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frequently_asked_questions [2009/05/10 15:55]
michael |
frequently_asked_questions [2022/05/06 16:07] (current)
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| ======Frequently Asked Questions for Rosegarden 09 and Later====== | ======Frequently Asked Questions for Rosegarden 10.02 and Later====== |
| | |
| For questions about Rosegarden 1.x, please see the [[dev:1.7.x_faq|Old FAQ]]. (**Note that development on 1.7.x has been suspended, and we are no longer accepting patches or translations updates against that line of code.**) | |
| |
| =====General questions===== | =====General questions===== |
| | |
| | |
| | ====What about Windows, OS-X, BSD?==== |
| | |
| | Rosegarden is currently an application for **Linux** only. Now that we have ported to Qt 4, and now that Qt is freely available for all platforms without a commercial license, there are fewer obstacles standing in the way of eventually becoming a cross-platform application. However, we are still very dependent on ALSA to provide MIDI infrastructure and JACK to provide an audio interface, and this will not be changing in the near future. |
| | |
| | We would like to run on OS-X, BSD, and similar platforms one day, but a Windows port is unlikely to happen unless someone agrees to hire Michael and pay him a regular salary to develop and support Rosegarden on Windows. |
| |
| ====Do I have to be using a particular desktop environment (KDE or whatever)?==== | ====Do I have to be using a particular desktop environment (KDE or whatever)?==== |
| |
| No. Rosegarden uses the KDE libraries for various common controls, but you can run it under any window manager or graphical environment you like with no change in functionality. | No. Rosegarden uses the Qt 4 libraries for various common controls, but you can run it under any window manager or graphical environment you like. The only marked change in functionality comes when printing or previewing with LilyPond. This feature requires an external backend to print or preview the resulting .PDF file. By default, Rosegarden is configured to use lpr for printing and Okular for previewing. You can change this on **Settings => Configure Rosegarden => General => External Applications** to use either Gtk-LP, lpr, or lp for printing, and Okular, Evince or Acroread for previewing PDF files. One file printing program and one PDF viewing program from each list of supported backends must be available at runtime in order for these features to work. (LilyPond is also required!) Otherwise, we aim to be as desktop-neutral as we can be. We have removed all dependencies on KDE, though we still require JACK and ALSA, and are still tied to the Linux platform for now. |
| |
| |
| ====What are the hardware requirements like?==== | ====What are the hardware requirements like?==== |
| |
| Reasonably demanding, because of the mixture of graphical and interactive GUI stuff with precisely timed audio stuff. See [[http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/getting/requirements|requirements]] for more | Reasonably demanding, because of the mixture of graphical and interactive GUI stuff with precisely timed audio stuff. See [[http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/getting/requirements|requirements]] for more details. |
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| details. | |
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| |
| ====Is it available in my language?==== | ====Is it available in my language?==== |
| |
| Fully complete translations are usually provided for British English, Finnish, French, Japanese and Spanish with each public release. Translations for Czech, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and Russian are usually substantially complete. Translations for several other languages exist in various states of disrepair, with German tending to be toward the more complete end of the spectrum, and Welsh at rock bottom with no updates since before Rosegarden 1.0 was released. | Fully complete translations are usually provided for British English, Finnish, French, German, Japanese and Spanish with each public release. Translations for Czech, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and Russian are usually substantially complete. Translations for several other languages exist in various states of disrepair, with Welsh at rock bottom with no updates since before Rosegarden 1.0 was released. |
| |
| These translations are provided and maintained by volunteer contributors, and most contributors tend to come and go pretty randomly. We have had real trouble attracting and keeping translators, and the most complete translations are usually updated by Rosegarden developers who have to double as translators on top of their other responsibilities. | These translations are provided and maintained by volunteer contributors, and most contributors tend to come and go pretty randomly. We have had real trouble attracting and keeping translators, and the most complete translations are usually updated by Rosegarden developers who have to double as translators on top of their other responsibilities. |
| If you can help out with translating musical or technical documentation (no programming required, but it's quite hard work), please let us know! | If you can help out with translating musical or technical documentation (no programming required, but it's quite hard work), please let us know! |
| |
| You may look at the wiki page dedicated to [[translator:Add or update translation|adding or updating translation]]. | Please take a look at the wiki page dedicated to [[translator:Add or update translation|adding or updating translation]] for complete details. That page tends to be more up to date than this section of the FAQ. |
| |
| See also docs/howtos/i18n.txt in SVN if you are interested in the technical aspects of translation. | |
| |
| ====Rosegarden apparently saves in a binary format, where can I find the format definition ?==== | ====Rosegarden apparently saves in a binary format, where can I find the format definition ?==== |
| ====Rosegarden is crashing at startup==== | ====Rosegarden is crashing at startup==== |
| |
| Try running up the sequencer by itself first to see if it's a problem with that or the main part of the program. Run: | We have been chasing a random divide by zero startup bug for some time, but have not been able to isolate and repair this problem. If Rosegarden crashes at startup, it is likely that you can get up and running simply by trying again. |
| <code bash> | |
| $ rosegardensequencer | This problem is difficult to correct, because it happens so rarely, and it cannot be repeated reliably. We have no idea what the root cause is, but we hope to address this as one of the highest priorities in a future release. |
| </code> | |
| And you should get a few lines of output finishing with: | ====How to get a stack trace for a crash==== |
| | |
| | First, make sure you are running a version of rosegarden that was built with debugging turned on. |
| <code> | <code> |
| RosegardenSequencer - started OK | -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug |
| </code> | </code> |
| If the sequencer starts up OK, try to start the main application with the command line switch "--nosequencer". If that fails, see next question on how to obtain a stack trace, which you should provide as part of any bug report you submit. | |
| |
| | Without debugging, there will be no symbols in the binary, and the backtrace will be useless. You'll likely need to build rosegarden on your own to get a debug version. Instructions can be found here: [[dev:Building Rosegarden from Source]] |
| |
| | Open a terminal window, and check to ensure that applications will be able to produce core dumps. The exact command and syntax may vary from shell to shell, but for bash it is ''ulimit -a'': |
| |
| ====How to get a stack trace for a crash==== | <code> |
| | $ ulimit -a |
| | core file size (blocks, -c) 0 |
| | data seg size (kbytes, -d) unlimited |
| | scheduling priority (-e) 20 |
| | ... |
| | </code> |
| | |
| | The above example is quite typical for an end-user desktop system. Having the "core file size" set to 0 prevents the creation of very large core dump files in unexpected places, and is generally a good thing. However, this also prevents you from generating a stack trace. You need to change the limit to something larger than 0, but many systems prevent you from setting this to ''unlimited'', so we suggest |
| |
| First export the environment variable KDE_DEBUG as follows (in bash): | |
| <code> | <code> |
| $ export KDE_DEBUG=1 | $ ulimit -c 1000000 |
| </code> | </code> |
| Start rosegarden from the command line, and reproduce the crash. You should now have a core file in your current directory. The core file is either named "core" or "core.<number>". Run gdb : | |
| | Now start a **debug version** of rosegarden from the command line, and reproduce the crash. You should now have a core file in your current directory. The core file is either named **core** or **core.<//number//>**. |
| | |
| | Run ''gdb'': |
| <code> | <code> |
| $ gdb rosegarden <core_file> | $ gdb rosegarden <core_file> |
| </code> | </code> |
| Then once you get the gdb prompt, use the command 'where' to get the stack trace, and mail to the authors or to the Rosegarden development mailing list, or include in a bug report. | |
| |
| | Then once you get the gdb prompt, use the command 'bt' to get the stack trace, and mail it to the authors or to the Rosegarden development mailing list, or include it in a bug report. |
| | |
| | ====What packages do I need to build this?==== |
| |
| | ====Build requirements===== |
| |
| ====I'm using RedHat/Fedora version (whatever), what packages do I need to build this?==== | Please see the [[dev:Building Rosegarden from Source]] page for detailed dependency and build information. |
| |
| This is most often asked by someone who's also using GNOME and hasn't built a KDE application before, in which case the answer is that you need the kdelibs, kdemultimedia and arts packages (yes, you currently need the arts package for trivial reasons even if you aren't building aRts support), plus the -dev versions of all of those. | |
| |
| Note that RedHat 9 didn't ship a recent enough version of ALSA, so if you want to build on a RedHat 9 system with ALSA support you have to upgrade rather than using the ALSA packages they supply. | ====Runtime requirements==== |
| |
| | In order to be fully functional and provide the optimal user experience, |
| | Rosegarden requires the following external applications. |
| |
| | * bash |
| | * available, functioning ALSA General MIDI soft synth (QSynth, TiMidity++, etc.) with soundfont (Fluid-Soundfont, Freepats, etc.) |
| | * lilypond |
| | * ocular OR acroread OR evince |
| | * gtklp OR lpr OR lp |
| | * jackd |
| | * flac |
| | * wavpack/wvunpack |
| | * qjackctl |
| | * DSSI plugins (any available) |
| | * LADSPA plugins (any available) |
| |
| =====Main Window and Segment Editing===== | =====Main Window and Segment Editing===== |
| ====How do I listen to a piece at half speed?==== | ====How do I listen to a piece at half speed?==== |
| |
| Assuming that there are many complex tempo changes already in the piece, I don't know. Anyone? | If the piece has more than one tempo change, then unfortunately it is not possible to listen at half or double speed. This feature has been requested since 2002, but does not exist yet. It is unlikely to be implemented. |
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| ====How do I rename a segment?==== | ====How do I rename a segment?==== |
| |
| Click the "..." button next to the segment's name shown in the Segment Parameters box. | Click the "Edit" button next to the segment's name shown in the Segment Parameters box. |
| |
| |
| ====How do I do something like a two-staff piano part?==== | ====How do I do something like a two-staff piano part?==== |
| |
| There are various angles to this question, and there's not (yet) any one perfect answer. | There are various angles to this question, and there's not any one perfect answer. |
| |
| For the best treatise on the subject, please see [[http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/supplemental/piano|Piano Notation by Example]] | For the best treatise on the subject, please see [[http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/supplemental/piano|Piano Notation by Example]] |
| ====Can I edit all the segments at once in the matrix editor?==== | ====Can I edit all the segments at once in the matrix editor?==== |
| |
| No. A matrix editor shows a single segment only. | Yes! |
| |
| |
| You need a soft synth! See the next question. | You need a soft synth! See the next question. |
| |
| | **EDITING CUTOFF POINT! EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE MAY BE OBSOLETE** |
| |
| ====How do I use an ALSA soft synth, such as fluidsynth or Timidity?==== | ====How do I use an ALSA soft synth, such as fluidsynth or Timidity?==== |
| ====I've followed all your instructions but I still don't hear any sound==== | ====I've followed all your instructions but I still don't hear any sound==== |
| |
| If you've done everything we've suggested above then you can check what devices the sequencer is seeing by running the Rosegarden sequencer up by itself. Try: | FIXME This section needs to be rewritten completely. |
| | |
| | =====Improving Performance===== |
| | |
| | ====I get drop outs or xruns with JACK. How do I improve performance?==== |
| | |
| | The short answer to this is with care and with some luck. There are various recipes for improving JACK performance. Some are more labour intensive than others. Ask on the rosegarden-user and rosegarden-devel lists for the latest advice and also keep an eye on jackit-devel for more JACK tips. |
| | |
| | |
| | to add somewhere appropriate: DSSI: no localhost |
| | |
| | =====Customizing Rosegarden===== |
| | |
| | ====How do I modify keyboard shortcuts?==== |
| | |
| | The is no simple method. The current work around requires some command line calls, a text editor and a bit of searching. Rosegarden shortcuts are defined in XML files with extensions .rc which are located in |
| <code> | <code> |
| $ rosegardensequencer | <build-tree-path>/data/rc/ |
| </code> | </code> |
| and examine the output of the screen. The output for JACK and ALSA for an SBLive! should look something like this: | |
| | where <build-tree-path> is the path to where Rosegarden is installed. |
| | |
| | The hardest part is deciding which .rc file contains the shortcuts that need modified. Look through the rc directory to find good candidates files. |
| | |
| | Here is a sample of the process needed to update the Transport play shortcuts to include the Space bar: |
| | |
| | * Type at the command line: |
| <code> | <code> |
| rosegardensequencer: created plugin manager | $ mkdir -p ~/.local/share/rosegarden/rc |
| MappedAudioPluginManager::discoverPlugins - discovering plugins | $ cp <build-tree-path>/data/rc/rosegardenmainwindow.rc ~/.local/share/rosegarden/rc/ |
| Rosegarden 4-0.9 - AlsaDriver - alsa-lib version 0.9.3 | </code> |
| AlsaDriver::jackSampleRate - sample rate changed to 44100 | Replace <build-tree-path> with the path to the installation directory. |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - adding input port 1 | |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - adding input port 2 | |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - getting ports | |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - found 2 JACK physical inputs | |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - connecting from "alsa_pcm:capture_1" to "rosegarden:in_1" | |
| AlsaDriver::createJackInputPorts - connecting from "alsa_pcm:capture_2" to "rosegarden:in_2" | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - JACK sample rate = 44100Hz | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - added output port 1 (left) | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - added output port 2 (right) | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - found 2 JACK physical outputs | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - connecting from "rosegarden:out_1" to "alsa_pcm:playback_1" | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - connecting from "rosegarden:out_1" to "alsa_pcm:playback_2" | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - JACK playback latency 0.092879R | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - JACK record latency 0.046439R | |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseAudio - initialised JACK audio subsystem | |
| |
| ALSA Client information: | * Open ~/.local/share/rosegarden/rc/rosegardenmainwindow.rc in a text editor. |
| | * Change the line: |
| | <code> |
| | <Action name="play" text="&Play" icon="transport-play" shortcut="Enter, Media Play, Ctrl+Return" shortcut-context="application" /> |
| | </code> |
| |
| 64,0 - (Rawmidi 0 - EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART), EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART)) (DUPLEX) [ctype 2, ptype 2, cap 127] | to |
| 65,0 - (Emu10k1 WaveTable, Emu10k1 Port 0) (WRITE ONLY) [ctype 2, ptype 2078, cap 66] | |
| 65,1 - (Emu10k1 WaveTable, Emu10k1 Port 1) (WRITE ONLY) [ctype 2, ptype 2078, cap 66] | |
| 65,2 - (Emu10k1 WaveTable, Emu10k1 Port 2) (WRITE ONLY) [ctype 2, ptype 2078, cap 66] | |
| 65,3 - (Emu10k1 WaveTable, Emu10k1 Port 3) (WRITE ONLY) [ctype 2, ptype 2078, cap 66] | |
| |
| Creating device 0 in Play mode for connection 65:0 Emu10k1 Port 0 (write) | <code> |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI soundcard synth | <Action name="play" text="&Play" icon="transport-play" shortcut="Enter, Media Play, Ctrl+Return, Space" shortcut-context="application" /> |
| Creating device 1 in Play mode for connection 65:1 Emu10k1 Port 1 (write) | </code> |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI soundcard synth 2 | |
| Creating device 2 in Play mode for connection 65:2 Emu10k1 Port 2 (write) | |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI soundcard synth 3 | |
| Creating device 3 in Play mode for connection 65:3 Emu10k1 Port 3 (write) | |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI soundcard synth 4 | |
| Creating device 4 in Play mode for connection 64:0 Rawmidi 0 - EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART) (duplex) | |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI external device | |
| Creating device 5 in Record mode for connection 64:0 Rawmidi 0 - EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART) (duplex) | |
| Default device name for this device is MIDI hardware input device | |
| Record client set to (64, 0) | |
| |
| AlsaDriver::initialiseMidi - initialised MIDI subsystem | and the line |
| |
| rosegardensequencer: RosegardenSequencer - started OK | <code> |
| | <Action name="recordtoggle" text="P&unch in Record" icon="transport-record" shortcut="Space" shortcut-context="application" /> |
| </code> | </code> |
| Note the ALSA device list shows the external MIDI port and the wavetable on-board synth devices. If you're using a soft synth, you should see it here too. All of these will be available in the drop-down Instrument list inside Rosegarden. | |
| |
| You can also reach this sequencer status information by using the application itself. Go to: Settings -> Configure Rosegarden -> Sequencer status -> Details.... | to |
| |
| | <code> |
| | <Action name="recordtoggle" text="P&unch in Record" icon="transport-record" shortcut="" shortcut-context="application" /> |
| | </code> |
| |
| | Note: Both need changed, otherwise the second one overrides the first. |
| |
| =====Improving Performance===== | * Save the file. |
| | * Run Rosegarden at try to shortcut. |
| |
| ====I get drop outs or xruns with JACK. How do I improve performance?==== | This is a complicated example, but many more are much less complicated. For a list of shortcut key names see: [[http://doc.trolltech.com/4.6/qkeysequence.html]] |
| | |
| | ====How do I prevent Rosegarden splitting long notes when recording?==== |
| | |
| | There is a setting for that: |
| | |
| | Edit -> Preferences -> Notation -> [ ] When ... split-and-tie long ... |
| |
| The short answer to this is with care and with some luck. There are various recipes for improving JACK performance. Some are more labour intensive than others. Ask on the rosegarden-user and rosegarden-devel lists for the latest advice and also keep an eye on jackit-devel for more JACK tips. | |
