the Linux Music Distro

Eh?

The object is to provide a Linux Distribution which is very easy to set up and comes complete with a set of tools for making and playing music.

Changelog: Feb 27 2001 Latest docs are here. Feb 18 2001 At the moment we're seeing what interest there is for a Linux Music Apps CD and we'll take it from there. Oct 6 2000 There'll be a bunch of new stuff coming up so instead of putting every item up here, just browse the ftp directory. dap-2.1.1 rpm available (needs xforms) Oct 3 2000 ALSA 0.5.9b for kernel 2.2.17 and 2.2.17LL ...drivers, libs and utils . Also SpiralSynth-0.1.2... and libsndfile-0.0.20 was added a while back. More on the way... Aug 1 2000 These are for kernel 2.2.16 and 2.2.16-3LL (Low Latency) alsa-driver, alsa-lib and alsa-util RPM's put in ftp (0.5.7 - won't be doing 0.5.8 which kills Melys and Jazz++) May 18 2000, These are for kernel 2.2.13 ..alsa-driver, alsa-lib and alsa-util RPM's put in ftp (0.5.7). Also soundtracker-alsa.0.5.4 Apr 14 2000, this page up. dns set up so www.m-station.cx and m-station.cx point to m-station.sourceforge.net Apr 12 2000, quite a few RPMs have been built already but first for distribution is the ALSA compiled version of Michael Krause's soundtracker.

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FAQ



When?
How Much
Will all the components be Open Source?
How did it start?
Can I help?
Will there be support?
If I do lots of stuff, will you give me shares in an IPO so that I can be really, really, rich?
Will all Linux audio and music apps be included?
So there are some really excellent Linux audio apps that aren't included?
If I have a favorite audio app that isn't included, should I email and tell you?
What level of musician is this aimed at?
Can non-musicians use it?
What sort of music can be produced?
What basic music tool groups will be available?
What sound cards will be supported?
What is the minimum hardware required?
Are there plans for a pro-level audio workstation?
Is the distro based on an existing distribution?
Will we be able to come in and just get one app?
What if I've got another question?


When?                 

   Soon. We're currently rebuilding programs
   for inclusion as well as working on scripts
   that will tie the whole thing together.
   Stage one is going to be a CD of apps and
   libraries which will be easily added to
   existing installations.


How Much?                      

not sure.
Both the apps CD (stage one) and the
distro will be reasonably priced.


Will all the components 
be Open Source?                                                  

   Yes

How did it start?

With one guy taking a week to get a supported soundcard
going on an "easy" commercial distribution and then spending a
lot of time testing software to find out what compiled and what
worked.
                                                                        TOP
Can I help?                  

Almost certainly. Email us if you're interested.
                                 
Will there be support?                

   Support will be very limited to start with. 
   The words "lottery model" would describe it.

If I do lots of stuff, will you give me shares in an IPO
so that I can be really, really, rich?

We have absolutely no plans to do that kind of
thing. If significant money comes in somehow it
will be shared with all those who made it
possible.

Will all Linux audio and music apps be included?

No. What we're going for is a basic tool set where all
the elements work fairly easily. There are, for example,
apps which do a wonderful job (particularly in sound
synthesis) but which take quite a lot of time to come
to terms with and/or are extremely demanding of system
resources ... but we'll have some synthesis stuff. 

There are also, within certain sub-groups, numerous
apps that do an excellent job. We will usually just include
one.

At some later stage when the distro is available on CD
we might package whole audio archives as well.

So there are some really excellent Linux audio apps
that aren't included?                                                                            TOP

Yes

If I have a favorite audio app that isn't included,
should I email and tell you?

If it's something no-one has heard of, sure.

What level of musician is this aimed at?

General musicianship isn't an issue. The type of music you do
might be and the type of software you're used to might be as
well. 
You're reading this suggests you are open-minded about the
last point.
As far as types of music go, it would be fair to say that an opera
singer would have less use for the tools than a techno creator.


Can non-musicians use it?

Yes! Normal Linux apps like compilers and editors will be included
along with mail clients and that sort of thing, along with a web
browser. m-station will be quite a nice distribution for those who
haven't used Linux before.

What sort of music can be produced?

Pretty much anything your brain can dream up. You can record
accoustic instruments and alter the sounds (or not) and convert
the file to mp3 and put it on the web. Or you can create electronic
music by a variey of means.

What basic music tool groups will be available?
                                                                                                                 TOP
hard disk recording
sound file editing
sound file format conversion
midi file creation and playback
mp3 creation and playback
playback of all common audio file formats
soundfont editing
music/drum loop management and creation
score publication

What sound cards will be supported?

We will be using the ALSA driver set (is that a first?) and you can
check their web site to see what cards are supported.

What is the minimum hardware required?

A Pentium 133 with 32 meg RAM will be OK for basic needs.
If you're going to have lots of tracks recording/playing back with signal
alterations/FX then the sky's the limit and the faster the CPU, the more
RAM, and the fatter the pipes the better.
Also remember that if you're doing a lot of recording, you
need a _lot_ of spare disk space. For example, a 4 minute song with
16 tracks would require over 300 megs of space (at CD sampling rates).
If you've got a few songs going at once ... well, you can see the
arithmatic.
SCSI is favored for this but there are plenty of people using EIDE or
even IDE.

Are there plans for a pro-level audio workstation?

Development of pro-level tools (namely support of specialized hardware
with high sampling rates) is proceeding very quickly. See the
homepage of the HDR ardour for one example.

Is the distro based on an existing distribution?

The original distribution was Red Hat 6.0. This has been updated to
somewhere in advance of Red Hat 6.1 (meaning that various apps and
libraries have been updated past that release) with kernel 2.2.13 but will 
most likely ship with kernel 2.4.0. Probably what will remain of Red Hat is
some scripts including the start up ones. Right now we're looking at 
Mandrake's Lothar and this might be included as well.

Will we be able to come in and just get one app?                              TOP

Sure. We're building RPM's for some programs which don't currently
have them and you're welcome to come get them.


What if I've got another question?

Email us
                     

m-station aka Linux MusicStation is also a music and Linux web resource ...
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