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--- electronic_music:softsynth_rabbit_hole [2023/07/21 14:10] – [Linux] mithat
+++ electronic_music:softsynth_rabbit_hole [2023/07/22 20:06] (current) – [MicroDexed] mithat
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
   * [[https://kx.studio/|KXStudio]]: SW and repos for music production.
     * [[https://kx.studio/Applications:Carla|Carla]]: a fully-featured modular audio plugin host.
     * [[https://kx.studio/Applications:Cadence|Cadence]]: a set of tools useful for audio production.
+  *  [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio/AudioHandbook|Ubuntu Studio Audio Handbook]] has lots of good information.
 ===== Laptop systems =====
-In addition to the laptop, you'll need an outboard USB soundcard, unless you lappy's sound output is exceptional. So, this a minimum two-box solution (lappy plus soundcard).
+In addition to a laptop, you'll need an outboard USB soundcard, unless you lappy's sound output is exceptional and if for some reason you don't mind using its fragile 3.5mm output jack. So, this a two-box solution (lappy plus soundcard).
 Concerning latency, distributions with realtime kernels exist. The most popular is probably [[https://ubuntustudio.org/|Ubuntu Studio]]. Debian also offers realtime kernels in the [[https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/linux-image-rt-amd64|linux-image-rt-amd64]] package. From [[https://wiki.debian.org/DebianMultimedia|DebianMultimedia]]:
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 Ubuntu Studio is appealing because it's a turnkey solution. Debian with a realtime kernel is appealing because you don't need to deal with Ubuntu Snaps. There are likely other distributions that offer realtime kernels (either standard or as an option) as well. Feel free to explore these in your copious free time.
-Follow the fork in the hole in [[electronic_music:toward_a_linux_softsynth_performance_setup|Toward a Linux Softsynth Performance Setup]]
+To follow this fork in the hole, read [[electronic_music:toward_a_linux_softsynth_performance_setup|Toward a Linux Softsynth Performance Setup]].
 ===== Rasperry Pi =====
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 Another advantage is being able to use a decent on-board I2S DAC. It's also more easily bundled into a tight package with a USB DAC if using an on-board I2S dac isn't suitable. Whether it makes most sense to use an on-board I2S DAC or a USB DAC is mostly down to whichever has the least latency.
-Most online guides assume you're using [[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/|Raspberry Pi OS]]. In theory, it's possible to [[https://www.instructables.com/64bit-RT-Kernel-Compilation-for-Raspberry-Pi-4B-/|patch the standard kernel]] for realtime latency. It doesn't seem insurmountable, but it would be a pain to do for every kernel update.
+Most online guides assume you're using [[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/|Raspberry Pi OS]]. In theory, it's possible to [[https://www.instructables.com/64bit-RT-Kernel-Compilation-for-Raspberry-Pi-4B-/|patch the standard kernel]] for realtime latency. This doesn't seem insurmountable, but it would be a pain to do for every kernel update.
-[[https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/|PatchboxOS]], which "comes pre-configured for low latency audio performance and pre-installed audio software," seems like a promising OS. However, it looks like it's still 32-bit, and the actual quality of it is unknown. The last release was 2022-05-17, so it's possible this is abandonware.
+[[https://blokas.io/patchbox-os/|PatchboxOS]], which "comes pre-configured for low latency audio performance and pre-installed audio software," seems like a promising OS. However, it looks like it's still 32-bit, and since it's not a very popular distribution, its actual quality is unknown. Also, the last release was 2022-05-17, so it's possible this is abandonware.
 There are a [[https://all3dp.com/2/rtos-raspberry-pi-real-time-os/|bunch of RTOSes]] for the RPi, but these will almost certainly involve having to compile almost all music packages from scratch for the OS.
-Follow the fork in the hole in [[electronic_music:toward_a_rasperry_pi_softsynth_performance_setup|Toward a Rasperry Pi Softsynth Performance Setup]]
+To follow this fork in the hole, read  [[electronic_music:toward_a_rasperry_pi_softsynth_performance_setup|Toward a Rasperry Pi Softsynth Performance Setup]].
 ====== Microcontroller-based and turnkey SBC synths ======
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 ===== MiniDexed =====
-[[https://github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed|MiniDexed]] is a standalone [[https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/|Dexed]] host that runs on Rasperry Pi. Some claim it's "bare metal", but it appears to be built on Arch (IIRC).
+[[https://github.com/probonopd/MiniDexed|MiniDexed]] is a standalone [[https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/|Dexed]] host that runs on Rasperry Pi. The project is documented very well.
 ===== MicroDexed =====
 [[https://codeberg.org/dcoredump/MicroDexed|MicroDexed]] and [[https://codeberg.org/positionhigh/MicroDexed-touch|MicroDexed-touch]] are [[https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/|Dexed]] hosts that run on the [[https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/|Teensy]] platform.
-This could form the basis of a very compact and robust synth. However, The code quality doesn't appear to be very good. So while this has a lot of potential, it might need a lot of code cleanup work to make it robust.
+This could form the basis of a very compact and robust synth. However, the developer admits they aren't the most skilled C++ coder. So while this has a lot of potential, it might need a lot of code cleanup work to make it robust.
-MicroDexed-touch is billed as the continuation of MicroDexed, but it adds features that distract from the performance-synth goal.
+MicroDexed-touch is billed as the continuation of MicroDexed. It adds features that many users may welcome but that distract from the performance-synth goal.
 ===== Other Teensy synths =====