Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 22:01:30 +0400 From: "Dmitriy Startsev" <metal_man@mail.ru> To: <freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org>, <conrads@cox.net> Cc: freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Does anyone compose music using any of the ports fromthe/ports/audio collection in FreeBSD? Message-ID: <000401c469cc$9b7ef490$5b3c13ac@METALLER> References: <XFMail.20040714115022.conrads@cox.net>
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Hello, Conrad! You wrote to "Kevin Koch" <kcoch1@midsouth.rr.com> on Wed, 14 Jul 2004 11:50:22 -0500 (CDT): CJS> FreeBSD's sound support is primitive in the extreme compared to the CJS> facilities available on other platforms. CJS> When I first started using FreeBSD, way back in 1996, we had Voxware, CJS> which supported real MIDI. Unfortunately, it was yanked from the CJS> source tree due to the lack of anyone willing to continue to maintain CJS> it, even though there was no replacement for the functionality that CJS> was lost as a result. CJS> Ever since, we've been limited to the most basic audio functionality, CJS> *no* MIDI whatsoever, and as a result, anyone interested in MIDI CJS> sequencing under FreeBSD is left with no choice but to use another CJS> platform. CJS> This is a very sorry state of affairs that has persisted way too long. CJS> When the removal of Voxware was under discussion, a number of us CJS> registered our strong dissent, as it was obvious that no suitable CJS> replacement would be forthcoming for quite some time. CJS> Well, here we are, eight years or so later, and the functionality that CJS> was ripped out of the kernel with the removal of Voxware *still* has CJS> yet to be replaced with a working, compatible (that is, compatible CJS> with the abundance of modern, sophisticated tools that are now being CJS> used on other platforms) alternative. CJS> This is an appalling state of affairs, IMHO. I'm currently exploring CJS> a number of alternatives in the hopes of once again enjoying the CJS> functionality that once existed, mainly in the area of MIDI. CJS> It seems that MIDI, as well as compatibility with the wealth of very CJS> sophisticated music composition tools now in existence, is a *very* CJS> low priority item in the minds of the main FreeBSD development team. CJS> I, for one, am fast running out of patience with this state of CJS> affairs. I love FreeBSD and prefer it over any other platform CJS> currently available, but unless some serious improvement comes about CJS> in the area of sound/music support, and soon, I fear I may be left CJS> with no choice but to bid a bittersweet farewell to the project, and CJS> seek greener pastures. CJS> Things have gotten so bad of late, that even the few, minimalistic CJS> tools that we do have available to us, such as timidity++, aren't even CJS> working properly, and recent commits have even introduced new bugs CJS> into the existing pcm code. CJS> I don't believe in issuing ultimatums or threats, but I am seriously CJS> disgusted with the state of sound support in FreeBSD. We are *so* far CJS> behind the rest of the free *nixes, it's not even funny. CJS> I would *love* to use FreeBSD as the basis for the home recording CJS> studio I'm interested in setting up, but with the current paucity of CJS> working tools and devices, that seems highly unlikely to be within the CJS> realm of practical possibility. CJS> I'm currently looking at AGNULA (http://www.agnula.org/) a Debian CJS> and/or Redhat-based system tailored specifically for use as a full, CJS> professional-quality music production environment. Looks *very* CJS> interesting. CJS> It makes me very sad that FreeBSD is so far behind the pack in this CJS> area, it really does. Otherwise, I think it's the best free OS CJS> around. But I have needs that aren't being met, and I'm quite CJS> skeptical at this point that FreeBSD will ever deliver the goods. I CJS> think eight years is a more than reasonable length of time to have CJS> waited for a replacement MIDI subsystem to be instituted. My patience CJS> is nearly at an end. <sigh> If you need this functionality so much, why don't you develop it yourself? Or hire some programmers, money always were a good motivation;) CJS> Oh well. You gotta do whatcha gotta do, I guess. Just wish it CJS> weren't so. With best regards, Dmitriy Startsev.
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