xwax
{{Short description|Open source vinyl emulation software}}
{{lowercase}}
{{Infobox software|
name = xwax
|operating_system = Linux
|developer = Mark Hills
|programming language = C[http://xwax.org/devel/tips.html xwax development: Guidelines], Retrieved 2012-10-14.
|license = GPL-2.0-only
|website = [http://xwax.org/ xwax: Digital Vinyl System for Linux]
|latest release version = 1.8|latest release date = {{release date and age|2021|08|18}}|released = {{start date|2006}}}}
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
xwax is an open-source vinyl emulation software.{{cite web|title=xwax: Digital Vinyl on Linux|url=http://www.xwax.co.uk/|access-date=2008-01-02}}{{cite web|title=Skratchworx: And for Linux users... |url=http://www.djworx.com/skratchworx/newspage.php?fn_mode=comments&fn_id=698&_id=1152 |access-date=2013-08-11 }}{{cite web|title=Create Digital Music: xwax: Vinyl Scratching Emulation on Linux|date=24 May 2007 |url=http://createdigitalmusic.com/2007/05/24/xwax-vinyl-scratching-emulation-on-linux/|access-date=2007-05-24}} It was initially developed in 2006 as proprietary software. In May 2007 xwax was licensed under the GPL-2.0-only,{{cite web|title=xwax development|url=http://www.xwax.co.uk/devel/|access-date=2008-01-02}} making it the first open source software of this kind.
Unlike the software supplied with some proprietary packages for vinyl emulation, xwax is hardware independent. Notably, it can be used with the audio device and timecode recordings supplied with the Scratch Live{{cite web|title=Xwax - An open source DVS |url=http://www.djforums.com/content/2009/04/26/xwax-an-open-source-dvs/ |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327201141/http://www.djforums.com/content/2009/04/26/xwax-an-open-source-dvs/ |archive-date=March 27, 2010 }} program, and older versions{{cite web|title=xwax: Overview|url=http://xwax.org/overview.html|access-date=2014-09-08}} of the Traktor Scratch program,{{cite web|title=xwax: Overview|url=http://www.xwax.co.uk/overview.html}} and the audio interface supplied with the original Final Scratch.{{cite mailing list|url=http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?thread_name=alpine.BSO.0.9999.0709021512510.32425%40metheny.ijneb.com&forum_name=xwax-devel|title=ALSA and the Rane SL 1 interface|date=2007-09-04|mailing-list=xwax-devel|last=Hills|first=Mark}}
The xwax source code is used to decode timecodes for vinyl control in Mixxx{{cite mailing list|url=http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?thread_name=1187785910.7571.6.camel%40Jupiter.home&forum_name=mixxx-devel|title=Vinyl Control and New Audio Core in Trunk|date=2007-08-22|mailing-list=mixxx-devel|last=Santoni|first=Albert}}{{cite web|title=Vinyl Control - MixxxWiki|url=http://mixxx.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Vinyl_Control|access-date=2008-01-02}} and is also used in the PiDeck project on the Raspberry Pi.{{cite web|title=PiDeck: Standalone DVS Control On Raspberry Pi|date=31 October 2016 |url=http://djtechtools.com/2016/10/31/pideck-standalone-dvs-control-raspberry-pi/|access-date=2017-09-30}}
Features
- Separated processes of the interface from the external decoder.
- The benefit of this separation is that should a faulty track be loaded and crash the only thing affected is the decoder. The primary xwax interface will still be up and usable.
- An external decoder also allows you to play what ever digital audio encoding you wish to use.
- MIDI controller support
- 1.2 was the first version to introduce midi controller support, allowing the user to manipulate cue points with the Dicer DJ controller from Novation {{cite web|last=Hills|first=Mark|title=xwax-devel mailing list: xwax 1.2 release|url=http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=29027670|access-date=30 November 2012}}
- A fully scalable UI that makes xwax suitable for high resolution displays.{{cite mailing list|url=http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=31033906|title=xwax-devel mailing list: xwax 1.4 release|mailing-list=xwax-devel|last=Hills|first=Mark|access-date=2013-08-11|date=2013-06-08}}
- A "software pre-amp" that allows you to use an un-amplified turntable output with xwax without a hardware preamplifier.