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"Headless" Grandorgue techniques

Highlandman

New member
I apologize if I am repeating an already-asked question, but I have made an honest effort to search the forum without success.

I am building a VPO (converting a Baldwin 210) and very much would like to have no monitor or keyboard permanently installed. This will be a Linux (FatDog64, probably) implementation. I have some experience with Linux and jOrgan, but this is my first foray into Grandorgue. I think I know how to configure it to run "headless" (my computer parts have not yet been delivered) but I still have a couple of particular questions that are stumping me.

First, is there a way to use a MIDI input to initiate an orderly exit from GO? (Console "Off" button....)

My second question concerns the temperament setter. I would like to have only Equal and 1/4-Comma Meantone available from a switch on the console. I see an incrementer available on the panel, but without a monitor I will need to have it positively select between only those two, not cycle (blindly!) through many. (Or, I may get frisky, and install a three-position switch and include a Werkmeister.)

I appreciate any tips. Thanks for all the great work the community has done!

-Glenn
 

e9925248

New member
You can look at GOLive. The Linux part should be preconfigured for GO and can also be installed on a computer. You only need to download/unpack your samplesets and configure the sampleset in GO.

Add 1) If you want a proper shutdown of a modern OS (Windows, Linux), use the PC power button (It is just a low-voltage push-button). A short press will initiate a shutdown of the OS.

GO does not feature a shutdown feature, because there shouldn't be anything to shutdown properly on a headless GO PC.

Add 2) GO allows sending the current temperament via MIDI (same format as HW LCDs).
GO does not feature MIDI events to select specific temperaments, because it is designed for handling many temperaments.

If you really want to get rid of some temperaments, you can delete them from src/grandorgue/GOrgueTemperamentList.cpp in the GO sources and recompile GO.
 

Highlandman

New member
So for point (1), just using the APCI function should take care of me. I think I'll install a cheap time-delay relay on the console power button so a stray elbow can't shut him off, though.

Point (2), recompiling may be over my head at this stage. I'll have to put a little more ingenuity into the console controls... I'm using a Highly Liquid MIDI CPU for encoding, and wasn't going to do any decoding, but maybe there's an answer in there. If nothing else, a simple indication when I'm at "home"; i.e. Equal.

Thanks much. No doubt I'll be back with more questions later!
-Glenn
 

Highlandman

New member
Okay, I'm back for more help...
I have installed the latest GO live to the SSD on my new system.
It works and I like it, so far as the sample set goes, but I have a problem.
Autostarting the GrandOrgue application is too fast! It seems to be racing against the USB audio service. GO will come up with the message "Lexicon Alpha Not Found" 4 out of 5 boots.
If I uncheck GrandOrgue in the Desktop Sessions utility, allow it to boot to the desktop and then launch GO from the menu, it works fine every time. But this won't do because in the long run I need to run as a headless system. (I did test it without the USB audio in the headless configuration, and it does launch and play through the integrated audio.)
What I think I need is a simple script to sleep for a few seconds and then invoke GrandOrgue. But I am a babe in the openSUSE woods and I can't find the trick to get a script to autoexecute on opening the session.
Any help?
Thanks in advance
-Glenn
 

e9925248

New member
Why do you need a USB audio device (instead of the onboard audio)?

Type in a Terminal (eg. xterm) on a unmodified GOLive:
=======
su
echo "#/bin/sh" > /usr/bin/startgo
echo "sleep 3" >> /usr/bin/startgo
echo "exec /usr/bin/GrandOrgue" >> /usr/bin/startgo
chmod a+x /usr/bin/startgo
sed -e "s@Exec=GrandOrgue@Exec=startgo@g" /etc/xdg/autostart/GrandOrgue.desktop
=========
 

Highlandman

New member
Thank you sir! I understand what this does, and it was successful. Boots up and shuts down headless without a hitch.

I am using a Lexicon Alpha because (a) I have used one before and had good results with the latency, quietness, and D/A quality, although it is limited to two channels and 48khz -- that is all I need for this implementation. (b) It has balanced line level outputs, which saves me a couple of DI boxes for this particular installation (going into a nice 1kW stereo house sound system with its own crossovers and subwoofers). I know USB is supposed to be a tradeoff on latency but it is reporting 5ms, and whether true or not, it is certainly undetectable to me.

I must say I am astonished at the performance and sound quality of GO -- even the sample organ! -- compared to the other open source system I've been using for a few years. You all have done an outstanding job with this.

I also made one further change -- I changed the acpi event in /etc/acpi/power to PBTN and the action to shutdown 0 (that's a zero) to get a nice shutdown on a short power button press. This is probably BIOS dependent. Maybe this will help someone else down the road.
Cheers, I'm off to work on the console hardware now!!!

Thanks much
-Glenn
 

e9925248

New member
I also made one further change -- I changed the acpi event in /etc/acpi/power to PBTN and the action to shutdown 0 (that's a zero) to get a nice shutdown on a short power button press. This is probably BIOS dependent.

Would "action=button/power.*" also work as ACPI event for you?

A normal shutdown using systemd would be "/usr/bin/systemctl poweroff"

Does the default command "/usr/bin/systemctl poweroff --force --force" don't power off the system?
 

Mick Berg

New member
Thank you sir! I understand what this does, and it was successful. Boots up and shuts down headless without a hitch.

I am using a Lexicon Alpha because (a) I have used one before and had good results with the latency, quietness, and D/A quality, although it is limited to two channels and 48khz -- that is all I need for this implementation. (b) It has balanced line level outputs, which saves me a couple of DI boxes for this particular installation (going into a nice 1kW stereo house sound system with its own crossovers and subwoofers). I know USB is supposed to be a tradeoff on latency but it is reporting 5ms, and whether true or not, it is certainly undetectable to me.

I must say I am astonished at the performance and sound quality of GO -- even the sample organ! -- compared to the other open source system I've been using for a few years. You all have done an outstanding job with this.

I also made one further change -- I changed the acpi event in /etc/acpi/power to PBTN and the action to shutdown 0 (that's a zero) to get a nice shutdown on a short power button press. This is probably BIOS dependent. Maybe this will help someone else down the road.
Cheers, I'm off to work on the console hardware now!!!

Thanks much
-Glenn

Hi Glenn.
I use two computers, one for the organ and one for audio. I know it sounds extravagant but I like to use KX project for audio, and I could not get it to cooperate with Windows 7 and GO, and anyway I had an XP computer lying around unused.
I can see that the GO computer should shut down OK, and I suppose the KX Audio computer will as well. I will give it a go.
An interesting and useful thread.
Thanks,
Mick Berg.
 

Mick Berg

New member
I'be tried it and it works fine on both computers. Surprisingly you must use independent dry contacts for each computer, you cannot common the ground side.It just doesn't work. So now I have a very elegant start and stop system for the price of two push button switches!
Thanks for the advice.
Mick Berg.
 
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