FOSSPicks
FOSSPicks

This month Graham looks at Mixx, elfcat, Plover, and more!
DJ software
Mixxx
Mixxx started life more than 20 years ago as an application to help DJs organize and play their playlists, and it has since evolved into an incredible, fully fledged, live performance user interface for budding and professional DJs, podcasters, and radio hosts. It's a worthy competitor to the proprietary (and Linux incompatible) Native Instruments Traktor Pro, with both applications using the same user-interface paradigm. That paradigm involves two or more decks split horizontally across the main window with a bank of virtual faders and controllers in between them. The number of controls you see here depends on the number of decks you add.
A deck is akin to an old vinyl record deck or turntable, now popular again in their own right. Nightclub DJs would typically arrange two decks side-by-side with a mixer in the middle, so tracks could be switched between them with no delay. It's this configuration that Mixxx emulates, albeit for the 21st century. Instead of records, the virtual decks load one or more audio files for playback, with the virtual faders used to mix between opposite decks. Audio files can be loaded individually, dragged and dropped, or queued as a playlist. This configuration allows you to seamlessly blend between various audio tracks, whether they are breakbeats or advertising jingles, and either record the output as a single audio file or use it as the source of a live mix or broadcast.
To make transitions as seamless as possible, Mixxx is able to analyze the audio files to detect their tempo, frequency range, and even key. All of this is shown on the waveform, with the tempo highlighted as vertical bars, frequency range as color, and key as an annotation. Pitch controls can then change either the key, playback speed, or both, making it incredibly easy to match different audio files for a more integrated mix. If you still yearn to exercise those old DJ skills, you can drag your mouse across the waveforms to virtually scratch the needle across the record, producing beautifully authentic sounds. This can be taken even further by using a real turntable spinning a timecode vinyl record, which can be tracked by Mixxx inputs to accurately map your scratching to changes in playback speed. Everything can also be automated, either by the many keyboard shortcuts or via MIDI automation, where every knob and slider can be assigned a MIDI control value for external control. These can be scripted for even more control.
Modern effects can be added, chained together, and even isolated to certain audio buses or a headphone mix. You can also keep a microphone channel clear of other effects so you can announce you're running Mixxx on Arch Linux. All of this can be configured with Jack and the comprehensive settings. The latest release adds to these effects with color options for tracks, intro and outro marking, multithreaded analysis and more accurate key detection, and support for lots of physical deck controllers. Twenty years of development have enabled Mixxx to become a one-stop solution for playing, tracking, and DJing music. It's remarkable that this kind of software is being made and produced under an open source license.
Project Website

Binary explorer
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.
-
Kubuntu Focus Team Releases New Mini Desktop
The team behind Kubuntu Focus has released a new NX GEN 2 mini desktop PC powered by Linux.