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110    
111  <body>  <body>
112    
113          <div id="mainwindow"><img name="LinuxSampler" src="gfx/lsbackground.jpg" alt="LinuxSampler">          <div id="mainwindow"><div class="lsbackground"><img name="LinuxSampler" src="gfx/lsbackground.jpg" alt="LinuxSampler"></div>
114    
115                  <h1><span class="hidden">The LinuxSampler Project</span></h1>                  <h1><span class="hidden">The LinuxSampler Project</span></h1>
116    
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123                          <a id="screenshots" href="screenshots.html" onmouseover="javascript:if(document.images)document.screenshots.src = screenshotsover.src" onmouseout="javascript:if(document.images)document.screenshots.src = screenshotsout.src"><img name="screenshots" src="gfx/mscreenshots.png" alt="screenshots"></a>                          <a id="screenshots" href="screenshots.html" onmouseover="javascript:if(document.images)document.screenshots.src = screenshotsover.src" onmouseout="javascript:if(document.images)document.screenshots.src = screenshotsout.src"><img name="screenshots" src="gfx/mscreenshots.png" alt="screenshots"></a>
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132                          <a id="instruments" href="instruments.html" onmouseover="javascript:if(document.images)document.instruments.src = instrumentsover.src" onmouseout="javascript:if(document.images)document.instruments.src = instrumentsout.src"><img name="instruments" src="gfx/minstruments.png" alt="instruments"></a>                          <a id="instruments" href="instruments.html" onmouseover="javascript:if(document.images)document.instruments.src = instrumentsover.src" onmouseout="javascript:if(document.images)document.instruments.src = instrumentsout.src"><img name="instruments" src="gfx/minstruments.png" alt="instruments"></a>
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151    <td>Or donate Bitcoins at:</td>
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153    <pre class="btcaddr">1Q9CK7xUhMNWryqYTZLbUTXbrjpYYtwvng</pre>
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155    <a href="donations.html">Why donate?</a>
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157    <p>
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175                          </td><td valign=top width="100%">                          </td><td valign=top width="100%">
176                          <div id="contents">                          <div id="contents">
177    
178                          <h2>The Project</h2>                          <h2>The Project</h2>
179                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
180                          The LinuxSampler proect was founded with the                          The LinuxSampler project was founded in 2002 with the
181                          goal to produce a free, open source pure software audio sampler                          goal to produce a free, streaming capable open source pure
182                          with professional grade features, comparable to both hardware and                          software audio sampler with high stability, efficiency and very
183                          commercial Windows/Mac software samplers                          low latency, providing professional grade features,
184                          and to introduce new features not yet available by any other                          comparable to both hardware and commercial Windows/Mac software
185                          sampler in the world.                          samplers and to introduce new features not yet available by any
186                            other sampler in the world.
187                          </p>                          </p>
188    
189                          <h2>The Engine</h2>                          <h2>The Engine</h2>
# Line 182  Line 236 
236                                  <a href="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_win.jpg">                                  <a href="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_win.jpg">
237                                          <img src="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_win_preview.jpg">                                          <img src="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_win_preview.jpg">
238                                  </a>&nbsp;                                  </a>&nbsp;
239                                  <a href="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_ubuntu.jpg">                                  <a href="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_ubuntu.png">
240                                          <img src="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_ubuntu_preview.png">                                          <img src="screenshots/qs_0_2_1_ubuntu_preview.png">
241                                  </a><br>                                  </a><br>
242                                  <br>                                  <br>
243                                    Note however, QSampler does not fully support all features of
244                                    the sampler engine (LinuxSampler) yet. Most notably the
245                                    engine's instruments database feature is not yet covered by
246                                    QSampler. But if you don't need that particular feature,
247                                    you're certainly fine with QSampler as well.<br>
248                                    <br>
249                                  </li>                                  </li>
250    
251                                  <li>                                  <li>
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258                                  <a href="screenshots/fantasia.png"><img src="screenshots/fantasia-preview.png"></a>                                  <a href="screenshots/fantasia.png"><img src="screenshots/fantasia-preview.png"></a>
259                                  <br>                                  <br>
260                                  JSampler supports all features currently available in the                                  JSampler supports all features currently available in the
261                                  sampler engine (LinuxSampler).<br>                                  sampler engine (LinuxSampler). Also note that even though
262                                    JSampler is written in Java and slightly more hungry
263                                    regarding resources (compared to QSampler), this usually
264                                    does not have any impact on the audio rendering performance
265                                    of the sampler, since the engine runs completely independently
266                                    and with much higher CPU priority than the frontend(s).<br>
267                                  </li>                                  </li>
268                          </ul>                          </ul>
269                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
270                          It's completely up to you which frontend to use. You could even use                          It's completely up to you which frontend to use. You could even use
271                          both parallel at the same time for the same sampler engine                          both parallel at the same time for the same sampler engine
272                          instance, really! ;-)                          instance, really! ;-) You're concerned that your sampler frontend
273                            might waste precious resources of your computer? No problem, just
274                            setup the sampler session for your needs and then quit the
275                            frontend application. The sampler engine doesn't care! It continues
276                            to do its job. You need to change something? Start the frontend
277                            again (or another frontend) and you see what you expect to see: the
278                            current setup and state of the running sampler engine.
279                          </p>                          </p>
280    
281                          <h2>The Format</h2>                          <h2>Sampler Formats</h2>
282                            <p class="default">
283                            Virtual instruments (i.e. pianos, drums, orchestra ensembles) based
284                            on sampler software are created and distributed as files, which
285                            essentially contain recorded audio samples plus so called
286                            <i>articulation informations</i>. The latter are a very important
287                            factor to make audio samples assemble a realistic sound of i.e.
288                            natural instruments. The are defining when and how exactly
289                            the individual audio samples shall be played back and modified by
290                            the sampler. So a <i>sampler format</i> is made up of two things:
291                            </p>
292                            <ol class="default">
293                              <li>
294                                    <b>File format:</b> which defines how audio samples and
295                                    articulation informations are stored in files exactly.
296                              </li>
297                              <li><b>Synthesis model:</b> which defines what the sampler sampler
298                                    can do with audio samples, and how the sampler should interpret
299                                    the articulation informations stored in files.
300                              </i>
301                            </ol>
302                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
303                          It is planned to support all common sampler formats in                          It is planned to support all common sampler formats in
304                          LinuxSampler, but at the moment we chose to concentrate on the                          LinuxSampler. At the moment the sampler supports the following
305                          Gigasampler format, because when we started this project, the                          three:
306                          Gigasampler format was (in our opinion) the most popular                          </p>
307                          and "best" sampler format in regards of quality and power,                          <ol class="default">
308                          especially      for the synthesis of natural instruments like pianos,                            <li>
309                          brass and bowed instruments. But we already made good advance in                                  <b>GigaStudio/GigaSampler Format:</b>
310                          implementing this format, so we are optimistic to start with                                  First format ever supported by LinuxSampler and hence probably
311                          adding other formats soon. Beside that we also planned to                                  the most mature option in LinuxSampler right now. When we
312                          design our own, sophisticated sampler format to introduce a more                                  started to develop LinuxSampler back in 2002, we chose to
313                          powerful and more flexible sampler format compared to                                  concentrate on this commercial sampler format first, because at
314                          any sampler format currently available in the world. Be encouraged                                  that point it was (in our opinion) the most popular and "best"
315                          to share your ideas about such a new format with us!                                  sampler format in regards of quality and features, especially
316                                    for the synthesis of natural instruments like pianos, brass and
317                                    bowed instruments. Some of the best sounding orchestra
318                                    libraries were made in this format at that time.<br>
319                                    <br>
320                                    In contrast to all those commercial samplers
321                                    out there who claim to support the GigaStudio/GigaSampler format,
322                                    we invested many years and a lot of effort to reassemble the original
323                                    sound of this format as exactly as possible, as it was with the
324                                    original GigaStudio PC software. Other samplers usually provide
325                                    only raw sample playback for this format and - if at all - only
326                                    limited support for its articulations and synthesis model.
327                                    LinuxSampler however is providing i.e. envelopes and filters
328                                    with very precise characteristics and accuracy of the original
329                                    ones used in the original GigaStudio software. We even
330                                    reassembled the "warty" parts of the format, that is strange
331                                    aspects of the format. All this just to fulfill one goal:
332                                    playing back your huge collection of high class .gig instruments with
333                                    LinuxSampler exactly as they sounded like with GigaStudio!
334                                    And as of to date there is probably no other sampler out there
335                                    which does that job better.
336                                    <br><br>
337                              </li>
338                              <li>
339                                    <b>SoundFont Format:</b>
340                                    Being a very popular sampler format, supported by numerous
341                                    hardware devices and sampler software products for many years,
342                                    we also added support for the SoundFont format. However, since
343                                    this format is fairly old and limited we did not spend as much
344                                    effort on it than on the other formats. So there is currently
345                                    not full support for all aspects of this format yet. Be invited
346                                    to help us on finishing support for this format!
347                                    <br><br>
348                              </li>
349                              <li>
350                                    <b>SFZ Format:</b> Not to be interchanged with the
351                                    <i>SoundFont</i> format! Even though their names suggest them to
352                                    be similar, and also being initiated by the same company, the SFZ
353                                    format does not have much in common with the SoundFont format!
354                                    The SFZ format is a quite new one, an open format that is also
355                    used as basis in many commercial sampler products. It has the
356                                    potential to become a broad standard format among sampler
357                                    products. It is extensible for custom features, provides
358                                    articulation information in human-readable text form and samples
359                                    are usually stored as separate files along to the articulation
360                                    files. The latter also allows a variety of audio formats to be
361                                    used and gives sound designers and their customers various
362                                    advantages to work with.
363                                    <br><br>
364                                    Due to its high potential we recently spent a lot of time in
365                                    supporting this format in LinuxSampler. A lot of this format is
366                                    <a href="/sfz/">already supported</a> (v1 and v2) in
367                                    LinuxSampler, also extensions of commercial samplers, and we
368                                    continue to evolve support for this format.
369                              </li>
370                            </ol>
371                            <p class="default">
372                            Along to these formats, we have been thinking about creating our
373                            own, new sampler format from scratch, for providing new sampler
374                            features currently not available in any sampler yet. However when
375                            we started adding support for SFZ, we realized such features should
376                            rather be implemented as extension to the SFZ format.
377                          </p>                          </p>
378    
379                          <h2>The Editor</h2>                          <h2>Instrument Editors</h2>
380                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
381                            For creating new virtual instruments and for adjusting your
382                            existing ones, you may want to use an instrument editor.
383                            LinuxSampler was designed decoupled from instrument editors, but
384                            provides extensive support for cooperation with instrument editor
385                            applications. Especially for the aspect of being able to edit an
386                            instrument while playing it in the sampler, and for making all
387                            changes audible immediately and without reloading the sounds into
388                            sampler.<br>
389                            <br>
390                            Currently we implemented the following instrument editor
391                            application:<br>
392                            <br>
393                          <u><b>gigedit</b></u> allows you to edit and create instruments                          <u><b>gigedit</b></u> allows you to edit and create instruments
394                          for the Gigasampler format, which can be used with LinuxSampler                          for the GigaStudio/Gigasampler format, which can be used with LinuxSampler
395                          as well as with Tascam's Gigastudio. Following our line of                          as well as with Tascam's original Gigastudio software. Following our line of
396                          modularity we also made the instrument editors independent                          modularity we also made this instrument editor an independent
397                          applications. Because let's face it: every sampler format is                          application. Because let's face it: every sampler format is
398                          different, so in our opinion it is better to honor the specific                          different, so in our opinion it is better to honor the specific
399                          features of one format with its own instrument editor application                          features of one format with its own instrument editor application
400                          instead of trying to fiddle everything into one single bloated                          instead of trying to fiddle everything into one single bloated
# Line 244  Line 408 
408                          into the sampler engine, so the engine (and with it the frontends)                          into the sampler engine, so the engine (and with it the frontends)
409                          knows that gigedit actually exists and can handle the .gig format.                          knows that gigedit actually exists and can handle the .gig format.
410                          So even though we decoupled the sampler's components into                          So even though we decoupled the sampler's components into
411                          independent applications, they all work seamlessly together. Just                          independent applications, they all work seamlessly together.
412                          press the "Edit" button on a channel strip of a frontend and                          <a href="http://download.linuxsampler.org/doc/gigedit/quickstart/gigedit_quickstart.html#live_editing">
413                                    Just press the "Edit" button
414                            </a> on a channel strip of a frontend and
415                          gigedit will automatically popup on the screen and you're                          gigedit will automatically popup on the screen and you're
416                          immediately ready to edit your selected instrument, making all your                          immediately ready to edit your selected instrument, making all your
417                          modifications audible in realtime. Even when editing huge                          modifications audible in realtime. Even when editing huge
# Line 259  Line 425 
425                          you.                          you.
426                          </p>                          </p>
427    
428                          <h2>The Technical Interface</h2>                          <h2>Technical Interfaces</h2>
429                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
430                          As the components of the sampler are independent applications,                          As the components of the sampler are independent applications,
431                          there must be a way to let the applications communicate with each                          there must be a way to let the applications communicate with each
# Line 268  Line 434 
434                          as well as a network interface using an ASCII based protocol which                          as well as a network interface using an ASCII based protocol which
435                          we call "<a href="http://www.linuxsampler.org/api/draft-linuxsampler-protocol.html" title="LinuxSampler Control Protocol">LSCP</a>"                          we call "<a href="http://www.linuxsampler.org/api/draft-linuxsampler-protocol.html" title="LinuxSampler Control Protocol">LSCP</a>"
436                          for controlling the sampler engine and managing sampler sessions.                          for controlling the sampler engine and managing sampler sessions.
437                          Our frontends support that network interface, which also allwos                          Our frontends support that network interface, which also allows to
438                          control the sampler engine with the GUI frontend(s) remotely from                          control the sampler engine with the GUI frontend(s) remotely from
439                          another computer, probably even running a completely different                          another computer, probably even running a completely different
440                          Operating System.                          Operating System. And compared to other remote control solutions,
441                            the frontend won't feel sluggish, as the frontend is running on
442                            your local machine.<br>
443                            <br>
444                            You can also configure your computer to automatically start the
445                            sampler engine and loading your prefered sampler session without
446                            any frontend, simply by using a <i>LSCP session file</i>. How do
447                            you get such a "LSCP session file"? Both frontends write LSCP
448                            session files for you when you request them to save your current
449                            sampler session. And as those LSCP session files are ordinary
450                            human readable text files, you can adjust them with any text
451                            editor if you want.
452                            </p>
453    
454                            <h2>Compatibility &amp; Cross Platform</h2>
455                            <p class="default">
456                            LinuxSampler is available for the most popular operating
457                            systems and already supports a variety of audio and MIDI driver
458                            systems on each OS. It does not require any special dedicated
459                            device drivers from the sound card manufacturers, so you can
460                            also use it with cheap consumer cards. Due to its clean design
461                            the sampler can be ported to other operating systems and
462                            extended for further driver systems with a minimum of effort.
463                            So we're prepared for the future!
464                          </p>                          </p>
465    
466                          <h2>The Community</h2>                          <h2>Sequencer &amp; DAW Plugin Support</h2>
467                          <p class="default">                          <p class="default">
468                            The sampler can be run stand alone as well as host plugin in popular
469                            sequencer or digital audio workstations like Cubase, Logic, Ardour,
470                            QTractor, Reaper and many more. At the moment the sampler supports
471                            the host plugin formats VSTi (v2), AudiUnit (AU), DSSI and LV2.<br>
472                            <br>
473                            You  can  also  load effect plugins into the sampler, for them being
474                            used on parts or as master effects. Currently only the LADSPA plugin
475                            format is supported for sampler internal effects.
476                            </p>
477    
478                            <h2>Community</h2>
479                            <p class="default">
480                            You need a helping hand? You certainly get the answers on your
481                            personal questions on our
482                            <a href="http://bb.linuxsampler.org/">web forum</a>.<br>
483                            <br>
484                          All applications are under active development. However we all work                          All applications are under active development. However we all work
485                          on this project for fun in our spare time. There are still so many                          on this project for fun in our spare time. There are still so many
486                          things to do and our hands are limited. So don't hesitate on                          things to do and our hands are limited. So don't hesitate on
# Line 285  Line 490 
490                          documentation, providing artwork, themes for frontends, etc. helps                          documentation, providing artwork, themes for frontends, etc. helps
491                          us and all users a lot! Simply subscribe to our                          us and all users a lot! Simply subscribe to our
492                          <a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linuxsampler-devel">                          <a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linuxsampler-devel">
493                                  mailing list                                  developers mailing list
494                          </a> and we'll of course take you by the hand in case you want to                          </a> and we'll of course take you by the hand in case you want to
495                          participate with active source code development. Don't be afraid!                          participate with active source code development. Don't be afraid!
496                          You have your own ideas and concepts for making the sampler better?                          You have your own ideas and concepts for making the sampler better?
497                          Great, share them with us!<br>                          Great, share them with us!<br>
498                          <br>                          <br>
499                            <br>
500                          </p>                          </p>
501    
502                  </div>                  </div>
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