Qmidi alternative for Linux?

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globetrotterdk
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Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by globetrotterdk »

I am looking for a Qmidi alternative in Linux. I have started experimenting with audio trackers and am interested in finding a program that has the same functionality in combination with GoatTracker as shown in this video. Qmidi is a shareware OSX program for Mac.

I am using Slackware64 14.2 with Studioware. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be many of us Slackware users that do audio, which is a bit of a shame, but explains why I don't get a response from other Slackers.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by sysrqer »

The only trackers I can think of are renoise, sunvox and radium but I don't know how they compare to the ones you've listed. The video doesn't show anything special as far as I can tell, just loading a sample and inputting notes. I would recommend looking in to renoise if you haven't already, it works in this way but can go quite deep if you want it to, especially when you add the various tools that have been made for it. A lot of people like sunvox but I find it a bit fiddly. Radium is an interesting one, has some unusual features but it was a bit too different for my taste.
globetrotterdk
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by globetrotterdk »

sysrqer wrote:The only trackers I can think of are renoise, sunvox and radium but I don't know how they compare to the ones you've listed. The video doesn't show anything special as far as I can tell, just loading a sample and inputting notes. I would recommend looking in to renoise if you haven't already, it works in this way but can go quite deep if you want it to, especially when you add the various tools that have been made for it. A lot of people like sunvox but I find it a bit fiddly. Radium is an interesting one, has some unusual features but it was a bit too different for my taste.
GoatTracker is the tracker, but the helper program that loads the MIDI and has the "MIDI Mixer" window, is QMidi, which can do a lot more than load midi files, but it is it's ability to function as a helper app for GoatTracker, that I am interested in..
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BTW, I tried Renoise and like it, but can't commit to it as according to the Renoise forums, development (Renoise and Redux) has been largely put on hold (since 2016), except for a few minor updates. There is no development path and the main developer refuses to answer contacts from Renoise purchasers or contributors, so I wouldn't be willing to recommend Renoise to anyone at this point.
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sysrqer
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by sysrqer »

globetrotterdk wrote: BTW, I tried Renoise and like it, but can't commit to it as according to the Renoise forums, development (Renoise and Redux) has been largely put on hold (since 2016), except for a few minor updates. There is no development path and the main developer refuses to answer contacts from Renoise purchasers or contributors, so I wouldn't be willing to recommend Renoise to anyone at this point.
That's not entirely true, there was a bug fix update a few months ago. There are members of the development team active on the forum and they have stated that certain things have been worked on, such as hdpi support, so it is not dead. Taktik has never been very forthcoming and he has said that he doesn't like announcing things in advance in case something changes or there is a problem and he can't meet the expectations, which seems reasonable, no point in putting pressure on yourself. He's working on another project at the moment, that's all. As long as it stays maintained enough to work I think it's in a good place, it's very stable and as far as I know there are no serious showstopping bugs.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by globetrotterdk »

sysrqer wrote:That's not entirely true, there was a bug fix update a few months ago. There are members of the development team active on the forum and they have stated that certain things have been worked on, such as hdpi support, so it is not dead. Taktik has never been very forthcoming and he has said that he doesn't like announcing things in advance in case something changes or there is a problem and he can't meet the expectations, which seems reasonable, no point in putting pressure on yourself. He's working on another project at the moment, that's all. As long as it stays maintained enough to work I think it's in a good place, it's very stable and as far as I know there are no serious showstopping bugs.
I never stated that Renoise is dead. I simply tried to give a nuanced picture of what I have gleaned from the threads on the issue. Everyone is free to read the threads for themselves and make their own determinations. The atmosphere among the paying customers and some contributors seems to be best described as dissent and frustration about a product that they have invested in, that they don't know what will happen with in the future. I think it is far better to call a spade a spade and let the potential customer / user decide, rather than promoting a product that 1) is a commercial product that has one main developer and 2) has been on hold since 2016. No showstopping bugs and a couple of minor updates does not constitute active development, and that is what the paying customers are complaining about.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by sysrqer »

It hasn't been on hold since 2016 though but cool whatever.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by globetrotterdk »

sysrqer wrote:It hasn't been on hold since 2016 though but cool whatever.
Search terms "renoise development 2016" gives threads with the title like "Is Renoise terminated?" or "Whats next for Renoise?" that includes talk of inconsistent API's between version changes, or if you search for "taktik renoise development 2016" gives threads like "Is Renoise dead?" or how about Taktik's own post:
We're doing little work on Renoise right now, mainly small clean-ups and bug fixing and have started some other project a while ago too. That we're doing something else doesn't mean that Renoise is dead. I think it will benefit Renoise and Co in the long term. We always have been working on/off Renoise in the past.

If Renoise or Redux is worth the money should be decided by what it is, and not what it could be.
Or how about a post from Dblue, from 29 September, 2017 entitled 2 years without update ?
In short, the team simply had a desire to work on something else for a while, to explore some interesting new challenges, and to clear the dust and cobwebs from some lesser used parts of the brain. When a project has been ongoing for 15 years as Renoise has, it's only natural that an occasional change of scenery or pace may be necessary to keep things fresh and interesting.
I like Renoise and would consider purchasing it, hadn't it been for these threads and the lack of transparency. Again, I will emphasize that there are clear differences between a product that is no longer developed, a project where development is on hold, and a project that is in active development. This isn't personal either, I just can't imagine how anyone can recommend a product without the necessary caveats for a product in a situation like Renoise.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by sysrqer »

globetrotterdk wrote:I just can't imagine how anyone can recommend a product without the necessary caveats for a product in a situation like Renoise.
I can't imagine why it wouldn't be recommended, it is still being developed, the devs have stated a few things that they are working on in the long term of the program, it works well. I can't really be arsed to argue though, if you feel differently then that's fine.

Incidentally, the other project that Taktik has been working on is about to be released so I expect his focus will return to renoise fairly soon.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by globetrotterdk »

sysrqer wrote:I can't imagine why it wouldn't be recommended, it is still being developed, the devs have stated a few things that they are working on in the long term of the program...
I think the operative phrase here is "without the necessary caveats". Again, according to the threads that I referred to above, development is "on hold" and there have apparently only been one or two minor updates since 2016. Some of the less flattering quotes from the devs could have included phrases like "idle speculation", which isn't exactly something a customer wants to read, but I don't think we are going to agree on this issue. No hard feelings, but can we get back to an alternative helper app for goattracker similar to Qmidi? Let's see if anyone else has a suggestion.
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by gimmeapill »

Renoise is by far the most mature and feature full tracker around, but yeah, the forums are becoming almost toxic. This really gives a really bad image of the software. Still, the stability is a big plus in my book, I wouldn't imagine putting my time into a DAW or any program that changes or breaks format every 5 seconds.

Anyway back to the topic, that Qmidi thing is a weird beast though, I don't think you will find a Linux equivalent in one program.
If I understand correctly, your use case is goat tracker -> external midi rendering and mixing, right?

You could then do the midi rendering + mixing part with Ardour - the 400 pound gorilla, or Qtractor or any the fluidsynth frontends (ex: https://qsynth.sourceforge.io/).
Maybe Carla could give a more integrated workflow: http://kxstudio.linuxaudio.org/Applications:Carla

As for simple midi trackers on Linux, maybe Tutka http://www.nongnu.org/tutka/?
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

Post by lilith »

Check this out if you're still in doubts:

http://forum.renoise.com/index.php/topi ... ise/page-9
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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

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Re: Qmidi alternative for Linux?

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