Making Tracks with the Jokosher Audio Editor

C@ELOLJ<I Jokosher DXbè^kiXZbjn`k_k_\Afbfj_\iXl[`f\[`kfi <8JPD@O ]\k#=fkfc`XX If Audacity, Ardour, or ReZound are too muddled for your taste, try the Setting up the program is similarly easy: Just unpack the tarball you down- easy and powerful Jokosher audio editor. BY JAN RÄHM loaded off the Jokosher homepage [3] in a directory of your choice and change to the Jokosher-version directory this step ike many open source programs, Gnome desktop environment and the Jokosher owes its existence to GStreamer multimedia framework. Much Table 1: Dependencies user dissatisfaction: Early in of the programming is in Python. C Component Version 2006, the project’s founder, Jono Bacon, Python components was looking for an open source alterna- @ejkXccXk`fe Python 2.4 tive to mixers such as Cubase to produce Installing Jokosher does not pose any Python-Cairo bindings 1.2.0 his “LugRadio” podcast. He wanted the major problems to the user – assuming Python-DBus bindings 0.71 new program to be easy to use – and you have a Gnome environment. The Python-XML tools 0.8.4 easy to learn for people without expert 8.04 LTS and Ubuntu 8.10 repositories Python-Glade2 bindings 2.8 knowledge of audio editing. Bacon origi- offer matching packages; users with Python-Gtk2 bindings 2.8 nally launched the project [1] under the other distributions will need to build the Python-GStreamer bindings 0.10.6 name Jonoedit. He announced the program. Python-Setuptools 0.6 launch in his podcast and asked for de- If you have a distribution with a state- GStreamer components velopers to join the fun. of-the-art Gnome environment, you are GStreamer 0.10.12 Laszlo Pandy [2] heard the call and in luck. Most of the dependencies are in Gnonlin 0.10.8 became the project’s maintainer, and the place in this case. Base plugins 0.10.12 name was soon changed to Jokosher. On other systems, you will need to re- Good plugins 0.10.5 The current version of Jokosher is solve the list of dependencies (see Table Ugly plugins (optional, MP3) 0.10.5 Bad plugins (optional, 0.10.1. Jokosher, which is still in a fairly 1) before launching into the manual LADSPA effects) 0.10.4 early stage of development, relies on the Jokosher installation. 78 ISSUE 101 APRIL 2009 078-080_jokosher.indd 78 11.02.2009 16:17:39 Uhr Jokosher C@ELOLJ<I =`^li$1>\kkè^jkXik\[n`k_Afbfj_\i% =`^li$1K_\leZclkk\iAfbfj_\infibjgXZ\`jnX`kè^]fikiXZbj% creates. When you get there, become After choosing these important set- composition. Jokosher turns out to be a root and run the setup.py script that tings, press the Create a New Project but- real omnivore and will gladly accept drops the program components into the ton. To save the project, you need to MP3, WAV, OGG, and any other format right folders. The audio editor itself is type a name and choose a directory. for which you have a GStreamer plugin. dropped into /usr/bin, and that means Later on, you will be able to use tem- Clicking Add Instrument displays a se- that you can launch the program directly plates to load a set of tracks that you lection dialog with a list of instruments. with the jokosher command. configured previously. Both the names and the icons are pro- Jokosher starts with a Welcome dialog A click on OK will open a main win- vided for orientation only: From a tech- box (Figure 1), in which you can opt to dow showing what is still an empty nological point of view, you are simply create a new project or open an existing workspace (Figure 2). At the top edge of creating an empty track without any ad- one. The Preferences button here will let the workspace, below the menubar, you ditional functionality. To the left of the you configure the audio editors. One of will see the major controls, the time dis- track is its name and the icon you se- these configuration options lets you dis- play, and the pager that lets you switch lected; below it are four buttons. able the Welcome screen entirely – just between the visible window and the The first button enables the track for click Don’t show this on start-up. mixer view. Below this bar is a timeline recording. If you now press the Record However, selecting the recording for- and a metronome view. The bottom edge button at the top of the main window, mat is more important than any of these of the window is occupied by a horizon- the sound signals are sent to the selected options. Depending on the GStreamer pl- tal scrollbox and the zoom slider. track (Figure 3). The second button ugins you have installed, you can choose mutes the track, which is useful if you between various lossy and non-lossy for- @ekl`k`m\Ilc\j want to listen to one or multiple tracks mats. After this, you need to specify the Now it is time to fill the empty main separately. The next button does exactly sampling rate for your recordings and se- window. To do so, you need to create the opposite: It mutes all other tracks, al- lect the output plugins. tracks or – if you have one – import a lowing you to listen to the current track =`^li\+1I`^_k$Zc`Zbè^gfgjlgXZfek\okd\eln`k_]leZk`fej]fi =`^li\*18Zc`Zbfek_\I\Zfi[YlkkfejkXikji\Zfi[è^% Zlkkè^#Zfgpè^#gXjkè^#Xe[jgc`kkè^k_\kiXZb% APRIL 2009 ISSUE 101 79 078-080_jokosher.indd 79 11.02.2009 16:17:43 Uhr C@ELOLJ<I Jokosher mouse through Although you can change the width of a the selection. track in the main window, the height re- Three more but- mains unchanged. In the mixer view you tons are below the can’t scale tracks in either vertical or blue, highlighted horizontal direction, and this keeps selection. The left- users running back to the main view to hand button cuts edit work. everything except It is impractical and downright annoy- the selection. The ing that you cannot select multiple track middle button takes to move them at the same time. To deletes any fade add a sound or an edit at the start of a points you have composition you have created, you are set. The third but- forced to move each track separately. ton clicks the fade points into place: :feZclj`fej Jokosher pushes For a deeper look at Jokosher, check out =`^li\,1K_\mfcld\f]k_\è[`m`[lXckiXZbj`jX[aljk\[\Xj`cpèk_\ the fade points the program documentation [9]. Despite dò\im`\n#Xe[pflZXedè`d`q\Xepjc`[\ijpflefcfe^\ie\\[% you have already its current weaknesses, Jokosher seems applied to the quite advanced. The program shows only. The fourth button lets you apply start and end of the selection. huge potential for becoming a serious al- effects to the track. Pressing it pops up a After completing your recordings or ternative to more established programs new dialog in which you can click to importing all your compositions, click such as Audacity. compile and configure effects. Audio Mixers to switch to the mixer view All told, Jokosher is a powerful audio (see Figure 5). Here, you modify the vol- editor for budding musicians and audio <[`kè^ ume of the individual tracks. Each track amateurs. The intuitive controls and at- In an existing track, just click to edit the has a large vertical slider. Another slider tractive design make Jokosher a good data. Double left-clicking splits the track sets the master volume for the whole option for smaller projects that don’t re- at the point marked by the mouse cursor. composition. quire a lot of editing. p Right-clicking pops up a context menu A small switch above each slider lets with functions for cutting, copying, past- you hide it once you are satisfied with Freesound ing, and splitting the track (Figure 4). the volume in the track. Hidden sliders Freesound [7] is a database in which If you want to change the volume of a can be reinstated by clicking once more. users have put a huge collection of sam- specific area, hold down the Shift key Buttons below the sliders have almost ples, sounds, and noises that are freely and left-click. Then you can drag the red the same functions as the buttons below usable, in contrast to commercial sound box (“Fade point”) that marks the start the icons in the main view; however, the libraries. The samples are licensed and end of the blue highlighted area to effect button is missing. under the Creative Commons Sampling change the volume. Plus license, which allows their use for To change the highlighted area, hold <ok\e[èÂfbfj_\i commercial and non-commercial pur- poses [8]. down the Shift key and left-click where Beyond the basics, Jokosher is extensible you want the selection to start, then hold [4]. It has a plugin structure that you can down the left mouse button and drag the set up by clicking on Extensions | Man- INFO age Extensions to add, remove, or enable [1] Jokosher: http:// www. jokosher. org extensions for use. If the plugin is con- [2] Interview with the Jokosher main- figurable, the Settings button is enabled. tainer, Laszlo Pandy: http:// More extensions are presented on the gnomedesktop. org/ node/ 4067 developer page of the project website [5] [3] Jokosher download: https:// edge.

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