VirtualKeyboard dotpup makes no sounds.(Solved)
VirtualKeyboard dotpup makes no sounds.(Solved)
Installed VirtualKeyboard ,the keys turn blue when I click on them, but I hear no sound.Does it require something else? I have Puppy 2.00 with intel8x0 sound,I hear the "Woof" very loud.
Last edited by Pence on Mon 03 Jul 2006, 21:59, edited 1 time in total.
Did you use the Virtual Keyboard dotpup I recently posted? If so, thanks!
Your Virtual Keyboard is working correctly. Virtual Keyboard makes no sound by itself. It is only a controller, meaning it provides the triggers and the on/off signals for whatever you are using next in the chain to generate sound. It is near identical to a real MIDI controller keyboard. You need to connect Virtual Keyboard to a synth or sampler program that produces the sounds. For the most part, synth or sampler programs will not make sound unless you have either a real keyboard attached to your computer or a virtual keyboard program which allows you to play sounds with your computer keyboard or mouse. In addition to a synth or sampler, you will need some program to connect the controller to the synth/sampler and the synth/sampler to your computer's sound system, usuallly JACK (which is easiest to use with the Qjackctl graphical interface instead of the usual command-line interface).
For example, let's say I want to play some soundfont samples using Fluidsynth. Fluidsynth has no built-in virtual keyboard so you cannot play any samples, soundfonts or sounds without hooking up either a real keyboard or a virtual keyboard. Open up Virtual Keyboard and start up JACK. Use JACK to connect the output of the Virtual Keyboard to the input of Fluidsynth. Then, use JACK to connect the output of Fluidsynth to the input of ALSA or whatever sound system your Puppy uses (maybe OSS for older Puppy versions). After you connect them all with JACK, the chain looks like this:
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> ALSA (or OSS)
Now, when you use your mouse or computer keyboard to trigger a note on Virtual Keyboard, a note or sound will be generated in Fluidsynth. The Fluidsynth sound will then be sent to ALSA which will send the sound to your speakers so you can hear it. If you get brave, you can insert other synths/samplers or effects programs into the chain. For instance, if I want to use some JACK RACK effects, I open up JACK RACK and use JACK to connect it in between the sound generator (Fluidsynth) and the sound system (ALSA or OSS):
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> JACK RACK --> ALSA (or OSS)
This will allow you to add JACK RACK effects like reverb, chorus, delay, amp simulation, etc., to the sounds coming out of Fluidsynth. This way, I can open up a Fender Rhodes soundfont with Fluidsynth, use JACK RACK to add some phaser sounds and tube amp simulation and then play it all on the Virtual Keyboard. I could even add a digital recording program like MuSe into the mix to record my music while I am listening to it:
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> JACK RACK --> MuSe --> ALSA
Make sense?
Your Virtual Keyboard is working correctly. Virtual Keyboard makes no sound by itself. It is only a controller, meaning it provides the triggers and the on/off signals for whatever you are using next in the chain to generate sound. It is near identical to a real MIDI controller keyboard. You need to connect Virtual Keyboard to a synth or sampler program that produces the sounds. For the most part, synth or sampler programs will not make sound unless you have either a real keyboard attached to your computer or a virtual keyboard program which allows you to play sounds with your computer keyboard or mouse. In addition to a synth or sampler, you will need some program to connect the controller to the synth/sampler and the synth/sampler to your computer's sound system, usuallly JACK (which is easiest to use with the Qjackctl graphical interface instead of the usual command-line interface).
For example, let's say I want to play some soundfont samples using Fluidsynth. Fluidsynth has no built-in virtual keyboard so you cannot play any samples, soundfonts or sounds without hooking up either a real keyboard or a virtual keyboard. Open up Virtual Keyboard and start up JACK. Use JACK to connect the output of the Virtual Keyboard to the input of Fluidsynth. Then, use JACK to connect the output of Fluidsynth to the input of ALSA or whatever sound system your Puppy uses (maybe OSS for older Puppy versions). After you connect them all with JACK, the chain looks like this:
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> ALSA (or OSS)
Now, when you use your mouse or computer keyboard to trigger a note on Virtual Keyboard, a note or sound will be generated in Fluidsynth. The Fluidsynth sound will then be sent to ALSA which will send the sound to your speakers so you can hear it. If you get brave, you can insert other synths/samplers or effects programs into the chain. For instance, if I want to use some JACK RACK effects, I open up JACK RACK and use JACK to connect it in between the sound generator (Fluidsynth) and the sound system (ALSA or OSS):
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> JACK RACK --> ALSA (or OSS)
This will allow you to add JACK RACK effects like reverb, chorus, delay, amp simulation, etc., to the sounds coming out of Fluidsynth. This way, I can open up a Fender Rhodes soundfont with Fluidsynth, use JACK RACK to add some phaser sounds and tube amp simulation and then play it all on the Virtual Keyboard. I could even add a digital recording program like MuSe into the mix to record my music while I am listening to it:
Virtual Keyboard --> Fluidsynth --> JACK RACK --> MuSe --> ALSA
Make sense?
Pence, glad I could help. Just so you are aware, you are by no means limited to using the Fluidsynth/Qsynth sampler program. I simply used it as an example. There are TONS of different synth programs and sampler programs you can use with Virtual Keyboard and JACK. In fact, if you search my last few posts over the past couple of weeks, you will find not only a Puppy dotpup for JACK/Qjackctl but Puppy dotpups for several easy synths and samplers you can use with Virtual Keyboard and JACK: Fluidsynth/Qsynth, Xsynth-DSSI, Whysynth and RTSynth. You will also find dotpups for SpiralSynthModular and ZynAddSubFX, both of which do not even need JACK or Virtual Keyboard because they have keyboards built in (the keyboard is harder to find in SpiralSynthModular). However, both SpiralSynthModular and ZynAddSubFX are pretty complicated for a novice so maybe start with the easier ones mentioned before them. I have provided smaller standard dotpups and larger developmental dotpups for each of these programs, and the developmental versions contain README documents and sometimes examples on how to use the programs. Mark (MU) has graciously provided mirror download sites for each of these dotpups so hopefully there is enough there to keep you busy for a few weeks:
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Multimedia/to ... usic-apps/
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Multimedia/to ... c-apps-02/
Good luck, have fun and feel free to send me a message if you need any further help.
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Multimedia/to ... usic-apps/
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Multimedia/to ... c-apps-02/
Good luck, have fun and feel free to send me a message if you need any further help.
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BionicCommando
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sat 19 Nov 2005, 11:43
- Location: Devon,UK
Virtual keyboard doesn't do anything..
Something is wrong with the install of virtual keyboard in Puppy 2 - When I run it from the dotpups menu,nothing happens- no interface or keyboard appears - has anyone else had this problem. I have installed QjackCtl and Xsynth- which does make sound. but I have no virtual keyboard to operate it 
Also, has anyone got instrucitions on how to use Freebirth- the interface is awful to look at and doesn't give much away...
Also, has anyone got instrucitions on how to use Freebirth- the interface is awful to look at and doesn't give much away...
Bionic, can you run Virtual Keyboard from the command line? Try opening up an Xterm console and typing "vkeybd" without any other options. If the executable "vkeybd" file is properly installed in the /usr/bin folder, you should get a short-scale virtual keyboard to pop up. If not, something did not install correctly. If it works from the command line, you can type "vkeybd --octave=4" to use the same options the dotpup would use if run from the menu. I will try Virtual Keyboard later tonight with Puppy2 to make sure everything installs correctly. Which Puppy2 version are you using?
Sorry about the lack of documentation with Freebirth, but that is all the source tarball came with which I compiled from. Frankly, I have never seen any detailed instructions for Freebirth. You might want to check out the non-Linux counterpart, Rebirth, to see if they have any instructions that might apply to the same controls in Freebirth. All apologies!
Sorry about the lack of documentation with Freebirth, but that is all the source tarball came with which I compiled from. Frankly, I have never seen any detailed instructions for Freebirth. You might want to check out the non-Linux counterpart, Rebirth, to see if they have any instructions that might apply to the same controls in Freebirth. All apologies!
Bionic, both the Virtual Keyboard standard dotpup (Vkeybd.pup) and the developmental dotpup with the headers (Vkeybd-devel.pup) installed fine for me tonight on a fresh, brand-new Puppy2 version 2.00 install. I was also able to start the keyboard from the command line, from the Dotpups folder in the Start menu and also by navigating ROX and running it from the /usr/local/Vkeybd folder. Did you get it to work by running "vkeybd" from the command line?
BionicCommando,also check your PupGet package manager to be sure that Vkeybd is still listed on the Add side. If it was removed,you will still have VirtualKeyboard showing in the dotpups menu ,but nothing will happen when you click it.
I still cannot get VirtualKeyboard=>Fluidsynth=>ALSA to make sound,but we are enjoying ZynAddSubFX very much(thank you toddyjoe). Maybe my computer doesn't like the default settings for Jack/Qjackcti or Fluidsynth.
I still cannot get VirtualKeyboard=>Fluidsynth=>ALSA to make sound,but we are enjoying ZynAddSubFX very much(thank you toddyjoe). Maybe my computer doesn't like the default settings for Jack/Qjackcti or Fluidsynth.
Pence, I am not sure if you know this or not, but Fluidsynth-Qsynth requires you to load a sample or soundfont file before it will make any sound. Unlike ZynAddSubFX and some of the synth programs which generate their own sound, Fluidsynth-Qsynth is what is called a "host" program. That means it will act as a host or player for whatever sample or soundfont file you want to load into it and use. Unlike a synth like ZynAddSubFX, Fluidsynth-Qsynth will make no sound on its own if you do not load a sample or soundfont file. The same logic applies to DSSI-VST, which is a host program for VST plug-in files. For instance, I often use Fluidsynth to load and play a Fender Rhodes sample/soundfont file called "jrhodes.sf2". I can then use the effects portion of Fluidsynth-Qsynth to add reverb and the like to the Rhodes sounds. If you want to try some soundfont files for Fluidsynth-Qsynth, you can find hundreds to download (most of them for free) at the Hammersound library found at this address:
http://hammersound.net/cgi-bin/soundlink.pl
Have fun and play on!
http://hammersound.net/cgi-bin/soundlink.pl
Have fun and play on!