Free drum software for linux

LDRUM is an open-source drummachine that offers ten channels, realtime control, a simple pattern sequencer and a graphical user-interface.
LDrum currently runs under Linux only, it is developed in C++ and uses JACK, Qt, ALSA and LADSPA (its a JAQL app;)
LDRUM uses two homemade libraries called libjackpp and libladspapp. These are included in the LDRUM tarball but might be of interest standalone for somebody. So use the following links below to get some infos and the source.
Main features:
10 stereo channels
- Each channel can play a stereo sample. The sample can be changed while playing. A channel can be triggered by the internal sequencer, the keyboard, MIDI or the GUI simultaneous. You can use your favorite sequencer to trigger LDRUM.
16 voices
- LDRUM is limited to 16 channels to be played simultaneous.
MIDI support
- The LDRUM uses the ALSA sequencer api for triggering channels and controlling parameter via MIDI.
Realtime controlable parameters
- Each channel offers a set of parameters which can be controlled in realtime via MIDI or the graphical user interface. You can assign individual MIDI controllers to each parameter via an easy to use MIDI learn function (just right-click over the parameter).
The following parameters are available:
- mute
- solo
- level
- level velocity modulation
- panorama
- equalizer low freq
- equalizer mid freq
- equalizer high freq
- equalizer velocity modulation
- length
- length velocity modulation
- pitch
Sample import
- LDRUM can import all audio file types libsndfile supports.
Load/save drum patches
- A LDRUM patch is stored in an xml file with the extension ".ldp". A patch stores all channel parameters, the channels samples and the MIDI note assignments. Patches can be loaded and saved via the GUI.
Load/save sequences
- A LDRUM sequence is stored in a xml file with the extension ".lds". A sequence stores the sequencer banks which contain the patterns of the channels. Sequences can be loaded and saved via the GUI.
Color schemes
- The LDRUM can be colored the way you like it. It offers an graphical color scheme editor to create you own personal look.

Drumachine is a program which translates a simple drum-pattern description file into a CSOUND score. It is useful in the creation of percussion tracks with csound, ranging from the trivial to the extremely involved and complex. I have compiled and tested the program under Linux only.

Drumachine now supports time-variable volume and tempo changes. Now, the creation of Crescendo/Decrescendo and Ritard/Accelerando is very easy.


Download drumachine2.04.tar.gz (~215k), should you be so inclined. The archive contains a Linux executable of drumachine, and the source code from which it was compiled. There is also a selection of drum samples included in the archive (AIFF), which should enable one to get started on her way to creating gourmet percussion tracks with drumachine.

If you like, you can sneek a peek at the manual, which is really a working drumachine score at the same time. The same score without the manual-devoted portions may also be viewed should one wish to know what it is like to look at a more typical example of a drumachine score-file.

The release notes detail new features and bug-fixes from rev to rev. Reading it can help one decide whether to download a new version.

Virtual Drum Machine is a simple drum machine.
It works for little endian/linux kind of machines. You may let it work on others machines, but you probably will get troubles with it.
You definitely need oss (or maybe alsa) for sound output, and a posix-like operating system. To let it work on a big endian machine should be painful.
You write a rhythm, then you compile it, then you are able to play it to your sound card or save it to a file.
The Virtual Drum Machine is made of
- the Rhythm Compiler,
- the runtime library.
The Virtual Drum Machine is in the public domain. Who needs a license? money makers? Protection against robbery? let me laugh... Read any text of law, you will see where the robbers reside.
A simple file would look like :
void main_rhythm(void)
{
tempo = 120;
- a
. b
. b
.
- a
.b
- a
.
. b
. b
- a c
. b
}
Install:
Do a "./configure" in the drums directory, then "make", then "make install", it should be alright. You can listen to some examples in the examples/ directory.
Who yo use it?
Write a rhythm. Compile it with "rc". Run the produced program. You are done.
See the examples/ directory to get the point.
When you run an example, try "-h" to get the available options.
It should be self-explanatory.
The rhythm compiler has several options. By running "rc --help", all should be clear.
Technical Details:
The compiler will parse the input file line by line.
If a line starts with "*" or "." (not counting leading white spaces), the whole line is seen as a rhythm line, and is transformed into C code. If not, it is passed as is to the C file.
Beware! You MUST NOT start any C code line by "*" or "."!
You can create as much functions as you want, write any C code you want. But remember that a line starting by "*" or "." is seen as a rhythm line and is translated by "rc" into C code.
You must provide a "void main_rhythm(void)" function, that will be called by the library. It is the starting point of your rhythm. It can be "void main_rhythm(int argc, char *argv[])" too, with common meaning for those parameters (non-C coders will have trouble with the Virtual Drum Machine).
You can change the tempo (ex. "tempo=100;") or the volume (ex "vol=0.4;") at any time. Each sample comes with its own volume and panning (ex. "a.vol = 0.1;" "a.pan=-0.8;"). Volumes range from 0 to what you want. 1 is for the normal volume. Panning ranges from -1 (left) to 1 (right). 0 is center. All values are double. You can use "volume" instead of "vol", and "panning" instead of "pan". There is no global panning, if you want all left, set all samples to left.
To run in stereo mode, dont forget "-s" when running the generated program. It is mono by default.
You absolutely need to compile and run the examples, and read them to get the point out of it!
The "rc.conf" file contains configuration informations. You specify the sample by "sample" followed by its name (the one you will use in your rhythm files), then the file that will be played. The name of the sample must start by a letter, followed by letters and/or numbers (it must be a valid C identifier, without "_" though). The configuration file contains the install directory, used by "rc" to compile your rhythms. Take a look at the one that is provided to see how to use it.
The sound files are simple wav files. They all should be of the same rate, which can be specified to the generated program, using the "-f" option (44100 is the default). (The library only handles very basic wav files, if yours dont work, you probably will have to modify the library for the program to handle it.)
When you add a sample, you must modify "rc.conf" for the changes to appear. The samples are hard-linked to the produced program, so if you change "sample a /some/dir/file1.wav" by "sample a /one/other/dir/file2.wav" in the configuration file, the previously generated programs will still use "/some/dir/file1.wav". You will have to compile them again to take the changes into account.
Enhancements:
- The code has been modified to let gcc 4 compile it.

Brahms is a sequencer and professional music notation program with several editing methods, including Score-, Pianoroll-, Drum-, and Mastertrack Editors. For C++ programmers, it is easy to write new plugins (without recompiling Brahms).

MIDI Import and Export is also implemented. It is compatible with KDE2.x and the aRts software synthesizer.

A program for converting Ascii tabulature (for guitar, bass guitar and drums) to MIDI files.

I can see at least 5 different (classes of)music applications:
Theres this piece of music notated in tablature that youve seen in the news and you want to see how it sounds. You usually have to modify very ittle of the original file (if it was precise enough) to do that.
Play along with chord changes or a rythm section: just program the chord change / a simple drum sequence / a simple bass line and improvise.
Practise a lick: program the lick, loop it in the sequencer, start at slow tempo and speed up slowly.
Compose a song: you can, with a certain amount of work, obtain a very crude demo of a song that you can show to your friends before rehearshing.
Convert tablature to standard notation using this program plus a commercial notation program, or this mid2tex program thats supposed to hang around somewhere.

Hydrogen is an advanced drum machine for GNU/Linux. Hydrogens main goal is to bring professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming.
Main features:
General
- Very user-friendly, modular, fast and intuitive graphical interface based on QT 3.
- Sample-based streo audio engine, with import of sound samples in .wav, .au and .aiff formats.
- Support of samples in compressed FLAC file.
Sequencer and mixer
- Pattern-based sequencer, with unlimited number of patterns and ability to chain patterns into a song.
- Up to 64 ticks per pattern with induvidual level per event and variable pattern length.
- 32 instrument tracks with volume, mute, solo, pan capabilities.
- Multi layer support for instruments (up to 16 samples for each instrument).
- Ability to import/export song files.
- Unique human velocity, human time and swing functions.
- Multiple patterns playing at once.
Other
- OSS and Jack audio drivers, with assignable Jack ports.
- ALSA MIDI input with assignable midi-in channel (1..16, ALL).
- Import/export of drumkits.
- Export song to wav file.
- Export song to midi file.
Enhancements:
- WASP Ladspa plugins are included.
- Various Jack audio output bugfixes were done.
- A new color theme was added.
- A bug which caused 100% CPU usage was fixed.

KGuitar is basically a guitar tabulature editor for K Desktop Environment. Its much more than just a tab editor.
Main features:
- Free GPLed program;
- K Desktop Environment GUI;
- Powerful and convenient tabulature editing, including many effects and classical note score editing for classic instrument players;
- Full and very customizable MIDI to tabulature import and export;
- Support of extra data formats, such as ASCII tabulatures or popular programs format, such as Guitar Pros or TablEdit;
- Chord fingering construction tools - chord finder & chord analyzer;
- Highly customizable to suit a lot of possible instruments (not only 6-stringed guitars, and even not only guitars), including drum tracks, lyrics and other MIDI events.
Enhancements:
- Initial support of power tab (BETA!!!!)
- Add a wizard for the tse3 and timidity configuration
- and correct other bugs