[vox] Any musicians in our group?

[Richard Burkhart]

Bored curiosity time: are there any musicians among the LUGOD'ers?

I'm currently exploring a set of music related Linux projects:

  - Learning how to use the audio software in Ubuntu Studio - 
specifically Ardour - to do multi-track recording from various sources 
(guitar, vocals, software-based drum machine, etc.)

  - I don't have an actual guitar amp (Little boxes powered by 9 volt 
batteries don't count, no matter how much the little box looks like a 
Fender amp w/half stack).  I'm trying to get a Line6 Pod XTLive digital 
amp modeler to:
a) connect to the computer via USB (a Line6 driver is in the kernel, and 
loaded in Ubuntu by default),
b) be visible and route'able as an input in JACK,
c) be visible to Ardour as a source  (I got the VU meters to bounce from 
the guitar input),
d) and finally (the part I'm still working on)  have the audio signal 
actually hit the recording track and be available to the monitor 
speakers so I can play guitar through the Pod without headphones.

  - Some day I'll get a *real* amp, of the kind that can be heard in 
Davis from Sacramento at 1/3 volume.  Anyone play with linux-based 
recording of these?  Yesterday I found out that the Fender Mustang 
series (digital amp) is USB-connectable, has a driver in the kernel 
that's been loaded in Ubuntu by default, and has QT4/libusb-1.0 based 
software (http://piorekf.org/plug/about/) that will let you configure 
the amp from the computer side.  This moves the Mustang into the same 
category as the PodXTLive ... if I can get the Pod working in Ardour, 
the Mustang probably won't be any different ... So has anyone played 
around with a different amp?   How'd you get it to work?

So ... back to the bored curiosity.  Are there any musicians among the 
Lugod membership?  What do you play?  Have any of you explored digital 
recording or external hardware?  Anyone play with USB or Firewire multi 
channel audio interfaces? Anyone curious about what I find out once I 
finally work through all of the above challenges?

Happy Saturday

Richard B.