Newbie linuxsampler help

[TheSafePlaces]

Hi.

Was using Linux for recording, so far, wanted to start using samples. Unfortunately I'm new to both using samples as well as Linux in general.

I have the Open Source Drumkit and Sonatina SO samples, but for some infuriating reason I cannot fathom how to use them with QSampler!

With SSO, I figured I'd have to 'Add Channel', but after that no matter what I select under 'engine', but it just doesn't see the extracted SFZ files!
As for the OSD, I have no clue how to use wav samples with qsampler...looks like it can't be done. x_x
(why I'm not using Hydrogen for the latter is because it seems to have problems with more than a certain number of layers per instrument.)

And it seems there's no documentation on it either, not in this regard.

As basic as the problem may sound, please help a beginner out. =(
Thank you for your time.

[varpa]

Here are some good references for linuxsampler:
http://wootangent.net/2011/07/everythin ... uxsampler/
https://github.com/ccherrett/oom/wiki/Linuxsampler

To use the SFZ (and SF2) engines you have to compile the latest SVN of the linuxsampler code or use a distro which already has done this: AVLinux, kxstudio, dreamstudio, (probably others). Linuxsampler does not work directly with wav files. Wav files must be loaded into either SFZ, gig, or SF2 files to be used.

[TheSafePlaces]

Whew, thank you so much for those links, varpa. I was using AVLinux 5.0.2 so the version couldn't have been the problem. It seems to me that that it was QSampler - I used Fantasia and it saw the files without a hitch.

However, now -
I start QJackCtl, start Jack,
Start Fantasia,
Create a MIDI and Audio device (both ALSA, otherwise there didn't seem to be a way to connect it to QTractor),
Load an SFZ file,
Make the connections in QJackCtl,
(Everything works fine till here, if I click the notes in the keyboard in Fantasia, I get the sounds alright.)
Play a MIDI clip in QTractor,
And then I get an XRUN and an audio connections change in QTractor, and Fantasia says 'Connection to backend failed', and when I click 'Reconnect' it says 'Connecting to LinuxSampler: Can't establish connection'.

Linuxsampler does not work directly with wav files. Wav files must be loaded into either SFZ, gig, or SF2 files to be used.

How does one do that? I tried using Swami as well as gigedit, but it's nothing short of baffling. For one, I can't figure out how one assigns samples with different velocities to the same note. =\

Please help.

[varpa]

Qtractor uses Alsa midi which is why you had to create an Alsa midi connection with linuxsampler. If you run the program "a2jmidi" this will make a bridge between alsa and jack midi (you will see an "a2j" device in the QJackCtl Jack midi tab which lists all the connections in the Alsa tab. Jack midi is better than Alsa midi, and should be used when possible. I start aj2midid automatically when starting Jack with QJackCtl by making an entry "a2jmidi -e &" in the QJackCtl ->Setup->Options->Execute script after startup box.

Concerning your xrun and connection failure I do not have an immediate answer. What latency are you running Jack with? You might try increasing the latency.

I have no experience with Swami and creating gig files. I would suggest making an SFZ file. SFZ is a text-base format so you just need a text editor and some wav (or other format) samples. Use an existing SFZ file as an example to copy from. Or you can use this script to try to create an SFZ file automatically:
http://bb.linuxsampler.org/viewtopic.ph ... e4fbe73eaf

If you only have 1 wav sample you could use the specimen sampler or (never tried it myself) or Rui Nuno Capela's new sampler samplv1 - see:
http://wootangent.net/2012/05/ruis-new- ... d-samplv1/

[TheSafePlaces]

Thanks for the A2JMIDID tip, varpa. I've managed to get qtractor to play MIDI clips which trigger samples in LS. The problem is again the disconnection in LS - if I open LS from scratch and make the audio and MIDI devices, create the channel, and load the instrument, it works flawlessly, but the exact same config, when saved and loaded again as an LSCP script, causes the disconnection problem. Changing the latency had no effect.

Thank you for those references. I'll give making SFZs a try.