linuxsampler - modular, streaming capable sampler
LinuxSampler is a modular, streaming capable sampler. Currently it supports the
sampler formats Gigasampler/GigaStudio (.gig), SoundFont v2 (.sf2) and SFZ v2
(.sfz).
The sampler is designed as backend, that is server-like console
application. You will need a frontend application like QSampler or
JSampler/Fantasia, which provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to control
the sampler and manage sampler sessions conveniently. If you prefer, you can
also control the sampler from the command line instead, for example by using
the lscp(1) shell application shipped with LinuxSampler, which
provides LSCP aware color highlighting, auto completion and more. Since the
LSCP network interface is based on a human readable text protocol, you can
also send LSCP commands by any other means to the sampler, e.g. by using
telnet(1) or netcat(1). You can find examples and detailed
informations about LinuxSampler's network protocol (LSCP) on
http://linuxsampler.org/documentation.html#lscp_spec
Various audio and MIDI driver systems are supported, like ALSA
(audio & MIDI), JACK (audio & MIDI), ASIO, CoreAudio, CoreMIDI,
Arts, MidiShare and MME. LinuxSampler can also be run as virtual instrument
plugin. The following instrument plugin formats are currently supported:
AudioUnit (AU), DSSI, LV2 and VST. You can also load effect plugins into the
sampler. Currently only the LADSPA plugin format is supported for sampler
internal effects.
If you are using sounds in the Gigasampler/GigaStudio format, then
you may also want to install the graphical instrument editor application
called "gigedit", which can directly be launched by LinuxSampler,
allowing to edit instruments in real-time (changes immediately being
audible, without needing to reload the sound files in the sampler).
- --exec-after-init
- Executes the provided shell command(s) after initialization of application
completed. You may use this to automatically restore a previous sampler
session on startup, i.e. by sending a previously stored LSCP file via
netcat(1). to the sampler.
- --help
- Print command line help and exit.
- --version
- Print version information and exit.
- --profile
- This option is currently not supported anymore, since the respective
profiling code is currently broken. Original behavior: Output benchmark
messages on the console. This reflects the current efficiency as abstract
BogoVoice count which is something like a theoretical limit of the amount
of voices which can be rendered in the given scenario. It does not include
all aspects of the sampler, that's why this value is usually higher than
what you really can achieve on your box. Also note that this value is as
well dependant on what instrument patch you are using and what you are
playing. For a compact synthesis core benchmark, independent from drivers
and instrument files, you might want to use the one coming with the
sampler's source files instead (directory "benchmarks" of the
source files).
- --no-tune
- Disable assembly optimizations. Usually the sampler will detect CPU
specific features like MMX and SSE at runtime and use an appropriate
assembly optimized code in that case. With that switch you can disable
this feature and force the sampler to skip the assembly optimizations at
runtime.
- --statistics
- Output voice and disk stream count periodically on the console.
- --lscp-addr IPADDRESS
- Defines IP address on which the LSCP server should listen to (default:
any).
- --lscp-port NUMBER
- Defines TCP port on which the LSCP server should listen to (default:
8888).
- --create-instruments-db [FILE]
- Creates a database file with the given filename which can be used by the
sampler's instruments database system to maintain the user's collection of
instrument libraries. When this argument is given, the sampler will just
create the instruments DB file and exit. If the optional file argument is
omitted, then a default location for the instrument DB file is used
instead.
- --instruments-db-location FILE
- Overrides the location of the database file, which the sampler shall use
for its instruments database system (default:
/var/lib/linuxsampler/instruments.db).
- LINUXSAMPLER_PLUGIN_DIR
- Allows to override the directory where LinuxSampler shall look for
instrument editor plugins.
- LADSPA_PATH
- Allows to override the directory where LinuxSampler shall look for LADSPA
effect plugins. Multiple paths may be given, separated by colon
(":") character on POSIX systems (i.e. Linux and Mac), or
separated by semi-colon (";") character on Windows systems.
Report bugs to http://bugs.linuxsampler.org
Written by Christian Schoenebeck <cuse@users.sf.net>