EarMaster on Linux?
Moderator: Quentin
EarMaster on Linux?
Has anyone tried to install and use EarMaster on Linux? Or any other OS (other then Mac or Windows) I would really like you to share your experience with us.
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linux
EarMaster ApS should really work harder on making those other OS versions of EarMaster available. That is the sign that a software company is serious, devoted to developing product to fulfill the needs of its customers. And its product would become more popular, more used, not to speak about the profit increase.
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Hi, I guess I'm digging up an old topic here, but I feel that it's worth being revived. Here's how to install Earmaster on Linux (works perfectly for me on Ubuntu 7.04). Note that I am very new to Linux and that I did not exactly come up with this. It's just a translation/adaptation of a French tutorial to get Guitar Pro working, meant for an absolute beginner.
0) Keep in mind that Linux machines are case sensitive. Gave me some difficulty getting this to work properly. Make sure all filenames/paths match exactly.
1) Install Wine. Seems hard to get Earmaster running natively without sources, but hey, Wine exists for a reason. A simple sudo apt-get install wine in a terminal should suffice. (If this is basically the first Linux operation you're performing: you can call a terminal using ALT-F2).
2) Launch "winecfg" (without the quotes of course). Go to "drives", press autodetect.
3) Use wine to install Earmaster. You can use "Wine Files" under applications -> accessories (if you're running Ubuntu) to locate your drive or you can call another terminal and enter wine "path to setup.exe" (again, no quotes).
4) Then, you need to get a midi synth. Some Linux distributions come with one installed, Ubuntu apparently does not. Enter apt-get install timidity freepats (again, terminal) and you have your synth. Note that you don't need to use freepats and I would advise browsing for information on Timidity. Lots of people tweak it quite a bit.
5) Then, perform the sudo modprobe snd_seq_oss command. Then, do sudo gedit /etc/modules and add snd_seq_oss to the end of the file.
6) Open a text editor (using the gedit command, for instance) and copy-paste-modify (you need to change the path a bit according to your username) the following code:
timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&
cd /home/your_username/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Earmaster\ Pro\ 5/ $1 {this is the path you need to modify. maybe the $1 can be left out, I haven't tried without it...}
wine Ear50.exe
wait%-
killall timidity
Then save this file (call it Earmaster), right click, go to properties and check the box that allows it to be launched as an executable. Copy-paste this in your /usr/bin directory and you should be done. Now you can launch earmaster simply by entering Earmaster in the command line.
If you still don't have any sound (I did, though, so this might be just a guitar pro warning), you should try to set a different midi device in Earmaster.
0) Keep in mind that Linux machines are case sensitive. Gave me some difficulty getting this to work properly. Make sure all filenames/paths match exactly.
1) Install Wine. Seems hard to get Earmaster running natively without sources, but hey, Wine exists for a reason. A simple sudo apt-get install wine in a terminal should suffice. (If this is basically the first Linux operation you're performing: you can call a terminal using ALT-F2).
2) Launch "winecfg" (without the quotes of course). Go to "drives", press autodetect.
3) Use wine to install Earmaster. You can use "Wine Files" under applications -> accessories (if you're running Ubuntu) to locate your drive or you can call another terminal and enter wine "path to setup.exe" (again, no quotes).
4) Then, you need to get a midi synth. Some Linux distributions come with one installed, Ubuntu apparently does not. Enter apt-get install timidity freepats (again, terminal) and you have your synth. Note that you don't need to use freepats and I would advise browsing for information on Timidity. Lots of people tweak it quite a bit.
5) Then, perform the sudo modprobe snd_seq_oss command. Then, do sudo gedit /etc/modules and add snd_seq_oss to the end of the file.
6) Open a text editor (using the gedit command, for instance) and copy-paste-modify (you need to change the path a bit according to your username) the following code:
timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&
cd /home/your_username/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Earmaster\ Pro\ 5/ $1 {this is the path you need to modify. maybe the $1 can be left out, I haven't tried without it...}
wine Ear50.exe
wait%-
killall timidity
Then save this file (call it Earmaster), right click, go to properties and check the box that allows it to be launched as an executable. Copy-paste this in your /usr/bin directory and you should be done. Now you can launch earmaster simply by entering Earmaster in the command line.
If you still don't have any sound (I did, though, so this might be just a guitar pro warning), you should try to set a different midi device in Earmaster.
em on linux
Thank you so much, Vincent, for sharing this experience with us, I never thought it would be possible to use our favorite ear training tool on Linux. As I am new to Linux, and tried to install it several times without success, would you care to explain how is Linux installed on a Windows XP-based machine? And how about posting a preview of how EM looks like under Linux?
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Sure thing. To install Linux on a WinXP machine (I assume you would like to have a dual boot) you need to install XP first, then your Linux distribution. As mentioned in the mini-tutorial, mine is Ubuntu Linux (also dubbed "Linux for human beings"; another version that's popular among new users is SUSE). Ubuntu has a Live CD. You can download an image file from the Ubuntu website, burn it to an empty disc, and try out Linux without installing anything.
Of course, a Live CD doesn't allow you to do all that much, as you can't make changes or save anything, but Ubuntu (like most Linux distributions) comes with a lot of basic utilities pre-installed. In other words, the Live CD does allow you to use OpenOffice, GAIM (a messenger client that combines MSN, ICQ, AIM and a few other services), etc.
Another utility the CD contains is GParted, which you'll need to use to split up your hard drive into a Windows partition and a (future) Linux partition. Well, maybe it isn't necessary, but it was easier than creating partitions during the install. IIRC, Gparted was fairly straightforward. You select the hard drive you want to split up and you create an empty partition. Then, you just double click the install icon on the desktop and somewhere down the road you choose the empty partition as the partition used by your Linux distribution. I believe the installer also asks you to create a swap partition, which I did not do in GParted but which is pretty self-explanatory. Also, you should be sure to look out for the "mount point" you need to set. It should be "/" (actually, that's indicated by the installer somewhere, but I missed it, so it might be worth pointing out again).
I had one warning during the install during step number 6 about this or that not being set, but it didn't seem very important and it hasn't proven to be so far
You should probably have an internet connection active during install, especially if you want to install language files, as those are downloaded. Once you're done, you can select your operating system on startup.
Adapting to Linux took me a few days (for example, you need to use the command line every once in a while) but I'm glad I decided to try it out. I'm currently sorting my files so that I can complete the switch and I've only been using it for a week and a few days. The Ubuntu forums are a great source of information and if you need software, launch the "synaptic package manager", enter a few key words and you'll quite likely find an open source program that meets your requirements, so you don't really need to worry about dealing with .tar files and such right away.
Anyway, here's how it looks on my machine:
Of course, a Live CD doesn't allow you to do all that much, as you can't make changes or save anything, but Ubuntu (like most Linux distributions) comes with a lot of basic utilities pre-installed. In other words, the Live CD does allow you to use OpenOffice, GAIM (a messenger client that combines MSN, ICQ, AIM and a few other services), etc.
Another utility the CD contains is GParted, which you'll need to use to split up your hard drive into a Windows partition and a (future) Linux partition. Well, maybe it isn't necessary, but it was easier than creating partitions during the install. IIRC, Gparted was fairly straightforward. You select the hard drive you want to split up and you create an empty partition. Then, you just double click the install icon on the desktop and somewhere down the road you choose the empty partition as the partition used by your Linux distribution. I believe the installer also asks you to create a swap partition, which I did not do in GParted but which is pretty self-explanatory. Also, you should be sure to look out for the "mount point" you need to set. It should be "/" (actually, that's indicated by the installer somewhere, but I missed it, so it might be worth pointing out again).
I had one warning during the install during step number 6 about this or that not being set, but it didn't seem very important and it hasn't proven to be so far
You should probably have an internet connection active during install, especially if you want to install language files, as those are downloaded. Once you're done, you can select your operating system on startup.
Adapting to Linux took me a few days (for example, you need to use the command line every once in a while) but I'm glad I decided to try it out. I'm currently sorting my files so that I can complete the switch and I've only been using it for a week and a few days. The Ubuntu forums are a great source of information and if you need software, launch the "synaptic package manager", enter a few key words and you'll quite likely find an open source program that meets your requirements, so you don't really need to worry about dealing with .tar files and such right away.
Anyway, here's how it looks on my machine:
em on linux...
Thanx Vincent, right now I'm trying to download the ISO file that I'll burn on the CD and then try everything like you described. EM looks nice under Linux, the only thing I don't like is that it that buttons look like in Windows 98 (non-XP styled anyhow). But nevertheless, I'd like to test-run it under Ubuntu.
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EarMaster on Linux
Thanks Vincent!
It also works fine on Crossover Office (the commercial version of Wine). I'm running Suse linux.
Minimally to try it, I just did:
(as root): modprobe snd_seq_oss
(as me): timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&
and then start EarMaster with the icon CXOffice puts on my KDE desktop.
It pops up a dialog that says that it can't find my mixer and therefore I won't be able to change the volume. But that isn't true, I can change the volume.
First time in, I had to go to "Tools --> MIDI devices" and select "timidity" through the dialog.
Not sure why you suggested "killall timidity" If I do that it loses sound.
I put alias timi ="timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&" in one of my .bash files, so that I wouldn't have to type that command before starting EarMaster. I suppose I could just start timidity at login, in the background, by putting the command in my .bash_profile.
Of course, when I reboot (almost never) it won't load the snd_seq_oss module unless I make the edits to /etc/modules you suggest.
Thanks!
- Peter
It also works fine on Crossover Office (the commercial version of Wine). I'm running Suse linux.
Minimally to try it, I just did:
(as root): modprobe snd_seq_oss
(as me): timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&
and then start EarMaster with the icon CXOffice puts on my KDE desktop.
It pops up a dialog that says that it can't find my mixer and therefore I won't be able to change the volume. But that isn't true, I can change the volume.
First time in, I had to go to "Tools --> MIDI devices" and select "timidity" through the dialog.
Not sure why you suggested "killall timidity" If I do that it loses sound.
I put alias timi ="timidity -iA -B2,8 -Os -EFreverb=0&" in one of my .bash files, so that I wouldn't have to type that command before starting EarMaster. I suppose I could just start timidity at login, in the background, by putting the command in my .bash_profile.
Of course, when I reboot (almost never) it won't load the snd_seq_oss module unless I make the edits to /etc/modules you suggest.
Thanks!
- Peter
Best regards,
- Peter
- Peter
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I've gotten a bit more accustomed to my Linux system by now, so I've also removed the killall timidity bit. Now here's a quick question for those of you who've successfully tried this: can you configure a microphone? 'fraid I can't get mine to work due to earmaster locking up when I access the microphone settings, and I think I'm ready to start singing intervals. Yeah, I can use the mouse, but a microphone would be extremely convenient, plus it'd help my speed.
Very easy to install on Ubuntu 8.*...
Sorry for digging up an old thread. But I just installed EarMaster Pro 5 on my linux PC here (running 8.10), and I though that I would share that all that is now needed is as follows:
First install timidity (either "sudo apt-get install timidity" or use synaptic).
Ensure wine is installed (I think it usually is by default).
Click the earmaster install .exe file; this will automatically start wine and run the installation. After that, you can run earmaster as any other program. You need to select the TiMidity 0 midi port, or similar.
I tested this on two machines, one running 8.04 and one 8.10. The 8.10 install I have is a bit "temperamental" when it comes to sound, and has the quirk that the output is muted when earmaster starts up. I need to ensure I press the unmute button outside of earmaster before I start to hear any sound.
Other than that, all appears to work well (although I doubt microphone input will work, but who knows
-- Per.
First install timidity (either "sudo apt-get install timidity" or use synaptic).
Ensure wine is installed (I think it usually is by default).
Click the earmaster install .exe file; this will automatically start wine and run the installation. After that, you can run earmaster as any other program. You need to select the TiMidity 0 midi port, or similar.
I tested this on two machines, one running 8.04 and one 8.10. The 8.10 install I have is a bit "temperamental" when it comes to sound, and has the quirk that the output is muted when earmaster starts up. I need to ensure I press the unmute button outside of earmaster before I start to hear any sound.
Other than that, all appears to work well (although I doubt microphone input will work, but who knows
-- Per.
Support for Linux (ubuntu)
I tried the howto to use ear master on linux (ubuntu karmic 9.10) but the graphics do not seem to refresh properly and after a few seconds the application trashes.
Any news on a linux version of ear master?
(I've tried the demo version so far but I need linux support to buy the real version)
Any news on a linux version of ear master?
(I've tried the demo version so far but I need linux support to buy the real version)
Screenshot under wine
First, I had to disable any graphical effects provided by compiz/fusion.
But I'm still having problems like this http://dl.free.fr/b2pT8rd7L
Basically, it seems that the screen does not get properly refreshed, the scores just "stack up" and it's impossible to remove them; apart from that everything (sound) seems fine ... unfortunately, due to this problem, Earmaster is unusable in most cases.
But I'm still having problems like this http://dl.free.fr/b2pT8rd7L
Basically, it seems that the screen does not get properly refreshed, the scores just "stack up" and it's impossible to remove them; apart from that everything (sound) seems fine ... unfortunately, due to this problem, Earmaster is unusable in most cases.
Our webmaster has installed it on Ubuntu 9 and it seems that the background colour is gone and the program crashes once in a while. As far as I recall, EarMaster ran smoothly on Ubuntu 8. I don't know if the graphics are managed in another way with the newer ubuntu version.
- Because in Music, We're All Ears... -
Thanks for your effort investigating this problem ... without knowing much about how EarMaster is programmed I can't be of much help but if you want me to test something, please ask.
Maybe it's worth a shot to test EarMaster on the upcoming 10.04 ubuntu version (the final version is due April 29th but you can grad the beta 1 release which should be stable enough to test http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/lucid/beta1).
Maybe it's worth a shot to test EarMaster on the upcoming 10.04 ubuntu version (the final version is due April 29th but you can grad the beta 1 release which should be stable enough to test http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/lucid/beta1).