Free step sequencer software for linux

Dino is a MIDI sequencer for GNU/Linux. Dino is a pattern-based sequencer, which means that you write small patterns of MIDI events that you can repeat and arrange to create a whole song.

Each track has its own patterns, so you can for example play the same drum pattern over and over again while you play different lead synth patterns and basslines.

The arrangement editor

The GUI is divided into three tabs. The first tab, "Arrangement" is where you
add new tracks, arrange patterns, and edit the tempo map. When you first
start Dino there will be no tracks and all you will see is the "BPM" track.
Here you can add new tempo changes with the left button, remove them with
the right button (except the first one - if you removed it the BPM for the
whole song would be undefined, so Dino will not let you remove it) and change
their BPM by middle-clicking and dragging up and down. This mousing pattern
is used in most places in Dino - left adds, middle modifies, right removes.

If you click the + button in the arrangement tab you will add a track. When
you add a track you can choose a name for it, which MIDI port it should connect
to, and the MIDI channel it should send events to. You can edit all these
properties later too by clicking the Properties button (the one with the
tool). The selected track (the one that has a dark blue background for its
name) can be removed by clicking the trashcan button.

Each track is shown as a strip of blocks, where each block represents a beat.
When you have created patterns for your track (see the text about the "Patterns"
tab below) you can use the left mouse button to click on a track and bring up
a popup menu listing all patterns for that track. The one you select will be
added to the track at the beat you clicked. You can modify its length with
the middle mouse button and delete it with the right (this does not affect
the actual pattern at all, just how this instance of it is played).

The pattern editor

In the pattern editor you can add, edit, and remove patterns for the different
tracks. Look at the tooltips for the buttons in the upper row and it should
be fairly obvious how to add and delete patterns. When you have added a pattern
you can also add and delete controllers in it. Controllers are e.g. pitchbend
and MIDI CC controllers. The active controller can be edited in the box at the
bottom of this tab.

The main box here is the note editor, where you edit the notes in the active
pattern. You add new notes with Ctrl-left button, change their length with the
middle button, change their velocity with Ctrl-middle button and delete them
with Ctrl-right button. You can also use the left mouse button to select,
unselect, and drag notes around - clicking a note will select it, shift-clicking
will unselect or select it depending on whether it was selected or not, clicking
and dragging notes will move the selected notes around on the grid.

There are also basic clipboard commands, you can cut, copy, paste and delete
the current selection. When you paste you will have to click where you want
the clipboard content to appear. You can also middle-click outside all notes to
insert a copy of the current selection there without affecting the clipboard
content.

The info editor

The third tab simply has entry fields for the songs title, author, and info. It should be obvious how to use them.

bcr steps is a step sequencer and arpeggiator made for the Behringer BCR2000 controller. The project can also be used on its own, or with almost any other MIDI controller.

If you like, you can try out the applet version, though it wont give you the full MIDI capabilities of the standalone application.

Instructions:

Download and run with java -jar bcr-steps.jar

b-tektracker is an advanced realtime MIDI step-sequencer with a tracker interface. b-tektracker is a fork of tektracker by Billy Biggs.

ttrk is the product of frustration with bad step editors found on pretty much all MIDI sequencers available today. Im a big fan of trackers, and I wanted to be able to compose MIDI music using a tracker paradigm.

There are five main goals of ttrk:

1. Tracker-style step editor, think ScreamTracker3.
2. Pattern based sequencer.
3. Big, accessable track mute buttons, think Alesis MMT8.
4. Realtime editing, never need to push stop.
5. All functions directly accessable from the keyboard for rapid editing.

ttrk started in the spring of 1999 as a Qt application. I used it to record a bunch of songs (http://mp3.com/bitblit) and some live shows, but it was very much hacked together based on what I needed at the time. Keeping a GUI app up to date is a pain in the ass, and ttrk has been in need of a rewrite ever since.

The urge to create a console version was two-fold:

1. I wanted to use my old computer as a dedicated sequencer, and it doesnt run X.
2. To create a sequencer, you need to run as root. I dont like running big X apps as root.

There are some files to help you use ttrk:

- docs/keys.txt Detailed explanation of all keyboard commands.
- docs/usage.txt Detailed notes on how to use ttrk.

Step-by-Step is a simple logic game where you have to clear all colored tiles by stepping over them.

Depending on the colour of the tile, this takes one to three steps. Step-by-Step project contains 99 levels and a separate level editor.

Shake tracker is a MIDI sequencer aimed to all the tracker lovers who allways wanted to go midi, while keeping all sort of cool tracker features.

Shake tracker has a tracker-like interface which supports patterns, orders and IT-like effects.

Each track (midi channel) is subdivided in columns of its on, so this adds an extra layer to pattern editing. Note on, Noteoff and velocity are also implemented the usual way, while the effect column understands most of IT commands with similar parameter ranges. Finally, theres also a controller/effects column and plans for adding "paintable controllers" support.

Shake tracker has been programmed with MIDI bandwith issues in mind, so its perfectly usable on external synths, softsynths and soundcard synths. There is actually a Windows version of this program, but its not native and it needs you to install an Xserver.

Many features of modern sequencers are still missing, such as sysex and midi in, but the program is perfectly usable and many people wrote songs with it (check downloads section).

ALSA MIDI Kommander is a DCOP interface exposing many ALSA Sequencer features for shell scripts, Kommander scripts, or KDE programs requiring MIDI sequencer services.

A few utilities are included, which can be used both as programming examples and as real work tools. The main program, "kaseq" is a single executable used as a DCOP service program.

It runs as a daemon, allowing only a single running instance, and provides a system tray icon to give visual feedback for MIDI activity and a way to control the programs execution.

Seq24 is a loop based midi sequencer.

Seq24 is a loop based midi sequencer. It was created to provide a very simple interface for editing and playing midi loops.

After searching for a software based sequencer that would provide the functionality needed for a live performance, such as the Akai MPC line, the Kawai Q80 sequencer, or the popular Alesis MMT-8, I found nothing similar in the software realm.

I set out to create a very minimal sequencer that excludes the bloated features of the large software sequencers, and includes a small subset of features that I have found usable in performing.