Isn't Timidity able to load SF2 banks? Maybe that's a solution for you? If the soundfonts could be loaded/unloaded dynamically like in Windows API you could just load new soundfont bank when it's needed and unload when it's no more / not yet needed to save memory. If you don't like SF2 format also the DLS or DLS2 formats are available (you'll get specs from www.midi.org).
IMHO it's better to build a pure MIDI tracker (for Windows I haven't yet found a pattern-based MIDI sequencer like the one on Ensoniq EPS/+/ASR/ESQ samplers/synths which I've also used live, it's simply great) and send the BANK LOAD and BANK UNLOAD commands from the sequencer as SYSEX data to the synth part of application. -Mikko > -----Original Message----- > From: ext robbins jacob [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: 04. July 2002 4:46 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [linux-audio-dev] name a realtime wave mixing library/program > with an API > > > I am writing a sequencer application for performance use, > sort of like a > tracker but with a more flexible pattern structure. Such a > sequencer will > need to have random realtime access to banks of samples and effects. > I've been having a devil of a time finding a library or sound > program to > provide the sample loading/playing/mixing features for this > project. As of > yet i have been smashing my head against a bunch of projects > that don't > quite allow enough pcm files to be simultaneously loaded into > memory and > mixed on demand. I really don't want to write this code > myself (the result > would not be pretty), So i am asking for suggestions of > programs and/or > libraries that i could hook up to my sequencer app to provide > the actual > sound generation. > > basically, i'm looking for a software sampler with an api, > but it looks like > i'm going to have to use a wav editor that can be abused into > holding lots > of samples (say a few hundred) "memory", you say? as much as > you can handle! > > here's a short history of my blundering entrance into linux sound [a > frustrating experience of stumbling through projects with almost no > documentation and then delving deep into the code only to > find out it's not > what you thought]: > > -ecasound: this was an early favorite for its full feature set, but i > discovered it can not load and unload wav files without a > discontinuity in > the output. so it's more for studio use. > > -RTcmix: my current fave, it has a great lineage and a > totally awesome > scheme of making instruments into libraries that can be > loaded and unloaded > on demand at runtime. unfortunately, it was created before it > was feasible > to put samples into memory. so soundfiles are treated as file > descriptors > which reside on the hard disk (i think). furthermore, the > treatment of > instruments-as-libraries does not allow instantiating and referencing > multiple instances of a type of instrument. RTCmix is rapidly > evolving and a > few more hacks could make it what i need. > > -EsounD: has the wav storage and accesibility but is a little > too rough to > use for performance > > -JACK: anything of this sort one ends up making will > eventually use JACK, > but JACK is for tying the sound producing modules together, > not for holding > and mixing a bunch of individual samples. > > -Open Source Audio Library (Bruce Forsberg's): seems to be > everything one > would need... but not an application. To use this one would > have to build a > separate application that uses OSAP to load/play/mix samples, > then interface > with that app. i'd like to avoid that; i figure other people > have done that > better, and i should be able to spend time making a sequencer > as opposed to > a sample-player but, hey maybe i'm all mixed up... > > -SDL: same comment as OSAP. provides api for loading and then > let's you > schedule mixing on your own. > > -PSL the Portable Sound Library project from Andrew Clausen: > can not locate > this, even on sourceforge. > > -snd: seems to me to be the best thing to look into next, unless your > comments steer me otherwise. > > p.s. i hope these comments don't seem negative towards the > projects, i am > really amazed by all of them. they are just not designed for > doing what i > want so i am asking for suggestions of projects that will need less > shoehorning to fit into the mold i described above. > -jacob > - > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com > >
