Frinika

Programmable and reloadable soundbanks

2011-04-25T10:07:00.002+02:00

The Gervill software synthesizer which is included in Frinika is capable of reading soundbanks from JAR files (Java archives). This means that you may write your soundbank in code. It might be convenient to be able to modify your soundbank while editing your music in Frinika - and the "reload soundbank" button lets you do so:

VST/VSTi support

2011-03-04T10:13:00.002+01:00

The latest version of Frinika comes with a new MIDI Out device called "Frinika JVST Synth provider" - which uses JVSTHost (http://github.com/mhroth/jvsthost) to provide VST/VSTi support. Add this midi out device and select the .dll / .so of a VSTi file, or use the Audio Mixer (Toot) to use VST effects.

OpenJDK and PulseAudio

2010-08-06T08:06:00.005+02:00

When using OpenJDK on Linux with PulseAudio a javasound audio device called "PulseAudio Mixer" shows up. Selecting this in Frinika gives very choppy and unusable audio for the time being. However if using the latest version of Ubuntu (and possibly other Linux'es), this provides an ALSA device called "default" that is really a PulseAudio device. By selecting the "default" javasound audio device Frinika will use PulseAudio (through ALSA), and you'll be able to play audio from other programs and Frinika simultaneously.

Demonstration videos on YouTube

2010-08-03T21:07:00.002+02:00

These are really older demonstration videos - but I uploaded them to youtube so that they're more easily accessible:

Behind the scenes - how sound is produced in Frinika

2010-08-03T20:30:00.006+02:00

Frinika uses the Toot audio framework for bringing all the audio together and sending it to the audio ouput. Toot provides effect plugins and advanced mixing features, not to mention a versatile model for developing audio applications.

Here's a quick example of how to get Toot "up and sounding":


JavaSoundAudioServer as = new JavaSoundAudioServer();
final AudioProcess output = as.openAudioOutput("plughw:0,0", "Line Out");
final AudioBuffer buffer = as.createAudioBuffer("test");
as.setClient(new AudioClient() {

     double wavePos = 0;

     public void work(int nFrames) {
         float[] channel0 = buffer.getChannel(0);
         for(int n=0;n<nFrames;n++)
         {
             double sample = Math.sin(wavePos);
             wavePos+=Math.PI*2*440.0/44100.0;
             channel0[n] = (float)sample;
         }

         output.processAudio(buffer);
     }

     public void setEnabled(boolean enabled) {
     }
});
as.start();

Note that the audio output "plughw:0,0" is Linux specific and should be replaced with the name of the Javasound audio output of your platform.

Controlling pitch-bend and Midi controls in the tracker editor

2010-07-20T11:45:00.008+02:00

The tracker editor is very efficient for rapid MIDI editing. You can create advanced sounding synth solo very quickly, and it's very easy to alter pitch bending and other MIDI controls. The screenshot is taken from the synth solo of the SawToothJam song - and shows a pitch bend effect with the "PB" events. To insert a pitch bend - simply place the cursor in the Note column - hold control and press P. You can then alter the amount of pitch bend by modifying the value of the "Vel" column. 64 means that the pitch wheel is centered, and the wheel is rolled up down in the range from 0 to 127.

You can also alter MIDI controls, by holding control and pressing C in the note column. Then you enter the control value in the "Vel" column. The screenshot shows the base line from the same song - where the modulation controller (CC1) is added with a value of 30, and later turned off (value 0).

Enhancing your tracks with Toot

2010-06-25T22:47:00.005+02:00

I took one of my old tracks made on one of the first Frinika versions (the original project file is here), and put it into the latest Frinika and added some effects that comes with the built-in Toot mixer (http://toot.org.uk). Using EQ, stereo width enhancements and dual band compressor - new life was brought to the track, giving extra punch, wider and more rich sound. The final result is audible here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PeterSalomonsen

Settings for better audio performance on Linux

2009-03-26T08:00:00.002+01:00

Make sure you're member of the audio group

and then edit /etc/security/limits.conf

and add these lines:

@audio - rtprio 90
@audio - nice -5
@audio - memlock 50000

Restart for changes to take effect.

Using internal sounds of Frinika and Gervill

2008-04-01T20:59:00.002+02:00

Two videos demonstrating the usage of built-in synths of Frinika with their internal sounds.

(High resolution videos available here)

Using Gervill soft synthesizer with Frinika

2008-03-05T12:58:00.001+01:00

I should make a lower resolution video to make it work with google video - so if you want the full quality version you should download it here and play with e.g. vlc...

Frinika demonstration video

2007-08-13T15:22:00.000+02:00

I just tried a screen-movie-capture in order to make a quick demo video of Frinika.. This is my first.. More are coming up later....

Download video here. You can play it using e.g. vlc