Request for new application: Live show control

[mpc350]

After much browsing, I am fairly sure that there is no linux app that can approximate what SFX or Q-Lab do. I would love to find someone who is willing to create a program that can cue sound files and midi commands. This is not similar to various sampling and drum machine or DJ applications, and this is not an editor like audacity. This is for live sound show control. I need to be able to fade cues in and out, start at various points within a file, have a choice of output routing options. It needs to be low latency. Triggering needs to be by keyboard commands or midi messages. I need the ability to accept multiple file types (ogg, wav, aiff, mp3, aac, etc...up to 96kHz 24 bit). The Linux platform because of it's sturdiness and configurability would be perfect as a show control device. As a model, I really like how Q-Lab (available for mac as freeware at www.figure53.com) works extremely well, but is not portable to Linux. Can someone please help. For me, this is a long term solution. I work as a sound designer in live theater and currently use Windows and OSX for show control and manipulation, and am not looking at a quick fix app that partly does what I need. I understand this may take a while for development, and I would love to help in any way that I can, but currently know very little about creating software. If you would like to help me out, please contact me directly at sound@pcpa.org

Thank you
Matt Carpenter
Director of Sound
PCPA Theaterfest

[frickel]

The only show control solution for Linux I know is V-Control (http://www.vman.cc). There is a free (of charge) restricted version available, but it's not GPL.
V-Control (http://www.vman.cc) can send and receive MIDI messages, but it is more a control software and not compareable to a sequencer.

[ruy_lopez]

Have you tried TerminatorX (http://terminatorx.org/)? It's about as close to being a software sampler as I've seen on Linux.

On the whole Linux doesn't have the same level of pro-audio tools that you'll find for the Mac. For a start, the majority of audio interface drivers are proprietary. I've got a 16in/out interface gathering dust since I switched to Linux. The companies that produce the hardware/software have no incentive to open up their gear. They already over-charge. The pro-audio industry is awash with terms like industry-standard (although there isn't any standards to speak of). What you end up paying for is compatibility. Everyone uses either Logic, Pro Tools or Cubase. So you have to pony up, otherwise it's impossible to take your tracks to a studio.

If it wasn't for the audio software/hardware I've still got somewhere, I'd have wiped OSX from my HD long ago.