[fluid-dev] Re: [ANN] Beta test of the Resonance Instrument Database

[RittervomNie]

Josh Green schrieb:
> > I'm really looking forward to contribute some hardware-synth samples 
> > (Novation A Station, Waldorf Rack Attack, Vermona DRM MK II...).
> I think its probably generally breaking copyright laws to distribute
> hardware synth samples.  Its an issue that I'll likely have to deal with
> on an ongoing basis with the instrument database.  Licensing hell.  This
>         Josh Green

I had the same discussion on hydrogen's site. If I decide to mix a sine 
wave with a square wave, add some filter and reverb to it and make it 
sound unisono it becomes my sound. A sound (after my opinion) may never 
be the same like a song, so it needs better definition of what can be 
licensed (a dogs bark reverse played) and what cannot be licensed (4 
notes making a bassline, SNAP had a similar problem, when using 4 notes 
as a bassline. At the end the court said: "4 notes are not a work of 
art, so no licensing necessary").

So if I were to contribute "my" recordings of "my" hardware synths as 
GIG-files, and when "I" write "free for everyone to use for whatever, 
but not for killing people or doing harm to any lifeform" into the 
Copyright-INFO-Block, everybody is free to use it for whatever...

Any lawyer 'round here, reading this? I never heard of a musician, using 
hardware samplers, who was sentenced for using a MiniMOOG, Prophet or 
any other hardware synth and selling the songs created with 'em. If I 
buy some equipment I already payed for the ultimate license to use it 
and do whatever I want (I'm even able to use the synth for digging up 
weeds or turn the surface into a work of art, without asking for 
permission). Please correct me if I'm wrong. Afterall a sampled synth 
never sounds like a real one, so the sample and the synth are two 
different things. To turn the knobs is my work of art and I decide who 
can use it and what for...

In other words: Do you need to ask the developers of fluid synth, if you 
can use your created saw stack for commercial purpose? (The difference 
is: selling the software and selling the work of art created with it. 
First fact is false, second fact would be true. Fluidsynth stays the 
same but your song becomes #1.)