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SF.net SVN: jazzplusplus: [541] web/htdocs/documentation/index.php
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From: <pst...@us...> - 2008-05-17 21:44:18
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Revision: 541
http://jazzplusplus.svn.sourceforge.net/jazzplusplus/?rev=541&view=rev
Author: pstieber
Date: 2008-05-17 14:44:16 -0700 (Sat, 17 May 2008)
Log Message:
-----------
Applied a slightly modified version of a patch provided by Donald B. Moore.
Donald's changes.
Added content to the documentation page of the website.
Pete's changes.
1. Changed some break tags to paragraph tags.
2. Wrapped lines at 80 columns.
Modified Paths:
--------------
web/htdocs/documentation/index.php
Modified: web/htdocs/documentation/index.php
===================================================================
--- web/htdocs/documentation/index.php 2008-05-17 21:36:05 UTC (rev 540)
+++ web/htdocs/documentation/index.php 2008-05-17 21:44:16 UTC (rev 541)
@@ -47,8 +47,9 @@
<h3>Using Jazz++ with Linux on the x86/x86_64 PC</h3>
+<h4>Introduction</h4>
<p>
-Introduction: Years ago when the Jazz++ project first came to my attention,
+Years ago when the Jazz++ project first came to my attention,
using it with Linux on the PC was a much different proposition to
what is possible today on this platform/OS. Although it would be
entirely possible to create a MIDI score with jazz, (in the same way
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@
The result of these many advances and changes over time, means Linux
users are no longer constrained by the need of having actual MIDI
capable hardware or a MIDI/synth capable soundcard, to obtain good sound
-production with MIDI applications like jazz. Instead of having one
+production with MIDI applications like Jazz++. Instead of having one
or more hardware sound synthesis chips (be they on a soundcard or
in a MIDI musical instrument) to produce the sound(s), we can now
use a software application to achieve the same ends, and many folks
@@ -94,17 +95,17 @@
card (and/or onboard sound chip) typically ships with proprietary
Windows drivers that enable the use of that hardware as a 'softsynth' in
conjunction with the underlying Windows sound API supports. In
-effect, Windows users could come to the website, download jazz and
+effect, Windows users could come to the website, download Jazz++ and
install it, and be making noise in under 2 minutes with very little
or no effort. If only users of other platforms/OS' could have it this
easy - hopefully this documentation will help bridge the (Linux) gap.
</p>
+<h4>Hardware based sound synthesis and Linux on the x86 PC</h4>
<p>
-Hardware based sound synthesis and Linux on the PC: Thanks to all the
-great work done by the ALSA team over the years, Linux now has much
-better driver supports for the various soundcards on the market today
-that have hardware based MIDI/synths chips as part of their design.
+Thanks to all the great work done by the ALSA team over the years, Linux
+now has much better driver supports for the various soundcards on the market
+today that have hardware based MIDI/synth chips as part of their design.
</p>
<p>
@@ -123,6 +124,118 @@
cards of this type that are currently supported under Linux, and
later document configuration details here for use with Jazz++.
</p>
+
+<h4>Software based sound synthesis and Linux on the x86 PC</h4>
+<p>
+This area of the documentation will grow over time. There is a lot
+that can be documented here now with Linux, however at this early
+stage of Jazz++'s development, it's more important for potential
+users and testers of the Jazz++ code to have some form of consistant
+MIDI 'test-bed' to prove and test Jazz++ itself on linux.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although this isn't 'set in stone', the Jazz++ developers have
+been using a softsynth setup in Linux as I describe below, which
+uses JACK, FLUIDSYNTH and QSYNTH. A similar setup should also
+work on the Mac running Mac OSX.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Essentially, -any- ALSA based, MIDI capable softsynth setup
+should work with Jazz++, and I've already tested a few that seem
+to work fine. However, more consistant and comparable results of
+testing, will be observed using the same softsynth 'kit' as the
+Jazz++ developers do, and this is why documentation of this
+softsynth setup comes first.
+</p>
+
+<h4>Overview of a typical Linux softsynth setup</h4>
+<p>
+Softsynth setups in Linux are comprised of a number of
+software applications which work together to form a virtual
+machine that emulates hardware based MIDI/synth devices. The
+so formed virtual machine can be easily broken down into it's
+individual parts, to better understand how the components
+'expose' themselves to the user ;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The ALSA part -- forms virtual MIDI and real audio paths for the
+other parts of the virtual machine to communicate across. Allows
+PCM data rendered by the virtual machine to be realized as an
+analogue audio signal at the line outputs of the soundcard hardware.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The JACK part -- a low-latency sound server. Forms both a virtual
+MIDI patch-bay and a virtual audio patch-bay to control and
+define how the virtual machine parts interconnect with and across
+the virtual and real machine paths formed by the ALSA part.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The FLUIDSYNTH part -- the virtual MIDI synthesizer itself. It
+accepts valid MIDI data as input, and renders that data into
+PCM data output, as determined by sound/instrument data contained
+in a 'SoundFont' file.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The QSYNTH part -- this forms the virtual control panel of the
+virtual synthesizer part. Essentially, this comprises a GUI to
+easily allow the user to change/control the virtual synthesizer
+itself, add/remove SoundFont files, define bank settings, and
+adjust other working parameters of the virtual synthesizer itself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Additionally, the QJACKCTL software provides a GUI visualization
+of the virtual MIDI/audio patch-bays formed by the JACK part,
+allowing the user a quick and easy way to 'hook it all up' as it
+were, in any particular configuration they desire.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For the sake of accuracy with this overview, it is worth noting
+that Jazz++ itself is a virtual machine - it is a software emulation
+of -hardware- based MIDI sequencers that were in common use years
+ago. Jazz++ is of course much more capable than these old hardware
+sequencers I speak of, which in their day were little more than
+'drum machines' triggering sound events on a MIDI or otherwise
+connected 'tip-and-ring patch cord configured' analogue synthesizer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Also note here, the virtual machine softsynth described in the
+overview above, lacks one obvious component - the INPUT part.
+It is basically a virtual MIDI synthesizer with all the bells,
+knobs and whistles, but without a keyboard or anything else
+'driving' it. Jazz++ is that part. The MIDI data produced by Jazz++
+is that MIDI input data the FLUIDSYNTH part accepts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jazz++ can itself accept valid MIDI data from either the virtual
+and/or 'real world' MIDI domains. This means, you can connect
+a real MIDI synthesizer keyboard to Jazz++ as a MIDI data INPUT
+part, and record notes played on that with Jazz++. Equally, you
+could connect the same external MIDI keyboard as an INPUT part
+to FLUIDSYNTH and use the virtual MIDI softsynth to replay the
+notes you are playing, instead of the synthesizer's own hardware
+kit.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finally, there are other virtual machines in software that
+can be used as valid MIDI data INPUT parts here, such as the
+program VKEYBD, which is a virtual onscreen MIDI keyboard GUI
+with keys you click on with your mouse -- all these MIDI devices
+be they virtual machines or not, can interact and interconnect
+with each other, and thus possibly form very complex MIDI
+sound production environments that traverse and inter-operate
+across the software virtual and real hardware MIDI domains.
+</p>
<?php
require_once('../include/footer.php');
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