README for Sequencer64 0.95.3 (Native JACK, CLI, tempo, Windows)
Chris Ahlstrom
2015-09-10 to 2018-09-13
Sequencer64 is a reboot of seq24, extending it with new features and bug fixes.
The heart of seq24 remains intact. It is an old friend, and maintains extra
backward-compatibility with the --legacy option. An extensive manual:
https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-doc.git
Prebuilt Debian packages, source tarballs, and Windows installers:
https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-packages.git
Sequencer64 has various builds providing support for ALSA, PortMidi, JACK,
and Gtkmm 2.4, Qt 5, Windows, and command-line user-interfaces.
Native JACK support: Seq64rtmidi/seq64
Seq64 has native JACK MIDI/Transport, with virtual/manual ports and
auto-connect like ALSA, based on RtMidi massively refactored. It falls
back to ALSA support if JACK is not running. See README.jack for basic
instructions on native JACK.
GUI-less application: Seq64rtmidi/seq64cli
The RtMidi/JACK version without a GUI. Controlled via MIDI control
events (start/stop events must be set up), it relies on a good working
configuration generated via the GUI or edited by hand. Currently the only
way to load a MIDI file is as the last argument on the command line.
However, playlist support under MIDI control is coming soon. The CLI
version supports a "daemonize" option, with a log-file available.
Windows support (derived from PortMidi):
This version uses a Qt 5 user-interface based on Kepler34, but using the
standard Sequencer64 engine. Windows built-in MIDI devices are detected,
inaccessible devices are ignored, and playback (e.g. to the built-in Windows
wavetable synthesizer) work. It is built easily via Qt Creator or qmake,
using the MingW support of Qt.
The Qt 5 GUI is still a little behind the Gtkmm 2.4 GUI, but will
eventually be the main GUI of Seq64.
some configuration can be done manually in the "rc" and "usr" files.
See README.windows for more information.
See the INSTALL file for build-from-source instructions or using a
conventional source tarball.
Recent changes:
- Version 0.95.3:
- Fixed errors building lash.
- Fixed error building in 32-bit g++ 4.9.
- Allowed builds of the command-line and GUI versions in the same
build: ./bootstrap -er -cli -rm
- Version 0.95.2:
- Added the Qt 5 version of the Event Editor.
- Catching up on some more features from the Gtkmm-2:4 version.
- Group-learn support.
- Tap BPM support.
- Export Song as non-SeqSpec MIDI.
- Export as non-SeqSpec MIDI.
- Additional buttons:
- Open Song Editor ("performance edit").
- Apply Song Transpose.
- Clear Mute Groups.
- Reload Mute Groups.
- Song Mute On/Off/Toggle.
- Fixed some minor issues found.
- Version 0.95.1: A lot of stuff for a "minor" release! We are
conserving version numbers, plus most fixes are getting the Qt 5
version as functional as the Gtkmm-2.4 version of the GUI.
- Cleaned up the Build Info dialog and enhanced the About dialog.
- See "Pull Request #150" in the NEWS file.
- Added the ability to read Cakewalk "WRK" files.
- Refactoring the "qseq" classes to avoid constant redraws.
- More work on getting Qt version of seqedit to handle the same
features as seqedit.
- Fixed seq64 to match seq24/qpseq64 for displaying beats and
measures properly in seqedit when the time-signature is changed.
- Double precision for BPM in Qt user-interface.
- Fixed issue #130 where editing event data (seqdata) would
be slow/jerky with large patterns.
- Fixed issues building Qt/rtmidi executable with automake.
- Added an external pattern-editor window and song-editor window
for the Qt user-interface, plus an LFO window.
- Made the Seq32 transpose option permanent, not macroed.
- Adding progress-following for the pattern and song editors.
- Enhanced MIDI file PPQN handling, and added an option to use the
PPQN in the MIDI file, if present. Use "--ppqn 0" or set the
"user" file "midi_ppqn" value to 0.
- Fixed the broken "Expand" and "Replace" options in the sequence
editor (still working on the Qt version).
- Version 0.95.0:
- Improved the Windows version and its packaging. Added a Windows
icon, an installer, better data support and documentation, and
upgrades to the GUI.
- Added the ability to ignore ports that cannot be opened, and to
report them. Needed for Windows.
- Fixed display of event data values in the Gtkmm GUI.
- Fixed broken "replace loop" recording functionality (Linux).
- Fixed broken "expand loop" recording functionality (Linux).
- As usual, a raft of minor improvements.
- For earlier version information, see the NEWS and ChangeLog files.
This package is oriented to developers and users who do not mind building from
source, with a little help. It is fairly well organized and well documented.
Please see the INSTALL file for a brief description of installation.
Initial work/thought/documentation started in July of 2015, when I was laid
up after some old-man surgery.
See the ROADMAP file for more information and a kind of TODO list. Also see
contrib/notes/bugs_to_investigate. Sequencer64 is documented by the following
project, a 190+-page PDF file and its LaTeX source code:
https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-doc.git
# vim: sw=4 ts=4 wm=4 et ft=sh