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QTractor's Gaping Hole of Video Demonstrations
For me, the most exciting part of a multi-track sequencer is HEARING the results.
At the moment, the Qtractor website features:
- great screen shots
- an exhaustive manual
- a clearly-explained change log (something missing from MANY Linux projects)
However, Qtractor is missing a very basic but POWERFUL method of getting people excited...VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS!
For me, the most enthralling part of discovering new software is SEEING someone USING it to create amazing results!
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Here's are two video demonstrations of similar software to QTractor; called Open Octave:
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Video Demonstration Examples
======================
1.) Using Open Octave's GUI:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcKz3Aw8zP8#t=19s
2.) Some of the dramatic results possible with Open Octave's tools:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv65yBQIdOg#t=36s
I definitely prefer QTractor to Open Octave, because (among other things) QTractor is better combined into one package. (and I love how it remembers my Jack settings)
Open Octave require running scripts and other complications, while QTractor allows me to get started faster.
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So if you (and perhaps the QTractor community) would take even a LITTLE time and make some BASIC video demonstrations of the music creation possible with Qtractor, I think it would be a HUGELY beneficial addition to the website.
I would suggest YouTube, because other video hosting services often take awhile to buffer. (Vimeo!! >_>)
Thanks for reading.
Re: QTractor's Gaping Hole of Video Demonstrations
So true.
OTOH, I won't bet much on the exhaustive manual tag :) It is severely outdated and missing more than half of the potential and feature set the latest Qtractor releases already offers :/
Sure it all needs a push, but please, have in mind that the Qtractor community is not that large and lazy as much as you can imagine (count me in as the lazy part). Trying to pressure on these poor and brave souls might be challenging but nevertheless, really appreciated :) Thanks for the heads-up.
Anyway, given the little time window I have to improve on the code side of things, there's very little time left to dedicate for doing such, uh, mundane things? so to speak :) Anyhow, I'm counting on you (all) to give a little helping hand on this and that, so you're (all) free to pick on the loose ends ;)
Über-procrastinator (that's me:) dixit.
Video
Great informative on the blog.Clear information this will be so helpful for all of us.
Re: screencasting
A few time ago and then recently, I've been trying to do some screencasts via recordMyDesktop, which I think is the only one that I know that has JACK support from the ground up.
Unfortunately, I do always end with some horrible & sluggish videos (Ogg Theora (.ogv)). I mean, they all look like under the 1 fps rating (yes, less than _one_ fps) no matter how hard I try and tweak configurations. Given these results one cannot even talk about audio sync (even worse).
If only someone could point me to any other screen-casting/capture software, if any ? Hints to improve the recordMyDesktop experience will be appreciated :)
Cheers
What about graphic drivers? I
What about graphic drivers? I was able to record stuff only when I turned off proprietary drivers.
Re: What about graphic drivers?
I don't think its related to graphics drivers. It seems that Qt is actually using the native GTK widgets instead of its own mockups :) Never-mind, it's no use: please, try today's latest svn trunk (Qtractor 0.4.6.12+). There should result in something different in this regard...
Cheers
WebCamStudio
Hi Rui,
Long time, no see. I hope you are doing well. I was reading about your capture problem, and I think WebCamStudio might solve your problem. It has desktop capturing built in, and will save in either Ogg, AVI or Ogg Broadcast. Not sure that the latter is. I have never tried this, so I don't know how well it works, or if it works at all, but certainly worth a try, I would think.
You *might* have to build the vloopback driver, but probably not, since you will only be doing desktop capture. Lemme know if this works for you.
Lexridge.
Re: WebCamStudio
hi lexridge,
welcome back! how have you been doing? hope you're still busy :)
Now, re. WebCamStudio, you probably know that capturing the desktop is just half the problem. The other half is capturing audio, JACK obviously. recordMyDesktop has it for a long time and i wonder how much of my full preempt-rt kernel and low-latency paranoia is hosing the captured video with it. Guess I'll have to try lowering my standards a lot of a bit ;)
Cheers
Hi Rui, Yea, still very busy.
Hi Rui,
Yea, still very busy. Never a dull moment it seems. I need a break!! The company for which I work recently donated a Mackie d8b to me, which was very generous. I have it in my garage now, but not yet hooked up. I would love to be able to control the motorized faders with Qtractor.
WebCamStudio does indeed capture audio, but I would doubt it will work with Jack. However, you possibly could record your audio separately, then mux them together afterwords.
Re: Mackied d8b
Awe!
That Mackie D8B seems a pretty awesome. Does it come with its own video screen monitor?
Looking from its MIDI implementation chart, Appendix E, I suspect you'll be able to control the motorized mixer faders alright, but track pan, solo, mute and record won't cut there yet. Reasons are that those controls are assigned to MIDI channel Note On/Off events and Qtractor only supports MIDI channel controller events (CC) as of yet :(
Also, MMC seems to be only one-way (open-loop) so it will work only if commands are initiated from the control surface. Kind of odd for a such high profile gadget, one would expect it fully configurable (assignable) and what not ;)
Anyway, it must be lots of fun just waiting in the garage :)
Cheers
RE: Mackie D8B
That Mackie D8B seems a pretty awesome. Does it come with its own video screen monitor?
Of course! :) And the entire board can be ran from a mouse. I have to still build the midi cable for it, as the original has long since been lost. Not a big deal however. One of the things I can do while hanging out in my garage lol.
The garage is becoming well equipped. I have finally acquired a fully enclosed 19" equipment rack, loaded with two rack mount computers, two audio patch bays (connected to the Delta 1010 sound card) , a rack mount Torpey Time clock, a Leitch effects unit, 5x100 watt amp, and soon the Mackie PS/CPU will occupy some space there as well. Oh, and full 5.1 surround speakers with a 12" subwoofer. It rocks!! lol
There is a 24" LCD mounted on the wall for HD MythTV viewing, and two other 19" WS monitors for computer use. I am running one 19" and the 24" on one system using separate X-Sessions. One is Mythtv, the other is KDE.
The garage is fun!!
ttyl,
Lex
More Information on Screencasting QTractor
RNBC
====
Thanks for your approval!
My favorite part of open source software remains to be the friendly atmosphere among the development and fan community. (of course there are exceptions in some projects, but I've been pretty lucky so far :)
I hope some of the community will get on board, and help demonstrate some great features of this software.
But quite honestly, I think you are overestimating the difficulty and time required to make a screen cast. You could literally open this midi roll...
http://qtractor.sourceforge.net/image/qtractor-screenshot8.png
...set up some output plug-ins and just record the play-head going across. I know for SURE that it would be better than nothing. ;)
Louigi Verona
==========
I'm glad to see that the QTractor community is alive and interested in demonstrating features! :D
To answer your question I found this review of Linux screen casting software;
http://www.tuxradar.com/content/group-test-screencasting-apps
I don't have much experience with screen casting, (and I can't help with this project since I haven't learned QTractor's GUI yet) but I will keep an eye out for a good Jack-audio-compatible screen casting application.
Re: Screencasting QTractor
awe
I am plenty sure that what I fail to accomplish is perfectly feasible
and, guess what, it has been made already...
look here: Watery Sweep Rushes, by AutoStatic(3000?) which has flew around this forum, ntl
Cheers
Re: Screencasting QTractor
RNCBC
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Hey! Thanks for the link; this is a good example of what I was talking about.
Well, years from now (when I have time to spend on music creation) if the Gaping Hole of Video Demonstration STILL exists, you have my word that I'll thank you for your software development with some video demonstrations. (and perhaps some video tutorials)
Louigi Verona
==========
Perhaps this could help you, in the video demonstration RNCBC posted, the artist mentioned how he created the screen cast:
"Recorded with recordMyDesktop on my main mean music machine with Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala"
Re: Screencasting QTractor
Gosh.
I think I've made something very bad a few days ago. I believe I've obliterated the post from Louigi with my own. Guess that I pressed 'edit' instead of 'reply'.
That's the kind of things you do when you're an administrator with super-powers and sloppy.
Oh my... sorry Louigi!
/me ducks in blushful shame :S
Done! http://www.youtube.com/
Done!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGN3COQC68
Re: Done!
Awesome.
(took the chance and embedded it as youtube applet)
Thanks (a lot) for sharing this astonishing piece of hard work ;)
If only I could make something like that with my utterly broken recordMyDesktop :( ...
One (off topic perhaps) thing that is intriguing me most is that, watching yours and also others screenshots, the Time and Tempo widgets at the top toolbar are being shown in a utterly lame green over white display. May be just nitpicking, but it is supposed to be green on black, FWIW :) Probably this is some kind of a Gnome/GTK thematic side-effect or something close to that?... :)
Bbl
Weird. I've always seen it
Weird. I've always seen it only that way %)
Yep, green on white...
...on Gnome-based Ubuntu and always has been for me too.
This is the second piece of your ambience I've listened to today, Louigi - niiice!
Rui, next time AutoStatic Jeremy drops by here he might also be able to help you with 'recordMyDesktop' and somewhere on the Ubuntu Studio forum there's a good howto from him...
I only popped in to say thanks once again for the glorious QTractor 0.4.6x - it just gets smoother all the time and is such a pleasure to work with ;-)
Re: green on white...
Any chance on you guys try on tweaking themes or color schemes, ultimately installing qtconfig and check whether one can make it as thee designer (that's me) purported that thing ? :(
On the long run, if no one comes forward, I shall stuff some ubuntu vanilla (gnome, aaarggh!) in a vbox and test this myself, but given my random/quantic availability, sort of, that can just happen in the next minute or next century (equal probability:)
Cheers
I can do this. Just tell me
I can do this. Just tell me EXACTLY what to do.
Re: Just tell me
As said, update to latest svn trunk's Qtractor 0.4.6.12+ :)
The worst that may happen is ending some with green over black, as is originally intended, but with a damn white frame around the figures :(
Cheers
Now I have black squares
Now I have black squares under the numbers. I would not say it is too good, since numbers go slightly off the square when they are long.
Re: Now I have black squares
Right. That's what I had too when tested on someone else's Gnome (aargh) environment.
What gives when you launch it this way? (command line):
qtractor -style plastiqueI guess you can try with some other style tags which might be available (or not):
motif,windows... My preferred one is in deedplastique. I believe the default drops to using the native environment widget style (gtk, clearlooks, w/e) in your case...Seeya
Hey, it looks nice! Why can't
Hey, it looks nice! Why can't a style be applied via preferences? Looks really neat!
Re: outrageous HACK
yo GTK+ ppl won't see that green on black thing anymore =) nor yo see that lamest green on white either ;) yo back in black (eighties entrance all time greatest ... ntl, Bon Scott still rules on my decrepit mind l:)
yep, i'm doing it again, on svn trunk (qtractor 0.4.6.15+)
Cheers
Wow! This is exactly what I
Wow!
This is exactly what I was talking about!
Great work, Louigi Verona!
It's great to click the "qtractor" tag on YouTube and see MORE THAN ONE video for QTractor! :D
Perhaps your screencast will inspire other QTractor artists to join in! :)
(As I said before, I'll be joining the screen-casting excitement when I have the time to learn QTractor's GUI)
Re: Why can't a style be applied via preferences
Because, uh, it's a matter of personal taste?
As said, the default style is always the most similar to one of your desktop environment, Gnome thus the default style for all Qt4 applications is most certainly
gtk. Alas, that style in particular is the one which seems to suffer from the white frame disease.Yes it could be an user preference dialog but that would need some extra code, something that is not of a priority at this time ;)
Aha, you can always make up your preference permanently, that is, by means of the command line in a standard
.desktopfile, can't you?Cheers
True. Is there a way to see
True. Is there a way to see what styles are available?
Re: see what styles are available
Good question.
One way that I remember is using qtconfig. On the Appearance/GUI Style drop-down list you'll probably see all style names that are available. Pick one and pass it through lowercase to the
-stylecommand line option of any Qt4 application. If you set/save the GUI style in qtconfig it will apply to all Qt4 apps globally, so make up your mind which is your preference ;)Cheers
although style plastique
although style plastique leaves atrifacts if you have a pop up hint, when hovering a mouse over a clip in a track. As the plahead passes it, when you move the mouse away, there are stripes in place of the popup. Which kinda sucks. I don't remember seeing it with a default style.
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