[Linuxsampler-devel] LinuxSampler as a stand-alone app vs. plugin

[Mark K. <mk...@co...>]

Hi,
   Reading through the thread from the last day or two, I did end up with a
question about how LinuxSampler might be impacted by being a stand-alone
app.

   To start off, I'm only considering a Jack issue here. If the sampler
engine was used in a plugin type app, more or less a soft synth, then I
presume that this app would have to run with the same Jack requirements as
my audio recording system. It either meets normal Jack latency requirements
or we get xruns in the Jack audio stream, just like any other Jack app.

   If I want to push buffer numbers and sizes down to reduce real time audio
latency, does this have any impact on the Soft Sampler's ability to stream
from disk? Does this mean that it has to buffer more data, or do things
differently, based on how this is set?

   I presume that if we were able to stream sample libraries from disk, then
we have to buffer enough data in DRAM to ensure the sample stream continues
until the disk catches up. Is this driven only by the drive's response time?
Or would there be advantages in running the sampler engine at higher Jack
latencies to reduce buffering?

   Seems to me that if I run this on a second machine (or have a second jack
daemon on the same machine...) I get an extra degree of freedom. Does it
help me?

   I'm just asking questions for the sake of learning. I do understand that
there are perceived patent issues, so let's leave that for a separate
discussion.

Thanks,
Mark