Website/News.php

<?php
$PAGE_TITLE    = "KXStudio News";
$PAGE_TYPE     = "NORMAL";
$PAGE_SOURCE_1 = ARRAY("/News");
$PAGE_SOURCE_2 = ARRAY("News");
include_once("includes/header.php");
?>

<p><b>THIS IS A FAKE PAGE, KXSTUDIO NEWS USES A DYNAMIC MODULE NOW</b></p>

<div style="position: absolute; top: 120px; right: 100px;">
    <a href="http://feeds.launchpad.net/kxstudio/announcements.atom"><img src="images/rss.png" alt="RSS"/></a>
</div>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; The first Carla 2.0 beta</span><br/>
    On <i>2014-02-27</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    The next Carla 2.0 will implement the missing features in the 1.x series,
    making it a really fully-featured plugin host and somewhat session manager (for plugins).
    
    There has been a lot of changes behind the scenes, specially optimization.
    
    The backend now uses Juce to do some "audio things".
    drivers and plugin support, more useful for Windows and Mac OS.
    
    The frontend is now compatible with Qt5.
    Lots of small changes here and there.
    ...
    This forced the code to use a more python way to do things,
    hmmm
    
    Highlights of the (future) 2.0 release:
      - LV2 CV ports and Worker extension are now implemented
      - Qt5 ready
      - VST3 and AU support (soon)
      - save&restore connections
      - plugin skins
      - plugin bridges now working

<p>
    TODO here: https://raw.github.com/falkTX/Carla/master/doc/Carla-TODO
</p>
<p>
    things not ready, no bugs wanted for them yet:
    - plugin bridges
    - plugin discovery
    - plugin skins
    - non-jack drivers
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; Small Carla notice for JACK1 users (and 1.2.3 release)</span><br/>
    On <i>2013-12-26</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    While I was doing a Carla video I got into a show-stopper bug in JACK2 (it kept crashing because of complex MIDI mixdown, see
    <a href="https://github.com/jackaudio/jack2/issues/46" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this</a>).<br/>
    So in the meantime I have to use JACK1, and while doing so I found a pretty nasty bug...<br/>
    <b>No system connections</b> were shown in the patchbay canvas!<br/>
<p>
    I don't know if others suffered from the bug (I always run JACK2) or though it was how it really worked.<br/>
    In any case, the Carla patchbay will show all JACK connections now - wherever they are from Carla plugins or system ones.
</p>
<p>
    <b>Updating to version 1.2.3 is recommended</b>, specially if you use JACK1.<br/>
    For a list of changes you can check the Carla stable git log
     <a href="https://github.com/falkTX/Carla/commits/stable" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>,
    which allows to directly see what changed in the code.
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; Carla 2.0 development progress report</span><br/>
    On <i>2013-12-17</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    This is a progress report for the new Carla, version 2.0.<br/>
    It will take a while to get a release ready, but there are already a few things done and stuff to show.
</p>
<h3>Backend</h3>
<p>
    First, <b>the backend is being rewritten to not use any system toolkit</b>.<br/>
    In 1.x series I've used Qt4 to handle graphics, but that might be a problem soon with Qt5 (cannot mix Qt4 and Qt5 stuff together).<br/>
    Plus I want the Carla backend to be toolkit agnostic, so that in the future it may be re-usable for others no matter what their main toolkit is.<br/>
    The main backend header files are now ANSI C compatible, thus increasing the chances of re-usability (as some Linux developers have a weird aversion to C++...).
</p>
<p>
    Because Qt is no longer used in the backend code, I needed something else to handle graphics and other advanced stuff - Juce was selected for this.<br/>
    Juce is a C++ framework focused on audio applications and plugins, which suits Carla nicely.<br/>
    There's a lot of useful things inside it that will make developing new features much easier (like the internal patchbay mode).<br/>
    Other things like AU and VST3 plugin hosting will be possible too thanks to Juce, although they are not relevant to Linux.
</p>
<p>
    Loading <b>Carla as a plugin</b> is also being worked on.<br/>
    There target two main targets with this:
</p>
<ul>
    <li>Load entire Carla projects - rack or patchbay - as a single plugin in the graph (avoiding clutter);</li>
    <li>Carla itself as an LV2 plugin;</li>
</ul>
<p>
    If you been following the LinuxMusicians forums you know that internal Carla plugins are already available as LV2 plugins (yes, that includes zynaddsubfx-lv2!).<br/>
    Once the Carla internal plugin work is complete, you automatically get an LV2 version of it as well! :D
</p>
<h3>Front-end</h3>
<p>
    There has been a few changes on the UI side as well.<br/>
    For example, the <b>plugin edit dialog</b> now looks like this:
</p>
<p>
    <img src="/screenshots/news/carla-2.0-report_edit-dialog.png" alt=""/>
</p>
<p>
    As seen the image, the user will be able to use "Stereo Balance" or "Mono Panning".<br/>
    The new layout also allows for a much <b>smaller window size</b>.<br/>
</p>
<p>
    Lastly, there's plans to bring <b>custom skins to plugin "slots"</b>, in a similar way to Reason.<br/>
    This is something I still have to investigate to find the best possible way to do it.<br/>
    It should be expandable so that random plugins can also use skins, probably via a new LV2 extension.<br/>
    More on this later.
</p>
<br/>
<p>
    That's all for now.<br/>
    Soon there will be a new DISTRHO release, so stay tuned!
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; New releases and future plans</span><br/>
    On <i>2013-11-27</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    Hello everyone, there have been a couple of releases and changes on the KXStudio world.<br/>
</p>
<p>
    First of, a new release of the <b>KXStudio Live-DVD</b> is now available.<br/>
    This is a bug-fix for the 12.04.x series, which current users should already have if their systems are up to date.<br/>
    Checkout the <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Documentation:KXStudio12043:About">About</a> or <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Documentation:KXStudio12043:ReleaseNotes">Release Notes</a> to find out more about this release.
</p>
<p>
    Several <b>new versions of Carla</b> have been released since its first announcement, the last one currently being 1.2.2.<br/>
    For a change-log you can check the <a href="https://github.com/falkTX/Carla/commits/stable">git log (stable branch)</a> in github.<br/>
    This way you can see what actually changed in the code, instead of just seeing a description list.
</p>
<p>
    A new <b>DISTRHO</b> release is planned for release next month, and a few minor plugins.<br/>
    Hopefully the Plugin Toolkit will be ready by then, which should help the creation of new audio plugins (soon!).
</p>
<p>
    Lastly, after much discussion and consideration, the <b>KXStudio repositories are moving to Debian</b>.<br/>
    The current 12.04.x release is still fully supported, this is something that will happen slowly through 2014.<br/>
    Having the KXStudio repos in Debian means any Debian based distribution can make use of KXStudio goods, and not just Ubuntu ones.<br/>
    Although there are already happy users with Debian + KXStudio, this process is not yet complete.<br/>
    We'll make a new announcement once the Debian repos are ready for wide use.
</p>
<p>
    Oh, and the KXStudio website is currently being redone a little.<br/>
    Give it a visit now! <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/">http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/</a>
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; Carla Plugin Host 1.0.0 released!</span><br/>
    On <i>2013-07-02</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    After more than 2 years in development, here it is - the first stable release of Carla is now available!<br/>
    <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/screenshots/carla.png"><img src="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/screenshots/carla.png" alt="carla.png"/></a><br/>
</p>
<p>
    Carla Plugin Host, or just Carla, is an audio plugin host, with support for many audio drivers and plugin formats.<br/>
    It has some nice features like automation of parameters via MIDI CC and full OSC control.<br/>
</p>
<p>
    Carla currently supports LADSPA (including LRDF), DSSI, LV2, and VST plugin formats, plus GIG, SF2 and SFZ file support.<br/>
    It uses JACK as the default and preferred audio driver but also supports native drivers like ALSA, DirectSound or CoreAudio.<br/>
</p>
<p>
    We currently release source code plus Windows and Linux binaries (focus goes into the Linux version).<br/>
    Downloads available at the usual place, <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Downloads#Binaries">KXStudio Downloads</a>.<br/>
</p>
<p>
    For more information about Carla check its own application page <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Applications:Carla">here</a>.<br/>
    We'll be updating that page in the next few days, with some tutorials and workflow videos as well, so stay tuned!<br/>
</p>
<p>
    You can follow the release discussion over at <a href="https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=11249" class="external free" rel="nofollow">LinuxMusicians forums</a>.<br/>
    If you find this application useful and/or want to help further development, please consider a <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Donations">donation</a>.<br/>
</p>

<a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/"></a>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; KXStudio 12.04.1 released!</span><br/>
    On <i>2013-01-05</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    After much hard work, a new release of KXStudio is ready!<br/>
    The previous ISO images were getting old, and since Cadence (and KXStudio in general) is now much more stable, it was time for an update.<br/>
    Existing KXStudio users already have 90% of the changes and fixes as KXStudio uses the repositories for everything.<br/>
    Still, this is a big milestone for the project. It's a step towards perfection.
</p>
<p>
    Here's a quick list of changes since the previous 12.04 release.
<p>
<ul>
    <b>Apps:</b>
    <li>Add AriaMaestosa, Giada and Petri-Foo to the DVD and default install</li>
    <li>Upgrade Cadence to the beta1 release (lots of fixes!)</li>
    <li>Fully up-to-date apps and plugins (as of 30/12/2012)</li>
    <li>Use KDE 4.9.4 on the Live-DVD (repositories now have 4.9.5)</li>
    <li>Use Firefox-KDE PPA on the Live-DVD</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <b>Desktop/Theme:</b>
    <li>Add kxstudio-text plymouth (used when no gpu drivers are available)</li>
    <li>Fix plymouth Live-DVD "eject disk now" text not visible (and any other labels/info)</li>
    <li>Change KDE desktop theme to slim-glow (backported latest release from KDE 4.10)</li>
    <li>Change cursor theme to oxy-zion</li>
    <li>Disable KDE bouncing cursor by default</li>
    <li>Use Claudia-Launcher instead of Klaudia in KDE kickoff (start menu)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <b>Settings:</b>
    <li>Auto-disable PulseAudio respawn</li>
    <li>Set default asoundrc file to snd-aloop</li>
    <li>Set default jack prio to 85</li>
    <li>Use ALSA-Audio bridge instead of PulseAudio (no longer installed by default)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <b>Welcome Wizard:</b>
    <li>Add theme screenshot button</li>
    <li>Add theme font size option</li>
    <li>Auto-register 64bit WineAsio too (done in 'wine stuff' step)</li>
    <li>Don't update user theme to KXStudio by default</li>
    <li>Disable theme updates if not running KDE4 or XFCE</li>
</ul>
<p>
    The DVD works properly now (no need to re-login to apply settings anymore) and also has an option to boot to RAM (requires at least 3Gb to work).<br/>
    You can download the new ISOs at the KXStudio website, <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Downloads">http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Downloads</a>.
    <br/><br/>
</p>
<p>
    This release is dedicated to Hatsuke Miku, a [virtual] Vocaloid singer that recently has seen original artwork released under a Creative Commons license.<br/>
    We believe that actions like this one (and others in 2012) indicate that the world embraces open-source culture more and more, every day.<br/>
    You can find more about Miku
      <a href="http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/prod/vocaloid/cv01_us.jsp" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>,
    and the its CC artwork
      <a href="http://piapro.net/en_for_creators.html" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.
    <br/><br/>
</p>
<p>
    We hope you enjoy KXStudio and the updated Cadence.<br/>
    Soon enough the website will have full documentation for it and other subjects, so stay tuned!
</p>

<p>
    <a href="http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10484" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Comments and discussion</b></a>
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; Call for Testing - Cadence pre-Beta</span><br/>
    On <i>2012-09-17</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    Hello everybody!<br/>
    We're almost in the Beta1 release of Cadence!<br/>
    <br/>
    For those of you who don't know, Cadence is what KXStudio uses to manage the entire audio ecosystem.<br/>
    'Cadence' is by itself the main app of a series of tools (call it the "Cadence tools").<br/>
    There's 'Catia', a simple JACK patchbay; 'Claudia' is a ladish frontend, very similar to Catia (and gladish); 'Carla' is the plugin host.<br/>
    Then there's the small tools - JackMeter, JackSettings, Logs, Render and XY-Controller (their names give away their funtionality).<br/>
    <br/>
    Cadence and its tools are currently being documented, and pages will appear here: (incomplete)<br/>
    <a href="http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Applications" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Applications</a><br/>
    (There's a topic in the KXStudio forums discussing the documentation <a href="http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=9135" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>).<br/>
    <br/>
    If you're running KXStudio now, you either have updates or have recently updated Cadence and sub-packages.<br/>
    I'll be pushing the latest Cadence code to the KXStudio repositories frequently in the next days while the testing happens.<br/>
    ArchLinux users can use this AUR package:
        <a href="https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=50747" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=50747</a><br/>
    You can checkout what's going on in the Cadence commits page:
        <a href="https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence/commits/master" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence/commits/master</a><br/>
    <br/>
    Not everything is fully ready right now, here's a list of things that will still be done before the Beta1 release:<br/>
    - Cadence audio-bridges, currently disabled<br/>
    - Carla Windows plugin-bridge support (Linux 32/64bit bridges are already in place though). Note that this will remain an experimental feature even for this release.<br/>
    - Carla-Control is unfinished, the GUI will do nothing useful right now.<br/>
    - Catia ALSA-MIDI support is currently disabled, but will still not be activated for this release.<br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    So, what needs testing?<br/>
    Pretty much everything. :D<br/>
    Run the apps, click on random stuff and try to make them crash. When that happens, or if notice something weird, please report the bug.<br/>
    I've done my best to make the tools as stable + crash-free as possible, but we can never be too sure about these things.<br/>
    <br/>
    You can report bugs directly in the official bug page at
        <a href="https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence/issues" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence/issues</a>.<br/>
    (Reporting a bug in that page allows you to receive notifications whenever something is done related to it).<br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    Thanks in advance to everyone that decides to help!<br/>
    If you love these tools and they are useful to you, please consider making donation by following this link:<br/>
        <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PDGZL8PKSNHYW" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PDGZL8PKSNHYW</a>.
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    <span style="font-size: 20px">&gt; KXStudio 12.04 is out!</span><br/>
    On <i>2011-12-21</i> by<i> falkTX</i>
</p>
<p>
    Hey there everyone, it's that time again!<br/>
    KXStudio is now ready for the masses, now using Ubuntu 12.04 as the base.
    </p><p>KDE4 remains the officially supported Desktop, with XFCE on 2nd place.<br/>
    For this release I re-introduced the ISOs, although only 32bit for now. So now installing KXStudio can take 3 forms: Live-DVD, Ubuntu upgrade or NetBoot.<br />
    The Live-DVD uses KDE4, if you want XFCE instead please install UbuntuStudio first then follow the upgrade instructions as detailed <a href="<?php echo $ROOT; ?>/Documentation:Ubuntu:Upgrade">here</a>.
    </p><p>The Cadence tools are currently being ported to python3 in a new repo - <a href="https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence" class="external free" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/falkTX/Cadence</a>.<br/>
    Catarina, Catia, Claudia and the minor tools are almost beta state right now. Carla and Claudia-Launcher are still in the works (but already very functional), and the real 'Cadence' app is yet to be ported.<br/>
    These tools are already available on KXStudio in their latest git state, and will be released as beta for the while world very soon.
    </p><p>The DISTRHO plugin suite is now near completion and it's targeted for a new release this weekend.<br/>
    The entire collection is already available in the KXStudio repos but yet part of the meta-packages (will be added shortly after the official release).<br/>
    Generic linux binaries will be made available for non-KXStudio users as before.
</p>

<hr/>

<p>
    Note: Since the KXStudio website has been internally reworked (removed mediawiki, much simpler PHP code now), the old news have been removed.<br/>
    <br/>
</p>

<?php
include_once("includes/footer.php");
?>