Greetings

[FreeBeer]

Hi all.
I'm a French dude who tries to make chiptune on his spare time, nothing much to say.
I got here to get some info about midi and linux.
I've been using Reaper for a while on Windows but I have zero knowledge with music creation in Linux.
Also I tend to forget stuff quickly if I don't practice often (and I often don't practice) so I'm going back to basics.

I'm currently fiddling with this thing:https://github.com/trash80/mGB/blob/master/README.md
I like messing with old hardware.
I need a reliable setup so that I can do weird stuff on a regular basis.
Also something that's really light because I run Debian 9 on HP Probook4320s that really has shit specs.

Will be searching the board for answers to my questions, eventually will ask for help.
If you already want to point me in the direction, feel free to do so.

Cheers!

[Basslint]

I'm currently fiddling with this thing:https://github.com/trash80/mGB/blob/master/README.md

Welcome, and thanks for introducing me to mGB!

I hope you will find your answers, what do you need help with specifically right now?

[FreeBeer]

Hey \o.
mGB is really a treat.

Right now, I'm looking for a simple and reliable setup to use my Arturia Mini Lab in tandem with mGB, through linux MIDI/USB.
So far latency is not a problem.

I use QjackCtl with Qtractor, I managed to get note input by just routing midi, it was fairly simple.
Now I need to setup the control pads and nobs on my keyboard to control MIDI cc parameters in mGB.

I was unsure if Qtractor was the right pick for the job but it seems to be doing fine.

Ideally I'd like to be able to record jam sessions with on the fly midi record, capture the audio output back to the PC, sync and loop audio... rince repeat.
It should not be too hard I think (I hope).

[Basslint]

Hey \o.
mGB is really a treat.

Right now, I'm looking for a simple and reliable setup to use my Arturia Mini Lab in tandem with mGB, through linux MIDI/USB.
So far latency is not a problem.

I use QjackCtl with Qtractor, I managed to get note input by just routing midi, it was fairly simple.
Now I need to setup the control pads and nobs on my keyboard to control MIDI cc parameters in mGB.

I was unsure if Qtractor was the right pick for the job but it seems to be doing fine.

Ideally I'd like to be able to record jam sessions with on the fly midi record, capture the audio output back to the PC, sync and loop audio... rince repeat.
It should not be too hard I think (I hope).

If you work with MIDI primarily, Qtractor is for sure a good choice!

If you work with audio primarily (i.e. hardware synths), Qtractor is still a pretty good choice but Ardour is also a good choice.

You can use Qjackctrl to route everything MIDI and Audio. You are running mGB on a real Gameboy connected to the PC via a MIDI cable, right?

[FreeBeer]

You are running mGB on a real Gameboy connected to the PC via a MIDI cable, right?

Yeah. I use an improved version of the open source Arduinoboy project.
The one I got was built by Catskull Electronics.
https://catskullelectronics.com/teensyboypro
There are more affordable versions with different sets of connections.
Personally I went with this one because it's the most versatile with both USB and DIN MIDI I/O.

In terms of setting it up, it's pretty simple.
You just need to hook up the interface to a Gameboy with a link cable, load mGB (or other compatible software) and you're ready to go.
My go to setup is using a GBA SP for testing (because of the lit screen), then I record with an original DMG Gameboy.
I also recently picked up a Super Gameboy 2 for the SNES and am testing if it could be a good pick for recording (the first revision of the Super Gameboy does not have a link port and also the hardware runs ever so slightly faster than the original Gameboy so the audio is pitched up, version 2 fixed that and added the link port).

I recommend Catskull website as a whole if you're ever interested in doing chiptune with real hardware. It's full of very cool stuff.
Plus the guy is really nice and professional.

[Basslint]

You are running mGB on a real Gameboy connected to the PC via a MIDI cable, right?

Yeah. I use an improved version of the open source Arduinoboy project.
The one I got was built by Catskull Electronics.
https://catskullelectronics.com/teensyboypro
There are more affordable versions with different sets of connections.
Personally I went with this one because it's the most versatile with both USB and DIN MIDI I/O.

In terms of setting it up, it's pretty simple.
You just need to hook up the interface to a Gameboy with a link cable, load mGB (or other compatible software) and you're ready to go.
My go to setup is using a GBA SP for testing (because of the lit screen), then I record with an original DMG Gameboy.
I also recently picked up a Super Gameboy 2 for the SNES and am testing if it could be a good pick for recording (the first revision of the Super Gameboy does not have a link port and also the hardware runs ever so slightly faster than the original Gameboy so the audio is pitched up, version 2 fixed that and added the link port).

I recommend Catskull website as a whole if you're ever interested in doing chiptune with real hardware. It's full of very cool stuff.
Plus the guy is really nice and professional.

Thanks for all the info! And does it show up as a MIDI input and output in JACK?

[FreeBeer]

Yes it does