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... in the creative coding community.

Patchers like Max and Pure Data allow for realtime graphical programming and live coding environments such as Fluxus exist for realtime graphics and sound. Max was originally written by Miller Puckette in the mid 80s for realtime control of DSP for computer music at IRCAM and Pure Data, started in the mid 90's, is his open source take on addressing some of it's design issues. Fluxus originates from around 2000 as is a live 3d engine for performance using a Lisp varient as the on screen scripting language.

Yet another case of artists/scientists providing a working solution to a particular problem not apparent to other disciplines. Too bad Bret dosen't cite these examples. Perhaps he dosen't know of them?

Bret's argument that realtime feedback is important to creative flow is spot on. I don't think he's calling for the use of this approach as a panacea. Naturally it won't work in all cases but anything that helps with problem solving is welcome in my book. It's not a replacement for deep understanding but really allows you more creative freedom which, as other posted have noted, is useful in creative graphics/sound programming.

I was just thinking about interactive audio visualizations for a kick ass guitar appliance. I ran across fluxus which I'd never heard of before, but looks to be a killer app. Check out the movies here.

http://www.pawfal.org/index.php?page=FluxusSecrets

http://www.pawfal.org/fluxus/

I was just thinking about interactive audio visualizations for a kick ass guitar appliance. I ran across fluxus which I'd never heard of before, but looks to be a killer app. Check out the movies here.

http://www.pawfal.org/index.php?page=FluxusSecrets

http://www.pawfal.org/fluxus/

From my opinion as a student of computer arts/digital arts, the first thing you have to ask yourself is how to include the computer in your artistic work.
I can recommend the Book "Composing Interactive Music" from Todd Winkler, as I found it not only interesting for re-thinking how to use Computers in artistic installations, but also how to completely rethink computer interaction.
Winkler proposes a framework of 5 stages which i think can also be adoped for any digital works, not only music.
The book is inteded for composers working with max/msp, a visual programming language where object boxes can be "patched" together; this style of working shows fast results, as this kind of software is working "realtime", meaning you get constant ouptput of the things you are doing or the parameters you are changing.
I am working with this kind of "patchable software interfaces" for more than five years now; and this is also teached on the University of Applied Arts in Vienna/Austria, where I am studying.
If it comes to interaction (sound-visual, sound-dancers, graphics-interface, whatever) in the field of artistic work, these tools such as
PD Pure Data (windows/mac/linux) - Audio/Video/3D (GEM,Framestein) -opensource-
Cycling74 max/msp (windows/mac) - Audio/Video/3D (also see Nato and Jitter) -free 30days demo-
Native Instruments Reaktor (windows/mac) -commercial, but has education pricing-
vvvv (win) -free-
are used from lots of the people around.
there are hell lots more, you might want to take a look at the audiovisualizers.com tool shack, or pawfal.org for example.

For some visual examples and also works, you might want to take a look at
http://www.harvestworks.org/maxreel/
http://puredata.info/community/ (mostly audio)
talking chair (vvvv+hardware)
http://www.realtimearts.net/

or you might also want to take a look at the department of digital art in the university of applied arts/vienna.
currently we are a group of people trying to bring opensource and arts together. there are also workshops and lots of projects going on: http://5uper.net

for sure there are also "standard" programs teached, which are good for working with business and advertising companies -- but if we are speaking about digital arts, that's going beyond the standard approach of software use. at least for me.

AKnightCowboy wrote:
Most likely Autozone has thousands of SCO UNIX POS terminals or something.

Had. From everything I've heard, AutoZone used to have (SCO) OpenServer-based POS systems for all their stores. They then ported their POS software to Linux, and they now have Linux-based POS systems for all of their stores.

One of the statements SCO has made in the IBM lawsuit is that the only way AutoZone could have made the transition to Linux so quickly is if IBM helped them by porting the OpenServer libraries over to Linux. They offer no evidence for this, and the entire charge strikes me as complete bunk.

--

"Hillbilly roots", I like it. I'm picturing a few 386's and an AlphaServer system up on cinderblocks in the driveway, Grampa playing banjo tunes on SpiralSynthModular. Mmmm, country air, nobody calling with thoughtless tech support questions.

* MIDI workstation: logic audio | cubase | or even (puke) cakewalk

I've heard that MusE and Rosegarden are pretty decent, though I haven't really used either.

* Powerful trackers: buzz | FT2 | IT

Have you tried SoundTracker? I don't know much about tracking so I wasn't able to evaluate how good it is.

* Advanced outboard softsynths: reaktor | absynth | Q1 | grainlab

What about Spiral Synth Modular?

* Powerful sample editing tools: cool edit/96/pro | soundforge

I think Audacity is pretty capable. There's also WaveSurfer, and Sweep.

Btw, I'd be glad to be wrong, if someone would only point out the links to *stable* and *feature-filled* tools.

I see I've been conned into doing your homework for you. :)

This thing is a TB 303, TR808 and 909 emulator, a dance music only instrument.
There are -IMO- much more interesting music projects on Linux that deserve some space on Slashdot, like the SpiralsynthModular analog synthesizer, the Ardour mutitrack hard disk recording system, or the Brahms MIDI sequencer.

A long list of projects can be found on LinuxSound.

• SpiralSynth is becoming an almost self contained music production program. With basic sequencers, good synths, samplers and effects is one of my favorite programs.
• If you want to play DJ, go check TerminatorX to get fill all your scratching needs. They even hacked a turntable that works with the program!!
• Finally, for some real-time guitar effects, check Stompboxes2 , which is my own project. (BTW, i'm looking for developers).

I know analog is the way to go when making noise, but right now it is possible to achieve pretty decent synth sounds by creating your own digitally!. The best thing I tried was ObjektSynth for BeOS. Very small latency

If you want to try a cool Synth emulator for Linux you should download SpiralSynth Modular right now!!! (and start annoying the hell out of your neighbors).

There's an interesting modular soft synth available for Linux called "Spiral Synth Modular". Looks like a project with a lot of promise: http://www.pawfal.org/Software/SSM/