Gig Performer or Cantabile options for Linux- are there any?

[pax-eterna]

Gig Performer https://gigperformer.com/ and Cantabile https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/ are both Windows/Mac apps that also can include audio/midi backing tracks. All of which is saved in songs which when loaded/recalled via MIDI, load everything preset in the song ready to play.

My question is, is there anything, even remotely, like these available for Linux?

Thanks

[j_e_f_f_g]

https://sourceforge.net/projects/backupband/files/

Download manual.zip to peruse the instructions.

[pax-eterna]

https://sourceforge.net/projects/backupband/files/

Download manual.zip to peruse the instructions.

Thanks, but that was not what I was after - that seems to be an "arranger" app...

[glowrak guy]

I think linux reaper can do what you ask, about 6 steps to get it all set up,
a topic below has the details from years back, and hopefully today it is easier to accomplish.

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=178704

You could ask at the linux reaper forum:

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Cheers

[j_e_f_f_g]

seems to be an "arranger" app...

Well so is Gig Performer. Backband has the same concept of user-defined "styles" containing your own programmed Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Intro, Ending, and Fills. Then you create songs (BackupBand calls them "SongSheets") where you stitch together the Verse/Chorus/Etc of one or more styles into a full song with a chord progression. So when gigging, you can bring up a listing of SongSheets, to pick one to load/play a particular arrangement.

What BandupBand doesn't do is wave backing tracks. (The playback of the MIDI styles/songsheets is done on BackupBand's built-in multi-sampled wavetable synth containing instruments such as piano, organ, bass, drums, guitar, etc. But although you can add your own sampled instruments to the built-in synth, it doesn't feature timed triggering/syncing of wave tracks).

BankupBand also doesn't bother with setlists, or storing configuration of external gear. SongSheets configure only BackupBand's own state.

But what BackupBand does do is also offer realtime arrangement like hardware arrangers such as Yamaha's Piaggero or Korg's PA arrangers. So you can play an arrangement on-the-fly, instead of relying on SongSheets. Useful for improvising a song for which you don't have a SongSheet.

I suggested BackupBand because it does do a lot of what your target programs do. The fact that it also does something else shouldn't prevent you from trying it out. It's open source, free software. So it's not like it costs you anything to investigate whether it will do what you need. You may even find something useful it does, which the other programs don't (for example you can define sections of a SongSheet to loop indefinitely until receiving a particular midi message. This is useful for "extending solos". Maybe the other programs don't have that feature. Or for example, you can play any of the instruments on the built-in synth at the same time that the SongSheet is playing. Therefore it serves double-duty as a playable "sound module" for your controller.)

[pax-eterna]

Sorry to disagree, but perhaps you are looking at the wrong app? Did you look at the link I provided? Essentially Gig Performer is a VST host as is Cantabile, as is Camelot Pro

That program you you linked to is an arranger (as in Yamaha PSR, Korg PA series etc etc) which do exactyl as that app does and plays auto chords and rhythms with sections.

It still looks interesting and I will try it out just for the fun of it though. And yes the apps I mentioned both will work with markers to repeat sections of a backing audio/midi track, if one is being used, but as I wrote they are essentially VST hosts that allow you to set up various VST's for different performances to select dynamically.

[pax-eterna]

I think linux reaper can do what you ask, about 6 steps to get it all set up,
a topic below has the details from years back, and hopefully today it is easier to accomplish.

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=178704

You could ask at the linux reaper forum:

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Cheers

thanks, I'll check it

[noedig]

Konfyt (https://github.com/noedigcode/konfyt) does part of what Cantabile and Gig Performer does - easily set up patches and switch between them for live keyboard playing.
It does not have audio/midi backing tracks or plugin hosting capabilities, however.
For that, you can hook it up to Carla (host plugins, some backing track functionality) and/or a DAW like Ardour or Reaper. It's intended to be used with other programs and doesn't try to take on the plugin host task itself.

I made a proof of concept way to use Ardour to play backing tracks a few years ago, will have to see if it still works with the latest version: https://github.com/noedigcode/ArdourSongSwitcher

Some time ago I also put together a patch switching system for Reaper. The setup is slightly convoluted, but works well once done. At the very least it could serve as some insight into how customizable Reaper is.
https://github.com/noedigcode/gidPatches-for-Reaper

[pax-eterna]

Konfyt (https://github.com/noedigcode/konfyt) does part of what Cantabile and Gig Performer does - easily set up patches and switch between them for live keyboard playing.
It does not have audio/midi backing tracks or plugin hosting capabilities, however.
For that, you can hook it up to Carla (host plugins, some backing track functionality) and/or a DAW like Ardour or Reaper. It's intended to be used with other programs and doesn't try to take on the plugin host task itself.

I made a proof of concept way to use Ardour to play backing tracks a few years ago, will have to see if it still works with the latest version: https://github.com/noedigcode/ArdourSongSwitcher

Some time ago I also put together a patch switching system for Reaper. The setup is slightly convoluted, but works well once done. At the very least it could serve as some insight into how customizable Reaper is.
https://github.com/noedigcode/gidPatches-for-Reaper

Nice! thanks. More stuff to research, which is excellent.... seems it might not be such a stretch!

[j_e_f_f_g]

Gig Performer is a VST host

Oh, ok. Your initial post mentioned only something that provided "backing tracks", not VST hosting.

In that case, you want to check out a program called "carla". Do a search here and a link should pop up.

[robbert-vdh]

Bitwig Studio is the obvious choice for live performance software on Linux, but it's of course not cheap (next sale is a still a couple of months off).

[GMaq]

@pax-eterna

If you simply want to host Instrument Plugins and trigger them with a MIDI Keyboard then Carla can both host the Plugins and by using it's internal 'MIDI Split' Plugin you can route the keyboard to different MIDI channels to play sounds from the various Instrument Plugins.

I did this years ago on a laptop for the keyboard player in my band and it worked well, TBH I haven't done it in the past few years but I can't see that Carla's functionality has changed in that regard. With Carla's Wine bridges and either LinVST or the more recent Yabridge you should be able to host both Linux and Windows Virtual Instruments and Synths in Carla..

For the record this is all pre-installed OOTB (at the current time with LinVST) in AVL-MXE but it appears you have moved on to another OS.

[pax-eterna]

@pax-eterna

If you simply want to host Instrument Plugins and trigger them with a MIDI Keyboard then Carla can both host the Plugins and by using it's internal 'MIDI Split' Plugin you can route the keyboard to different MIDI channels to play sounds from the various Instrument Plugins.

I did this years ago on a laptop for the keyboard player in my band and it worked well, TBH I haven't done it in the past few years but I can't see that Carla's functionality has changed in that regard. With Carla's Wine bridges and either LinVST or the more recent Yabridge you should be able to host both Linux and Windows Virtual Instruments and Synths in Carla..

For the record this is all pre-installed OOTB (at the current time with LinVST) in AVL-MXE but it appears you have moved on to another OS.

Thanks Glen. Yeah I was trying Manjaro (after MXE) for a while (seems quite a few of Reaper Linux users use it so I tried it) but again, got bogged down with small apps needed for editing external hardware gear that would not run in WINE and had no Linux native....I was forced back to windows, but again W10 and all the MS crap is getting me down again so I am looking at trudging down the path again. Cantabile, Gig Performer and Camelot Pro do not run in WINE and I REALLY do not want to dual boot (I'm a sort of "all or nothing" sort of guy haha) and certainly want to avoid running VMsoftware. I really liked your distro, but I couldn't get that "Elementary OS look" , or IE the MAC-OS look that I really like so much. Couldn't really in Manjaro either without breaking a few things

Certainly in a "state of flux" at the mo hahaha!

[pax-eterna]

@pax-eterna

................ but I can't see that Carla's functionality has changed in that regard. With Carla's Wine bridges and either LinVST or the more recent Yabridge you should be able to host both Linux and Windows Virtual Instruments and Synths in Carla..

For the record this is all pre-installed OOTB (at the current time with LinVST) in AVL-MXE but it appears you have moved on to another OS.

So you'd recommend Carla over Reaper?

[pax-eterna]

........................Some time ago I also put together a patch switching system for Reaper. The setup is slightly convoluted, but works well once done. At the very least it could serve as some insight into how customizable Reaper is.
https://github.com/noedigcode/gidPatches-for-Reaper

https://noedigcode.github.io/gidPatches-for-Reaper/ That looks interesting. As you wrote a bit fiddly to setup, but once a template was created easy to reproduce!