JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

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Squalala
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by Squalala »

I would really love the drummer-like algorythm ! It's the only thing that make me mac-nostalgic... If you do that and have a patreon page, tell us !!!
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by DisasterArea »

jjazzboss wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:31 pm
By any chance, is there any plan to get this to integrate with JACK midi/audio?
JJazzLab is designed to run on Linux but also on Win and Mac, so I try to not put things too specific to one OS. With a virtual Midi port (see my previous answer) you should be able to connect JJazzLab to any software synth, including VST instruments.
Dear @jjazzboss , I was directed to your JJazzLab project when I was reading the documentation of the MMA Project Helpers page that guided me to the deprecated LinuxBand project which itself guided me to yours.
Yesterday I gave JJazzLab a try and was disappointed that it does not cooperate with Jack Server. I saw your answer here and it's just what you should think about it again.
  • First of all, there are many projects that build software for Win, Mac and Linux and are using Jack.
  • Second, the Jackserver ist working on Win as well and as far as I know also in Mac
  • Third, well know Linux distros like Ubuntustudio have a lot of very good audio software that need a Jackserver running, i.e. Ardour and Carla
So I guess I'm not the only one that will be happy, if JJazzlab cooperates with the Jack Server. But I also worry about that JJazzLab seems to be a one man show and it seems that it's a project, that is to big to be managed just by one.

What do you think?

Regards
Ubuntu Studio 22.04, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, NI Komplete Audio 6, Acoustic and E-Guitar, E-Bass, Modular Synth (Cardinal) KORG Nano Control Studio, Novation Launchkey 25
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by jjazzboss »

Code: Select all

But I also worry about that JJazzLab seems to be a one man show and it seems that it's a project, that is to big to be managed just by one.
I would LOVE to have other developers involved, because the development effort is huge. The underlying https://github.com/jjazzboss/JJazzLab-X is open-sourced from the beginning, and I made significant efforts to document it. So any developer who wants to add Jack support is welcome.

The hard truth is that after 2 years, only 1 developer has contributed code (for about 5 lines of code on a total of ~150,000!). I was more successful with translation contributors, thanks to them the brand new JJazzLab 3 release is now available in 6 languages.
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by d.healey »

jjazzboss wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 1:12 pm The underlying https://github.com/jjazzboss/JJazzLab-X is open-sourced from the beginning, and I made significant efforts to document it.
What is the difference between JJazzLab and JJazzLab-X? Is JJazzLab-X a complete application or is it a set of components for building an application?
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by jjazzboss »

JJazzLab-X is a complete desktop application, but with no "music generation engine" plugin. JJazzLab is a JJazzLab-X distribution which includes the "YamJJazz" music generation engine. More info here: https://jjazzlab.gitbook.io/user-guide/ ... s/overview
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by DisasterArea »

jjazzboss wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 1:12 pm

Code: Select all

But I also worry about that JJazzLab seems to be a one man show and it seems that it's a project, that is to big to be managed just by one.
I would LOVE to have other developers involved, because the development effort is huge. The underlying https://github.com/jjazzboss/JJazzLab-X is open-sourced from the beginning, and I made significant efforts to document it. So any developer who wants to add Jack support is welcome.

The hard truth is that after 2 years, only 1 developer has contributed code (for about 5 lines of code on a total of ~150,000!). I was more successful with translation contributors, thanks to them the brand new JJazzLab 3 release is now available in 6 languages.
Yes, it's a pitty that good projects lag developers. I just took al look at your development documentation and have to say, that you have done a good job and there is no wall that keeps other developers away. But me myself have really none experience with Netbeans nor with programming for the Jack server. So there is too much overhead for me.
Maybe, you ask for support in a forum that is more for developers and not only musicians, like this one here.
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by digitsun »

d.healey wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:04 pm
jjazzboss wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 1:12 pm The underlying https://github.com/jjazzboss/JJazzLab-X is open-sourced from the beginning, and I made significant efforts to document it.
What is the difference between JJazzLab and JJazzLab-X? Is JJazzLab-X a complete application or is it a set of components for building an application?
I think JJazzLab-X is free software (libre) and JJazzLab is not.
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by asbak »

I tried it today, it seems very nice, however, I couldn't get it to work well when using a midi keyboard playing a virtual synth or piano in pulseaudio. That won't be a surprise to anybody here. So for playback of accompaniment it works great, but when trying to play along using a virtual piano or synth, not so much.

If it had a jack output module it would become much more useful to the average Linux user playing virtual keys using a plugin, or guitar via their audio interface inputs and all the mixing is handled internally in the PC.

Or maybe there is another way and somebody knows of a workaround to get low-latency guitar / virtual instruments working at the same time with JJazzlab?

Maybe one workaround would be to use PipeWire, but I haven't tried it and am not planning to switch yet.
The only other workaround I can think of is to use a hardware keyboard & mixer, or guitar through its own amp & mixer. Or to just use an acoustic guitar or piano or whatever.

Has anybody else got better ideas?
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by fraslo »

HI,

try to avoid a mixed Pulseaudio / Jack setup. You need a low latency setup for synchronizing your playing with other components.

Here is my setup (shortly described):
- Start carla
- Drag in a General MIDI (GM) Font (e.g. /usr/share/sounds/sf2/FluidR3_GM.sf2)
- Add your VST/Synth to carla
- Connect JJL with the GM font
- Connect your MIDI keyboard with the VST/Synth.
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by asbak »

There are many ways to set up JJazzlab in Linux, most of which doesn't work very well if your intentions were to simultaneously use a MIDI keyboard to play a softsynth and mix the audio on the computer with that of JJazzlab's "backing band".

The instructions below are what eventually worked well for me with a MIDI controller, JJazzlab and jack. Whether or not you have pulseaudio being piped through jack does not matter but obviously that statement assumes that you have a valid method to accomplish this.

If you don't, then rather ensure that pulseaudio is completely stopped before you start jack. Remember, pulseaudio does not die easily and will respawn unless you've taken adequate measures to ensure that it won't.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=24120
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by j_e_f_f_g »

asbak wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:02 am simultaneously use a MIDI keyboard to play a softsynth and mix the audio on the computer with a"backing band".
Just out of curiousity, have you tried "BackupBand"? Because the above is exactly the usage of BB. jjazzlab is designed more as a composition/education tool, whereas BB is definitely oriented more for live performance, for example by operating the program entirely from a midi controller exclusively.

Author of BackupBand at https://sourceforge.net/projects/backupband/files/
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Re: JJazzLab, new free software to make backing tracks in a few minutes

Post by asbak »

Hi Jeff, yes I did.

I'm on Ubuntu / Mint 20 w. Cinnamon desktop.

Some of the screens couldn't be resized properly. For example controls were displayed on the bottom and as you dragged to increase the window size, the controls would keep going down and stay 1/2 obscured at the bottom.

For reasons I don't understand it wouldn't reliably display the demo tracks in the song window, sometimes loading the song window showed them, then they'd "disappear" again, there were some weird hangs, sometimes (I have two monitors connected) clicking on the controls wouldn't work etc.

I don't know if it's due to peculiar problems on my system or what could be causing this behaviour.

Cheers
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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