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posted by janrinok on Tuesday November 01 2016, @05:28AM   Printer-friendly
from the every-kickstarter-project-should-impress-like-this dept.

Jono Bacon reports via OpenSource.com

It runs Linux, uses JACK, and the plugin standard used is LV2

Some time ago, the MOD Duo jumped onto my radar. In a nutshell, it is a guitar stomp box that comes loaded with different effects and sounds. Instead of buying the multitude of guitar pedals that many musicians string together in complex, if somewhat beautiful ways, the MOD Duo negates all that. It is a single box and what's more, it is powered by open source.

Now, when I say it is powered by open source, I don't just mean it runs Linux, but we will get to that a little later.

[...] Inside the beefy-looking steel enclosure is a computer that is loaded with software for generating lots of different guitar effects and sounds. This includes delays, reverbs, choruses, flangers, and more. When you plug this thing into you computer, you can then use a web interface to build your own virtual pedalboard:

Just like a physical pedalboard, you drag the different virtual stomp boxes onto the floor and use cables to connect them together in different ways.

When you have created your sounds, the MOD Duo will save them and you can call them directly from the hardware unit. This means you don't need a computer to use the MOD Duo to play gigs; you only use the computer to configure your pedalboards.

The interface is not just used for creating sounds, though. You can also browse additional virtual pedals and download them, and create banks of patches.

[...] For many years you have been able to plug a USB sound card into a Linux computer, set up JACK, configure your plugins, and output the audio in different ways. Although possible, this was historically complicated to set up and use.

[...] The MOD Duo changed all this. First, everything is set up and good to go on the device itself. You literally don't need to know jack about JACK. Second, the plugins have completely refreshed and simplified interfaces that look and feel like guitar pedals. Third, the overall interface for stringing these different effects together is simple, natural, and a lot of fun. For the geeks they even go so far as to offer a MOD Arduino Shield for experimenting with different sensors and a MOD software development kit.

[...] Aside from all the technical merits of the MOD Duo from an open source perspective, I also love how the team is working in this very community-oriented way. Once again, the real power of open source is not code, it is the community fabric and methodology that underpins it.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Tuesday November 01 2016, @09:23AM

    by Arik (4543) on Tuesday November 01 2016, @09:23AM (#421180) Journal
    I for one found it an interesting topic, I just wish there was more depth to it. I've mostly kept the guitar and the computer far away from each other - in part because I don't want want to get non-free software involved in the process and the stuff I've seen advertised was all of that nature. So this sparked my interest immediately. Thanks for posting it.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
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  • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Tuesday November 01 2016, @10:03AM

    by Nerdfest (80) on Tuesday November 01 2016, @10:03AM (#421193)

    I have a couple of digital effects processors, and a couple of modelling amps, and from what I've seen the downloading of new effects is new as well. There seems to be a decent amount of interest in open software in general and Linux specifically amongst musicians, as there are Linux versions of the control software for pretty much every electronic effect I have. In the case of the Fender modelling amp I have, the Linux software is nicer to use than the Windows version. Far more professional.

    I'll definitely give this pedal a look.

    • (Score: 1) by Arik on Tuesday November 01 2016, @11:36PM

      by Arik (4543) on Tuesday November 01 2016, @11:36PM (#421445) Journal
      The Fender Mustang? They have a linux client? I am guessing it's not free even if they do have one though...

      Nonetheless I feel like a fool not knowing that. Never saw a mention of it that I can recall. I considered the Mustang, wound up with a rebuilt Line6 that will do a lot more than I can really use even without being plugged into the computer, but best I know you gotta run windows and then run blobs to make that interface happen so I have never even thought about trying.

      Truth is about 80% of the time when I want a guitar in my hands I seem to pull out my classical. Love the tone, love the feel, maybe if I get a piezo mounted on it I'd fire up the amp more often.

      Or if I found a deal on an SST-CE. But now I'm rambling...
      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Nerdfest on Wednesday November 02 2016, @12:30AM

        by Nerdfest (80) on Wednesday November 02 2016, @12:30AM (#421450)

        It is free actually, and is hosted on BitBucket [bitbucket.org]. It's also included in the Ubuntu repos now I believe. Don't think it uses binaries, except that it will actually run firmware patches (which are binaries) on the amp, which is super nice for those of us that don't run Windows at all.

        I have a GT-10, a GT-3, a Fender Champ X2, and a few devices with digital control, and the Plug software for the Mustang is the most open, and most usable of the bunch. I've *heard* that it may work on the X2 as well, but I haven't tried it yet.

        All that said, the Mod Duo pedal here is tempting, although a little pricey.

        • (Score: 1) by Arik on Wednesday November 02 2016, @01:30AM

          by Arik (4543) on Wednesday November 02 2016, @01:30AM (#421461) Journal
          "It is free actually, and is hosted on BitBucket."

          Man I was so ready to call bullshit on that.

          "Compilation

          If you want to compile PLUG yourself, download the latest source code (https://bitbucket.org/piorekf/plug/get/tip.tar.gz) and read on."

          less README

          "1. Compilation

          To build program requires Qt4 and libusb-1.0. To build the code you need to
          run the following commands in the source directory:
          ~ $ qmake plug.pro
          ~ $ make

          If both commands finished without errors compilation is finished. Executables
          name is "plug" so to run the program just type:
          ~ $ ./plug"

          Very nice. Now I gotta start looking for a good deal on a Mustang.

          Aw man, screw you! :P

          :)
          --
          If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
          • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Wednesday November 02 2016, @01:58AM

            by Nerdfest (80) on Wednesday November 02 2016, @01:58AM (#421467)

            Sorry dude. Seems like a nice humanoid as well. I needed some help from him on something USB related and he helped greatly. The really weird thing is I think I used some other free, non music-related software of his at some point as well. Small world in the open-source community it seems.

            Good luck with the amp. I have the Mustang I ... just picked it up when it first came out as a practice amp I just have tucked behind my couch. It sounds really good though, far better than I was expecting. I see used ones (in various sizes) come up for sale online fairly regularly.

            I should check and see if the software works with my X2 now.