Help Contents General Command line options The Main Screen Connecting Presets & banks Preferences Shortcuts Effects Lineal EQ Compressor Distorsion Overdrive Echo Chorus Phaser Flanger Reverb Parametric EQ Cabinet Emulation AutoPan/Stereo Expander Harmonizer Musical Delay Noise Gate WhaWha Alien Wha MIDI Converter Tuner Credits MIDI Implementation Chart License

GENERAL

RAKARRACK is a multi-effect processor for guitar players but can also be used for other purposes. Seventeen effects are included in this version: Lineal EQ, Compressor, Distortion, Overdrive, Echo, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Reverb,  Parametric EQ, WahWah, Alienwah, Cabinet, AutoPan/Extra Stereo, Harmonizer, Musical Delay and NosieGate. Ten can be used simultaneously on a chain. Also has a Tuner and a monophonic MIDI Converter. Rakarrack can be managed externally by MIDI, the program receive Program Change and Volume Control Change MIDI messages. One of the most important things of RAKARRACK is that everything is on a single mouse click. All the effect parameters are on the screen.

The effects are processed on a chain, the chain order processing is fully configurable by the user for each preset. The preset saves all the effects parameters. These presets can be grouped into banks to manage more efficiently.

Rakarrack is capable of generating high power output. It has Gain controls in general and some of the effects. Use these gains with caution because they can produce unwanted effects.

Rakarrack is a JACK application, Dave Phillips wrote some good articles in their blog of how to use linux audio with jack, if you don't know about jack, or you have problems running rakarrack, please read this series of articles:

Troubleshooting Linux Audio, Part 1

Troubleshooting Linux Audio, Part 2

Troubleshooting Linux Audio, Part 3a

Troubleshooting Linux Audio, Part 3b

Command Line Options

Examples:

rakarrack -l mypreset.rkr     Starts Rakarrack and load the preset file mypreset.rkr

rakarrack -n -b mybank.rkrb    Starts Rakarrack without GUI and load the bank file mybank.rkrb

The Main Screen

Connecting

The connections shown in the screenshot correspond to a motherboard sound card. The guitar is connected to the input line. Obviously this configuration can vary depending of your sound card. RAKARRACK has two inputs to allow use of stereo devices. The screenshot shows the connection of a guitar, usually mono aural.

Presets & Banks

The state of the rack can be saved to a file at any time, either pressing the "Save" buttons or via the menu File->Save Preset. Rakarrack suggest the preset name for the filename.rkr in the save operation, but you can put what you want. You can assign the preset name here:

If the user modifies any preset bank, The "compare" button allows you to compare the sound of the current state of rakarrack with the original bank preset from which it departed.

You can use banks to store groups of presets. 80 preset can be saved on a bank. To include a preset in a bank must first indicate the name of preset on the main screen, open the bank window and click on a empty slot with the right mouse button. To retrieve a preset stored in a bank must open the window of banks and clicking the left button on the preset desired, also you can use the Preset selector of the main window.

To save a preset in a bank:

• Put descriptive name to the preset
• Open the bank window (B)
• Press the right mouse button in a empty place.

To retrieve a preset from a bank:

• Open the bank window (B)
• Click the left mouse button on the preset

When rakarrack starts always load the bank selected in preferences unless you specify another bank in the command line. Of course you can load/save any bank via menu File. By default, is allocated in preferences the installation included bank. This bank ("Default.rkrb") is installed with root properties, then you can't overwrite as user. But is easy to save in any place to work with it. The bank contains default presets developed by the development team and some friends who have contributed in this facet.

Up the Bank windows screenshot, the tittle bar show the loaded bank. Click on preset or use preset counter in the Preset section to change the preset.

Presets marked with (*) use the Select mode in the Harmonizer effect, that means you need to play a monophonic melody in the Key/Chord selected. The harmonizer recognizes what note you play and creates a second voice in the Key/Chord selected.

Preferences (Settings)

Through the Settings window you can configure different aspects of the application. The colors of he four elements on the screen, background, buttons, labels and leds.

Also you can select the following schemes of widget decoration, X11, fltk, gtk+ y plastic. Some small example of fltk and plastic.

Audio

Preserve Gain/Master

The Input Gain and Master Volume are stored in the preset, activating this option the Input Level and Master Volume was not modified when preset changes

Harmonizer Quality

Selects the quality of the harmonizer audio engine,  the available values are "4,8", the default value is "4". Incrementing the quality increments the CPU usage by this effect. This parameter will take effect the next time you run rakarrack.

MIDI

Here you can select if you want to auto connect the rakarrack MIDI IN to another device when the program starts, and you can select the device, also when the program is running you can connect here o use other utilities to do that.

Jack

Here you can select if you want to auto connect the Jack output ports, you can select the ports available, the number of selected ports needs to be an odd number.

Misc

Here you can define a nickname that was recorded in the presets that are created. The development team intends to create banks of effects created by users. These presets should assume the same license with which this program is released (GPL version 2 or higher) and suggest carrying an identification in the form First Name Last Name (nick). Of course you have to give a descriptive name to your preset. If you have a good preset and want to share or want to be included in future versions, send it to this address holborn@users.sourceforge.net

Bank

Here you can specify what file bank is loaded when program starts.

Shortcuts

We created a few shortcuts to make it easier to manage the program.

The effects are enabled pressing the keys (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0) . These keys are unrelated to the effects but with his position. So the key 1 trigger the effect that in the first position (the first effect of the left in the first line) and so on until 0 (the latter effect to the right in the second line).

EFFECTS

The chain has seventeen effects, you can select any of the available effects: Linear EQ, Compressor, Distortion, Overdrive, Echo, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Reverb, EQ parametric, WahWah, Alienwah, Cabient, Pan, Harmonizer, MusicDelay and NoiseGate. Ten can be used simultaneously. It cascading process, following the order that appears on the screen, from left to right and top to bottom. The order is configurable by the user via the button "Put in your order Rack" giving access to this screen. The effect selected moves up or down using the arrows. The double arrow button interchange the selected effects between the two browsers.

The effects have two common elements. The "On" button and "Preset" input choice. These individual effect presets are not modified by the user and in most cases are those that Octavian Paul Nasca defined for the purposes of ZynAddSubFX. The value of preset individual is not stored in presets general and can not relate to the parameters in effect.

Parameter Adjustement

MIDI Control

    For control the parameter values via MIDI see the MIDI Implementation Chart  for the complete list of MIDI message commands recognized.

EQ Lineal

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Equalizer.

Compressor

Adapted from the ArtsCompressor Compressor.

Distorsion

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Distorsion

Overdrive

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Distorsion

Echo

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Echo

Chorus

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Chorus

Phaser

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Phaser

Flanger

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Chorus

Reverb

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Reverb

EQ Parametric

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Equalizer

Cabinet Emulation

New Effect using the ZynAddSubFx Equalizer engine

AutoPan/Stereo Expander

New Effect

Harmonizer

Intelligent Harmonizer Explained Rakarrack harmonizer effect use the audio engine of the smbPtichShifter.cpp located at http://www.dspdimension.com. In order to save CPU use only a mono pitch-shifter in the lowest quality available, you can change this on the program Settings window, but only for a low quality values because high quality ones use too much CPU. The audio signal converted to mono is send it to the pitch-shifter and returned to the two pole Peak filter, panned and send it to both channels L/R. The rakarrack Harmonizer has 3 modes: Normal Mode Is how a normal pitchshifter run, the pitch ratio is fixed and can be selected in the Interval effect parameter of the effect. Select Mode In this mode the pitch ratio is variable, this value depends of the selected Interval parameter, and the Note and Chord effect parameters. Rakarrack then recognize the audio note played (Only "melodies" monophonic data can be played in this mode) and modifies the pitch ratio in order to do a musical harmonization with the Tonality/Chord selected in the parameters, of course the twelve tonality's are available and 33 chords: ,6,Maj7,lyd,Maj(9),Maj7(9),6/9,+,m,m6,m7,m7(b5),m9,m7(9),m7(11) ,m(Maj7),m(Maj7)(9),dim,dim7,7,7(Sus4),7(b5),7(9),7(#11),7(13),7(b9) ,7(b13),7(#9),+Maj7,+7,1+8,1+5,(Sus4),2 MIDI Mode This mode run in the same way as Select Mode but the Tonality/Chord is recognized via MIDI notes, the MIDI chord recognizer recognizes all the above chords plus all the inversions and bass changed chords, also has memory, they use the chord just another chord is send it and recognized. The MIDI channel can be selected in the Settings window, then the Harmonizer adjust the pitch ratio with the audio note recognized, played by the user, and the Tonality/Chord received via MIDI. (Sequencer track ... )

Musical Delay

Musical Delay Explained The musical delay effect is a dual line delay, the word "musical" is due that you can adjust the delay time in both lines in a musical terms, with Tempo effect parameter, and the Delay1, Delay2, Delay3 effect parameters. The Delay lines are measured in fractions of quarter notes at the Tempo selected. That means 1/2 is an Eighth note and 1/4 is a Sixteenth note. (1,1/2,1/3,1/4,1/5,1/6) are the possible values, that include eighth triplets, etc. The center delay parameter, is the delay between the two delay lines, and is the only one can be set equal to zero. The Tempo effect parameter value range is big (10~480) that's for admit half or double song Tempo in order to obtain largest or shortest delays. Off course you have Gain, Pan and Feedback parameters for each delay line in order to adjust the desired effect.

Noise Gate

New Effect based on Gate, Steve Harris LADSPA plugin.

WahWah

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX DynamicFilter

Alienwah

Adapted from the ZynAddSubFX Alienwah

MIDI Converter

This is a experimental monophonic MIDI converter. The parameters are not stored on presets but are saved as preferences and is remembered each time you start the program.

The most important thing for a better results is tune your guitar. You need to connect with qjackctl or whatever Alsa-Seq connect utility the rakarrack MC OUT port to a synthesizer or sequencer device in order to produce sound or record something.

The Triggerparameter controls the volume passed to the note recognition algorithm.

The Velocity is for adjust the MIDI velocity sensitivity message send.

The Channel is the channel selected for the MIDI message, of course.

TUNER

When "Your frequency" is outside the acceptable range is shown in red.

Credits

• Josep Andreu
• Hernan Ordiales
• Jose Luis Di Biase

• Eugenio Rubio
• Carlos Pino
• Alberto Mendez
• Daniel Vidal
• Hernan Ordiales
• Josep Andreu

• Paul Nasca Ocatavian, ZynAddSubFx author.
• Mario Lang, Tuneit author
• Matthias Kretzer & Stefan Westerfeld, ArtsCompressor Authors

MIDI Implementation Chart

Return to Top