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| DELETEME This page will probably be deleted in the near future DELETEME | ====== Introduction to music creation in Linux ====== |
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| ======= Introduction ======= | This is a brief overview of Linux for music and multimedia creation. More in-depth information is provided on any referenced pages. |
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| Hi there. | ===== Linux as a music tool ===== |
| | Linux is a modern and stable operating system suitable for music creation. It offers low-latency audio, and support for many audio and MIDI devices. |
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| Judging by your presence here, you are looking to use Linux as a professional audio operating system, and perhaps as a general-use OS as well. Fret not, you're in the right place. | Although Linux music software selection is not as extensive as with Windows or OS X, the majority of software is free and constantly improving. |
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| This section will help you make pre-installation decisions - read on for that. | If you are new to Linux, have a look at [[wiki:why_linux_for_audio|why using Linux]]. |
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| For installation and setup help, please start here. (->Section II, installation and getting started) | ===== Distributions ===== |
| | Most musicians use a version (ie, distro) of Linux ready-made for multimedia work. There are numerous choices. Some distros may use a different desktop. Some are tailored to run on older computers. Some frequently update software, and others are more conservative. |
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| For more help, please check out the [[/wiki/other_help_channels|other help channels]] page. | What most music distros do is automatically install/configure software that usually isn't installed with a non-music-oriented distro. Such software includes JACK, a DAW, a MIDI Sequencer, a session manager, firewire interface support, lots of plugins, and other music software. |
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| We hope you enjoy your stay. :) | * [[wiki:distributions|A list of Linux music distros]]. |
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| ==== Why use Linux for pro audio? ==== | ===== Audio interfaces ===== |
| | Many USB, PCI, and Firewire audio cards/interfaces work with Linux. Support for PCI and USB cards, as well as motherboard audio, is built into Linux itself. No additional drivers are needed. Firewire cards are supported via the Ffado project's drivers, which must be installed separately. |
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| 1. **Great platform** - Linux is safe, stable, easy to work with, and free. | * [[wiki:hardware_support|More info on Hardware support]] |
| | * [[http://tinyurl.com/2dyen7n|Fireware interfaces]] |
| | * [[http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main|USB, PCI, and other interfaces]] |
| |
| 2. **Great software** - A vast amount of great, professional-grade free audio software - for recording, editing, midi, sampling, drumming, and much more - are available on Linux. There's something (usually, many things) for every workflow and CPU-class. Have a look here (->Linux audio software). | ===== MIDI devices ===== |
| | All class-compliant midi devices work with Linux out-of-the box. Midi keyboards as well as USB-midi interfaces work without problems. No additional drivers are needed, except midi connections on Firewire devices, which use Ffado drivers. |
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| 3. **Better performance** - You can achieve significantly lower latency than is possible on Windows or Mac systems, and there are far more configuration and optimization options (->system configuration). | MIDI devices should also "just work" in a web browser in Linux. This article [[http://tangiblejs.com/posts/web-midi-music-and-show-control-in-the-browser|on tangiblejs]] is a good intro on web-based apps that can interface MIDI hardware. |
| | ===== JACK (Audio Connection Kit) ===== |
| | Like AudioBus on the iPad, JACK is a patchbay type system that allows you to "connect" the audio/MIDI inputs and outputs of various Linux music programs to each other, and to hardware devices. |
| |
| 4. **Software interconnectivity and creative solutions** - No need for 'modular DAWs', or even plugins - because almost every pro-audio software on Linux supports JACK (->bread and butter Linux pro-audio terms->jack), they can send audio and MIDI to each other, and sync with each other via JACK transport. Imagine pressing the play button in the sequencer, and your drum machine plays along simultaneously. Sort of like ReWire, but far better, far easier to use, and far more widely implemented. | To configure the connections, and control JACK, you can use a graphical program such as [[apps:all:qjackctl|QJackCtl]] or [[wiki:jack_configuration|Cadence]]. There are other, more elaborate graphical programs to manage JACK connections/settings, including programs that can save and load numerous JACK setups. These programs are often called "Session Managers". |
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| Thanks to this, no software ever lacks any feature. For instance, does your preferred DAW lack video playback? No worries - run your DAW and open xjadeo (JACK-transport- and SMTE-syncing video player), and the two will work in tandem. Press 'play'/'pause' in your DAW, xjadeo will play/pause the video accordingly. | * [[wiki:jack_configuration|Configure JACK with Cadence]] |
| | * [[wiki:session_management|Session managers]] |
| |
| We've even seen JACK-transport-capable scorewriter Laborejo being used with xjadeo - the outcome being a scorewriter with video playback capability, perfect if you want to use a standard notation-based environment to write out film scores, and downright magical to work with. Session managers like Non-Session-Manager and LADISH make working with multiple programs in this way a breeze - one click to command *all* your programs to open, to save your work, or to close. | ===== Plugins ===== |
| | In addition to connecting separate music programs via JACK, there are are many plugins that can be directly loaded by a music program. |
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| 5. **Plugins** - are there too, for those who prefer a plugin-based workflow. There are hundreds of native Linux plugins - both instruments and effects - and quite a few Windows plugins are supported via WINE and Festige/Carla. | * [[wiki:linux_plugins|Effect and instrument plugins]] |
| |
| 6. **Combine forces** - Great options for connecting multiple computers (which may be Linux, Windows, or Mac systems) and syncing audio over the network, with NetJack. | ===== Commercial software ===== |
| | There are few commercial software titles available on Linux. Most of them are closed source. |
| |
| 7. **Support** - Great support by the [[wiki:other_help_channels|Linux community]], in many different languages. | * [[wiki:vst_support_and_commercial_apps|Commercial software]] |
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| 8. **Freedom from user-restrictive policies** - The Linux commmunity frowns on follies like closed, proprietary formats (bad, because if and when the company owning the format goes kaput, nothing will open that file, and your data in it is pretty much lost), or things like i-Loks, or policies that prevent you from install the same software on all your studio computers, among other things. | ===== How do I get started? ===== |
| | * [[wiki:tutorials:|Tutorials]] |
| |
| Such policies are significantly less prevalent in Linux software - so the format for almost everything is plaintext and user-readable, nothing prevents you from installing multiple copies of most software (or sharing them with your friends - or even reselling them for money), and so on. | ===== Community ===== |
| | The Linux audio community is lively, and organized through mailing lists, IRC, and the Linux Musicians forum. There are also many blogs and regional community sites. |
| |
| \\ | Aside from the wiki, there are numerous ways to get in touch with us: |
| ==== Why use Linux? And what is this 'Free software'? ==== | * discussion forum: [[http://linuxmusicians.com/|LinuxMusicians]] |
| | * mailing lists: [[:apps:all:lau|linux audio mailinglists]] |
| Free software* (a.k.a. open source software, often abbreviated FS, OSS, FOSS, or FLOSS) is software that respects the rights and freedoms of the user. A lot of software out there is licensed under terms which don't respect your right to - | * IRC: #opensourcemusicians and #lad (Linux Audio Developers) on irc.libera.chat ([[https://web.libera.chat/|web chat]]) |
| * let you look at the source code of the program (the software equivalent of opening a car's bonnet), | |
| * modify the program, | |
| * redistribute a modified version of the program * *, | |
| * derive other programs for it, | |
| * let you run the program in any way you want, | |
| * share the program with your friends. | |
| These software are called proprietary (a.k.a. closed-source or non-free) software. In effect, when you acquire (buy or download for free) said software, because of these terms, you are not truly being given ownership of it - it is being leased to you. Proprietary programs are, in effect, leased cars where the bonnet is welded shut and you are only allowed to do with it what its owner wants, not what YOU want. | |
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| Free software, on the contrary, gives you these liberties. | |
| | |
| Practical upshots? | |
| * **The software is open to peer-review**, as the source code is always publicly available. | |
| * **The software cannot die** - proprietary software dies with the demise of it's company - and this can and will invariably happen. But a Free Software project, even if it were to go defunct for any reason, has the potential to be picked up by someone and developed again. | |
| * People from around the world are welcome to contribute changes to the software. | |
| * People from around the world are welcome to fork (release their own versions of) the software. | |
| * **Society benefits** - everyone, including the next generation, is free to use the code, as opposed to someone locking it in their trunk and forbidding anyone from using it's fruits in other projects. | |
| * **You are not restricted** from running the program in any way you want. You can install the program as many times as you like, on as many machines as you like, and you can share it with your friends if you like. We hardly need to tell you the benefits of that ;) | |
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| \\ | |
| **Hang on - if I can reinstall it as many times as I like, and if I can share it with my friends, and anyone can compile and run the code - how do FS projects make money?** | |
| | |
| Some choose not to - the developers take up day jobs and make FS in their free time, out of sheer passion for the work, and to give to the community. | |
| | |
| Some charge money for the binaries (the 'installers') - the source code is free (which is the requirement to qualify as free software; installing from source code is a harder, fiddlier, and a bit of a hit-or-miss for average users like you and me, hence one could say we're charged for the convenience). | |
| | |
| Some charge for support, as no software is ever perfect. For instance, Red Hat Inc., the company behind the phenomenally-popular Red Hat Enterprise Linux, makes millions out of support subscriptions. | |
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| Some charge for CDs/DVDs/USB-flash-drives containing said software. This might be priced to just make cost, or to make profit. | |
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| Some employ crowd-funding for addition of features. | |
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| Almost all are open to donations. In fact, for the first type, this is the only way they make money (and, sadly, such a small percentage of the users donate that these projects rarely get enough to profit or to at all break-even). | |
| | |
| Many such Free Software business models exist, and new ones keep evolving - two of the most recent being - | |
| * OpenAV Production's Sorcer plugin's system of finishing a program, setting a release deadline, and setting the deadline earlier by a month each time someone donates 10 USD | |
| * Aaron Wolf ('wolftune')'s innovative Snowdrift.coop ( http://snowdrift.coop/ ) platform for donations to FS. | |
| | |
| \\ | |
| **If everyone's free to use the source as they like...don't companies steal from Free Sofware projects, then?** | |
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| Fortunately, people know them all too well ;) Some people banded together to stand up for the promotion of FS and the rights of users and made a foundation - the Free Software Foundation. | |
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| (mention GPL, the most popular of all FS licenses, mention the Share-Alike clause) | |
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| You may read about them, their licenses and how they came to be evolved, their campaigns to promote free software and to respect user rights, privacy and dignity, and more about the concept of free software, here - http://www.fsf.org/ | |
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| | |
| *Free as in free speech (freedom), not as in free beer (free of cost), although the two coincide a lot of the time - i.e. Free software is often, but not necessarily, free of cost as well. | |
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| * *This is GOOD, as long as the original creator is credited. And most if not all free software licenses have a minimum requirement of crediting the original author. | |
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| | |
| ====Examples of some great pieces of free audio software==== | |
| * [[http://ardour.org/|Ardour]] Digital Audio Workstation. | |
| * [[http://qtractor.sourceforge.net/|Qtractor]] Audio/MIDI multi-track sequencer. | |
| * [[http://musescore.org|MuseScore]] Music notation and composition software | |
| * [[http://www.linuxsampler.org/screenshots.html|LinuxSampler]] sampling with SFZ and GIGA files. | |
| * [[http://distrho.sourceforge.net/ports.php|TAL Noisemaker]] Excellent synth available as LV2 and LinuxVST plugins as well as a JACK app. | |
| * [[http://samplv1.sourceforge.net/samplv1-index.html|samplv1]] RNCBC's simple but very useful sampler. Available as LV2 plugin and JACK app. | |
| * [[http://www.openoctave.org/ | Open Octave Midi]] is a Linux based DAW designed to give musicians the tools needed to make composing on a computer possible, and even fun! | |
| * [[http://guitarix.sourceforge.net/| Guitarix]] is a virtual guitar amplifier for Linux. | |
| * [[http://www.mixxx.org/|Mixxx]] DJ tool. | |
| * [[http://calf.sourceforge.net/?id=4|Calf audio plugin pack]] high quality open source audio plugins for musicians. | |
| * [[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/|Audacity]] sound editor | |
| * [[http://www.hydrogen-music.org/|Hydrogen]] drummachine | |
| * [[http://yoshimi.sourceforge.net/|Yoshimi]] Improved version of the famous Zynaddsubfx synth | |
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| | |
| These are just a few examples, more at [[http://apps.linuxaudio.org/|apps.linuxaudio.org ]] | |
| Not sure if a tool you need is available or don't know which one suits your needs best? Ask advise and user experiences on the forums or mailinglists! | |
| | |
| ==== Commercial Audio Software ==== | |
| | |
| Next to the many free open source audio software on Linux, there is also commercial audio software available for Linux. Some examples are: | |
| * [[http://www.harrisonconsoles.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=42|Harrison Mixbus]] | |
| * [[http://www.renoise.com/|Renoise]] | |
| * [[http://www.linuxdsp.co.uk/| LinuxDSP]] | |
| * [[http://www.energy-xt.com/|EnergyXT]] | |
| * [[http://www.pianoteq.com/| Pianoteq]] | |
| * [[http://www.loomer.co.uk/| Loomer]] | |
| * [[http://www.discodsp.com/ | DiscoDSP]] | |
| * [[http://www.guitar-pro.com/en/index.php| Guitar Pro]] | |
| * [[http://bitwig.com/bitwig_studio.php | Bitwig Studio]] | |
| | |
| More on commercial software and VST plugins [[vst_support_and_commercial_apps|here]]. Our efforts on our support channels (forum, wiki, IRC), is, as you'll understand, focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on the Free and Open Source software. For support on commercial software, we'd suggest you to go to the particular software support service offered by the companies. | |
| | |
| ===== Audio-oriented distributions ===== | |
| | |
| For newbies it's highly recommended to start using a optimized Linux distribution for proaudio or multimedia. Then you don't have the trouble of doing all the specific configuration needed for proaudio yourself. For more information see [[apps:categories:distributions]]. | |
| ===== Elements ===== | |
| | |
| Within audio production, most software has standardized on [[apps:all:JACK]]/[[apps:all:ALSA]]; however, several competing approaches towards general desktop audio still exist. | |
| | |
| ==== Audio Drivers ==== | |
| | |
| Audio drivers provide the OS with access to the audio hardware (onboard sound, sound cards/audio cards or external USB/FireWire devices). For quite a few years all applications communicated directly to the drivers, but many problems in real-world usage have emerged with this approach. Drivers are still essential -- without drivers, there is no way for the OS to talk to hardware at all -- but one or more layers are often used now between application and driver, and the result is very good if done well. | |
| | |
| [[apps:all:ALSA]] - the standard Linux audio interface today, for non-FireWire audio devices. It emulates OSS when required by applications. | |
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| [[apps:all:freebob|FreeBoB]]/[[apps:all:ffado|FFADO]] - interface for FireWire audio devices. | |
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| [[apps:all:OSS_free|OSS]] - an audio interface that was formerly the standard in Linux. Its development is now continued outside the Linux kernel. | |
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| ===Supported hardware=== | |
| | |
| Many people wonder if their (audio) hardware is supported by Linux. The quick answer is that there's a good chance that it is. When you start working with Linux it's always good to do a little searching, and that'll likely tell you whether it is supported. Most hardware is actually supported by Linux, because of lots of work from the Linux community. In addition, more and more companies are making hardware [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_driver|drivers]] for Linux. | |
| | |
| [[hardware|Here]] You can see which soundcard, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewire|firewire]] device or other audio hardware is supported by Linux. Your hardware not on the list? Then you can ask at the LinuxMusicians [[http://linuxmusicians.com/index.php|forum]] or post a message on the [[http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-audio-user|LAU mailinglist]]. | |
| | |
| ==== Higher-level Layers ==== | |
| | |
| [[apps:all:PulseAudio]], [[apps:all:ESounD]], [[apps:all:GStreamer]], [[apps:all:aRts]] - these serve various desktop audio needs, and have lots of overlapping functionality, but are not specifically focussed towards audio production like JACK. Increasingly standard in distros is [[apps:all:PulseAudio]], it emulates others for compatibility, and is a straightforward route to get many essentials (e.g., Adobe Flash) to work easily. | |
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| [[apps:all:JACK]] - conceptually similar to a patch panel. It pipes sound between different applications and is standard for most audio production apps. When Jack is used, applications connect to Jack, and Jack connects directly to audio drivers. It can provide | |
| very-low-latency communication, high-quality mixing of streams, excellent controllability, transport synchronization with built-in | |
| timestamp distribution, and other features essential for pro audio. | |
| | |
| [[apps:ALL:netjack|NetJack]] allows to send and receive JACK data on an IP network. | |
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| See also: [[Audio layers overview|Audio layers overview]] | |
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| ==== Session management ==== | |
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| Due to the modularity of the Jack audio infrastructure there is some demand for a single point where sessions can be saved and restored. Quite the collection of GUI session management systems exists: [[apps:all:ladcca|LADCCA]] and its successor [[apps:all:LASH|LASH]], [[apps:all:Ladish]], [[apps:categories:jack_session|JACK_Session]], and the [[apps:categories:nsm|Non Session Manager]]. The Non Session Manager and the Ladish systems are known to be in heavy development with active support. | |
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| Another option is writing shell scripts that restore a session. A newbie introduction to this can be found [[http://digitaldub.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/linux-audio-session-scripting/|here]]. | |
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| A more recent system using shell scripts with a tool called [[http://aj-snapshot.sourceforge.net/|aj-snapshot]], being used for live stage use, [[http://lsn.ponderworthy.com/doku.php/robust_session_management|is documented here.]] GUI tools are used for patch design and confirmation, scripts are written to replicate the patches. | |
| ==== Plugin formats ==== | |
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| Linux-native plugins are fairly well standardized. Unfortunately, most softsynths on the freeware or commercial market are in VST form and thus are harder to use or less compatible. | |
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| [[apps:categories:LV2]] - low level Linux audio plugin format. | |
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| [[apps:all:LADSPA]] - predecessor of [[apps:categories:lv2]]. | |
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| [[apps:all:DSSI]] - a higher-level API extending [[apps:all:LADSPA]]. Geared towards instruments rather than effects. | |
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| [[apps:all:Vamp]] - audio analysis and feature extraction plugins. | |
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| [[apps:all:VST_vsti|VST]] - a commercial format that is supported through various wrappers. | |
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| ==== MIDI ==== | |
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| Two MIDI systems coexist -- [[apps:categories:jack_midi|Jack-Midi]] and [[apps:categories:alsa_seq|Alsa-Midi]]. They are more elaborately explained in the corresponding [[faq:start#qwhat_is_the_difference_between_jack-midi_and_alsa-midi|FAQ section]]. | |
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| ==== For Audio Playback ==== | |
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| Numerous audio players exist for Linux. The few selected examples below are supposed to just give some useful hints besides the more comprehensive [[apps/categories/players|list of players]]. All the apps listed (except aplay) behave well with JACK, the otherwise popular [[apps:all:VLC]] is omitted due to issues with its JACK output. | |
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| == Command line interface == | |
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| * **aplay**, a simple tool for playing back soundfiles through ALSA, especially useful for low level testing. | |
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| * **[[apps:all:mplayer|MPlayer]]** is a powerful player for video and audio. It will play almost every format, whether from disk, streamed or from CD/DVD -- as long as the required codecs are installed. MPlayer can use JACK for audio output. Beyond it is capable of capturing A/V streams, connecting to a webcam, taking screenshots, acting as a browser plugin, etc. | |
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| == Graphical user interface == | |
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| * Several GUI's exist for **MPlayer** (see above). Have a look what your distribution offers. | |
| | |
| * **[[apps:all:alsaplayer|AlsaPlayer]]** is a small JACK-aware audio player. One of its features is a control for playback speed. | |
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| * **[[apps:all:Aqualung|aqualung]]** plays audio CDs, Internet radio streams and podcasts as well as soundfiles. Features include JACK support, gapless playback and, if desired, an XML-based music database of your soundfiles. | |
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| ==== For Waveform Editing and Sampling ==== | |
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| == Soundfile editing == | |
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| Dave Phillips Article [[http://wiki.linuxaudio.org/apps/all/the_linux_soundfile_editor_roundup|The Linux Soundfile Editor Roundup]] perfectly covers this subject. | |
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| The category [[apps:categories:soundfile_editors|Soundfile Editors]] lists available software. | |
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| == Sampling == | |
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| Sampling can be used in many ways. Playback of just one audio sample, triggered by a MIDI event, could for instance be done using the DSSI plugin trivial-sampler. More feature rich is e.g. [[apps:all:tapeutape|Tapeutape]], a midi controllable sampler designed for live performance. [[apps:all:hydrogen|Hydrogen]] is a full featured sample based drum machiene, it allows to easily build custom sample kits from WAV and FLAC files. A tutorial for doing so is [[http://briansbedroom.org/hydrogen-drum-kits/how-to-make-a-hydrogen-drumkit/|here]]. | |
| | |
| [[apps:all:fluidsynth|FluidSynth]] is a command line application playing sf2 SoundFonts. There is a GUI called [[apps:all:qsynth|QSynth]] and there is [[apps:all:fluidsynth-dssi]], a DSSI wrapper for fluidsynth, offering a GUI as well. Visit the [[wiki:soundfonts|SoundFonts]] page for more information and links to external resources. | |
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| [[apps:all:linuxsampler|Linuxsampler]] supports sample libraries in GIG, DLS, and Akai formats. For a GUI there is [[apps:all:qsampler|QSampler]]. | |
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| [[apps:all:swami|Swami]] allows editing Instrument formats such as SoundFont, DLS and GigaSampler. | |
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| == Looping == | |
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| There is an Article by Dave Phillips: Loop-based Music Composition With Linux. [[http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000304|Part one]] covering use of [[apps:all:rosegarden|Rosegarden]] and [[apps:all:freecycle|Freecycle]], [[http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000315|Part two]] covering [[apps:all:ardour|Ardour]] and [[[[apps:all:audacity|Audacity]]. | |
| | |
| [[apps:all:sooperlooper|SooperLooper]] and [[apps:all:freewheeling|Freewheeling]], both well documented on their websites, are two applications very much dedicated to live looping. | |
| | |
| For [[apps:categories:beat_slicer|beat slicing]] look at [[apps:all:freecycle|Freecycle]], [[apps:all:tranches|Tranches]] and [[apps:all:smasher]]. | |
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| ==== For Multitrack Recording ==== | |
| | |
| == The hardware side == | |
| | |
| While most onboard soundcards are supported under Linux, they usually don't give the quality required for more ambitious needs. | |
| | |
| Whether a device is supported or not largely depends on the vendors' willingness to either comply to standards or publish the specs to Linux developers. If you have an unsupported device, feel free to contact the vendor and ask for Linux support---with growing user demand some might change their mind. For the lucky ones who are just planning to buy one there are many well supported soundcards to choose from. | |
| | |
| For devices connected via the PCI, PCIE, PCMCIA or USB port the [[http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main|Alsa Soundcard Matrix]] lists the support status. | |
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| PCI devices usually give a good price/quality ratio. Devices with a breakout box allow to keep the analog signal away from the computer and all its electromagnetic emissions. | |
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| Most USB 1.0 cards are class compliant devices. All class compliant devices work under linux. USB 2.0 lacks an adopted standard, so it's up to the vendors again to publish their specs. | |
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| [[apps:all:freebob|FreeBoB]] and [[apps:all:ffado|FFADO]] are the drivers for FireWire cards. The FFADO project supersedes the FreeBoB project and adds support for many devices. Though FFADO does not yet provide a stable release it is reported to work very well. It is just rarely packaged for distributions so users are on their own installing it. | |
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| == Software == | |
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| Applications are listed in the [[apps/categories/multitrack|multitrack category]]. As that list is quite complete it includes unmaintained and experimental software. | |
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| The examples introduced below are -- if not stable (Ardour, ecasound) -- at least well usable. This certainly doesn't mean the ones not mentioned here are necessarily unstable, some are e.g. just less popular or more specialised. | |
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| * **[[apps:all:audacity|Audacity]]** is an easy to use but feature rich multitrack recording and soundfile editing application with support for LADSPA-plugins. | |
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| * **[[apps:all:ardour|Ardour]]** -- the professional multitrack recorder, advanced and stable. Dave Phillips article [[http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7796|Introducing Ardour]] gives a good overview, and of course there is the the project website at [[http://ardour.org/|ardour.org]]. | |
| | |
| * **[[apps:all:rosegarden|Rosegarden]]** is a multitrack recorder and audio/MIDI sequencer. Rosegarden supports LADSPA and DSSI plugins. See the [[wiki:tutorials:start#rosegarden|tutorials]] and documentation on the [[http://www.rosegardenmusic.com|Rosegarden website]]. | |
| | |
| * **[[apps:all:qtractor|Qtractor]]**, another multitrack audio and MIDI sequencer. It offers LADSPA, DSSI and native VSTi plug-in support. More information is found on the [[http://qtractor.sourceforge.net/|qtractor website]] and at [[http://www.rncbc.org/drupal/|rncbc.org a.k.a. Rui Nuno Capela]]. | |
| | |
| * **[[apps:all:ecasound|ecasound]]**, a text-based multitrack audio processing tool. Supports LADSPA plugins, does conversion between different audio formats and a lot more. See Julian Classen's [[apps:all:ltsb|guide to the Linux text-based studio project]] for further reading. | |
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| ==== For Music Composition ==== | |
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| === MIDI sequencing === | |
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| == With external hardware tone generation == | |
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| For most general composition needs a workstation keyboard combined with a MIDI sequencer such as [[apps:all:Rosegarden]] will work fantastically. The keyboard can provide sounds through General MIDI; later, softsynths can be introduced to improve the production quality. | |
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| With USB MIDI, most devices will be recognized soon after they're plugged into a USB port and turned on. However, if they contain proprietary software (for patch editing or otherwise), and the software is only for Windows or OSX, that software may not work correctly. | |
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| == Fully software == | |
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| A software-only studio has two problems to solve: softsynth availability, and low latency audio. Without resolving both, production will not be feasible. | |
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| == Printing Sheet Music == | |
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| If you want to get high quality notation or want to set more exotic scores (gregorian chants f. e.) your best bet is [[apps:all:lilypond]]. | |
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| ==== Synthesis ==== | |
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| === Standalone Softsynths === | |
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| Due to the flexible routing capabilities of the [[apps:all:jack|Jack Audio Connection Kit]] there is no need for synths to come in a plugin format. Any JACK-aware app is kind of a 'JACK plugin' and may recieve input from or send output to any other. | |
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| Three synthesizers -- [[apps:all:zynaddsubfx|ZynAddSubFX]], [[apps:all:phasex|Phasex]] and [[apps:all:minicomputer|Minicomputer]] -- are introduced in the [[http://lievenmoors.github.com/softsynths.html|softsynths section]] of [[http://lievenmoors.github.com/index.html|Lieven Moors Introduction to Linux & Audio]] The category [[apps:categories:softsynths_and_samplers|Softsynths And Samplers]] lists many more. | |
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| === Softsynth Plugins === | |
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| ==LADSPA== | |
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| [[apps:all:LADSPA|LADSPA]] is the oldest audio plugin standard in Linux. The plugins do not have their own GUI, host applications can generate one. No LADSPA plugin makes up a full-featured softsynth, the majority are effect plugins as well as some signal generating ones. | |
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| With host applications like [[apps:all:alsa_modular_synth|Alsa Modular Synth]] or [[apps:all:galan|gAlan]], modular synthesizers can be built using LADSPA plugins. Both provide example patches for exploration. | |
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| ==DSSI== | |
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| [[apps:categories:DSSI|DSSI]], the **D**isposable **S**oft **S**ynth **I**nterface, is a higher-level API that builds on LADSPA. DSSI-plugins may (and mostly do) provide their own GUI. There are softsynths available, for instance [[apps:all:nekosynth|nekobee]], a Roland 303 emulatur, and [[apps:all:hexter|hexter]], emulating a Yamaha DX7. | |
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| ==LV2== | |
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| The [[apps:categories:lv2|LV2]]-plugin standard is the most recent development. Since version 2.5 [[apps:all:Ardour]] includes support for LV2. | |
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| ==VST/VSTi== | |
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| [[apps:all:VST_vsti|VST/VSTi]] plugins are partially supported through various wrappers. See the [[faq:start:#qis_it_possible_to_run_vst_plugins_on_linux|FAQ]] for more detailed information. | |
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| ==== Synthesis Languages ==== | |
| For live electronic music and effects try [[apps:all:puredata|Pure Data]], a system related to [[wp>MaxMSP]]. | |
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| Highest-Quality Non-Realtime-Synthesis, all kinds of synthesis flavors, still backward-compatible with the version from 1978 and many front-ends: [[apps:all:csound|CSound]]. | |
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| For an object-oriented, more general-programming-language-like syntax and live-coding abilities try [[apps:all:Supercollider|SuperCollider]] or [[apps:all:chuck|ChucK]]. | |
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| ===== Get your support! ===== | |
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| Linuxaudio is great, make sure you get the best out of it. It's impossible for us to keep the documentation up-to-date. So little annoying issues with a (combination) of certain software, are not documented and might cost you way too much time. Therefore, it's highly recommended to join one or more support channels, so you know what's going on in the world of Linuxaudio and are able to ask support for issues you're confronted with. Join our forum, the Linuxaudio mailing-list (LAU) or the support channels of the distribution you use (forum or mailing-lists). For most people it's the only way to find a pleasant workflow on Linux and get the best out of it! Do it! | |
| |
| | Web resources |
| | * [[wiki:places1|Linux audio in social media]] |
| | * [[wiki:places2|Link collection to wikis, forums, mailinglists, IRC channels]] |
| | * [[wiki:music_making_resources|Link collection for free sheet music, samples, sounds, etc.]] |
| | * [[wiki:music_made_with_linux|Music made with Linux]] |
| | * [[wiki:user_resources|External user resources index]] |
