You can connect midi and audio devices with alsa, and play without jack. It worked for me quite okay, with bearable latency with the built-in audio interface. The tools for that are aconnect and aconnectgui.
Brilliant! I've been looking for a video about a R Pi synth since I bought a R Pi 4 recently and tried to do what you have just done . I failed because of all the linux crap but you have saved me. Have a great 2020. Looking forward to more of your videos.
Well, thanks for watching it (on a PI) ;-) Love this little computer, and I'm in a hate/love relationship with Linux for decades now. That OS is so phenomenally good yet decides to put so many roadblocks in your way.
Thanks for watching! I hear you. I'm self-employed and while it certainly could be worse, this is the worst year, ever. Lost a lot of contracts. Let's keep our fingers crossed there's no "second wave". Best regards!
I remember using assembler to write FM algorithms on my Commodore 64 and outputting them via the 4-bit resolution amplifier of the sound chip. The DX-7 had just come out. I eventually got a Nord Modular. Today I am absolutely certain that the current analog revival is just a temporary stage before everything goes completely DSP.
My first experience with computer audio was with JACK and ALSA and I didn't find it too bad. When I went to try to use midi in Windows, it was quite confusing. So I guess it is just what you are used to.
Years after making this video, I got used to it, too. :-) Really depends on the distribution and app support. A good distribution can do a lot to hide the so-so things from the user. Raspian is very barebones in that regard.
Cool vid! I've been using the raspberry pi in my music productions for over a year mainly as a USB2MIDI hub for all of my external synths. I also love the pi for it's onboard audio output which can be really gritty and lofi with the right settings ;)
After connecting multiple PCs, phones, keyboards and my Nintendo DS via MIDI, I have small obsession with overly complicated audio setups. I should have a Pi somewhere and I recently learned PCB soldering (easier than expected) so this might be a nice project. Especially considering we're gonna set up our own small studio soon and need to fill the room with more stuff. Should be straightforward with your guide
Thanks for watching! This video is getting a bit old and outdated now - I made more videos on PI synths after this which are more up-to-date (especially the one on Reaper and the "Barebone Synth" videos)
Oh yes, first time i tried this (3 yrs ago) it was nightmarish failure. But NOW, complete succes, operating Alesis Wortex Wireless 2 wirelessly smoothly. Floyd, i think that ye should give this video an updated try since Qjackctl has updated and upgraded its ALSA -page DRASTICALLY, combining Audio, MIDI & ALSA -pages into one Grafical Interface. Note: Bristol doesnt function anymore, at least i didnt figure that out. AMSynth is an absolute BEAST with more than 400+ presets (if ye just go trought the trouble roaming the different libraries that is) and everything being live tweakable.
Thanks! I did _so_ many RasPi synth videos since this one and I will do many, many more. I leave my old videos online because they earn me some money, but for the latest information, please watch the newer ones - I think I talked about Pulse Audio and JACK/ALSA updates in December (2022?). I can't remember precisely ;-)
@@mr_floydst good to know. I just suggested ye try again to recreate this vid, but with an updated take on the subject. But yeah, I will definetly test the Pulse Audio as well.
Thanks for your input - I will do that. ;-) At least when I tried it, PulseAudio wasn't worth bothering because of its horribly latency. Might have changed in the meantime, but if JACK/ALSA works for you, just keep it that way.
@@mr_floydst I definetly recommedate JACK/ALSA -base on Amsynth. The soundlatency can be quite easily solved (really??) by adding the cheap USB-soundcard to the PI.
Oh, not to mension i did study "The Latency / XRUN Callback -error." Looks like its a SynthV1 -problem, because i never experienced that on Amsynth and JACK Audios Messsage Log show no such error ocurring on Amsynth, neither in Standard Built-in AV Jack or HDMI.
You're right. The XRUN errors hint at a lack of CPU capacities, and if you're using a PI4 or 5, you won't see them. There are other well optimized plugins that will give you plenty of polyphony on PI3 as well.
Ah, Jack. Once I hated it, but now that I am used to it and have been using it for several years... now I really ****ing hate it! Just imagine the people who had to use it BEFORE jackctl was written!
:-) I don't like it, but I get what's cool about it (routing all your audio and MIDI signals any way you need it). Still, using that on a command line? Have mercy.
Floyd: "I'm really happy that things go so smoothly! I'm really not sure I was working with Linux here!" Linux: "What about, HELL NO!" Floyd: "fine okay, lol... lol..... lool... lol."
Hey Floyd just over from Bo's page and thought I would check your channel out as you have some interesting stuff. This in particular caught my eye as I have Raspberry lying around somewhere. I am about to undertake a complete self build modular system project once I get my finger out.
Thanks for watching! All the sounds are from the PI, using a number of apps (I didn't show all of them in this video, for example the QSYNTH sound font player used for the drums). Some of the background music is from previous videos, though, that might be Digitone or EX5 stuff.
1. what is this audio inteface name for raspberry (harware, orange color) - and will it work with rpi-zero-2w ? 2. how you send video from rpi to smartphone ?
Ah, if we could just emulate a EX5 and put it on a Raspberry Pi, would'nt that be great? Never say never, there is a project emulating the Access Virus synth available for PC and Mac!
I think EX5 poses some serious challenges here because Yamaha still is holding the copyrights for VL, FDSP and AN. Tackling VL and FDSP might be a massive undertaking. Sure, the basic principles are well known, but in order to nail the exact behaviour of those engines, some background knowledge or the source codes would be really helpful.
Damn you Floyd! you make this look so simple that I have no excuse now, NOT to try it!! I really appreciate people like you, sharing the knowledge they acquired through days of hard work in just a few minutes, so people like us will enjoy a much better an enjoyable experience, so thanks a lot! I never thought about getting into the Raspberry PI although I have some knowledge in computers and basic soldering skills, but I do like electronic music, and this video of yours definitely got my attention! so 2 quick questions please: 1) If I'm going to buy a Raspberry PI board for this purpose, will getting the PI 4 have any advantages? 2) Did I understand from the video that no audio interface was usable in your tests? was the audio interface you added a link for in the comments, did the job eventually?
Hi, thanks for watching! As far as I am informed, the PI4 is much more powerful, but still has some compability issues at the moment, so perhaps it's better to wait just a little until these are sorted out. The audio interface _was_ useable, it even showed up in the system's audio settings and put out crystal clear audio with vastly improved latency. I just couldn't make it show up in JACK. I wanted to finish this video so I just went with what I had, but once I get this solved I'll post an update. (Using this as a sampler would be really cool).
This is really awesome, thanks Floyd! I remember attempting something like this, but struggled with JACK and ALSA. Well, maybe I can try my luck again now. XD Out of curiosity: Do you have some experience with using the Raspi as a sampler? My idea was to use the Raspi as a hardware alternative to plugins for playing sf2-files, but I couldn't quite get it to work.
Thanks for watching! I didn't use it as a sampler yet, but playing Sound Fonts works very well. The program is called qsynth, it's in Debian Repository. Maybe this is an idea for another video :)
Great video thanks. Informative and set up sounds good. Unclear from your vid what your conclusion/end-solution is for a low latency DAC that works with the Pi ??? I see from the intro demo that although you have a Raspiaudio DAC HAT installed you do not appear to the using it ; presumably using a USB DAC instead ? TIA
Thanks for watching! Yes, this was my first video in a continuing series showing my progress on Linux/RasPi. I used a cheap USB audio interface in this video and was still working on the Audio hat - I later got it to work. You can find the one I use on raspiaudio.com/produit/audio - but to be honest, a normal USB audio interface worked as well for me. If you want to see more, here are my other RasPi videos: ruclips.net/video/ae5TYhnhp3w/видео.html Best regards!
how is the latency? very important for a synth. It looked like there was an audible delay between hearing the click of the keyboard before hearing the sound come out of the synth.
The latency depends on buffer size - the smaller, the lower it is. You can reach around 6-10ms in Linux, depending on your Raspberry PI model, audio hardware and general CPU/RAM stress.
Thanks for watching! Please make sure that 1) the Jack server is running by pressing "play" in qjackctl and that 2) synthv1 is running alongside it and is connected to your system's default audio output. If you're not sure, pause this video at the right time and take a closer look at the screen captures. Best regards!
Hi! Yes, that's possible, but it takes some shell commands to do so. Please note this video is a bit outdated, I've done a lot of RasPi stuff in the following years which might be more up-to-date. ;-)
Hi, thanks for watching! I did use it in this video. But legend has it using an external audio interface will reduce the latency and "xrun callback" errors (I got it working in the meantime, and can confirm the latter statement is true, but latency is dependant on other factors).
Thanks for watching! I think that's up to your personal taste. The NU TEKT does sound great. The PI is a mini computer which happens to have a great library of virtual synths, so there should be something for everyone. But you're right, it's time-consuming.
@@mr_floydst your video was very educational .. there has to be a market for a pre- configured system like this .. once setup is there a way to make a image that can be easily installed ?
@@FSK1138 There are some ready-made kits, one of them is Zynthian. zynthian.org/ But they tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the basic RASPI. I guess I could just make an image of my SD card, but then you'd have to use exactly the setup seen in this video. And there are some minor issues I still have to solve (getting the external sound cards to work and reducing latency, that is).
Hi, thanks for the detailed guide. Is it possible to make a similar setup with multiple track synth? I mean, say I am sending different midi information from an external hardware sequencer to different midi channels via usb and different synth instruments are assigned to those different midi channels. And then all the different instruments will play. Possible?
Yes you can! You need to use standalone midi synth apps that can be set up to listen to specific midi channels, though. One particular synth I can highly recommend is ZynAddSubFX, it's perfectly suited for the RasPi and does everything you asked for within one app. ruclips.net/video/iIcKMS_lxZ8/видео.html (Or follow my new mini series: ruclips.net/video/HMtbKg4z370/видео.html ) Best regards!
I found soundfonts with bad sound. One tone was recorded and the rest tones are played at different speed. Terrible ! There are also extreme real sounds with Raspberry PI synthesizer possible ????
A good way to spot bad sound fonts is looking at their file size - small file size indicates small samples (or a low number of samples). There are some modeling plugins that run on PI, PianoTeq comes to mind.
Hi Floyd, great video - Im trying to get this working on my raspberry pi, but I cant see all the commands you used - the video is not clear, please can you share a link to the various commands used in terminal especially around the creating start up to run this when pi boots up
Hi, thanks for watching. This will add the lines to launch qjackctl and synthv1 after boot: printf "/usr/bin/qjackctl -a /home/pi/synth/default.xml & /usr/bin/synthv1_jack&" >> ~/.profile just copy this line and paste it to your shell and press enter. The only other thing I mentioned is that bristol takes a commandline parameter like startBristol --polysix -midi alsa -scale 2 to show all synths available: startBristol --help Best regards!
Floyd, thank you so much Ill give it a try. Im looking to use the other synth synth v1 - do I still need to run the bristol?. I would like to play the synth from my arduino which is setup as a midi and connected to the pi, it has an array of buttons - how would I be able to have these buttons play the synth in place of your external keyboard. How would I do this any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
@@globalstandardrating7552 You only need to install synth v1, then. Bristol is a separate package. If you can manage to set up the arduino to send MIDI, your setup should work. But I guess doing to requires some investigation on the internet. ;-)
Hey Floyd. I wanted to experiment with an Old PI A+, and your video was very usefull, and fun (i'm trying to create a full headset retro synth). BUT i could get any sound. In the jack audio connecti kit "connect" options, i don't see Bristol in the ALSA windows (my Oxygen49 keyboard is detected), and it seems to be te problem. Any more details about how to do ?
ok, i've found the problem : don't forget to selection the outpout on the sound icon (top right) to jack in my case. you may have also to specify it in the jack parameter
So: Sorry. Last post : everything seems to work. But i've only got an ugly, nasty sound. I've tried to change the sampling rate into jack, and jack don't work anymore (i have no card sound). Well, so far for today.
Hi, thanks for watching! Great to see you worked your way through it. That's what Linux is about, isn't it? ;-) Regarding the sound: please check the volume of your output jack in alsamixer, perhaps it's overdriving. I found out some time ago Debian removed headphone jack support for jackd in November of 2020. You could go back to an older version, but that's not a good solution. The only way to get good sound quality is to use an audio hat or a USB audio interface.
Hi, thanks for watching! I think you could just use USB interfaces, as the Zero has an USB port. The better synths on Linux need a better CPU, though, so you'll propably be able to run sample-based synths, but none of the virtual analog ones.
Im going on to this journey 1+ year later, but with Pi4 Version B. I hope that they went and fixed the 3,5mm audio soundcard... I dunno. Gues i have to find out.
Thanks for watching! In the meantime, I bought the RasPi 400 - superb machine, but same audio jack. :-) You'll need to buy an "audio hat" - but those aren't expensive.
@@mr_floydst Thank God! Now i can run it without messing with crappy external soundcards! Btw, since i was born in 92's Finland, i grew up being "S*#ty Retroclub" member and watching late 80's stuff & other "International Cold War crud" from TV, thus i try to mess around with Bristol. Any simulation preference recommedations?
Now i have figured out everything, except one tiny idi bidi problem: The drivers for the midikeyboard. NEAT... Any idea for M-Audio Keystation Mini32 Mk3 -drivers???
Hi, "normally", MIDI is a standard, so you keystation should be picked up as a standard MIDI device. Please type in "amidi -l" (while your keyboard is connected via USB) on the console - and post the output here.
@@mr_floydst amidi -I amidi: invalid option -- 'I' Try `amidi --help' for more information. pi@raspberrypi:~ $ amidi --help Usage: amidi options -h, --help this help -V, --version print current version -l, --list-devices list all hardware ports -L, --list-rawmidis list all RawMIDI definitions -p, --port=name select port by name -s, --send=file send the contents of a (.syx) file -r, --receive=file write received data into a file -S, --send-hex="..." send hexadecimal bytes -d, --dump print received data as hexadecimal bytes -t, --timeout=seconds exits when no data has been received for the specified duration -a, --active-sensing include active sensing bytes -c, --clock include clock bytes -i, --sysex-interval=mseconds delay in between each SysEx message + There is this: Cannot initialize driver JackServer::Open failed with -1 Failed to open server 14:12:22.044 JACK was stopped 14:12:23.399 Could not connect to JACK server as client. - Overall operation failed. - Unable to connect to server. Please check the messages window for more info. Cannot connect to server socket err Cannot connect to server request channel jack server is not running or cannot be started JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
@@mr_floydst Ups, sorry: My bad. Here is the result: Dir Device Name IO hw:2,0,0 Keystation Mini 32 MK3 MIDI 1 + There is this: Cannot initialize driver JackServer::Open failed with -1 Failed to open server 14:12:22.044 JACK was stopped 14:12:23.399 Could not connect to JACK server as client. - Overall operation failed. - Unable to connect to server. Please check the messages window for more info. Cannot connect to server socket err Cannot connect to server request channel jack server is not running or cannot be started JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
@@Make573 Don't rush it. ;-) so the error message is not tied to "amidi -l", but to starting the jack server? This indicates some other audio hardware (most likely your audio interface) is causing the problem. Please try the tips on this page: askubuntu.com/questions/224151/jack-server-could-not-be-started-when-using-qjackctl . Your Keystation is working fine, don't worry.
Hi, Is there an alternative software for the multistomp zoom to achieve that reverb sound effect from the beginning (if that was even necessary I'm not very familiar with this subject )? Great work btw.
Hi, thanks for watching! There are some standalone reverb apps in the Debian "Store". Also, synthv1 it's own effects which sound really good (that synth really impressed me, as you propably noticed ;-) ). And there's LMMS and other DAWs of course.
I'm interested to transform my Roland FP30 piano to a synthetizeur with a rasberry (FP30->USB midi->rasberry->DAC USB). Is it possible? and what about latency?
It should be possible, as seen in this video. Latency on a standard linux installation is quite bad. Here's a page which has some good advice: wiki.linuxaudio.org/wiki/raspberrypi
Hi! Yes, there is latency in the setup seen in this video. I think it's comparable to a normal Windows setup (without the new audio drivers of Win10). BUT there are real time kernel systems ready to install like PatchBox OS, Zynthian (and others). Those have no latency to speak of. I made some videos on them - please take a look at my RasPi playlist if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/ae5TYhnhp3w/видео.html
As Mac OS is a UNIX derivative, it should be possible to open up an X-Windows connection on that system. There should be tutorials on YT how to do that.
Your mileage may vary. As other viewers suggested, take a look at Sunvox, which was built for portable devices from the ground up. SynaddSubFX is a very-well optimized software synth, too, that'd be one I'd try first. Good luck!
Thanks for watching. Pardon, but which links are you referring to? If you buy a RasPI, all you need to download is the OS - anything else in this video can be installed with the package manager included in that OS.
@@mr_floydst Thanks for the quick reply :) I've got it going from the aux jack from the Pi into my headphones and i've also tried with a guitar amplifier and both sound like a mess
Hi, thanks for watching! Yes, it's also possible on the PI Zero. Due to it's lower specs, you might run into issues using some software synths. Please watch some more of my later PI videos on synths that are not that hungry for resources, for example the ZynAddSubFX.
Floyd I just discovered your channel! Are you aware of the sonaremin project that uses a pi to host VCV rack, along with a bunch of modules? Sorry if you have already heard of it
How the heck did you manage to put the qjack understand the keyboard, without loosing connection? I mean, did you go and install Windows based drivers, or something? My qjack constantly looses the recognition that there is a MIDI-device attached to USB-port...
My best guess: please make sure your power supply provides enough power to run all your devices. Raspberry PI itself is quite on the edge of what normal USB PSUs can do, adding MIDI hardware doesn't improve the situation.
@@mr_floydst THX for advice, but that is not the issue. As i said: sometimes the Pi doesn't recognise the Keyboard fysically at all, even when plugged to wall poweroutlet. Im thinking it have something to do with the drivers.
Oh, By the way, What "command" you used? Since I can't find Noisemaker with "package opener", i obviously have to use the terminal. I know how the "install" -command works, but the rest is ...
@@mr_floydst Noup. I was actually looking for installing the TAL Noisemaker on my Pi. I can't find it throught the Package Handler (or i just use the wrong search words), so what i have to do, is write the exact installing script on the Terminal itself, to install the blasted program.
@@Make573 If I remember correctly, you won't find it there. The repository I mentioned contains Raspberry PI binaries. Just download them using your browser, and toss them into a plugins directory. Then start Ardour or LMMS or something which can make use of the plugins. For an overview of standalone synths on linux, just type "synth" into the software installer. amsynth and synthv1 are pretty good.
@@mr_floydst Where / how did you even found the Noisemaker then? You mean that i have to start Ardour in order to run the Noisemaker? Is the Noisemaker only some sort of "plug-in interface"??
@@Make573 This video is more than one year old and I did some more research since then. :-) Sorry if I confused you. If you're looking for a good standalone synth, please try amsynth, synthv1 or zynaddsubfx (the latter one requires some forum reading).
Update: I've uploaded all my RasPi improvisations here floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/album/the-raspberry-pi-ep , the one you are looking for now has been aptly named "Spheniscidae". :-) You can download that for free. Best regards!
hi, i m really new to raspberry, when I install bristol it doesn't t show in the app installed, do I need to install something else please? thanks for your vids!
@@mr_floydst it seems to don t work, I ll make a clean reinstall, I try to use midi in over part since 3 days I think I made some mistake maybe because of this bristol won t work! if you have the solution to use a diy midi interface input on raspberry pi 3 I d like to have it!
@@benoitparisot3245 Sorry, I can't answer that. But an USB MIDI interface like the one in the video is only $6 to $10, and it will work on any computer, so perhaps it's worth investing in that...
The piv3 is too underpowered for any synth work. Even a yoshimi default instrument will xrun if you have 10++ notes on sustain. Using usb audio will help a little but not by much. Running in console mode will give the best performance but most synths are not console friendly
Hi, thanks for watching! Though this is one of my more successful videos, it's a bit outdated. There are several software synths which are optimized for PI - one of them being ZynAddSubFX, or Sundog. Both a very deep synths.
10:38 why didn't u say how u solved this... :S And man this is really cool, but it kinda feels like ure trying too hard to be entertaining which costs us more concise information :S Also u should share the image/micro SD copy ;)
Thanks for watching. For this video, I couldn't solve that problem, unfortunately, so I used the standard audio output. I later found out you need to remove the PI's standard audio interface from /etc/config so the USB device is the only one present in the system. Will do another video on how to do that in the next weeks. I'm sure there are better solutions for this but I'm still trying to get my head around it myself. :-) Yeah I can give you a copy, please PM me on aselck at hotmail dot com
@@boimesa8190 I got it working in the follow-up video to this. Linux Audio system is a little bit over the top, to put it like this. The sound card was intended to improve audio quality and latency, which kind of worked, but it's setup script is broken, so I had to fix that manually.
Ugh, I hate Jack. I occasionally try to do music stuff on my Ubuntu desktop machine and any time an audio program insists on Jack I do either one of two things. One) Spend two or more days in frustration trying to get Jack and Pulseaudio working nicely with each other, or Two) remember the last time I tried one and failed and just nope out on fiddling with Ardour or synths outside of LMMS. Now I realize that a Pi is powerful enough to do more synth work so when I have the money to spare on a Pi 4 I will.
Thanks for watching. I think using JACK as the standard audio server (if that's the correct term) is a fine example of overkill. It can do some hugely impressive stuff that absolutely no one needs to do, ever, like routing your audio output over the network to another machine. (Ok, I admit there might be people who need to do that, but I guess that's a very small number). Instead of opting for a simple solution that works out of the box for 99% of the worlds PC-using population, we got this "this is far superior to Windows hurr hurr" stuff. ;-)
@@mr_floydst Oh you can get simple that's better than Windows (depending on opinion/ideological purity) just fine. PulseAudio is a good example (which even is supposed to do network audio though I've never gotten it to work). The problem is convincing the devs of other projects to use your solution. I remember when PulseAudio came out it was called "the latest thing that breaks your audio". I freaking railed cause my ALSA config solution to have multiple audio programs running suddenly was broken. I considered Pulse an over-glorified version of what I was using but now appreciate the fact that I can set up a passthrough output for each audio program I have running since it makes obs recording and mixing easier. I had to write a Perl script to autogenerate the command line statements but its doable. The sad thing is I think Jack is capable of doing all the same but it's just too much of a pain to get working with anything. And I'm a programmer who has to do command line complexities all the time.
Install Cadence and pulseaudio-jack. Start Cadence, select ALSA -> Pulseaudio -> Jack bridge and click the start button... you get working jack and pulseaudio at the same time (I'm running that at the moment, watching youtube videos and playing around with jack-enabled music stuff :) Just wait when pipewire replaces pulseaudio.. then everything will probably be shit for a while and after they get kinks sorted out then both jack and pulseaudio will gloriously live side by side without any fiddling (pipewire can function as a pulseaudio and jack backend for applications). I've tried pipewire and I see the potential but it's still a bit uncooked and brittle.
I tend to agree with that, though there are distributions that pretty much work right out of the box and don't get in your way (Ubuntu for example). The Raspberry PI is designed for "makers" specifically, so removing roadblocks is part of the "fun". My next video (this Friday) will take a look at zynthian, which is a Linux OS designed for synthesisers, and of course, setting that up went as smooth as expected. (sarcasm off). :-)
@@mr_floydst at least it makes content for your channel! Years ago I went through the same exercise to get a SW Synth working on a laptop (nothing special, had been on the market for a couple of years). After doing everything you did, and the LT's family of sound chips were supposed to be compatible, and spending hours reading forums, I found a post by a woman who explained that the particular sound chip in the LT was not supported by one of the SW components. Hours lost and wasted. RPi should be at least have "standard" hardware.
That's a valid conclusion. Yet, fun can be found in building these things (in later videos, I looked at some more recent synths like Zynthian, ZynAddSubFX or Surge, which are fairly powerful synths). In the meantime, Korg built some synths based on the PI - Wavestate, ModWave and so on.
@@mr_floydst to elaborate - I’ve realised my problem isn’t enough synths it’s being distracted by projects that take me away from making music - this is an idea example I could spend weeks setting all this up maybe get a bad version of what I already own. Then I will watch more tutorials and build the next thing or buy more kit. I just need to commit to actually making music. Thanks for your response .. really give me opportunity to consider what the hell im doing!
Ah, ok. That's perfectly reasonable. If your aim is making music, better not spend time trying to build DIY synths. (But if you enjoy building things, it can be worthwhile).
You can connect midi and audio devices with alsa, and play without jack. It worked for me quite okay, with bearable latency with the built-in audio interface. The tools for that are aconnect and aconnectgui.
Thanks for your input! I'll try that.
Brilliant! I've been looking for a video about a R Pi synth since I bought a R Pi 4 recently and tried to do what you have just done .
I failed because of all the linux crap but you have saved me. Have a great 2020. Looking forward to more of your videos.
Thanks for watching, and have a great new year, too!
@@mr_floydst stop sending old bitches at me
That moment when you find yourself watching this video on your Raspberry Pi 3B+...
Well, thanks for watching it (on a PI) ;-) Love this little computer, and I'm in a hate/love relationship with Linux for decades now. That OS is so phenomenally good yet decides to put so many roadblocks in your way.
Seeing you in 2020. Aargh! What a year it's been.
Thanks for watching! I hear you. I'm self-employed and while it certainly could be worse, this is the worst year, ever. Lost a lot of contracts. Let's keep our fingers crossed there's no "second wave".
Best regards!
One of my favorite videos from you. Great to see someone beating their head against the wall but persisting and finally emerging victorious! :-)
Thank you very much! :)
I remember when they used to say digital couldn't do this
I remember using assembler to write FM algorithms on my Commodore 64 and outputting them via the 4-bit resolution amplifier of the sound chip. The DX-7 had just come out. I eventually got a Nord Modular. Today I am absolutely certain that the current analog revival is just a temporary stage before everything goes completely DSP.
My first experience with computer audio was with JACK and ALSA and I didn't find it too bad. When I went to try to use midi in Windows, it was quite confusing. So I guess it is just what you are used to.
Years after making this video, I got used to it, too. :-) Really depends on the distribution and app support. A good distribution can do a lot to hide the so-so things from the user. Raspian is very barebones in that regard.
Cool vid! I've been using the raspberry pi in my music productions for over a year mainly as a USB2MIDI hub for all of my external synths. I also love the pi for it's onboard audio output which can be really gritty and lofi with the right settings ;)
Thanks for watching! Using it as a MIDI hub is a very good idea, especially considering the prices of standalone devices in this category.
Did something quite similar with a RPi zero and Sunvox. Works like a charm.
Did you use the headphone jack?
@@Stopinvadingmyhardware No, I used a cheap usb audio interface in the size of a thumbrive.
Dude, this is amazing, but now i'm searching how configure it for be a looper, that will be the ultimate combo
Thanks! There are some loopers in the Raspberry PI "store". Search for "Sooperlooper" or "Freewheeling", for example. Best regards!
@@mr_floydst Thanks a lot!
After connecting multiple PCs, phones, keyboards and my Nintendo DS via MIDI, I have small obsession with overly complicated audio setups. I should have a Pi somewhere and I recently learned PCB soldering (easier than expected) so this might be a nice project. Especially considering we're gonna set up our own small studio soon and need to fill the room with more stuff. Should be straightforward with your guide
Thanks for watching! This video is getting a bit old and outdated now - I made more videos on PI synths after this which are more up-to-date (especially the one on Reaper and the "Barebone Synth" videos)
Oh yes, first time i tried this (3 yrs ago) it was nightmarish failure. But NOW, complete succes, operating Alesis Wortex Wireless 2 wirelessly smoothly. Floyd, i think that ye should give this video an updated try since Qjackctl has updated and upgraded its ALSA -page DRASTICALLY, combining Audio, MIDI & ALSA -pages into one Grafical Interface.
Note: Bristol doesnt function anymore, at least i didnt figure that out. AMSynth is an absolute BEAST with more than 400+ presets (if ye just go trought the trouble roaming the different libraries that is) and everything being live tweakable.
Thanks! I did _so_ many RasPi synth videos since this one and I will do many, many more. I leave my old videos online because they earn me some money, but for the latest information, please watch the newer ones - I think I talked about Pulse Audio and JACK/ALSA updates in December (2022?). I can't remember precisely ;-)
@@mr_floydst good to know. I just suggested ye try again to recreate this vid, but with an updated take on the subject. But yeah, I will definetly test the Pulse Audio as well.
Thanks for your input - I will do that. ;-)
At least when I tried it, PulseAudio wasn't worth bothering because of its horribly latency. Might have changed in the meantime, but if JACK/ALSA works for you, just keep it that way.
@@mr_floydst I definetly recommedate JACK/ALSA -base on Amsynth. The soundlatency can be quite easily solved (really??) by adding the cheap USB-soundcard to the PI.
great topic and video, been wondering about this myself
Thanks for watching :-) I had this on my to-do-list for nearly a year, but never found time to solve all the roadblocks Linux puts in your way...
Very nice setup. I would run the Pi in CLi mode all together and run ZynAddSubFX audio engine for synth sounds to get max power out of the Pi. : )
Thanks for your feedback! I'll have a look at that...
Great video as always :)
Thanks for the visit! :)
Oh, not to mension i did study "The Latency / XRUN Callback -error." Looks like its a SynthV1 -problem, because i never experienced that on Amsynth and JACK Audios Messsage Log show no such error ocurring on Amsynth, neither in Standard Built-in AV Jack or HDMI.
You're right. The XRUN errors hint at a lack of CPU capacities, and if you're using a PI4 or 5, you won't see them. There are other well optimized plugins that will give you plenty of polyphony on PI3 as well.
Ah, Jack. Once I hated it, but now that I am used to it and have been using it for several years... now I really ****ing hate it!
Just imagine the people who had to use it BEFORE jackctl was written!
:-) I don't like it, but I get what's cool about it (routing all your audio and MIDI signals any way you need it).
Still, using that on a command line? Have mercy.
"You don't know jack."
Well, actually I do know the JACK audio connections, thx ;)
Im so sorry, but I couldn't not deliver that pun. ;-)
Thank you for this wonderful video man!
Thanks for watching :)
What a cool idea, thanks for the cool video.
Out of curiosity, what is the midi controller you're using in this video?
Got it, Korg gear. Sorry, I asked at the beginning of the video.
Man, i love how clear and descriptive your videos are, you're a pro.
Thanks ;)
Floyd: "I'm really happy that things go so smoothly! I'm really not sure I was working with Linux here!"
Linux: "What about, HELL NO!"
Floyd: "fine okay, lol... lol..... lool... lol."
Hey Floyd just over from Bo's page and thought I would check your channel out as you have some interesting stuff. This in particular caught my eye as I have Raspberry lying around somewhere. I am about to undertake a complete self build modular system project once I get my finger out.
Thanks for watching! All the sounds are from the PI, using a number of apps (I didn't show all of them in this video, for example the QSYNTH sound font player used for the drums). Some of the background music is from previous videos, though, that might be Digitone or EX5 stuff.
Thank you Floyd very interesting project and one I will at some point have a go at. Great share.
Dope, thanks for this!!
Thanks for watching! :)
there is a tool called aj2midid which connects jack and alsa ports, there could be a script of that too.
Thanks for watching and thanks for your feedback! I'll keep that in mind.
1. what is this audio inteface name for raspberry (harware, orange color) - and will it work with rpi-zero-2w ?
2. how you send video from rpi to smartphone ?
Hi, thanks for watching!
1) raspiaudio.com/product/audio/
2) that's just video editing, but you _can_ use VNC viewer of course.
Thanks mate you are a legend
Thanks for watching! :)
Ah, if we could just emulate a EX5 and put it on a Raspberry Pi, would'nt that be great? Never say never, there is a project emulating the Access Virus synth available for PC and Mac!
I think EX5 poses some serious challenges here because Yamaha still is holding the copyrights for VL, FDSP and AN.
Tackling VL and FDSP might be a massive undertaking. Sure, the basic principles are well known, but in order to nail the exact behaviour of those engines, some background knowledge or the source codes would be really helpful.
I want to create a headless setup but i dont want to use any programs on the pi i just want raw midi data going from pi through usb to a windows pc.
Please take a look at the "touting setup" in qjackctl, then.
Damn you Floyd! you make this look so simple that I have no excuse now, NOT to try it!!
I really appreciate people like you, sharing the knowledge they acquired through days of hard work in just a few minutes, so people like us will enjoy a much better an enjoyable experience, so thanks a lot!
I never thought about getting into the Raspberry PI although I have some knowledge in computers and basic soldering skills, but I do like electronic music, and this video of yours definitely got my attention! so 2 quick questions please:
1) If I'm going to buy a Raspberry PI board for this purpose, will getting the PI 4 have any advantages?
2) Did I understand from the video that no audio interface was usable in your tests? was the audio interface you added a link for in the comments, did the job eventually?
Hi, thanks for watching! As far as I am informed, the PI4 is much more powerful, but still has some compability issues at the moment, so perhaps it's better to wait just a little until these are sorted out. The audio interface _was_ useable, it even showed up in the system's audio settings and put out crystal clear audio with vastly improved latency. I just couldn't make it show up in JACK. I wanted to finish this video so I just went with what I had, but once I get this solved I'll post an update. (Using this as a sampler would be really cool).
This is really awesome, thanks Floyd!
I remember attempting something like this, but struggled with JACK and ALSA. Well, maybe I can try my luck again now. XD
Out of curiosity: Do you have some experience with using the Raspi as a sampler? My idea was to use the Raspi as a hardware alternative to plugins for playing sf2-files, but I couldn't quite get it to work.
Thanks for watching! I didn't use it as a sampler yet, but playing Sound Fonts works very well. The program is called qsynth, it's in Debian Repository. Maybe this is an idea for another video :)
@@mr_floydst yes, indeed, strongly encouraged and desperately needed. btw thank you for your great vids!
Great video thanks. Informative and set up sounds good. Unclear from your vid what your conclusion/end-solution is for a low latency DAC that works with the Pi ??? I see from the intro demo that although you have a Raspiaudio DAC HAT installed you do not appear to the using it ; presumably using a USB DAC instead ? TIA
Thanks for watching! Yes, this was my first video in a continuing series showing my progress on Linux/RasPi. I used a cheap USB audio interface in this video and was still working on the Audio hat - I later got it to work. You can find the one I use on raspiaudio.com/produit/audio - but to be honest, a normal USB audio interface worked as well for me. If you want to see more, here are my other RasPi videos: ruclips.net/video/ae5TYhnhp3w/видео.html
Best regards!
how is the latency? very important for a synth. It looked like there was an audible delay between hearing the click of the keyboard before hearing the sound come out of the synth.
The latency depends on buffer size - the smaller, the lower it is. You can reach around 6-10ms in Linux, depending on your Raspberry PI model, audio hardware and general CPU/RAM stress.
Ssssweet! Love it!
Thanks!!
This is damn cool!
Thanks for watching! :)
Hey does anyone have a hot tip for me how to get audio out of synthv1? I have tried everything with jack etc. But it doesnt seem to work
Thanks for watching! Please make sure that 1) the Jack server is running by pressing "play" in qjackctl and that 2) synthv1 is running alongside it and is connected to your system's default audio output. If you're not sure, pause this video at the right time and take a closer look at the screen captures. Best regards!
I’m having the same issue,
Hell yea man!!!!
Thanks. :)
8:55 "Beep Misty for me".
haha, I didn't realize that, but now you mentioned it... ;)
is it possible to control it with a daw on a PC (like ableton) via usb?
Hi! Yes, that's possible, but it takes some shell commands to do so.
Please note this video is a bit outdated, I've done a lot of RasPi stuff in the following years which might be more up-to-date. ;-)
Wie ich Himbeeren liebe!
:)
Why not use the built-in audio output? It is emminently more compatible with raspbian straight out of the box.
Hi, thanks for watching! I did use it in this video. But legend has it using an external audio interface will reduce the latency and "xrun callback" errors (I got it working in the meantime, and can confirm the latter statement is true, but latency is dependant on other factors).
this is very cool!!!!
but i think i would rather a KORG NU TEKT NTS-1
if time is money that would be a much better option
Thanks for watching! I think that's up to your personal taste. The NU TEKT does sound great. The PI is a mini computer which happens to have a great library of virtual synths, so there should be something for everyone. But you're right, it's time-consuming.
@@mr_floydst your video was very educational .. there has to be a market for a pre- configured system like this .. once setup is there a way to make a image that can be easily installed ?
@@FSK1138 There are some ready-made kits, one of them is Zynthian. zynthian.org/ But they tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the basic RASPI. I guess I could just make an image of my SD card, but then you'd have to use exactly the setup seen in this video. And there are some minor issues I still have to solve (getting the external sound cards to work and reducing latency, that is).
Hi, thanks for the detailed guide. Is it possible to make a similar setup with multiple track synth? I mean, say I am sending different midi information from an external hardware sequencer to different midi channels via usb and different synth instruments are assigned to those different midi channels. And then all the different instruments will play. Possible?
Yes you can! You need to use standalone midi synth apps that can be set up to listen to specific midi channels, though. One particular synth I can highly recommend is ZynAddSubFX, it's perfectly suited for the RasPi and does everything you asked for within one app. ruclips.net/video/iIcKMS_lxZ8/видео.html (Or follow my new mini series: ruclips.net/video/HMtbKg4z370/видео.html )
Best regards!
Thanks a lot for the quick reply… And for the salad 😀
Great
Thanks for watching!
nice
Thanks!
Could you leave copy of the Boot Script to the discrpition or comment section? The video was i bit blurry to see the exact script...
Thanks for watching and suggesting this! I did.
I found soundfonts with bad sound. One tone was recorded and the rest tones are played at different speed. Terrible !
There are also extreme real sounds with Raspberry PI synthesizer possible ????
A good way to spot bad sound fonts is looking at their file size - small file size indicates small samples (or a low number of samples).
There are some modeling plugins that run on PI, PianoTeq comes to mind.
@@mr_floydst Good advice ! I have PianoTeq STAGE Demo and this is soooo wunderful steinway piano sound 😃
Hi Floyd, great video - Im trying to get this working on my raspberry pi, but I cant see all the commands you used - the video is not clear, please can you share a link to the various commands used in terminal especially around the creating start up to run this when pi boots up
Hi, thanks for watching.
This will add the lines to launch qjackctl and synthv1 after boot:
printf "/usr/bin/qjackctl -a /home/pi/synth/default.xml &
/usr/bin/synthv1_jack&" >> ~/.profile
just copy this line and paste it to your shell and press enter.
The only other thing I mentioned is that bristol takes a commandline parameter like
startBristol --polysix -midi alsa -scale 2
to show all synths available:
startBristol --help
Best regards!
Floyd, thank you so much Ill give it a try.
Im looking to use the other synth synth v1 - do I still need to run the bristol?.
I would like to play the synth from my arduino which is setup as a midi and connected to the pi, it has an array of buttons - how would I be able to have these buttons play the synth in place of your external keyboard. How would I do this any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
@@globalstandardrating7552 You only need to install synth v1, then. Bristol is a separate package. If you can manage to set up the arduino to send MIDI, your setup should work. But I guess doing to requires some investigation on the internet. ;-)
@@mr_floydst thanks for your quick response and help!
Hey Floyd. I wanted to experiment with an Old PI A+, and your video was very usefull, and fun (i'm trying to create a full headset retro synth). BUT i could get any sound. In the jack audio connecti kit "connect" options, i don't see Bristol in the ALSA windows (my Oxygen49 keyboard is detected), and it seems to be te problem. Any more details about how to do ?
ok, so with -midi alsa i could get my keyboard working. but still no sound.
ok, i've found the problem : don't forget to selection the outpout on the sound icon (top right) to jack in my case. you may have also to specify it in the jack parameter
So: Sorry. Last post : everything seems to work. But i've only got an ugly, nasty sound. I've tried to change the sampling rate into jack, and jack don't work anymore (i have no card sound). Well, so far for today.
Hi, thanks for watching! Great to see you worked your way through it. That's what Linux is about, isn't it? ;-) Regarding the sound: please check the volume of your output jack in alsamixer, perhaps it's overdriving.
I found out some time ago Debian removed headphone jack support for jackd in November of 2020. You could go back to an older version, but that's not a good solution. The only way to get good sound quality is to use an audio hat or a USB audio interface.
Found my way here from raspberrypi.org and hoping for more RPi/Linux content.
Thanks for watching! Uh, wow. Ok, looks I'll do some more videos on that topic. :-)
If you were to run a simple synth on a pi zero would you need to buy an external DAC for a midi input and analog output?
Hi, thanks for watching! I think you could just use USB interfaces, as the Zero has an USB port. The better synths on Linux need a better CPU, though, so you'll propably be able to run sample-based synths, but none of the virtual analog ones.
Im going on to this journey 1+ year later, but with Pi4 Version B. I hope that they went and fixed the 3,5mm audio soundcard... I dunno. Gues i have to find out.
Thanks for watching! In the meantime, I bought the RasPi 400 - superb machine, but same audio jack. :-) You'll need to buy an "audio hat" - but those aren't expensive.
@@mr_floydst Have ye tested/ experienced that same "audioglitch" on Pi4?
No. The CPU has much more headroom. You can run anything you like without getting xruns.
@@mr_floydst Thank God! Now i can run it without messing with crappy external soundcards!
Btw, since i was born in 92's Finland, i grew up being "S*#ty Retroclub" member and watching late 80's stuff & other "International Cold War crud" from TV, thus i try to mess around with Bristol. Any simulation preference recommedations?
I have no preferences - to be honest, Bristol is a bit dated now. Try TAL Noisemaker, that's a really good one, or ZynAddSubFX.
Now i have figured out everything, except one tiny idi bidi problem: The drivers for the midikeyboard. NEAT...
Any idea for M-Audio Keystation Mini32 Mk3 -drivers???
Hi, "normally", MIDI is a standard, so you keystation should be picked up as a standard MIDI device. Please type in "amidi -l" (while your keyboard is connected via USB) on the console - and post the output here.
@@mr_floydst amidi -I
amidi: invalid option -- 'I'
Try `amidi --help' for more information.
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ amidi --help
Usage: amidi options
-h, --help this help
-V, --version print current version
-l, --list-devices list all hardware ports
-L, --list-rawmidis list all RawMIDI definitions
-p, --port=name select port by name
-s, --send=file send the contents of a (.syx) file
-r, --receive=file write received data into a file
-S, --send-hex="..." send hexadecimal bytes
-d, --dump print received data as hexadecimal bytes
-t, --timeout=seconds exits when no data has been received
for the specified duration
-a, --active-sensing include active sensing bytes
-c, --clock include clock bytes
-i, --sysex-interval=mseconds delay in between each SysEx message
+ There is this: Cannot initialize driver
JackServer::Open failed with -1
Failed to open server
14:12:22.044 JACK was stopped
14:12:23.399 Could not connect to JACK server as client. - Overall operation failed. - Unable to connect to server. Please check the messages window for more info.
Cannot connect to server socket err
Cannot connect to server request channel
jack server is not running or cannot be started
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
@@Make573 It's an "l" like in "like". (or use amidi --list-devices).
@@mr_floydst Ups, sorry: My bad. Here is the result: Dir Device Name
IO hw:2,0,0 Keystation Mini 32 MK3 MIDI 1
+ There is this: Cannot initialize driver
JackServer::Open failed with -1
Failed to open server
14:12:22.044 JACK was stopped
14:12:23.399 Could not connect to JACK server as client. - Overall operation failed. - Unable to connect to server. Please check the messages window for more info.
Cannot connect to server socket err
Cannot connect to server request channel
jack server is not running or cannot be started
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
@@Make573 Don't rush it. ;-) so the error message is not tied to "amidi -l", but to starting the jack server? This indicates some other audio hardware (most likely your audio interface) is causing the problem. Please try the tips on this page: askubuntu.com/questions/224151/jack-server-could-not-be-started-when-using-qjackctl .
Your Keystation is working fine, don't worry.
See also this full featured multi-synth Raspberry Pi device: Zynthian.org
Thanks for watching! I know about that project. Looks very interesting.
Hi, Is there an alternative software for the multistomp zoom to achieve that reverb sound effect from the beginning (if that was even necessary I'm not very familiar with this subject )?
Great work btw.
Hi, thanks for watching! There are some standalone reverb apps in the Debian "Store". Also, synthv1 it's own effects which sound really good (that synth really impressed me, as you propably noticed ;-) ). And there's LMMS and other DAWs of course.
@@mr_floydst Awesome, thanks a lot for the help and also I think it's amazing that you respond to your viewers so much.
You can’t hit hard enough
I'm interested to transform my Roland FP30 piano to a synthetizeur with a rasberry (FP30->USB midi->rasberry->DAC USB). Is it possible? and what about latency?
It should be possible, as seen in this video. Latency on a standard linux installation is quite bad. Here's a page which has some good advice: wiki.linuxaudio.org/wiki/raspberrypi
It's working well. I also test zynthian OS. Now i'm hesitate between this two solutions.
Hows the latency? It seems to me that theres quite a bit of latency?
Hi! Yes, there is latency in the setup seen in this video. I think it's comparable to a normal Windows setup (without the new audio drivers of Win10).
BUT there are real time kernel systems ready to install like PatchBox OS, Zynthian (and others). Those have no latency to speak of. I made some videos on them - please take a look at my RasPi playlist if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/ae5TYhnhp3w/видео.html
@@mr_floydst thank you ever so much, love your channel btw!
Hi floyd is VNC on your mac freee of usage I mean do you have to pay to use it?
Hello Sada, thanks for watching. VNC Viewer is free. You can get it here for Mac and Windows: www.realvnc.com/de/connect/download/viewer/macos/
As Mac OS is a UNIX derivative, it should be possible to open up an X-Windows connection on that system. There should be tutorials on YT how to do that.
@@mr_floydst Nicee it worked now I forgot to enable it on the pi configuration.
how did you start synthV1? i installed it however i cannot find the command to open it
Hi, thanks for watching! It's in the video's description - the command is synthv1_jack .
Will it run on older Pi's ? Like a B?
Your mileage may vary. As other viewers suggested, take a look at Sunvox, which was built for portable devices from the ground up. SynaddSubFX is a very-well optimized software synth, too, that'd be one I'd try first. Good luck!
would've been helpful for you to link all of the downloadables
Thanks for watching. Pardon, but which links are you referring to? If you buy a RasPI, all you need to download is the OS - anything else in this video can be installed with the package manager included in that OS.
OK, I think I got it. Updating the video description now. ;-)
@@mr_floydst wow i didn't even finish watching the video yet thank you
@@mr_floydst formatter and remote pi thing
The audio is horrible quality for some reason. It sounds extremely distorted and I dont know how to fix it
Hi, thanks for watching! Which kind of audio device are you using?
@@mr_floydst Thanks for the quick reply :) I've got it going from the aux jack from the Pi into my headphones and i've also tried with a guitar amplifier and both sound like a mess
Can Pi zero w or just zero do this as well? Provided that some required add-on modules added
Hi, thanks for watching! Yes, it's also possible on the PI Zero. Due to it's lower specs, you might run into issues using some software synths. Please watch some more of my later PI videos on synths that are not that hungry for resources, for example the ZynAddSubFX.
@@mr_floydst Cool! Will definitely do. Thx for replying!
Floyd I just discovered your channel! Are you aware of the sonaremin project that uses a pi to host VCV rack, along with a bunch of modules? Sorry if you have already heard of it
Hi, thanks for your feedback! Yes, I saw that some time ago but forgot about it later. :-) I'll give it a shot. Best regards!
Can you control this with a digitakt? Instead of the midi keyboard?
Great video btw, thanks!
Hello, yes, you can do that. Just plug it into the MIDI OUT of your Digitakt using a cheap standard 5-pin USB MIDI interface.
@@mr_floydst amazing, thank you very much, might give this one a go
How the heck did you manage to put the qjack understand the keyboard, without loosing connection?
I mean, did you go and install Windows based drivers, or something?
My qjack constantly looses the recognition that there is a MIDI-device attached to USB-port...
My best guess: please make sure your power supply provides enough power to run all your devices. Raspberry PI itself is quite on the edge of what normal USB PSUs can do, adding MIDI hardware doesn't improve the situation.
@@mr_floydst THX for advice, but that is not the issue. As i said: sometimes the Pi doesn't recognise the Keyboard fysically at all, even when plugged to wall poweroutlet. Im thinking it have something to do with the drivers.
Oh, By the way, What "command" you used?
Since I can't find Noisemaker with "package opener", i obviously have to use the terminal. I know how the "install" -command works, but the rest is ...
Hi, you're propably looking for this: github.com/zynthian/zynthian-plugins
@@mr_floydst Noup. I was actually looking for installing the TAL Noisemaker on my Pi. I can't find it throught the Package Handler (or i just use the wrong search words), so what i have to do, is write the exact installing script on the Terminal itself, to install the blasted program.
@@Make573 If I remember correctly, you won't find it there. The repository I mentioned contains Raspberry PI binaries. Just download them using your browser, and toss them into a plugins directory. Then start Ardour or LMMS or something which can make use of the plugins. For an overview of standalone synths on linux, just type "synth" into the software installer. amsynth and synthv1 are pretty good.
@@mr_floydst Where / how did you even found the Noisemaker then? You mean that i have to start Ardour in order to run the Noisemaker? Is the Noisemaker only some sort of "plug-in interface"??
@@Make573 This video is more than one year old and I did some more research since then. :-) Sorry if I confused you. If you're looking for a good standalone synth, please try amsynth, synthv1 or zynaddsubfx (the latter one requires some forum reading).
Title of the song?
Thanks for watching! It's just something I came up with. If you like it, I can upload it to bandcamp...
Update: I've uploaded all my RasPi improvisations here floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/album/the-raspberry-pi-ep , the one you are looking for now has been aptly named "Spheniscidae". :-) You can download that for free.
Best regards!
hi, i m really new to raspberry, when I install bristol it doesn't t show in the app installed, do I need to install something else please? thanks for your vids!
Thanks for watching. You need to start a terminal and type "startBristol". Watch the video at 07:43 to see it. ;-)
@@mr_floydst it seems to don t work, I ll make a clean reinstall, I try to use midi in over part since 3 days I think I made some mistake maybe because of this bristol won t work! if you have the solution to use a diy midi interface input on raspberry pi 3 I d like to have it!
@@benoitparisot3245 Please watch one of my latest videos on that, you'll find it on my youTube page. ruclips.net/video/N4yUduOqR3M/видео.html
@@mr_floydst thanks but my interface is to connect on serial via gpio, it doesn't show with midi -l :-(
@@benoitparisot3245 Sorry, I can't answer that. But an USB MIDI interface like the one in the video is only $6 to $10, and it will work on any computer, so perhaps it's worth investing in that...
The piv3 is too underpowered for any synth work. Even a yoshimi default instrument will xrun if you have 10++ notes on sustain. Using usb audio will help a little but not by much. Running in console mode will give the best performance but most synths are not console friendly
Hi, thanks for watching! Though this is one of my more successful videos, it's a bit outdated. There are several software synths which are optimized for PI - one of them being ZynAddSubFX, or Sundog. Both a very deep synths.
10:38 why didn't u say how u solved this... :S
And man this is really cool, but it kinda feels like ure trying too hard to be entertaining which costs us more concise information :S
Also u should share the image/micro SD copy ;)
Thanks for watching. For this video, I couldn't solve that problem, unfortunately, so I used the standard audio output. I later found out you need to remove the PI's standard audio interface from /etc/config so the USB device is the only one present in the system. Will do another video on how to do that in the next weeks. I'm sure there are better solutions for this but I'm still trying to get my head around it myself. :-) Yeah I can give you a copy, please PM me on aselck at hotmail dot com
@@mr_floydst Ok but why do u have the Audio Pi Hat then? U didn't explain why or what u use it for :S
@@boimesa8190 I got it working in the follow-up video to this. Linux Audio system is a little bit over the top, to put it like this. The sound card was intended to improve audio quality and latency, which kind of worked, but it's setup script is broken, so I had to fix that manually.
this seems far to complicated to have a few free plugins...
Thanks for watching! Fair point, but some people enjoy building their own stuff. :-)
5:31 A german Windows :D
German? Who? Me? (Quickly hides his Sauerkraut behind his back). :-)
@@mr_floydst 😎
Man, this is wicked as shit!!!
Thanks :)
Ugh, I hate Jack. I occasionally try to do music stuff on my Ubuntu desktop machine and any time an audio program insists on Jack I do either one of two things. One) Spend two or more days in frustration trying to get Jack and Pulseaudio working nicely with each other, or Two) remember the last time I tried one and failed and just nope out on fiddling with Ardour or synths outside of LMMS. Now I realize that a Pi is powerful enough to do more synth work so when I have the money to spare on a Pi 4 I will.
Thanks for watching. I think using JACK as the standard audio server (if that's the correct term) is a fine example of overkill. It can do some hugely impressive stuff that absolutely no one needs to do, ever, like routing your audio output over the network to another machine. (Ok, I admit there might be people who need to do that, but I guess that's a very small number). Instead of opting for a simple solution that works out of the box for 99% of the worlds PC-using population, we got this "this is far superior to Windows hurr hurr" stuff. ;-)
@@mr_floydst Oh you can get simple that's better than Windows (depending on opinion/ideological purity) just fine. PulseAudio is a good example (which even is supposed to do network audio though I've never gotten it to work).
The problem is convincing the devs of other projects to use your solution. I remember when PulseAudio came out it was called "the latest thing that breaks your audio". I freaking railed cause my ALSA config solution to have multiple audio programs running suddenly was broken.
I considered Pulse an over-glorified version of what I was using but now appreciate the fact that I can set up a passthrough output for each audio program I have running since it makes obs recording and mixing easier. I had to write a Perl script to autogenerate the command line statements but its doable.
The sad thing is I think Jack is capable of doing all the same but it's just too much of a pain to get working with anything. And I'm a programmer who has to do command line complexities all the time.
Install Cadence and pulseaudio-jack. Start Cadence, select ALSA -> Pulseaudio -> Jack bridge and click the start button... you get working jack and pulseaudio at the same time (I'm running that at the moment, watching youtube videos and playing around with jack-enabled music stuff :)
Just wait when pipewire replaces pulseaudio.. then everything will probably be shit for a while and after they get kinks sorted out then both jack and pulseaudio will gloriously live side by side without any fiddling (pipewire can function as a pulseaudio and jack backend for applications). I've tried pipewire and I see the potential but it's still a bit uncooked and brittle.
Linux is for people who like being diagnosticians, not for doing actual end user things. It is like LEGO for computer people, cool but
I tend to agree with that, though there are distributions that pretty much work right out of the box and don't get in your way (Ubuntu for example). The Raspberry PI is designed for "makers" specifically, so removing roadblocks is part of the "fun". My next video (this Friday) will take a look at zynthian, which is a Linux OS designed for synthesisers, and of course, setting that up went as smooth as expected. (sarcasm off). :-)
@@mr_floydst at least it makes content for your channel!
Years ago I went through the same exercise to get a SW Synth working on a laptop (nothing special, had been on the market for a couple of years). After doing everything you did, and the LT's family of sound chips were supposed to be compatible, and spending hours reading forums, I found a post by a woman who explained that the particular sound chip in the LT was not supported by one of the SW components. Hours lost and wasted.
RPi should be at least have "standard" hardware.
Bristol polysix lol
Brolyix Pistols, OMG! :-)
Can you try to run the OTTO synth code on it?
github.com/OTTO-project/OTTO
Thanks for watching! I'll try it. Don't know how much it's tied to the custom hardware controller, though.
Floyd Steinberg an other option is Orac 2.0, which will definitely work
Oh mann. Diese Stimme ist so heiß... Da vergisst man fast worum es geht.
eeeh, ok. :-)
Yeah exactly what I thought - nah
That's a valid conclusion. Yet, fun can be found in building these things (in later videos, I looked at some more recent synths like Zynthian, ZynAddSubFX or Surge, which are fairly powerful synths). In the meantime, Korg built some synths based on the PI - Wavestate, ModWave and so on.
@@mr_floydst to elaborate - I’ve realised my problem isn’t enough synths it’s being distracted by projects that take me away from making music - this is an idea example I could spend weeks setting all this up maybe get a bad version of what I already own. Then I will watch more tutorials and build the next thing or buy more kit. I just need to commit to actually making music. Thanks for your response .. really give me opportunity to consider what the hell im doing!
Ah, ok. That's perfectly reasonable. If your aim is making music, better not spend time trying to build DIY synths. (But if you enjoy building things, it can be worthwhile).
Might as well just use a laptop :P
Thanks for watching! Of course. :) But I suppose a lot of people have some unused PIs in their drawers.
@@mr_floydst There's a thing called Zynthian project. It allows you to turn the pi into a groovebox. Looks cool. zynthian.org/
@@Subzearo Thanks for your suggestion. Watch my next video (on Friday) :-)
Do you have a readme guide for this?
Thanks for watching! I'm afraid I have no readme for this.
@@mr_floydst Ah too bad.