Tom Bruce Music

Great Microfreak resource

I don't yet own an Arturia Microfreak, but... everybody I know who has one love the damn thing, no exceptions. So it seems inevitable, somehow.... and this looks like a fantastic resource for learning the thing, or to have around to consult when needed. Learning the MicroFreak Synth: Cheat Sheets and Recommended VideosI recently bought the Arturia MicroFreak Hybrid Synrhesizer – yay!. I really like the design and it’s an amazing value for only $299. In this post I’ll share some resources I’ve been us…

by Tom Bruce February 5, 2020February 28, 2020

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New Ubuntu Studio

Not sure how many of you will care about this (except for Adam Holquist), but... I've just taken a long look at the newest release of Ubuntu Studio for Linux. In fact, I wrestled it to the ground, and here's what I learned. The biggest change is that they've managed to harmonize PulseAudio and JACK under the same roof, pretty much out of the box. Also, PulseAudio sources and sinks show up as ALSA capture and playback ports in (eg.) Patchage or other patchbay tools, which is a huge convenience and long overdue. As to interfaces: if you're using only one external sound

by Tom Bruce December 27, 2019February 15, 2020

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More than you wanted to know about USB and audio

So, I got a little obsessive. This is the first of a couple of posts on the challenges of setting up a performance rig that incorporates both iThings and hardware synthesizers -- particularly older hardware synthesizers. I’m basing it on problems I ran into with the “semi-portable” rig that I use for out-of-town collabs, and as one part of my home studio. My rig uses a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 to perform inbound and outbound digital/analog conversions, an iConnectMidi4+ for connecting iPads, and a Linux-based laptop computer used mostly for routing but occasionally as an e

by Tom Bruce December 18, 2018February 15, 2020