Contents
Before you start
Before you start with rosegarden. Be sure you have gone trough the documentations how to get jackd running smoothly. That is the technical part that has to be in place so rosegarden can work as it should.
I recommend that you get installed a Real Time kernel, this way you get better latency on jack, and you will not experience to much lag on the softsynth when you are playing.
How to make the midi and audio record work
To make only the midi to work in Linux, I recommend you to buy an USB midi interface from Roland Edirol series.
If you only want midi, you can buy Roland UM-1EX, you can also only search for "um-1ex" on your favorite search engine, or just buy it on your favorite music store. This USB device supports only midi, there is no driver to think about, you just plug it in, and it will automatically be detected by your system. Click on the link to see how the device looks like:
Under Rosegarden you probably have to choose this device.
If you want to use rosegarden fully, with sound record, I also recommend Roland's Edirol UA-25. That device can record high quality sound through the USB port, and again, you don't have to think about drivers, you just plug it in, and Linux will automatically detect it.
This device also has a midi interface, so you get the full package on the same device, but of course this device are more expensive then um-1ex.
This device has some features that you should keep in mind, on the setting 48,44 Khz you can use playback and record at the same time on the device, but if you set the device to 96Khz, the device only work as a playback, or a record device. So if you want to hear what you play wile you record on the 96 Khz setting, you have to configure jack to use the integrated sound card as playback device, and UA25 as a record device, but this can give you problems with Xrun.
To set up this device you can use jackd, that you find under -> Multimedia --> jack control. if you do not find jackd on your menu just install "aptitude install qjackctl"
Lets take an example, the first ting you want to record, is the midi segments, (plug inn right and left audio channel from your synth to UA25) then you have to remember to shut down the metronome click, you don't want that on your recorded wav file. And after you have done this, you can then mute all midi segment, and only listen to the wav file you made, then you simply unplug the synth, and plug inn your guitar, Mic, and easy record guitars, Vocal, and so on to your masterpiece.
if you getting alsa_pcm: xrun problem, take a look at the messages in the start how the device been start up. There are many reason that this not wanna work as it should. If your integrated card don't handle 24 bit, you will get into some problem, and you have to turn on the advance mode OFF the UA-25 device, so it goes down to 16Bit with the integrated sound-card (but then the midi wont work on UA25). If ALSA still gives you problem, try to run the OSS instead. If your integrated sound-card don't support 48.000, you have to turn UA-25 down to 44.100. Remember that you have to unplug usb, and do the change on device, and then plug in the usb again before the changes take effect. This is some thing you could try to get alsa running smooth. Try activate the RT in Jackd, and if you can't activate the RT (real time) in jack you have to add this followings line in
/etc/security/limits.conf file
I have experienced that some devices don't like the RT options activated and runs better with RT off in jack.
@audio - rtprio 99 @audio - memlock 500000 @audio - nice -10
This options can be dangerous because it can cause the kernel to dead lock, due to priority problems.
JackSetup Example
You see the latency is about 53.3 msec, that is the lowest I can get on my laptop without jackd starting to complain about Xrun problem. You have several way to change the latency for the best optical way for your computer, and that is
Frames/periodes (16-4096)
Periodes/buffer (1-xxx)
How to fixing recorded audio files
Take in use Audacity, i have made a documentations that help you to get startet. First you just double click on the audio segment, and audacity should start automatical and load the segment you have choosen.
http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Manuals/Audacity
MARK!
When you have done the changes on the audio file, remeber to save it in same name, and then you have to save the project in rosegarden, and reopen you project. This way you will get the changes you did in audacity applyed onto rosegarden
how to set up Qsynth for emulated midi sound
for those who don't have a keyboard/synth can use qsynth to get midi sound on rosegarden. You can download soundfont from here: ftp://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/pool/main/f/fluid-soundfont/fluid-soundfont-gm_3.1-1_all.deb and use <gdebi> to install it.
Don't forget to choose that you want to use the qsynth in the device manager on rosegarden if not rosegarden automatically have chosen this.
other plugins you probably want
there is a list of plugins you want in rosegarden when you don't have a gm keyboard/synth, but only a keyboard that send midi, use the aptitude command to get it.
** synth plugins ** |
wsynth-dssi |
xsynth-dssi |
nekobee |
ll-scope |
cmt |
hexter |
fluidsynth-dssi |
sineshaper |
fixme: set inn synth plugins you have good experience with
** audio Plugins ** |
swh-plugins |
mcp-plugins |
terminatorx |
fixme: put on some audio plugin you have experience with
Other devices that are compatible with Linux
This have been tested with skolelinux 3, kubuntu 7.10, kubuntu 8.04 and with kernel 2.6.22.16, and 2.6.24.18
Device |
extra install, needs depends |
Roland edirol UA-25 |
Works without any problem |
Roland edirol UA-25EX |
Does not work with Advance modus on, switch it to off. Mark! The MIDI part will not work, only audio with advance off. So go for UM-1 to communicate with your MIDI device instead for example |
Yamaha MM6 Synth |
The MIDI usb, work without any problem on Linux systems |
Roland edirol um-1 |
Same as Ediro UA-25 |
Roland edirol Um-3ex |
Usb To Midi |
Roland edirol Studio Canvas, SD-20 |
Gm/xg lite Midi sound-module |
M-Audio Midispor 4 |
Midi-USB 2x IN 4x OUT |
M-Audio Key stations 49e |
usb-midi keyboard |
M-Audio Axiom 25 |
Usb Midi Keyboard |
M-Audio Trigger Finger |
Usb Drum pattern |
M-Audio Fast Track Pro |
Usb, Midi And Audio |
Samson Gtrack (GM1U) |
Usb Mic |
Zoom, ZFX, plug-in |
Audio Record, no Midi |
Edirol Midi Keyboard Controller PCR-300, 500, 800 |
Usb Midi Keyboard |
Roland FP-5 (digital piano) |
Usb Works, and the piano also have midi inn/out |
Thanks to Mario Music for allowed me to be in there store testing this equipment.
Fixme: add devices you have experienced to work with out any problem
Devices that have been found not working for now
Devices |
Problem |
Echo Audiofire 2, 4, 8, and 12 |
fireware card, they where detected but they where not cooperative, jackd where not able to start them |
Tone Port Ux2 (line6) |
Did not work |
Audio Control 1 |
Jackd find out about the card, but the card will not work as is should |
Roland UA-4FX |
Jackd finding this also, but are making trouble |
Mbox2 |
jackd find it, and it runs, but producing allot of Xrun |
Yamaha KX |
usb midi keyboard do not work trough usb, but there are midi in and out on this |
If everything works, it's time to take a look at the rosegarden documentation here: http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Manuals/Rosegarden