Got a new client that is in the music industry and am excited about working with them. There main request is to have software for being a DJ, and creating music is on agenda.
The DJ software we are using is called Mixxx. As with all the software on this blog it run natively on many GNU/Linux distributions, but comes pre installed on Ubuntu Studio.
Mixxx works with vinyl records and digital turntables, and it just wouldn't be useable if we couldn't use our turntables. It was really easy to get our specific turntable to work. We are using the Ion Discover DJ. It didn't work right away, and got it to work by opening the synaptic package manager and searching the phrase "USB MIDI" and installed the firmware package that came out of the result. After that Mixxx mix was able to see the turntable and we are able to tweak the setting to our liking.
Will post an update on how it is working out for shows, and post it as a review of the software.
Been doing allot of web development lately and would like to write about the free tools that I have been using. This article is written from a programmers prospective cover tools and methods used for designing. There is one major advantage to this over WSIWYG editors, and that is cleaner code is achievable leading to a faster web application.
Actually have been working with ASP.NET MVC and Silverlight. They are a very powerful tool set, Silverlight is a Microsoft replacement for Adobe's Flash Player. They have there own WYSIWYG editor that also doubles as the GUI designer for Windows 7 Phones. Again is a really great tool set for someone for a programmer, but expensive for indie or freelance developers (although Express Tools are free from Microsoft). I am working on a ASP.NET site for myself and one client, and am utilizing C# and making it a rich interactive experience with Silverlight rather then flash.
For another client there website is hosted by a server run off a wind farm! Not relevant but cool either way. There site is hosted on a Debian GNU/Linux server and runs in PHP with mySQL databases. Am a huge fan of Debian GNU/Linux and it's derivatives like Ubuntu as they provide free alternatives to Microsoft. Apple computers and phones as well as the Androids and other things like the lottery machines at the gas station or the stock exchange all run code built on top of the Open Source GNU/Linux kernel.
The tools used for this project are:
Opera - Web browser with added security and extra features for users and developers.
FileZilla - Open Source FTP file transfer program.
Notepad++ - Open Source Source Code Editor and Notepad replacement.
Bluefish - Powerful Open Source Editor targeted towards programmers and webdesigners.
GIMP - Open Source GNU Image Manipulation Program.
This site was in place already and was made with a web based Content Management System. The site is being made to look more modern and have some other content like surveys and forms. I've been using these tools along a bunch of open source PHP scripts and apps.
Must cut this short and get back to work, please return for part 2 and we'll go into more detail about the Open Source Tools. Visit the site using Open Source, software at Go Evergreen and the app that's still under construction to send E cards at E Card from Evergreen.
Am a long time fan of the piano and jazz music, but never really took the time to actually get good any particular instrument. With LMMS it's a little different, still gonna take patience and practice, but one person can become the whole band, without mastering an instrument but instead setting beat tracks and tweaking sound setting till it is perfect.
LMMS is a free cross-platform alternative to commercial programs like FL Studio®, which allow you to produce music with your computer. This includes the creation of melodies and beats, the synthesis and mixing of sounds, and arranging of samples. You can have fun even more fun by plugging in a MIDI-keyboard (pretty much any keyboard) and recording from it.
Now to see it in action is pretty amazing. Some users share there songs on the official LMMS website hosted by sourceforge.net Below is an overview of a sample for in LMMS.
This is a track put together in Linux using LMMS or Linux Multimedia Studio. All sounds are generated internally and LADSPA plugins are used for all processing.
Song download here: soundcloud.com/flujo/stranger-linux-multimedia-studio
Scribus, an open source page layout program for Linux/UNIX, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4, eComStation and Windows desktops. It is perfect for designing flyers, pamphlets, or magazines.
Since its humble beginning in the spring of 2001, Scribus has rapidly evolved into one of the premier Open Source desktop applications. Encouraged by professionals and beginners alike, the Scribus Team, supported by a large and constantly growing number of enthusiastic contributors from all over the world, is dedicated to develop and improve “one of the most powerful and useful open-source projects out there” (TechRepublic). Scribus is now completely cross-platform and runs natively on Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4, eComStation and Windows.
Underneath a user-friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK colors, spot color support, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.
Scribus has many unexpected touches, such as powerful vector drawing tools, support for a huge number of file types via import/export filters, emulation of color blindness or the rendering of markup languages like LaTeX or Lilypond inside Scribus. The Scribus file format is XML-based and open. Unlike proprietary binary file formats, even damaged documents can be recovered with a simple text editor – sometimes a challenging problem with other page layout programs. Scribus has been translated into more than 25 languages, and more are coming in the future.
Scribus has really good and thorough documentation that has a focus on a more structured approach, which provides much more information about the practical use of the program. It is filled with priceless background information from Peter Linnell the original writer of the documentation.
This is a random community overview/tutorial for Scribus, there are many more of various quality.
If this program is useful, or helped with making money why not donate to Scribus. This can be done for free by reporting bugs, helping with translations, or just sharing it with others. Can also support them by purchasing the guides.
