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I just need to use an sfz

Hello and thanks so much in advance for any assistance!

I have spent many HOURS just trying to use an sfz in a Qtractor MIDI track!

At first I tried to establish a channel with the sfz in LinuxSampler via Qsampler, and using QjackCtl and Qtractor, but I didn't succeed despite following everyone's instructions. But then somebody told me it would be much easier to simply add a plugin to Qtractor. I managed to add the Calf Fluidsynth plugin, but it says my soundfont doesn't load because it's not a RIFF file (it seems it doesn't accept sfz).

I would just like to know what the easiest way is to play an sfz file in Qtractor? There's probably a very easy way that new people like me just can never find except after hours and hours of effort. I don't need any special effects or anything, my needs are extremely simple. I want to stick with Qtractor because it's piano-roll editor seems like the best available.

When I tried to use LinuxSampler, I think the problem was that again it wouldn't accept the sfz file. I mean, there were countless problems, but I think I solved all except that one, because when trying to set up a channel I'd always get the error:

Channel 0 lscp_edit_channel_instrument: Instrument editing is not supported for this instrument format (errno=100)
Instrument editing is not supported for this instrument format
Channel 0 Could not launch an appropriate instrument editor for the given instrument! Make sure you have an appropriate instrument editor like 'gigedit' installed and that it placed its mandatory DLL file into the sampler's plugin directory.

DLL is not for the sfz file format however. LinuxSampler's website clearly indicates it supports sfz, so what am I missing?

Thanks again. :)

PS - Don't know if this is related or relevant but when Qtractor is open then I can't play videos on websites such as Youtube but the videos will work again immediately upon Qtractor's closure. Same for music. Actually it seems I can't even here any sound at all when Qtractor is open, like when I press the volume up/down keys on my keyboard it usually makes a sound, but not when Qtractor is open. This is strange... I did get sound out of Qtractor once, but it was long ago and I don't know how..

EDIT: I'm trying to install LinuxSampler LV2 plugin but I get the following error:

andrew@andrew-Veriton-M680G:~$ sudo apt-get install linuxsampler-lv2
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
linuxsampler-all : Depends: linuxsampler-dssi but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

sudo apt-get -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
libllvm3.8 libmircommon5 libsnapd-glib1 linux-headers-4.4.0-31
linux-headers-4.4.0-31-generic linux-headers-4.4.0-87
linux-headers-4.4.0-87-generic linux-headers-4.4.0-89
linux-headers-4.4.0-89-generic linux-headers-4.4.0-91
linux-headers-4.4.0-91-generic linux-image-4.4.0-31-generic
linux-image-4.4.0-87-generic linux-image-4.4.0-89-generic
linux-image-4.4.0-91-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-31-generic
linux-image-extra-4.4.0-87-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-89-generic
linux-image-extra-4.4.0-91-generic python3-pexpect python3-pil
python3-ptyprocess python3-renderpm python3-reportlab
python3-reportlab-accel snapd-login-service ubuntu-core-launcher
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
The following additional packages will be installed:
linuxsampler-dssi linuxsampler-lv2
The following NEW packages will be installed:
linuxsampler-dssi linuxsampler-lv2
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 87 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0 B/3,357 kB of archives.
After this operation, 10.6 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 364941 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../linuxsampler-dssi_1.0.0+svn2593-1kxstudio3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking linuxsampler-dssi (1.0.0+svn2593-1kxstudio3) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linuxsampler-dssi_1.0.0+svn2593-1kxstudio3_amd64.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite '/usr/lib/dssi/linuxsampler.so', which is also in package liblinuxsampler 2.0.0-1+svn1
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess paste was killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Preparing to unpack .../linuxsampler-lv2_2%3a2.0.0-2kxstudio1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking linuxsampler-lv2 (2:2.0.0-2kxstudio1) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linuxsampler-lv2_2%3a2.0.0-2kxstudio1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite '/usr/lib/lv2/linuxsampler.lv2/manifest.ttl', which is also in package liblinuxsampler 2.0.0-1+svn1
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess paste was killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/linuxsampler-dssi_1.0.0+svn2593-1kxstudio3_amd64.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/linuxsampler-lv2_2%3a2.0.0-2kxstudio1_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

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rncbc's picture

hi, you're welcome
you may indeed use linuxsampler as a plugin in qtractor to load a sfz. however, due to special sub-system architecture, the way you deal with linuxsampler is , yes, very special and a lot bizarre than you might ever saw anywhere before.
let's put it simple as much i can:
1) add a midi track in qtractor and add a linuxsampler-lv2 plugin instance into to it;
2) after that, fire up qsampler and check the sampler channel strip as being set as "plugin" for both audio and midi devices;
3) then set qsampler sampler channel engine to "SFZ" and then load the .sfz instrument file from there; your're done in qsampler, you can quit by now;
4) back on qtractor you have now the linuxsampler lv2 plugin instance fully loaded and ready.
hth.
cheers
ps. on the other topic re. playing videos on websites, that's one hell of an old curse that would be way too long to deal or explain on one reply. qtractor uses jack as its audio (pcm) infrastructure, and the jack sub-system takes exclusive use of your audio/sound device for granted. what you probably wish to master is about how to control and configure the jack-audio-connection-kit on its full potential and probably it's coexistence with pulseaudio as your regular audio system for all other consumer things, not designated to creative audio and/or music production. hell yes, a dang long story :) but still, if you're still interested that is, i (we) may help, nevertheless

Hehe, I think I'll just close Qtractor if I want to use Youtube!

Thank you for clarifying that I must use not only the LinuxSampler LV2 plugin, but also LinuxSampler Qsampler at the same time.

Now I just need to install the LV2 plugin. Any ideas how to solve the broken pipes error message?

rncbc's picture

I see you're using the kxstudio packages repositories... so for having it all as easy as possible, that I'd recommend for you to install cadence as the kxstudio's borne and native jack-control application, then just run it to start the jack-audio-connection-kit server and, if all goes well as possibly, start the pulseaudio bridge as well--only after that you may then run qtractor and have browser sound all the time.

re. broken pipes error messages: these seem to be some apt-get messages on package retrieval for local installation... i'm afraid i have no definite idea what's wrong there or else--i don't use debian at all, so this might not be the right place to ask on that subject--for all kxstudio/debian related questions, please use their proper forum.

hth
cheers

Situation resolved.. my head is spinning but everything seems to work. I can't describe the solution cause there were so many steps that I forget some of them, but thanks very much for the help!

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