[linux-audio-user] m-audio Trigger Finger: Plug'n'play :)

[Christoph Eckert]

Hi,


JFYI:

just bought one, and it works out of the box using the snd_usb_audio
module.

If someone is interested in the device, I can recommend it.

One wee small tear: You can send sysex to the device to restore previous
settings, but there's no way to backup the device on linux because it
doesn't offer the possibility to request its memory content via sysex
nor does it offer the possibility to invoke a dump from its interface.

The german m-audio support was very kind and helpful about this matter,
and I asked them to include a backup functionality in other/future
devices. Don't know if they will do it.


Best regards


ce

[Frank Barknecht]

Hallo,

Post by Christoph Eckert
just bought one, and it works out of the box using the snd_usb_audio
module.
If someone is interested in the device, I can recommend it.

Yes, it's very a nice device, I also own one (and I own the TF section
on qbik.ch, hehe. ;)

Post by Christoph Eckert
One wee small tear: You can send sysex to the device to restore previous
settings, but there's no way to backup the device on linux because it
doesn't offer the possibility to request its memory content via sysex
nor does it offer the possibility to invoke a dump from its interface.
The german m-audio support was very kind and helpful about this matter,
and I asked them to include a backup functionality in other/future
devices. Don't know if they will do it.

It could be interesting to somehow clone the Enigma editor software to
program the device, as Enigma is also used for many other Midi
devices, that were made by Evolution and now belong to M-Audio, like
the UC33. Maybe it would be possible to get at some specifications
about this (if the name Enigma isn't to be taken by its original
meaning). I'm sure this could become a nice community project.

Ciao

[Christoph Eckert]

Hehe,

Post by Frank Barknecht
It could be interesting to somehow clone the Enigma editor software
to program the device, as Enigma is also used for many other Midi
devices, that were made by Evolution and now belong to M-Audio, like
the UC33.  Maybe it would be possible to get at some specifications
about this (if the name Enigma isn't to be taken by its original
meaning). I'm sure this could become a nice community project.

check out the software section at christeck.de ;-) .

To be honest, I wanted to learn some C++, and instead of waitin and
whinin about the lacks of usability on linux better contribute. I'm not
sure if I will stay interested, but currently I am.

Back to Enigma. Enigma is the try to support all m-audio devices with
one software. A particular device in Enigma is described in an XML
file. Regardless if it was Trigger Finger, UC33 or Oxygen, they all
have the same features: Send Note on and controller events, so unifying
the configuration software is the right idea - for m-audio.

My approach is another one. If I was a real coder, I want to support
*any* device by an XML description file. That's what I'm thinking
about, and that's why I'm reading about XML right at the moment.

I also have a Behringer V-amp guitar amp emulator and some parameters
only are accessible via software. This was the starting point for my
little project: Learn some C++ and then create a bank manager for my
devices and some editors, mainly the Behringer one, but I've been asked
about a programmer for the FCB 1010, a MIDI foot controller for
guitarists.

I already have the sysex packages of Trigger Finger on my hard drive;
decoding it isn't much work, and even write a programmer then shouldn't
be that difficult.

But it is a one way tool: Configure in the PC and send it to the device.
Chagning the device settings and getting it loaded into the PC seems to
be done by Enigma via special USB commands instead of a sysex request.

There are already projects writing a sysex tool, namely Jsynthlib. But
the last time I tested it,

* the UI did hurt my eyes (sorry)
* It did use OSS instead of ALSA
* I didn't find it very intuitive

That's why I wanted to try to make it better. OTOH, I think I can do
better UIs, but I doubt that I will be able to do such a huge project.

So I'm currently thinking about better making individual tools for some
devices instead of making one monster thing.


Best regards


ce

[Frank Barknecht]

Hallo,

Post by Christoph Eckert
check out the software section at christeck.de ;-) .

Oh! :)

Post by Christoph Eckert
But it is a one way tool: Configure in the PC and send it to the device.
Chagning the device settings and getting it loaded into the PC seems to
be done by Enigma via special USB commands instead of a sysex request.

I subpected that at some point, the device would go through USB
instead of Midi. Does M-Audio/Evolution maybe provide any info on that
side? It may not be too hard to make a utility using libusb etc. that
could upload the settings to the Enigma-supported devices.

Ciao

[Dave Robillard]

Post by Christoph Eckert
I also have a Behringer V-amp guitar amp emulator and some parameters
only are accessible via software. This was the starting point for my
little project: Learn some C++ and then create a bank manager for my
devices and some editors, mainly the Behringer one, but I've been asked
about a programmer for the FCB 1010, a MIDI foot controller for
guitarists.

http://www.nongnu.org/freevamp/

Needs a port to Alsa though

-DR-

[Christoph Eckert]

Post by Dave Robillard
http://www.nongnu.org/freevamp/
Needs a port to Alsa though

Thanks for the pointer, Dave.

Well, I tried it before I started programming, and the OSS thingy was a
prob because my multiport MIDI device doesn't work with OSS.


Best regards


ce