jQuery color animation plugin

I've made a simple jQuery animation plugin based off of the github version that will animate colors with alpha, allowing simple cool effects. However, there is no animation at all on browsers that don't support rgba (heeeeeeello IE), so be aware of that. Maybe one of you will fix that without some hack that just checks for IE and does something different for it (it should actually check for rgba compatibility, so it works properly for all non-rgba browsers).

Enjoy!

Rosegarden

Rosegarden – A MIDI sequencer

Music composition software is quite rare, if you try to find it in the FOSS community. While Linux does not have much software suited for music, there is one that stands out. Rosegarden, one of those few. This remarkable software has almost all the functions that anyone needs. It allows for composers to use four different methods for creating music. The notation method allows for composing the traditional way, drawing the notes on the staffs themselves. As well there are the matrix, percussion and event editor methods.

The massive download of files has not allowed me the time to test some of the other more advanced functions but I did get a feel for the program. If you want to try it, go ahead and visit www.rosegardenmusic.com

That would be a good ending for this post if it was that simple. One of the events that people will abandon Rosegarden for is the initial setup phase. First off - if you are running Ubuntu or Mint – is to download the software thru the software center. Then, you must get another program that will receive the signals that rosegarden puts out, and re-route them to the speakers. The JACK system included in the RG install is quite confusing to setup, so many will use something else. I would recommend the use of either qSynth or TiMidity. The qSynth setup is quite straightforward, and a good tutorial can be found here: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linuxquestions-org-member-success-stories-23/setting-up-rosegarden-for-midi-music-in-linux-ubuntu-8-04-a-697198/

I have found that it took quite a bit of system resources while running. So I did a bit of experimenting with the TiMidity software. I installed the package labeled TiMidi ++ Midi Sequencer. I have yet to figure out how the entire thing works, but it seems to automatically start when you login. RG will auto-configure to the proper TiMidity ports as well.

Well, I hope this is a good introduction to Rosegarden, bringing this post to the end.

An Introduction

Hello there!
I thought I'd better introduce our newest writer so here it is:

On Wednesdays he goes to the dog wash, with his cat.
On Thursdays he skydives, armed with only a teacup and a reclining chair.
On Friday, he goes to mac conventions - with his Ubuntu machine.
On Saturday he has a tuna sandwich and then goes swimming with sharks.
On Sunday he goes for a jog - through a mine field.
On Monday he swallows flaming swords while doing jumping jacks.
On Tuesdays he plays cards, on the wing of a Boeing 747.
On Wednesday he sleeps in until 11:00 and spends the rest of the day in his pajamas.

He doesn't often drink beer, but when he does he prefers Dos Equis.

Ladies and Gents please welcome: Systemtwo

We look forward to your opinions!


-The Thoth-

MuseScore Con't

GOOD MORNING INTERNET LAND!!!

If you recall, my last post was mostly historical, but this one will contain more about the software. Since writing the last post, 2 significant things have happened.

The first is that I have changed my work laptop from Ubuntu to Linux Mint (yes I know, it is a variation of Ubuntu). Why? I'm not a fan of the way Ubuntu is going with their desktop environment, but I still like the general way it functions. So I switched to Mint since I wanted to stay connected to the Ubuntu repositories, as there is a lot of great software there and I require something reliable for this computer, since it is for work. My other pc has remained my test computer for running the more fun stuff ;)

The other significant thing is that I have finished that instrumental music assignment I had mentioned in part 1 and have been assigned another one. This one is a composition assignment as opposed to the previous assignment which was just arranging. Once again I used MuseScore 0.9.5.

Having never used the alternatives, it is hard to really compare this WYSIWYG music notation software to anything else but I will try to pass on my experience.  Installation on Mint was a breeze, as it is included in Ubuntu's repositories. If you are not using a Debian derivative, MuseScore has also provided a RPM and the source code.

My first impression was good, I was impressed with how professional and clean the interface was. it is obviously designed for ease of use, which is good when doing long compositions. Navigation is accomplished by grabbing and dragging or scrolling using a scroll wheel. Being a true  WYSIWYG editor, the composition looks just like it will print when you're done. Adding instruments was easy as well, and MuseScore contains more than anyone will ever probably use, including a massive amount of voices. It is worth getting acquainted with the many keyboard shortcuts, as they will save you a lot of time. Entering notes is rather intuitive: the number keys change the length of the note, and the note itself is entered by using the corresponding letter on the keyboard. MuseScore also is capable of working with a MIDI piano keyboard. Transposition headaches are a thing of the past, as all of your transposing is as easy as hitting the "Concert Pitch" button which (surprise, surprise) toggles concert pitch on or off.

Probably the best feature (Apart from the price) is it's ability to playback your compositions. This allows the composer the opportunity to hear what they've written before a band actually plays it. This feature is in no means unique to MuseScore, but it is worth mentioning because it is such a huge help.

I did have a few little glitches with the software. For one, it crashes occasionally. Probably once every 3-4 hours of work, so keep saving if you don't feel like composing the same thing twice. Another thing was sometimes when I switched to concert pitch mode and back some notes were given flats, and sometimes double flats. This was fixed by going Notes -> Pitch Spell, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience but a glitch none the less. Also, once and a while it would stop recognizing my keyboard, this was fixed by restarting the program. Since I haven't had the time to test this on any other machines, I don't know if these are isolated incidents or not.

Overall, I'd recommend this software to anyone looking for notation software. I believe it can defiantly compete with other free software, and may even be able to compete with some paid software. Plus it is opensource and cross platform, what more can you ask for?

Here are the links to the project that appears in all the screenshots:

• MuseScore project file 
• PDF
• WAV

Coincidently it is also my project for my instrumental music class. I'd like to include a disclaimer. I am not a professional composer, listen at your own risk ;)

That brings us to the end of the post, don't worry, I'll be Bach.

-The Thoth-