drumkv1 presets and kits

Submitted by Hattori Hanzo on
Forums
drumkv1

Hi, I really like drumkv1, but I have absolutely no idea how to create my own drum kit with it. There are no tutorials, except for one on YouTube where I have to use some scripts. Isn't it possible to create my own kit directly with drumkv1 after loading my own samples?

It might be very simple, but I haven't found it. The user manual I found wasn't helpful at all. I also can't imagine that drumkv1 only allows the use of professional drum kits and that I can't create my own with the instrument. Sure, you can save a song with drumkv1, but that's not very helpful if I want to use the kit in a new song. Apparently, I need a step-by-step guide for this simple thing. Thanks!

Submitted by rncbc on Tue, 7 Apr 2026 - 16:19

Permalink

I strongly believe you're missing the obvious

after you setup/load the samples just give a name to your kit on the preset name field (on the top-left) and hit Save! (ie. the arcane floppy-disk icon button)

simple as that

and once you do just that, it should be selectable from the preset drop-down list thereafter

or is it that I'm the one who's missing something not so, say obvious?

cheers

Thank you!
The suggestion is good, and yes, I came up with the idea myself, but it's not working for me. Here's what I'm doing, step by step:

  1. I create a MIDI track and add drumkv1 as a plugin.

  2. I open the drumkv1 interface and double-click on, for example, 36-c2 in the window to load my sample.

  3. Then I want to enter the kit name in the preset field. The cursor blinks, but I can't type anything! Therefore, the save button doesn't light up either, so I can't save.

  4. I think this might be a bug because I accidentally right-clicked instead of typing, which allowed the last text I copied to be pasted. It's much too long and not editable, but then the save button lights up. So I just tried something else: I typed "myKit1" into my browser's address bar, copied it, and then pasted it into the drumkv1 field. After that, I was able to save a .drumkv1 file with that name. Pretty suboptimal, really.

MX Linux 25 KDE
Qtractor 1.5.12 from the MX repositories or MX test repositories
drumkv1 version 1.3.1 from the MX repositories
Qt 6.8.2

Update:

I've just discovered that the problem affects the entire Vee One Suit.

I switched from Wayland to x11, but that didn't solve anything. At least that's not the cause.

Try downloading the latest version. 1.4.1
https://build.opensuse.org/project/show/home:rncbc

That happened to me with older versions. The one you mentioned is quite recent... but...
I think you should download the Debian 13 version.

Tips:
If your DAW has multiple paths to lv2 configured, make sure only one plugin version is installed, and that it's not duplicated in multiple locations.

This won't prevent the error you mentioned, but it will prevent potential plugin crashes.

Personally, I prefer to install it locally by hand (by extracting the .deb file and copying drumkv1.lv2 to where I keep my plugins) and not rely on automated installation from repositories. I've experienced situations where distributions decide to change the installation paths. Besides, it's not very useful for a plugin (which should be as portable as possible) to have administrative privileges.

Thanks! I'll try that. Do you use Debian or OpenSUSE/Fedora?

I have a feeling it's probably best to use the distribution that the developers themselves use. Many people in the Linux Musicians forum seem to use Fedora or OpenSUSE. Linus Torvalds apparently uses Fedora as well. It's not as up-to-date as Arch, but there are probably fewer problems, and it's not as outdated as Debian. However, I've only ever used distributions based on Debian or Arch and have absolutely no experience with Fedora and OpenSUSE.

Back to the issue: I really like Qtractor, but I find the way it handles plugin presets a bit strange. In Ardour, the plugin window itself seems to handle the presets. In Qtractor, the preset dialog either has to be in the plugin's own interface, or you have to go through the somewhat cumbersome editing dialog, which is only accessible after right-clicking in the track and then opening a new window with the plugin parameters. Otherwise, I don't like Ardour's interface at all as much as Qtractor's, which seems much cleaner.

Cheers!

I'm not the developer, just another user like you.
Rui (rncbc) was the one who answered you first.

Now that I think about it, the error you mentioned also happened to me with MX (more specifically AV Linux, which is based on MX).

So the problem might be in how they compile Vee One Suite, and not in the Drumkv1 version.

The link I sent you isn't from OS OpenSUSE/Fedora. It's the repository that Rui provides directly with all the latest versions (they're development builds, but reliable).
In fact, Drumkv1 has a minor bug fixed there that still remains in the current version. That one will work for you.

There you can find the binaries for all distributions of all of Rui's work. As I mentioned, I think the distribution compatible with yours is Debian 13.

"In Qtractor, the preset dialog either..."
Yes, Qtractor has its quirks, but I've learned that they all have a reason.

There is another way to access it, the most convenient: In the plugins box, right-click on the plugin, menu/presets

Thanks!

I've now downloaded and installed a couple of the plugins from the Vee One Suite website. It worked very well with padthv1, synthv1, and drumkv1, and saving works exactly as intended with these newer versions! Great!

Unfortunately, the installation of Samplv1 and Qtractor itself didn't work. When I double-click the .deb file, it opens in Discover, and then I get an error message saying that the installation isn't possible due to technical problems. I think it also mentioned missing dependencies at one point. The saving error is still present with Samplv1.

I know that the first reply was from Mr. Capela, and I also know that he's the main developer of Qtractor.

I also know that you're an experienced Qtractor user because I'm also on the Linux Musician forum. I think I'm even experimenting with drum kits that you created? Thanks for that!

So, except for Samplv1, which I couldn't install, the preset/kit problem with the other three plugins has been resolved.

Thank you very much!

I'm almost certain that the missing dependency is rubberband. I'm not sure which version is compatible with both Qtractor/Samplv1 and your distribution, or where to find it.

As I mentioned before, try extracting the .deb file as if it were a zip. Two compressed files will appear; extract data.tar.zx. Now you'll see a folder usr/lib/lv2/, and that's where you'll find the plugin. Install it locally (or copy it with sudo to your system usr/lib/lv2/). If you have Qtractor 1.5.12 installed, it means you have a version of Rubberband installed that work, but maybe the installers don't like it.

I'm not sure what to recommend for installing from a repository or directly from the .deb file.
Currently, version 4 of rubberband is available in the Rui Launchpad.net PPA repositories. I have version 3 (I never update via repositories anymore... they cause me more problems than they solve). I think some Debian-based distributions aren't yet compatible with version 4, but I'm not entirely sure.

Perhaps Rui knows the solution.

Here you can find all the application and library repositories:

https://www.rncbc.org/drupal/page/repos

Now that I know that one is good (thaks Rui), you can also find it here.

https://launchpad.net/~rncbc/+archive/ubuntu/libs-noble/+packages

https://launchpad.net/~rncbc/+archive/ubuntu/libs-noble/+files/librubberband3_4.0.0-18.1_amd64.deb

(Helping with dependency issues is difficult and cumbersome. I never quite understand why things fail.

In this case, you have installed versions of samplv1 and Qtractor that already work with librubberband3. You installed them from the official MX repository. Therefore, the repository must have librubberband3... Well, it doesn't, it's giving you an error. Why???

I think you now have all the pieces to be able to update everything.)

Submitted by Hattori Hanzo on Wed, 8 Apr 2026 - 12:43

Permalink

Great! Thanks! After installing librubberband from this link -> https://launchpad.net/~rncbc/+archive/ubuntu/libs-noble/+files/librubberband3_4.0.0-18.1_amd64.deb<-, the installation of the .deb files for Qtractor and samplv1 via Discover went absolutely smoothly. Very nice! Thank you so much!

I only had a brief opportunity today to look at Ardour and Qtractor under Arch (dual-boot Linux) and had to conclude once again that I simply prefer Qtractor's interface. The program seems somehow lighter, generates fewer xRuns, and I just have a better overall feeling when I start it. Interestingly, only Qtractor and Hydrogen react correctly when you create a pipewire-jack.conf file for them with the desired quantum/sample rate settings. Ardour and LMMS don't do this! Even the internet browsers are responding correctly to these settings. In Ardour Debian, the Vee One Suite doesn't work at all because there's no interface, and in Arch, while there is an interface, after closing it, a second empty window appears that also needs to be closed. The best thing about the new Ardour is actually the clip launcher, but it's not designed at all like Ableton's. For example, I haven't figured out how to transfer a simple MIDI file from the launcher to the arranger window. Anyway, it's just not very well implemented. Since I like using LMMS with Qtractor, I've noticed that in this case, there are fewer xRuns than, for example, with the combination of Ardour and LMMS. Strange?

I just wanted to sincerely thank you for the quick help and solutions!

PS: Next, I need to figure out how to use a simple step sequencer plugin, like the one from x42, in conjunction with drumkv1. :-) I've noticed that a dedicated step sequencer that follows the Qtractor tempo would be a great addition to drumkv1. I used to be a big Propellerhead Reason fan, and I miss the simplicity of Redrum, even though I haven't used it in over 13 years. Aside from a dedicated step sequencer, drumkv1 has pretty much everything a drum plugin needs. Perhaps that would be something to consider for a future version of drumkv1?

If Qtractor had its own clip launcher, there would be absolutely nothing anyone could miss. A guy can dream, right? :-)

I think the concept of a DAW like Qtractor coming with its own matching plugins (Vee One Suite) is fantastic! At least as far as instruments are concerned, everything you need to get started is there.

Thanks again for your help!

Cheers!

if you've had some success with the .debs from it, why not make it permanent?

As you probably know already I'm a long time Geeko fan (currently openSUSE Tubleweed), but the following instructions might help on a trixie base (ie. Debian 13):

  1. edit or add these to a brand new file to the apt sources list (eg. /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ppa-rncbc.list):

    deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/rncbc/apps-noble/ubuntu noble main
    deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/rncbc/libs-noble/ubuntu noble main

  2. run apt update to find the signing key ID...

    sudo apt-get update

  3. as of this date the needed signing key is obtained as follows:

    sudo gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 74407499CD30F338

  4. now add the obtained key to the trusted ring:

    sudo gpg -a --export 74407499CD30F338 | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/ppa-rncbc.asc

  5. run apt update again...

    sudo apt-get update

    now, you may find some warnings like 'Policy will reject signature within a year, see --audit for details' -- that's expected nowadays; you then might need to read the following link to proceed:
    https://neilzone.co.uk/2026/01/dealing-with-apts-warning-policy-will-reject-signature-within-a-year-see-audit-for-details/

    my suggestion is about to add the following to the apt configuration, possibly as yet another new file (eg. /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/25keypolicy):

    APT::Key::GPGVCommand "1";

  6. run apt update again...

    sudo apt-get update

    now without pesky warnings (or errors).

and that's all.

of course this won't be needed at all on an Ubuntu based distro where you'd prolly just run add-apt-repository and be happy ever after ;).

cheers

Thank you so much!

I didn't necessarily mean to give the impression that I'm particularly technically gifted, or even that I really know what I'm doing when I'm tinkering with Linux :-)

Nevertheless, I simply followed your step-by-step instructions, and almost everything worked. The updates for the four Vee One Suit instruments went absolutely smoothly. I also noticed this last night on my old laptop with the .deb files. Unfortunately, unlike the day before on my main PC, it didn't work with Qtractor and qpwgraph. It also didn't work with qsynth, qjackctl, and qsampler. I simply get a message in the terminal that these five are not being updated. The rest went fine, as I already mentioned.

Actually, it's not a big problem regarding qsynth, qsampler, and qjackctl, because I don't use these programs. I haven't even really tried Qsynth yet. I don't use Qsampler/Linuxsampler because I don't have any GIG samples, and for SFZ, sfizz works better and more easily for me, also because it's easier to manage as a plugin in Qtractor and doesn't have to run separately. I like what samplv1 offers for individual samples and I'm also looking forward to the upcoming sampler from the Surge Team, namely Shortcircuit XT, which is currently only in beta. So far, the VST version in Qtractor is better, while the clap version doesn't really work. At the same time, Shortcircuit XT consumes a lot of resources, similar to the LSP samplers, but I hope it will run better eventually. I haven't needed qjackctl so far because I've been configuring pipewire-jack directly in the .conf folder for the settings. qpwgraph still works in its old version. Unfortunately, I discovered that the Qtractor installation itself didn't complete this time, but maybe it will work next time?

Thanks for your help! Cheers!

A quick answer to your question: why not the PPAs?

Because I wouldn't have been able to do it without your instructions. But it worked out very well, and I'm glad!

Thanks!

When I tried it yesterday in Discover and with the .deb files, I only got a message about dependencies that couldn't be resolved, but there were no further details.

After trying your method with the PPAs on my main PC today, the terminal only says that these packages aren't being updated.

As I said, installing Qtractor with the .deb file two days ago wasn't a problem, but I think it was a different version then.

The terminal shows the following:

Not updating:

qjackctl qpwgraph qsampler qsynth qtractor

Summary:

Update: 0, Install: 0, Remove: 0, Not updating: 5

If I try using the MX package installer, which also shows the PPAs, I get more information.


Depends on: libqt6gui6t64 (>= 6.4.0) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6network6t64 (>= 6.1.2) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6widgets6t64 (>= 6.3.0) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6xml6t64 (>= 6.1.2) but is not installable

and


1. qpwgraph:amd64=1.0.0.2git.197660-1.1 is selected as an upgrade

2. qpwgraph:amd64=1.0.0.2git.197660-1.1 Depends on libqt6gui6t64 (>= 6.4.0)

but none of the choices are Installable:

[no choices]

For Qtractor, it looks like this:

qtractor : Depends on: libqt6gui6t64 (>= 6.4.0) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6network6t64 (>= 6.1.2) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6widgets6t64 (>= 6.3.0) but is not installable

Depends on: libqt6xml6t64 (>= 6.1.2) but is not installable

E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

E: The following information from --solver 3.0 may provide additional context:

Unable to satisfy dependencies. Reached two conflicting decisions: 
1. qtractor:amd64=1.5.12.9git.09e732-19.1 is selected as a downgrade 
2. qtractor:amd64=1.5.12.9git.09e732-19.1 Depends on libqt6gui6t64 (>= 6.4.0) 
but none of the choices are installable: 
[no choices]

The Brave AI says:
The libqt6gui6t64 dependency error on Debian testing/sid occurs because the distribution has removed the t64 suffix from these packages after porting to 64-bit epoch time, making the virtual package names libqt6gui6 and libqt6widgets6 instead.

It seems that this will remain the case starting with Debian 13.

that answer seems total BS!

please try the "jammy" ppa's instead;

most probably you'll need to apt remove/uninstall all the noble packages first, then edit the apt sources list file by just replacing "noble" for "jammy" and proceed with apt update and apt install those packages back again, one by one.

please tell me what's the outcome, whether successful or else.
cheers

That worked perfectly! Thank you!

I simply uninstalled everything, then switched from noble to jelly, and then reinstalled everything, even the programs I don't actually use :-)

drumkv1-lv2 libfluidsynth3 librubberband3 padthv1-lv2 qjackctl qpwgraph samplv1-lv2 synthv1-lv2

Now I'll probably always have the latest version of Qtractor and all the Q programs! Great!

Thank you so much!

PS: Do I actually need the old common files for the Vee One Suit instruments from the repositories, or are they generally included when installing via PPA?

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