Waveform 9 turns the Rasp Pi into a recording studio
Faceplates
Tracktion has always pursued its own design concept. The application and the interfaces of the underlying JUCE library were designed to be lightweight, functional, and easily scalable to different resolutions. The developers do not bother imitating metal or even wood as a front panel, something you can see with many plugins from other manufacturers. Overly playful elements, like virtual handsets that you can't touch anyway, are instead implemented in the mixer and channel settings as simple bars that you drag with the mouse.
However, for musicians, plugins have the image of virtual hardware, and many love the controls to look like the controls of real Neve or Moog devices. In order to fulfill such wishes, Waveform 9 introduces the concept of faceplates: graphical interfaces with controls as pixel graphics and backgrounds that look like brushed die-cast aluminum or painted sheet metal (Figure 5).
You can set up these faceplates for plugins and also design and configure them yourself. Faceplates open up the possibility to assign any parameter of a plugin to the buttons and thus create something like a virtual MIDI controller.
In order to change the frequency of the second oscillator quickly in the built-in soft synth, you need to select the correct control for the parameter in the GUI of the synth. Put the control on the faceplate, and you can reach it without detours. It is also possible to operate several parameters simultaneously with a faceplate controller and thus implement operations that would simply be impossible in many plug-in interfaces because controllers are located in different views.
Macros
Waveform 9 also introduces macros. Macros let you combine several parameter controllers in one controller. In this way, it is possible to set the influence of the controller on different parameters in different ways. For example, you can couple the opening of a filter cutoff with a decrease in distortion – a technique that might be particularly interesting for friends of controllerism (see the "MIDI Despite Everything" box).
All controllers can now be controlled with wave functions known as modulators. Drag the conspicuous orange symbol in the upper-right corner of the main window onto a plugin, but not directly onto a slider. The modulator functions offer the usual curves (sine, triangle, or similar), envelopes, and a MIDI tracker.
A special new feature is hidden in the interface: MIDI clips now support MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), which means you can apply tone-shaping signals such as vibrato and aftertouch, to individual notes. In the classical MIDI standard, such expression signals are only possible for all currently audible notes at the same time. Of course, this includes a MIDI instrument that sends such signals in line with the MPE standard. Linn and ROLI offer expensive instruments that demonstrate their special qualities in Waveform and Bitwig Studio, even on Linux.
Conclusions
Waveform 9 solves some small problems of the previous version and offers many new, useful extensions. The program still launches and runs as fast as an arrow, even on the meager hardware of the RPi3. With its tidy interface, which is well suited for small screens, it is also suitable for self-built devices based on the miniature PC. If you can live with the problems in the MIDI recording function, Waveform 9 is a very good complete solution for music production on the Rasp Pi at a reasonable price.
Infos
- Waveform: http://tracktion.com
- Ardour: http://ardour.org
- Rosegarden: https://www.rosegardenmusic.com
- MuseScore: https://musescore.org/
- Seq24: http://www.filter24.org/seq24/
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.