I've done a lot of forum searching and reading but not found all my answers... or at least didn't recognize them if I did. I've never had a linux machine before, so some of this command line stuff is pretty mysterious at this point.

After a year of cold feet, I just installed 64Studio 3.0, AMD64 on an HP wx4600 workstation, core 2 duo 3.0 machine with the intent of running linuxsampler as a slave to a Powermac running Digital Performer. I'm replacing a Gigastudio on XP pro machine that died. I have a good start... The 64Studio install seems to have worked ok, as did Java and Fantasia installs. Connected with Jack, I have midi input to fantasia and audio output (analog only at this point) through my Gina24 card. I'm excited that I've gotten this far, and like what I hear from linuxsampler way better than Kontakt, but, I have some questions.

1. does fantasia/linuxsampler support midi cc#11?
I can hear that it responds to cc#7 and cc#10, but not cc#11(expression). Is there a list somewhere of supported midi cc#'s?

I have to pass on this one. I am not sure.

2. "LinuxSampler not build with database support" How do I add database support?

You need to first create a linuxsampler database:

linuxsampler --create-instruments-db /path/to/your/new/db

and then launch linuxsampler like this:

linuxsampler --instruments-db-location /path/to/your/new/db

In my setup I do not use the database anymore. Once you use the database to map all your midi maps, you can save your setup as an lscp file and not launch fantasia.

like this:

cat /path/to/my/studio.lscp | nc localhost 8888 &

The awesome thing about linuxsampler is that it runs as a server with no need for a front end. You can ever pass it commands from a bash script

3. Tips on the best strategy for managing orchestras, instruments, midi maps, and saving all the loaded instruments and channel settings. I probably won't need to send patch changes on a specific channel, more likely to have a separate channel for every instrument and add channels as needed.

What I do is create an initial mapping by hand. Then I have a script I wrote with a friend that transforms that lscp file into an rgd, lscp and midnam files. All these files are used in the other apps in linux I use for making music and they all map in the same way so everything connects.

There is a lot more to it after this. You have to create track template files in oomidi and ardour as well.

I am working with Alex Stone (one of the moderators here) on The Open Octave Project. http://www.openoctave.org

You might be interested in checking it out. It is only focused on orchestral scoring but you might find it useful.

4. Is it possible to have more than 4 ports, 16 channels each?

Create as many ports as you need. This is linux. I have 129 midi ports and lots of audio ports. 900+ total in my setup. So yeah

5. Should I expect similar or (hopefully) better performance and number of instruments able to load compared to Gigastudio on XP?

If it does not then something went really wrong It should kill that machine!

6. When I started up today, my Gina card was assigned a different address (hw:0) in the qjackctl setup window. Yesterday it was hw:1. I just restarted and now it's set to hw:2. Why would this happen, is there a way to have it be the same every time?

I am not sure on that one, possibly the jack guys could help you in irc. freenode #jack

Thanks for you help,
Greg

[conurus]

64 studio 3.0 still in beta 3, is it not?

[Greg]

Hey, thanks for the help. I took a look at your openoctave project, looks interesting. At this point I plan to follow your progress while I get more familiar with linuxsampler, don't want to bite off too much at a time.


"Create as many ports as you need. This is linux. I have 129 midi ports and lots of audio ports. 900+ total in my setup."

Can you please show me the steps involved, I wouldn't know where to begin.

Thanks,
Greg

[ccherrett]

Hey, thanks for the help. I took a look at your openoctave project, looks interesting. At this point I plan to follow your progress while I get more familiar with linuxsampler, don't want to bite off too much at a time.


"Create as many ports as you need. This is linux. I have 129 midi ports and lots of audio ports. 900+ total in my setup."

Can you please show me the steps involved, I wouldn't know where to begin.

Thanks,
Greg

When you use fantasia on the right hand side you will see audio amd midi ports. Create as many as you like,, then just assign that port to a channel in fantasia.

[Greg]

Cool, I get it now. Thnaks for your help.

Greg