Re: A Sound Gimp

[David O'Toole]

Here comes another one of my long emails :-)
---

On Mon, 22 Jan 2001, Nicolas Liveilli wrote:

[re:sweep]

> It is in very early stages, but share a certain philosophy in ui design
> with gimp.

Yes, I think that's inspired more than a few folks... octal is going the
gimpy way too, with multiple top-level windows that you can arrange and
still have your background image showing. Right-click menus that stay out
of the way, etc etc etc.

Now to answer the original email:

> |     Just a question relating to the flexibility of Octal.  Would it be
> | possible to use the octal API and plugins to make a graphical sound
> | editting package similiar to the GIMP?  The reason I ask this is that
> | there seems to be no decent linux tool analogous to cool edit for win.

There are several projects going to create uber-editors for audio, even
multitrack type things and postproduction work. The implementation issues
and API issues are very different for what is essentially multitrack hard
disk recording/playback/effects/editing, and a musical art-pad like Octal.

So I thought it would be best to use 2 apps: Octal for all the
tracking/mixing/composing tasks, and a sound editor of your choice to edit
samples.

I have had preliminary discussions with the GLAME people (I think it's at
sourceforge.) I will probably chat with the Sweep people at some point, as
well.

I'm thinking there could be something like ReWire, where a whole separate
application is sending audio into Octal's network, pretending to be a
plugin. This would let you hear sound samples inside Octal while editing
them in an external editor, etc. Some kind of linkup between Octal and
audio editors in general would be good.

I'm not sure which one is going to be the audio-gimp, so it's hard to make
plans. Something just has to become the killer app, because that tends to
drive both development and interoperability (plugin standards getting
around, etc.)

I already have plans on what's going to be the standard, killer
MUSIC-gimp. :-) Thanks for bringing this up though. I will start looking
at those editors again to see which one is more suitable.

> | seems to me that the GIMP's plugin type architecture has proven to be a
> | winner and I wonder why it hasn't been done for sound.  Or perhaps I am
> | just ignorant and its already done?  Anyway, if something like this

There's LADSPA, but not only is it really minimal (see my last email) but
there's no killer app driving its popularity. I have a bit more hope for
some of the projects like Glame and Sweep.

> | be done, it would have to have a rad name. How bout SEX, Sound EXchanger
> | or something similarly natty, to go along with the gimp....

Hahahah :-)

I've had it on my mind to give Octal a more sexy name. Like "Octane"?
Makes it sounds like a powerful gasoline...

-- 
@@@ david o'toole
@@@ address@hidden
@@@ www.gnu.org/software/octal