Re: [Rosegarden-user] Newbie: Hard synth to Linux, what to buy?

[D. M. 'S. M. <ros...@gm...>]

On Saturday 22 July 2006 8:55 am, robert lazarski wrote:

> Korg Triton classic - in its day (5 years ago) top of the line. Full
> sequencer, effects rack etc built-in .

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!

> What I want to do:

> 1) Connect Timidity to my synth to play along with midi files - or
> somehow connect midi files and my synth.

Timidity is a soft synth for playing MIDI on a computer that has no better way 
to do so.  You have a better way to do so, in spades.  You don't need 
Timidity.  All you do need is a way to get your hardware wired up to your 
computer.

> 2) Some recording. Probably just me and my synth.

Easy, once you have the keyboard talking to your computer.

> My questions are basically: I'm building a new computer. I'm looking
> for advice on how to do what i described. I'm thinking about buying a
> midi sport 2x2 . I'm looking at a terratec ews88/MT soundcard - but I
> thnk it may be overkill for what I need. I have an open mind but a
> small budget for simple needs. I can spend a few extra bucks for a
> bigger bang if it avoids problems / is worth it.

I'm not familiar with the card you're looking at, but a quick google search 
seems to be telling me

* it has the ice1712 chipset
* it has MIDI IN/OUT jacks

I have a card with the ice1712 chipset now, and it works great, so yours 
should too, I expect.  Mine is a cheapo with only one analog input, so I have 
a couple of microphones, a couple of guitars, and my Roland Sound Canvas all  
plugged into an external mixer (a Behringer UB 1002) to feed them all into 
the soundcard without having to swap cables.  This works for me, because I 
only record one thing at a time.  If I wanted to record multiple audio 
sources to different tracks, I would want a soundcard with more analog 
inputs.

I'm not sure how many inputs the card you're looking at has.  I didn't bother 
to research it that far.

Anyway.  Your card should also have MIDI, it looks like at a glance, so that 
means you probably don't need a USB MIDI interface at all.

Probably.  The MIDI jacks on my Audiophile 2496 stopped working a couple 
kernel upgrades ago, and I wound up buying a USB MIDI interface in 
frustration.  If I were you, I would skip the expense until it proves 
necessary, but I'd keep it in mind if the jacks on your new soundcard can't 
be made to work easily.  The driver apparently had some bugs that were a year 
old when I ran into the trouble, so it didn't look like anybody was in a 
hurry to fix this.  It may be fixed by now though.  I don't know, or care, 
since I bought the stupid USB dongle anyway.

For USB MIDI dongles, I recommend the Edirol UM-2 as the easiest, plug and 
play 2 in 2 out solution.  The MIDI Sport stuff might be easier now than it 
was a year ago (and I think it is, actually), but the Edirol stuff has always 
been plug and play.  Plug and play gets my vote, since you're buying it new 
anyway.

The rest should be cabling, and diddling some software.  Cross that bridge 
later.  Install whatever package contains "envy24control" to get control over 
the mixer on the ice1712 chip, and the rest is incredibly annoying and 
complicated.  Oops.  I mean simple.  But let's get there later.  (And you 
only need the soundcard to record your keyboard's audio output anyway, I 
suppose you realize.  More plumbing and diddling.  If you don't want to 
record the keyboard's audio to make a CD, for example, then you can skip the 
soundcard entirely, and just go with the USB gadget.)

There, that ought to have been clear as wet mud, since I spewed it out in 30 
seconds.

-- 
D. Michael 'Silvan' McIntyre  ----   Silvan <dmm...@us...>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek;  registered Linux user #243621

Author of Rosegarden Companion http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/