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Address: User:Crantila/FSC/Sequencers/Rosegarden

Requirements and Installation

As with the other Qt software in this guide, Rosegarden does not have any KDE dependencies. As such, GNOME users will not need to install KDE in order to use Rosegarden. Certain Qt toolkit packages will be automatically installed.

Requirements

List of Installation Requirements:

  • both the "feta" and "parmesan" fonts
  • libsndfile
  • libsamplerate
  • FFTW
  • JACK
  • some Qt dependencies
  • LADSPA is brought in somewhere

In addition to the above-listed requirements, which will be installed automatically with Rosegarden, you will need to install a MIDI-capable synthesizer. The reason that this is not automatically installed with Rosegarden is that it allows the user maximum flexibility in choosing which synthesizer to use. Moreover, there are a great number of synthesizers - some of them hardware devices - that each have different capabilities and different sounds. For this reason, it is not common practice for MIDI sequencers to choose a synthesizer for the user.

Most users, at least when starting out, will find that FluidSynth is a highly flexible synthesizer. Its use is documented elsewhere in this guide, it comes recommended by Rosegarden's "Welcome" screen, and it will be used here for demonstration purposes.

In addition to independent MIDI synthesizers, Rosegarden supports the use of DSSI synthesizer plugins. The use of DSSI plugins will not be discussed in this guide.

Installation

This is a little bit more difficult to guess than for some other applications. The package is not called "rosegarden", but "rosegarden4", indicating that it is written for KDE 4. This was useful when the KDE 3 version was still around (long after KDE 4's release).

  • Use PackageKit or KPackageKit or run su -c 'yum install rosegarden4' to install the "rosegarden4" package.
  • Install a MIDI synthesizer, as required.

Configuration

(no algorithms)

Setup JACK and Qsynth

  1. Start QjackCtl to control JACK.
  2. Start Qsynth to control FluidSynth.
  3. In order to receive MIDI input from Rosegarden, Qsynth will need to be configured to use the "alsa_seq" MIDI Driver. See the other chapter for instructions.
  4. You will probably want to disconnect all JACK connections except for those that you want to use with Rosegarden. Open QjackCtl's "Connect" window, and verify the following:
    • On the "Audio" tab:
      • Qsynth's output ports are connected to the "system" input ports.
      • If you plan to use audio in Rosegarden (in addition to MIDI), then you will need to connect its output ports to the "system" input ports, too. The ports labeled "record monitor" are to be used to monitor audio while it is being recorded. The ports labeled "master out" will be used during regular file playback. You may need to adjust these several times while using Rosegarden.
      • If you plan to record audio in Rosegarden, then you will need to connect an output port (probably from "system") to Rosegarden's input port. Be aware that Rosegarden can record from two independent sources ("1" and "2"), with two channels ("L" for left and "R" for right) from each, to produce a stereo recording.
    • On the "MIDI" tab:
      • Nothing.
    • On the "ALSA" tab:
      • Rosegarden's output ports must be connected to the "FLUID synth" input port. I don't know what they're for yet:
        • 1:sync out (was automatically connected)
        • 2:external controller
        • 3:out 2 - General MIDI Device (was automatically connected)
      • To make Rosegarden take commands from another MIDI device, you'll need to connect its output ports to Rosegarden's input ports. I don't know what they are for yet:
        • 0:record in
        • 2:external controller

If a connection isn't being used, it's better to leave it disconnected, to avoid making mistakes.

Setup Rosegarden

  1. 'Edit > Preferences'
  2. Setup "General" as desired.
    • On "Behaviour" tab maybe "Use JACK Transport"
    • On "Extrenal Applications" tab maybe change those to match what's installed (GNOME users)
  3. Setup "MIDI" as desired.
    • On "MIDI Sync" tab maybe set to "Send MIDI Clock, Start and Stop" if Rosegarden is the ultimate controller, or "Accept Start, Stop and Continue" if it's being controlled. Otherwise "Off" is safe.
  4. Setup "Audio" as desired.
    • The preview scale will not affect the audio, just its appearance.
    • Reducing quality from 32-bit to 16-bit may help low-power systems keep up.
    • Changing the external audio editor only affects when you choose to use an extrenal editor.

Saving a Configuration

This will be about LASH. Start with this.

Other File Formats

About LilyPond exporting, MIDI support, Csound, Hydrogen, etc.

Write a Song in Rosegarden

A Note on Using the Notation Editor

When you're using the notation editor, and the pitches don's stop playing, do this.

Start the Score

  1. Have QjackCtl, then Qsynth, then Rosegarden
  2. Set Qsynth to use the default SoundFont (FluidR3)
  3. Connect in JACK to use MIDI only
  4. In Rosegarden 'Edit > Preferences' then MIDI then General then yes to "Send all MIDI controllers... " so that yadda yadda
  5. in main screen, select first channel and first two bars, drag out to fill
  6. it says "Acoustic Grand Piano"
  7. double-click the box that you made
  8. input equivalent to " c4 c c c8 g | es4 es d8 f d g "
    1. first change the clef
    2. here's how
    3. more tips
    4. isntructions
  9. you'll make mistakes, here's how to fix them
    1. fix
    2. fix again
    3. fix some more
  10. play it
    1. transport won't stop until you stop it - but the line on the staff stops
  11. close the notation editor; note that it will automatically be preserved
  12. save the file for fun
  13. change to "Select and Edit" tool (press F2 or select the mouse pointer on the toolbar)
  14. select the segment you just created
  15. press and hold Ctrl while you create a copy and drag it to the end of the first copy; repeat a few times
  16. use the Rosegarden Transport to move the transport to the start, then press "Play" to listen to it, then stop it, then return to beginning
  17. name the newly-created channel; perhaps "Bass Line"

Channel 2

  1. select second channel and name it "Percussion"
  2. go to side-panel, "Instrument Parameters" and select "Percussion"; leave everything else
  3. Play the transport so it resets the program
  4. F3 or click on "Draw Tool"
  5. drag out a one-measure space in channel 2
  6. double-click on the one-bar segment to get the notation editor
  7. each pitch is a different percussion instrument; experiment to find a four-quarter-note, one-measure patter that you want to repeat
  8. close it - note how it's automatically preserved
  9. change to select tool
  10. select the new percussion segment and 'Edit > Copy'
  11. move the tranpsport to the end of the first measure
    1. first move to beginning
    2. press "Fast forward" so it's at the end of the first measure
  12. make sure the 2nd channel is still selected
  13. press Ctrl+V or 'Edit > Paste' several times so that the percussion thing fills up the same space as the bass line

Spicing up the Percussion

    • You want to add information about the Percussio Matrix Editor here
  1. it's not cool enough, so you want to spice it up by adding off-beat accents
  2. double-click on the first percussion segment, to open it in the notation editor
  3. go 'Edit > Select Whole Staff'
  4. then 'Adjust > Notes > Eighth Note'
  5. this compressed the notes, and it isn't what you wanted
  6. 'Edit > Undo'
  7. then again make sure that whole staff is selected
  8. then 'Adjust > Notes > Eighth Note (Without Duration Change)'
  9. now add off-beat accents as you wish
    1. de-select all the notes
    2. change to "Draw Tool" (F3)
    3. etc.
  10. now you would have to change all of the copies that you made...
  11. instead, delete all the copies BUT save the first
  12. select the first segment
  13. on the left side, under "Segment Parameters" choose "Repeat"
  14. only problem is that it now repeats forever
  15. it's best to develop with "Repeat" mode, because you can change this into copies:
    1. select the Repeated segment that you want copies of
    2. click 'Segment > Turn Repeats Into Copies'
  16. change Channel 1 so that it's on Repeat
  17. if you wish, change the program of Channel 1

Channel 3

  1. change the name of Channel 3 to "Melody"
  2. change the program to whatever you wish (I'm using program 51, "Synth Strings 1," for that '80s feeling)
  3. create a one-measure segment from the beginning, to change the melody
  4. you create four measures of melody and realize it isn't enough; close the notation editor
  5. use the "Select and Edit" tool (F2) and carefully select and drag the end of the melody, to add some more measures
  6. go back to the notation editor by double-clicking, then add more melody until you're satisfied
  7. you realize there should be a short intro of just the beat, before the melody enters
  8. use the "Select and Edit" tool (F2) and click-and-drag the segment to wherever you want it
  9. regardless of where you put it, the notation editor will not change

Adding an Audio Segment

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