Choosing a Sequencer

Now I have a reliable audio setup, I need to choose a sequencer. In the Linux world, there is quite a choice, both free and commercial - Rosegarden, Qtractor, Muse, SEQ24, EnergyXT (commercial) & Renoise (commercial). There may be others, but they seem the most widely used.

I'm looking for something that has a quick and simple workflow, is reliable and can also work with audio files. I don't mind using a commercial program if I need to.

I used to use Tracktion in my Windows days, and loved the simplicity that it offered - vitually everything was accessed from the main screen without needing to delve into various menus. The only thing that let it down slightly was the MIDI editing was a bit weak, but I would happily use it again now. In fact, it's a shame there is no Linux version available, after all it is built with the JUCE toolkit, which is a cross platform development library which is available for Linux.

I'm probably going to rule out SEQ24 straight away - it is a MIDI sequencer only, and to be honest when I briefly tried it I didn't get on with the workflow.

I am going to try Renoise first. I've heard good things about it and it supports native Linux VSTs. I've never used a tracker before so it should be an interesting ride...

JACK Configuration

After checking that the Lexicon Omega was working under Ubuntu, it was time to configure JACK properly for realtime support and low latency.

If you don't already know, JACK is the system used for handing low latency, real-time audio in Linux. It can take a bit of trial and error to get it working OK...

When I first enabled the real-time option, JACK wouldn't start at all. It was throwing up an error:

cannot use real-time scheduling (FIFO at priority 10) [for thread -1210643584, from thread -1210643584] (1: Operation not permitted)
cannot create engine

After looking around, it seems this is a well known issue, and after reading the Ubuntu Studio guide, I needed to add a few settings to /etc/security/limits.conf, specifically:

sudo su -c 'echo @audio - rtprio 99 >> /etc/security/limits.conf'
sudo su -c 'echo @audio - nice -19 >> /etc/security/limits.conf'
sudo su -c 'echo @audio - memlock unlimited >> /etc/security/limits.conf'

However, even though JACK now started, I was still getting lots of xruns and other errors, of the type:

delay of 21343.000 usecs exceeds estimated spare time of 21075.000; restart...

I tried in vain for hours to get rid of these errors, when I realised that at some point during the various reboots I was doing, the hardware device in the JACK copnfiguration had switched to the internal sound card, rather than the Omega. Although the same hardware device was still selected in JACK, the system had swapped the USB Omega to another device. I had also added the same configuration settings in /etc/security/limits.conf to my user name.

Now JACK is running with no xruns at all, except for when starting or exiting applications, which is normal. Now I need to start seriously playing around with the various sequencers/DAWs/plugins and see which works best for me.

Lexicon Omega running on Linux

I ordered a Lexicon Omega, which is a 4 input audio/midi interface to use with my Linux laptop and external gear. I opted for this as I had seen a couple of reports that it worked well in Linux.

Sure enough, after plugging it in it was immediately recognised by the system and was picked up by Jack.



I was a bit confused at first, as under the audio tab it doesn't appear under it's own name like it does on the ALSA tab, it just appears as 'System'.

Also visible in the screenshot you can see that my USB keyboard, an Evolution MK-449C has been recognised by the system without having to install any drivers.

With these two pieces of equipment working well I can now use them to control my external synth as well using the audio software in Ubuntu Studio.

Now I just need to try and configure Jack properly so it is working optimally with the Omega.

Using Ubuntu for creating Music

Many moons ago, I used to have a home recording studio in the spare bedroom. As more children came along, this unfortunately had to be sacrificed as we had run out of space. I kept my modular synthesizer that I had built, but sold everything else and instead bought a laptop. Over time I used this less and less (unsurprisingly with small children keeping me busy), but would often try and tinker around with it.

Although I mainly used the laptop for Music only, the inevitable happened and Windows managed to corrupt itself. After replacing it with Ubuntu, even worse things were to come when one of the children trod on it and broke the LCD.

To cut a long story short, I now have a new laptop (Dell 1525) with Ubuntu, onto which I have installed the Ubuntu Studio packages. I am now trying to make a concerted effort to get back into making music again, and am going to try to do it all on Ubuntu/Linux.

I have ordered a Lexicon Omega audio interface (which apparently work well in Linux) so I will see how I go. I will blog whatever problems/triumphs I encounter along the way!

phoNIX Beta

In my previous post I mentioned the educational software I have been developing, phoNIX. This has now reached beta release status, and is available for download at the project website.

Developing software for Ubuntu

By day, I am a software developer. OK, software developer is a bit grand, but I work in the development department for a fund manager, developing reports, applications, SQL etc., all on Windows.

After running Ubuntu for some time now on my home machines (desktop, laptop & file server), I have been keen to try developing for Ubuntu/Linux. Python is a popular language for developing Linux applications so I decided to try and learn python by creating some applications.

The trouble is trying to think of something worthwhile to develop. My first attempt, a media cataloguing application, started off quite well and taught me quite a lot about developing in Python & GTK. However it became obvious that there was already a very good solution out there, so not wishing to reinvent the wheel, I stopped working on that.

My next idea for an application came about while looking for some software for my young children. At school, they use the Phonics system of learning to read and write. I was looking for some phonics software that ran on Linux but couldn't find any - so I thought I would create my own.

So that is what I have been doing for the last month or two. The application is nearly finished, the only thing remaining is to record the sound samples it will use. I have setup a website dedicated to this (free, open source project) at http://phonix.org.uk.

Upgrading Ubuntu 6.06 LTS to 8.04 LTS

My Music/File server has been running 6.06 for some time. Now that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS is out, it would soon mean an end for security updates for 6.06, so it seemed like the right time to upgrade to the most recent LTS version.

The upgrade itself ran smoothly, although a bit slowly (the server runs on a VIA 1.2 Ghz processor, so no surprise there).

What did fool me though, was that during the upgrade Slimserver was uninstalled. I didn't notice any messages about this during the upgrade. After trying to connect to Slimserver via a browser, it was apparent that it wasn't running. Trying to start the Slimserver service resulted in a load of errors. The confusing thing was that although it had been uninstalled, there were plenty of Slimserver files left behind, which made it look as if everything was still there.

After about an hour and a half of messing around I found a post on the Slimserver forums which stated that Slimserver was uninstalled after upgrading to 8.04. Once I knew this, it was easy to download the Slimserver deb and install it again. Fortunately all my previous plugins and settings had been left untouched, so I didn't have to set it up all over again.

That leaves me with two other machines to upgrade (desktop and laptop), although there is no hurry for them as they both run 7.10 so are still getting updates.

Firefox SQLite Manager extension

A number of desktop applications use SQLite as a datastore, as it is lightweight and require no configuration to work out of the box.

I have a few applications running in Ubuntu that use SQLite, and I am currently learning pyGTK programming by writing an application that uses SQLIte for a backend.

I was looking for a management tool to use to query the various databases (especially my database under development) when I found the Firefox extension.

As with all Firefox extensions, it installed easily enough after the browser was restarted and is accessed from the Tools menu.

It opens in its own window, with a list of databases appearing in a tree in the left hand pane. Three tabs in the right hand pane give you access to the structure of tables, a browse window and a query window.



This is a really handy extension which performs well, you should give it a try if you need to query your SQLite databases.

Gnumeric vs Open Office Calc

Back in the days (not so long ago) when I ran XP, we would use Excel 97 for spreadsheets. Once it started getting a bit long in the tooth, I tried to encourage the Wife to use Open Office. She could never get on with it, mainly due to the mappings of the keyboard shortcuts. Despite suggesting we change the mappings, she still came up with a few other problems with it.

So once I changed our PC to Ubuntu, she was more or less forced to use Open Office all the time. A few other problems came up, notably setting print areas. As my Wife is the main user of Spreadsheets in our house, I was forced to put up with her complaints - I often suggested she boot back into XP (as the machine is dual boot) if it was that big a problem, but she seemed to persevere.

Recently I read a few good comments regarding the 'other' Gnome spreadsheet, Gnumeric, on the Ubuntu forums. I thought I would give it a try. As with most other apps on Linux, it is free and easy to install, and a quick visit to the Add/Remove Applications menu had the application installed and running in under a minute.

Although it has only been a short while, early signs are promising. Much to my Wife's delight, the shortcut key mappings are the same as Excel (at least the ones she uses are), and the set print area feature is much better implemented.

I don't want this to sound like an Open Office bashing post, as I generally like it. I especially like the export to PDF feature. It is just that the major bug bear my other half had after changing to Ubuntu seems to have disappeared under Gnumeric. Hurrah!

Windows Update vs Ubuntu Update

Since I installed Ubuntu on my desktop, I have been running a Dual Boot system with Windows XP. While I hardly use XP now, I still need to fire it up once every few weeks or so - now I have got a Cisco VPN installed on Ubuntu for work, I will use XP even less.

Last night I needed to log in to XP for half an hour or so. While I was using it, I thought I had better check Windows Update, as it had been a while since I had applied any patches. Off I went to the Windows Update site. What a painful experience it was. First, after a half a minute or so check, I find that I need to install an updated Active X control. I allow the browser to install the control. Then, up pops another dialog asking if I want to run the install or save it to disk. I allow it to install (even though I thought I had just done that in the Browser).

Then it starts checking my machine for updates. This takes a minute or two. Then lo and behold, I get prompted again to install another update to allow me to check for real updates. Finally, after installing that update, the real list of updates finally appears.

Compare this process to the Ubuntu update process. In the Update Manager, I press the Check for Updates button. After a few seconds check, up comes the list of updates. I press apply and they are all installed (without any need to reboot, I might add).

The Windows Update process is a reminder of why I got cheesed off with Windows and installed Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 7.10

I have been running Ubuntu 7.10 since I upgraded my 7.04 install to the 7.10 release candidate a week before the final release. That was a good tip I picked up frm the Ubuntu Forums - upgrading a week before the final release avoided the release day rush.

The upgrade ran smoothly enough with no problems during the install. Before I upgraded I ran a backup of my 'Home' folder, just in case. What improvements are there in 7.10?

Compiz-Fusion is installed by default, and this seems a lot more stable than Compiz-Beryl was in 7.04. A new application is 'Tracker', a desktop search tool. I haven't noticed any performance hit due to Tracker, which is quite remarkable considering it must have run a full index search after the install. This seems an improvement over Google Desktop, which I had just started to use in 7.04.

In 7.04, I had also started to use the Avant Window Navigator (AWN). If you don't know about this, it is a 3d dock that sits at the bottom of the screen, and can be used to replace the standard Gnome panel. A new version was released shortly before the 7.10 release, and this is a marked improvement stability wise. Combined with a number of optional applets, AWN makes the standard Ubuntu desktop stand out.

Another improvement for me has been the shutdown process. Upon shutting down, my PC would regularly hang, which meant I would have to force the shutdown by holding in the power switch. I have no idea what the cause of this was, so whether the improvement is due to Ubuntu itself or a third party application I'll never know.

I also love the new elephant skin wallpaper (although not enabled by default). Very nice.

Tweaking Ubuntu

After installing Ubuntu 7.04, I started to install extra software and 'tweak' the setup.

Extra software that I have installed includes Celestia, Google Earth, Stellarium, Tux Paint, Thunderbird, Ex Falso (for flac/ogg file tagging) and Childsplay.

A couple of problems that I came across:

1. After installing Thunderbird and running it OK, it subsequently crashed at startup after restarting the computer the following day. Removing the folder .mozilla-thunderbird would fix the problem, but after setting up Thunderbird again, it would crash at startup again. I found a fix on the Ubuntu Forums, which was to blank out the default location for the start page. Weird. The fix is a bit awkward to do, as you have to rename the .mozilla-thunderbird folder, set Thunderbird up and remove the start page, then copy the Mail subfolder from the original .mozilla-thunderbird folder into the 'new' .mozilla-thunderbird folder.
2. I couldn't play DVDs. After following the standard Ubuntu instructions on how to add DVD playback capability, the Totem Movie Player wouldn't play any DVDs. It flashed up an error 'There is no plugin to handle this movie'. A Google search turned up the solution in a Ubuntu bug report. The solution is to apt-get xine-ui. This installs some other library which then makes Totem work OK.
3. I changed the standard font to Bitstream Vera Sans in System>Preferences>Font. To me, this font appears clearer than the standard Sans font.
4. In Firefox, I'm used to clicking in the address bar and having the whole text selected (this is how it works in XP). In Ubuntu, no text is selected. To change this, you need to type about:config in the address bar and press enter. Then in the filter box type browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll. Change this value to True.

That's all for now, but I'll maybe find more issues as the days go by. Hopefully they will all be as minor as those that I have encountered so far.

Moving to Ubuntu: Part three

After spending an eternity defragging my hard drive, I was ready to try installing Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty). I really don't know why the Windows Defragmenter needs so many goes to properly defragment the drive - if I was doing this again I would research a third party Defragmenter.

I popped in the install/Live CD and booted the computer. Once the computer had booted into the CD, I selected the install option. You are presented with a number of simple questions regarding your locale. Then you get to the partition section. As I wanted to keep my existing XP installation so I can Dual Boot, I selected the option to manually edit the partition table.

I resized the existing Windows partition down to 15GB (after the cleanup and defrag, it was using 9GB). I created the required root and swap partitions, but I also created a /home partition. The home partition is where your user settings/files reside. The advantage of a separate home partition is that if you ever need to re-install the Operating System, your data remains intact in the home partition.

Once the partitioning was finished the install began. I had read that it can take up to an hour, but was pleasantly surprised to find it only took 15 minutes to install on my PC. You are then prompted to remove the CD so the system can reboot and start properly from the install.

This is the moment of truth - would the system recognise both the Ubuntu and XP installation? Yes it did. I selected the Ubuntu installation and it proceeded to start up. It forced a disk check during the start up, and found an error. This was a bit worrying. It then restarted after correcting the error and this time booted up OK. Phew! My new system was up and running. I then shut it down to test if I could still boot into XP OK. This also worked. It was then back into Ubuntu to stat installing some software!

The only problem I found (so far) was after I installed Google Earth. The rendering was very jumpy and not smooth at all. This was quite easy to fix - I needed to activate the restricted ATI graphics driver for my graphics card from the Restricted Drivers menu item.

I've still got a few things to setup and install, but so far it is looking good. And it runs really quickly too. I checked the memory consumption out of interest in the System Monitor and it was around 250MB - my XP installation would generally be around 400-500MB with a similar set of applications running. Make of that what you will.

Moving To Ubuntu: Part two

After running the Ubuntu Live CD, to check the compatibility of my PC hardware (see part one), the next step is to clean up my XP installation to free up as much hard disk space as possible. I will be dual booting for the time being, mainly because I need to access my work PC via remote access. This is through a Cisco VPN, which is Windows only. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a backup system, as who knows whether everything will work OK.

I uninstalled most of the software on the XP installation, save for Firefox, Thunderbird, the Cisco VPN software, and a few other programs that I have paid for. I moved all my data onto an external USB hard drive. After deleting all the original files, I then ran the XP disk defragmenter.

This takes quite a few goes to properly defragment - there may be thrid party tools that do a better job, but as I was trying to clean the disk up, I didn't want to install anything else. After the deragmentation is complete, make sure you view the report - this can show up a number of files that have been left behind by programs that have been uninstalled. As an example, I uninstalled Google Earth, but the report in the defragger showed a 400MB Google Earth Cache file that it could not move. These type of files can be manually deleted, but of course you will have to defrag again afterwards.

Something else that will leave lots of unmovable files is the XP System Restore. You may want to delete all previous restore points except for the latest. After doing this, another 6GB of space was reclaimed on my drive. To delete all previous restore points, select the More Options tab on the Disk Clean Up utility, and press the button at the bottom to delete all except the latest restore.

After performing these steps, there should be a sufficiently clean hard drive to install Ubuntu. As long as the defragger shows everything as far over to the left hand side of the drive as possible, then it is time to run the install. It doesn't matter if there are a few small gaps shown in the defragger, so long as there are no large spaces you won't be wasting too much space.

The only thing left to do before running the install is to export my mail from Thunderbird. The Ubuntu Migration Assistant will import bookmarks and some other files, but I don't think it imports mail. Once that is done, it is time for the install...

Moving to Ubuntu: Part one

As I have decided to move to Ubuntu, the first step in this process is to check whether my current hardware is compatible. Handily, Ubuntu provide an easy way to achieve this - the installation CD doubles up as a 'live' CD. This means you can boot your PC from the CD, and it will run Ubuntu without installing it. Of course, running from the CD is nowhere near as fast as running from an installed system, but it is a great way to try it out and check if your hardware is compatible, and also if you like the Ubuntu way of working.

So, last night I booted from the Ubuntu CD, and very quickly the system booted into Ubuntu. My PC is 2-3 years old, so I wasn't entirely sure whether everything would work. But I'm relieved to say that not only did it work, it was no slower than my normal XP installation.

I even switched on the desktop effects, expecting to find my ultra cheap graphics card either wasn't supported, or couldn't handle it, but, again, it worked like a dream.

So, now that little test is out of the way I need to clean up my XP installation (remove all but the absolutely essential software to reclaim as much disk space as I can), and back up my data to an external drive. I've already got a list of applications I currently use, and what their equivalents will be in Ubuntu, and so far I haven't found any gaps.

This may sound incredibly 'geeky', but after trying out Ubuntu, I can't wait to install it and get it up and running properly.