Computer music workstation: Difference between revisions

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The computer music workstation is a Dell Optiplex 755. It runs Windows Vista Business which is near EOL so halp! The [[MOTU_828| MOTU 828 mkII]] is connected to it to provide some interesting options for audio I/O. The physical box is located under the [[Plan_9| Plan 9 workstation]] and the two share a monitor, but have separate mice and keyboards.
The computer music workstation is a a Gateway PC with a Quad core Intel Core2 chipset on a VIA motherboard. Basically a PC you would build from parts circa 2008. It runs Debian Stretch (which is testing as of this writing). The [[MOTU_828| MOTU 828 mkII]] is connected to it to provide some interesting options for audio I/O. The physical box is located under the [[Plan_9| Plan 9 workstation]] and the two share a monitor, but have separate mice and keyboards.


[[File:Computer_music_workstation.jpg]]
[[File:Computer_music_workstation.jpg]]
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==Specs==
==Specs==


* Dual core 2.8 gHz Intel core II duo 64 bit CPU (fast)
* Quad core 2.5 gHz Intel core2 64 bit CPU (fast)
* 4 GB RAM (no ECC)
* 4 GB RAM (no ECC)
* 32 Bit Windows Vista For Business, serious business(slow) and Debian GNU/Linux "stretch"
* Debian GNU/Linux "stretch"
* 160 GB 7200 RPM SATA drive (No DAW Action for us)
* 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA drive (No DAW Action for us)
* 1024 GB LaCie RAID-0 external storage via Firewire 400. (slow, if you want to DAW with this fine, you might lose your magic to bitrot)
* 1024 GB LaCie RAID-0 external storage via Firewire 400. (slow, if you want to DAW with this fine, you might lose your magic to bitrot)
* Fancy Nvidia graphics card (Vancy visuals)
* Fancy Nvidia graphics card (Vancy visuals)
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Sometimes there is a [[Nord Micro Modular]] connected to the mixer. It accepts audio input as signal to presets 90-99. Many of these are vocoders and amplitude modulation or envelope follower. The input it attached to the mixer aux send 1. Any channel can send signal to the Nord, including the Nord, so WATCH OUT! Feedback warning. This is an excellent analog modeling synth, though the module editing interface is shit.
Sometimes there is a [[Nord Micro Modular]] connected to the mixer. It accepts audio input as signal to presets 90-99. Many of these are vocoders and amplitude modulation or envelope follower. The input it attached to the mixer aux send 1. Any channel can send signal to the Nord, including the Nord, so WATCH OUT! Feedback warning. This is an excellent analog modeling synth, though the module editing interface is shit.
There's a turntable without a needle. It has a USB sound interface.
There is a cassette player for that vintage feel.


==Software==
==Software==

Revision as of 13:26, 8 May 2016

The computer music workstation is a a Gateway PC with a Quad core Intel Core2 chipset on a VIA motherboard. Basically a PC you would build from parts circa 2008. It runs Debian Stretch (which is testing as of this writing). The MOTU 828 mkII is connected to it to provide some interesting options for audio I/O. The physical box is located under the Plan 9 workstation and the two share a monitor, but have separate mice and keyboards.

Computer music workstation.jpg

Specs

  • Quad core 2.5 gHz Intel core2 64 bit CPU (fast)
  • 4 GB RAM (no ECC)
  • Debian GNU/Linux "stretch"
  • 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA drive (No DAW Action for us)
  • 1024 GB LaCie RAID-0 external storage via Firewire 400. (slow, if you want to DAW with this fine, you might lose your magic to bitrot)
  • Fancy Nvidia graphics card (Vancy visuals)
  • Firewire 400 PCI card for multichannel audio interface (pro audio)
  • USB Wifi networking! (that's the little white thing on the back. it blinks green.)

Audio

Like most digital audio experiments, this one is in the "failed" state. The Linux driver for the MOTU is incomplete and will render the unit inoperable at undetermined times. My initial plans to make this a crucial part of the signal flow is a failure in that when the driver fails, the whole system ceases to produce sound from any instrument. Back to the drawing board. --SteeleNivenson (talk) 19:41, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

There was a Denon home theater receiver on the hackshelves. I appropriated it for the power amps and myriad supported inputs. The main outputs of the MOTU 828 are wired to the STEREO CDR [Analog] source input of the Denon. There are some AudioChoice speakers that were on the floor by the west wing lounge. I made some custom cables and hooked them up to the A speaker output on the Denon.

There is a mixer called a Behringer Eurorack MX1604A. It is wired up to act like a 12 channel 4 bus analog mixer with two aux sends. The PC is sort of like the "mixdown" unit but we're not building a recording studio here! So who cares? Wiring diagram forthcoming.

Sometimes there is a Nord Micro Modular connected to the mixer. It accepts audio input as signal to presets 90-99. Many of these are vocoders and amplitude modulation or envelope follower. The input it attached to the mixer aux send 1. Any channel can send signal to the Nord, including the Nord, so WATCH OUT! Feedback warning. This is an excellent analog modeling synth, though the module editing interface is shit.

There's a turntable without a needle. It has a USB sound interface.

There is a cassette player for that vintage feel.

Software

  • Supercollider (digital modular synthesis engine, object oriented DSP language and algorithmic composition environment)
  • Sunvox (tracker style sequencer and DSP platform)
  • Pure Data (patcher language control environment and realtime DSP engine for modular digital synthesis)
  • Sonic Pi ( fun realtime loop composition environment with livecoding language based on Ruby)
  • Audacity ( stereo sound recorder )
  • LTSpice IV (Analog Circuit simulator)
  • Plugins
  • Carla (Plugin host)

Much of this software can be used to create digital models of classic synthesizers. The information in the modular synthesizer workshop applies to much of what can be built here using software.

MIDI

The monitor sits next to the Yamaha PSR-1700 MIDI synthesizer and sequencer. Sound output works via the headphone jack or built in speakers. MIDI in/out work. It's possible to control Sunvox from the keyboard by opening the application on the PC and clicking the mouse on a generator in Sunvox. It's also possible to send MIDI to the keyboard and play lol karaoke files.

There's an Akai APC40 that's floating around. It is known as a controller for the popular Ableton Live software, though it can also operate in "general purpose mode" by default. This means there is also a MIDI controller with 8 addressable faders, a crossfader, 16 CC1 knobs and a big matrix of buttons that produce note on/off messages.