KX mini manual

Unofficial support for the KXStudio Linux distribution and applications.
More info at http://kxstudio.linuxaudio.org/

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danboid
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KX mini manual

Post by danboid »

UPDATED 22nd October 2013

Today I made numerous updates to the KXStudio manual to reflect the changes introduced in 12.04.3 and I also added a new chapter - 'Choosing and installing kernels'.

http://wiki.linuxaudio.org/wiki/kxstudio_manual

Hopefully falkTX will update his archive of it here soon:

http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Documentation

I hope you enjoy reading it and find it useful!
Last edited by danboid on Tue Oct 22, 2013 4:36 pm, edited 43 times in total.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by danboid »

I'd like to get the first version done in time for inclusion on the 12.04.2 isos so when do you expect it will get released F? I suspect you will want to iron a few creases out of Cadence and Carla first?

Just how long is that piece of string? :)
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by danboid »

Hi F!

I know only too well how busy you are so you need to prioritize and haven't found the time to document Cadence and KX and nobody should be surprised but the fact remains there are no docs to speak of. Basically people have to scour these forums or post their questions if they're not prepared to put the time in to experiment and learn. IMO thats not ideal.

I will not be offended if you don't want my help and would like to remind you how much I appreciate what you do - this was going to be my way of saying thanks and giving something back to your projects (other than the bits of testing I've already done for KX, Cadence and DISTRHO).
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by danboid »

Cool. I'm busy tonight with band practice but I'll speak to you over the weekend on IRC so we can discuss details.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by wolftune »

I'll help somewhat at some point. I've made lots of general notes myself.
See: viewtopic.php?f=47&t=10558
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by hebjuzeb »

wolftune wrote:I'll help somewhat at some point. I've made lots of general notes myself.
No rush, do you need another few months to think about it? Wolfie, you've written a whole g*****n novel about your "experiences" with KX. Falk, you answer each and every yahoo who has a problem (including myself, thanks) with infinite patience. Is it really that f***ing hard to write a paragraph explaining what Cadence is, and does? Why on earth would you spend your time writing applications that nobody uses? G*****n it dude, when you're writing the code, creating the GUI, managing the PPAs, does it ever cross your mind that the average user is just going, "what does this button do?" If the answer is "who the f**k knows, better fire up the Windows partition" then all your other work is for naught.

Remember the 3 "D's"

-Documentation, documentation, and documentation.

EDIT: censored by request of anonymous user. Hope this helps you contend with reality.
Last edited by hebjuzeb on Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by wolftune »

Well, what you call a novel is actually a novel-length bunch of half-organized half-edited notes. Nobody would publish that. And it's a lot less work than writing something really good.

Anyway, to be clear, my personal goal has been to just figure out what the heck the buttons do for myself. All of this has been a process where I can't write the documentation yet because I'm still confused. My notes aren't those of an expert, they're compilations of what I've done as I've gone from totally confused to kinda getting it. I'll be happy to write something clear once I'm clear myself. :lol:
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by hebjuzeb »

My notes aren't those of an expert, they're compilations of what I've done as I've gone from totally confused to kinda getting it. I'll be happy to write something clear once I'm clear myself.
Sure, but you know a lot. Let me tell a short story: about 3 years ago I didn't know how to turn a computer on, never used one for any reason. Then I took a course that required basic MS Office so there was no choice, had to buy one. I'll tell you, I was completely unprepared for the learning curve, and it struck me that the people around me knew a lot more than they realized; it just adds up over time, using computers every day. The same goes for the Linux world: Linux users are used to getting their hands dirty, for Pete's sake you have to repartition your hard-drive just to get in the door! You guys all learned Linux when the system was rougher than it is now, and the documentation even worse. Consequently you've forgotten how frustrating it can be, and the specific oddities that can drive newbies insane (JACK, this means you!)

At this stage there's no way you could screw up the documentation, because it doesn't exist. There's nothing. Nada. The "documentation" for Cadence is nothing but a few screenshots, I'd learn just as much by looking at my screen. Here's what I suggest: if you write very basic instructions, I and my newbie brethren can actually be of service: I'd follow the instructions, and when something confused me, just get back to you, or Dan, or whoever, saying "such and such didn't make sense to me, got this and that error." I guarantee within weeks we'd have documentation that's better than what you normally find in the Linux world.

Falk, if you're out there, you're the worst at documentation because you're the best at knowing how things work; frankly I don't think you're qualified to do your own documentation because you're too far removed from the newbie mindset.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by wolftune »

I think that's well put. That's why I'm trying to work on documentation, because I understand what it is like to be a newbie. I have background as a basic computer user, and with audio specifically, but I'm not a programmer, and I only started with GNU/Linux for the first time just over a year ago. I was so baffled and frustrated that I almost gave up several times. Having people actively personally encouraging me and helping me made the difference. Each time I almost gave up, someone asked me to try something, and I did (but with hesitation) and eventually things worked, well until the next issue. What really forced me to learn more was starting to introduce and teach others (which has been way rougher than it ought to be!)

My focus right now is on pushing falkTX not to do documentation but to get the best stuff included in KXStudio 12.04.2. When that's out, then I feel it will be worthwhile for me to take all my notes are figure out what is still applicable and put it in a more accessible form.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by hebjuzeb »

I only started with GNU/Linux for the first time just over a year ago.
Holy crap, I assumed it was longer than that. I dabbled in Linux almost right away, but it was always easier to go back to Windows, much as I hate it.

I'm a very big believer in starting with something, anything. If it's no good, that'll bug me enough to try fixing it. What say we identify a task, and give it a try? Obviously I have my own situation in mind, but that might not be typical. For the record,

a) I have an Alesis i04, similar to your input device (no coincidence, you recommended it, lol)
b) I want to record basic demos/preproduction, a pretty typical place for a newb to start.
c) I want to use Reaper. This may be an issue since it's not freeware, but the alternatives are problematic. Ardour has chosen to insult anyone who takes the term "freeware" at face value, and there's really not much else out there.
d) I want drums. Hydrogen is fine for doc purposes.

BTW what version of KX/OS are you using?
Cheers,
m.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by tbritton »

If you folks assemble some documentation, I'll make some videos from sections and post them on YouTube. My style is low-key (See my channel to see what I mean), but I like doing them and they often help many folks better than reading does. I follow up with immediate responses to comments I receive, and will refer people back to here for knotty problems I cannot give them solutions for.

Terry
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by wolftune »

hebjuzeb wrote: a) I have an Alesis i04, similar to your input device (no coincidence, you recommended it, lol)
b) I want to record basic demos/preproduction, a pretty typical place for a newb to start.
c) I want to use Reaper. This may be an issue since it's not freeware, but the alternatives are problematic. Ardour has chosen to insult anyone who takes the term "freeware" at face value, and there's really not much else out there.
d) I want drums. Hydrogen is fine for doc purposes.

BTW what version of KX/OS are you using?
Cheers,
m.
First, I completely reject your unacceptable rejection of Ardour. Get over it. Whatever your concern here is, you're being unreasonable. The term "freeware" means that something is zero-price usually, and Ardour says the same thing. Ardour does not insult people, it's not about personal attacks. In getting along as a community we have a dual responsibility: A. to not insult nor abuse others and B. to give others the benefit of the doubt and not hold grudges or read too much into what might seem insulting on first impression. Our responsibility is to figure out how to get along.

Ardour is probably the best tool to use and we should not use REAPER. I don't have strong feeling against REAPER but I'm not going to work with you to make documentation that tells everyone to use it over Linux-native FLOSS. Now that Ardour 3 is out, that's the best way to go.

I agree that Hydrogen is the way to go for drums.

I'm running the latest KXStudio 12.04.1 install, fully up-to-date, 64-bit. In other words, I used the KXStudio ISO.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by hebjuzeb »

Hey Wolftune,

Regarding Ardour, it was their old website that rubbed me (and a lot of people) the wrong way. Don't recall the wording but if you didn't want to pay they had you pick a reason from a set list, the last of which was pretty snarky. Mind you I feel the same way about Ubuntu's new download page where they run you through the guilt-gauntlet, checking off payment options 'till you're finally greeted with a death's-head icon. Tres uncool.

Regarding Reaper, I love it. So intuitive and powerful, has track-freeze, total plugin flexibility, monster FX-chaining capability, no busses, it's awesome. And of course, cross-platform, which is huge for me.

Looking back at my last post it was pretty off-the-cuff and kind of reads like I'm telling you what to do; really I just see myself as one possible guinea pig and thought I'd jot down my interests and goals re. KXStudio. Your endorsement of Ardour is enough to get me to look into it though.

Re. the 12.04.1 ISO, did you install from disk or from USB?

Finally, documentation: I do think this is good timing as I'm serious about switching over and my experience in Linux is very limited. Little details that experienced users don't think about are still fresh in my mind (for instance, you have to restart Jack to get it to change settings. It's just a tiny detail, but enough to be really frustrating if you don't know . . . that kind of thing.) Anyway if you're still interested just write something, or let me know which area you intend to do first. You can always PM me, or maybe you want to start a thread and recruit others? Yeesh, it just occurred to me we're kind of hijacking this thread, sorry Todd! Anyway I'm here a lot, the music forums have nearly cured me of a bad Reddit addiction, lol.

Cheers,
h.
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by wolftune »

don't have time for more than a brief reply:

A. I too like and respect REAPER for what it is and have used it. Still, it's proprietary and not truly integrated as native GNU/Linux. It's not true cross-platform in that regard. I do recommend it to Windows and Mac users
B. I too disliked the Ardour site and I won't say that I approve of everything they ever do. I can still get along with and respect people without agreeing with them 100% of the time. I have friends who annoy me sometimes.
C. I used a USB for install, and also you can change JACK settings with "Switch Master" button in Cadence, you don't have to stop and start JACK (yes this and issues like it are the priority for documentation, although falkTX knows about and does intend to handle that sort of documentation at the basic level)
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Re: KX mini manual

Post by hebjuzeb »

All good. I see an interesting angle for this project, I'd call it "convince me." Is Linux a viable alternative for music production? Perhaps I'm dating myself, but the old "X-files" tagline, "I want to believe," springs to mind. Perhaps we could call it the "KX Files" . . . Sorry, I'll see myself out. ; )

Frankly I see JACK as the Achilles heel for audio in Linux. Presumably you figured out how to get it working stably, but a staple of Linux forums is "^AAAAAAAAARGH, why doesn't JACK work?" Here's my latest, "JACK has either been shutdown or it
disconnected Ardour because Ardour
was not fast enough. Try to restart
JACK, reconnect and save the session."

I wasn't even doing anything, didn't get as far as designating an input. It crashed while I was typing. As an alternate example, have a look at VLC: I fucking love that program. Love it. Know why? Because it always works. It slaughters Windows Media Player and Quicktime, kills them dead. Throw whatever you want at it. Obscure audio codecs? Weird subtitle formats? Feel like adding effects to your movies just to be weird? Wanna stream radio stations frum Uzbekistan? No problem.

Do people ever talk this way about JACK? Of course not. A few people put in the work, others complain, and I suspect most just give up and leave. Frankly the idea of converting to a DAW created by the same guy who's responsible for JACK seems like a very bad idea . . . so, convince me! I'll do the work, promise.

Cheers,
h.
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