Alternate Giga Sample Players

[StudioV]

Well, I fired up my GS3 workstation with all the samples in it, and when it crashed I went out to Tascam for updates and.....wha......No more GigaStudio.

So instead of wallowing in pity I went to look for other players for Giga samples, because that's all I really need for my productions, just a player for those gorgeous samples (GPO, GO Strings, Dan Dean, Max Raegan etc)

What's the best advice to do this? Kontakt, Halcion or....Where can I get this LinuxSampler that's supposed to play Giga samples?

Any help is appreciated

Larry

[dahnielson]

http://linuxsampler.org

[StudioV]

Thanks for the link, but it looks as though you should be a developer to use this app. Or am I missing something? Could I load this app on Win XP and then use it, or do I have to build a Linux workstation with distro?

Thanks for the response

Larry

[swinkler]

I just went to the site and there is a precompiled windows binary you can download. You might have to scroll up a bit to find it.

http://linuxsampler.org/downloads.html#linuxsampler

Steve Winkler

[JonFairhurst]

As is typical, Linux-related stuff is high on technology - and terrible with user friendliness.

The front page doesn't even tell you what it is. It starts with technical news and ends with CVS commits. (Users don't care.)

The about page tells of the project goals. (Users don't care.) It then tells about how the engine is modular, has no user interface, and runs in its own process.

The problem is that Linux programmers are myopic. The user perspective doesn't seem to be considered.

It would be nice if the website told musicians that the Linux Sampler can play back sounds from the hard drive, including most Giga format libraries. Then tell us why we might choose it over other solutions. Does it crash less? Does it load more samples? Does it play back more simultaneous voices?

Once you've caught the musician's interest, give them high-level information about how easy it is to install. Tell them how to find out what hardware they need. Tell them where to find the libs and features that are supported. Then provide a big download button with simple choices. Include an advanced button that gets you to the world of CVS.

Maybe what's really needed is a separate domain name for users and developers. If under the same domain name, put a "developers" link on the front page, and make everything else user friendly.

And we wonder why Linux is more popular for IT servers than user desktops.

[wcreed]

Not sure what you mean by “system crashed”. There hasn’t been an update for GS 3.x for years. Is there a reason you can’t keep using it?

Otherwise, Kontakt does pretty will with GS samples.

[dahnielson]

As is typical, Linux-related stuff is high on technology - and terrible with user friendliness.

The front page doesn't even tell you what it is. It starts with technical news and ends with CVS commits. (Users don't care.)

The about page tells of the project goals. (Users don't care.) It then tells about how the engine is modular, has no user interface, and runs in its own process.

The user interface part is not quite true: Take a look at Fantasia. Yes, it's split in a client-server architecture to make running headless easier.

I agree the front page is suboptimal.

The problem is that Linux programmers are myopic. The user perspective doesn't seem to be considered.

It would be nice if the website told musicians that the Linux Sampler can play back sounds from the hard drive, including most Giga format libraries. Then tell us why we might choose it over other solutions. Does it crash less? Does it load more samples? Does it play back more simultaneous voices?

Once you've caught the musician's interest, give them high-level information about how easy it is to install. Tell them how to find out what hardware they need. Tell them where to find the libs and features that are supported. Then provide a big download button with simple choices. Include an advanced button that gets you to the world of CVS.

Maybe what's really needed is a separate domain name for users and developers. If under the same domain name, put a "developers" link on the front page, and make everything else user friendly.

That's why we have our board with some forums: http://bb.linuxsampler.org

Did you even bother to look there?

That's the bit of turf I've got some control over as moderator and collector of useful bits of information.

[StudioV]

By "system crashed" I mean I can't launch GS3 without getting one of 2 conditions

Application failed to launch....yadda....because it can't find the nif.dll file (it's right there ....... where it's supposed to be)

I can launch through win explorer, but if I try going past the database builder section (because I don't need that) it will get to the "accept current config" screen and BSOD on me.

Admittedly, I haven't used GS3 for awhile which is why I went to the site to get updates...only thing there was a 3.1 patch which I got.

Bottom line, several app reloads changes nothing. Great samples or not, the app is useless if I can't open it and Tascam has jettisoned us all, so this is why I'm looking for another player....just a player, I don't need to edit. Thanks for the help

Larry

[JonFairhurst]

That's why we have our board with some forums: http://bb.linuxsampler.org

Did you even bother to look there?

No. The presentation of the Linux Sampler has been so poor, that after five or ten minutes I have no desire to pursue it.

The funny thing is, I'm a sometimes programmer. (C, C++, Object Pascal, Java, Ruby/Rails.) My experience with Rails, for instance, is that you have to work very hard to get up to speed. Once you do, it's great. But you have to spend hours and hours to get there.

When it comes to sampler technology, I don't want to work to get it up to speed. I don't want to do development. I just want to make music.

When I look at the Linux Sampler, I don't see a sample player that will make my life simpler and more efficient. I see a bottomless time-sucking pit of despair. (That's not necessarily the reality; it's just my first impression.)

Besides, it doesn't yet support DEF, which has become my favorite Giga feature.

[kitekrazy]

As is typical, Linux-related stuff is high on technology - and terrible with user friendliness.

The front page doesn't even tell you what it is. It starts with technical news and ends with CVS commits. (Users don't care.)

The about page tells of the project goals. (Users don't care.) It then tells about how the engine is modular, has no user interface, and runs in its own process.

The problem is that Linux programmers are myopic. The user perspective doesn't seem to be considered.

It would be nice if the website told musicians that the Linux Sampler can play back sounds from the hard drive, including most Giga format libraries. Then tell us why we might choose it over other solutions. Does it crash less? Does it load more samples? Does it play back more simultaneous voices?

Once you've caught the musician's interest, give them high-level information about how easy it is to install. Tell them how to find out what hardware they need. Tell them where to find the libs and features that are supported. Then provide a big download button with simple choices. Include an advanced button that gets you to the world of CVS.

Maybe what's really needed is a separate domain name for users and developers. If under the same domain name, put a "developers" link on the front page, and make everything else user friendly.

And we wonder why Linux is more popular for IT servers than user desktops.

Wow, there's not a better description for the Linux world in general.

I've been keeping a watch on the Linux sampler. I wish the best of luck to them. It's nice to see a Windows version. I'll have to give it a try.