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Music creation: LMMS (free open source music/beat creator similar to Fruity Loops)
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Have you tried LMMS?
Has a few synth plugins baked right in, as well as support for soundfonts.
One of the synth plugins is ZynAddSubFX, which you can also get stand-alone and is probably in your repos:
It has some rough edges, but I've successfully used it to plonk out simple but good-sounding tunes after Googling up and downloading some good soundfonts. LMMS follows the design of FL Studio (aka FruityLoops) pretty closely and it's open source.
LMMS is free (https://lmms.io/).
It works with most VST's, I believe KONTAKT should work as well. But you'll have to try for yourself.
The whole interface is very similar to FL Studio, by the way.
LMMS and Audacity combo works out of the box if you can use Linux(a.k.a. Crostini VM) and they're also easy to use compared to commercial software.
There is also Ardour which i personally think professional level but it is pain in the a** to get it working in Crostini, it really works well and my go to for standalone GNU/Linux distro, but i use LMMS and Audacity combo for Crostini.
Check out the free DAW LMMS. It comes with three synthesizers which emulate Gameboy, NES and Commodore64. Check this video as an example, to see it in action. If you need help in using the DAW, just come over to the nice community at r/lmms.
No online DAW, or any other webpage, can use VST plugins. VST plugins are programs that run locally on your computer, and a browser does not (and should not) have access to that.
There are certainly free DAWs that support VST plugins, but you need to download them. LMMS is completely free, and Reaper is not technically free, but it provides an unrestricted free trial.
LMMS may have what you are looking for. It is (by my understanding) an open source DAW and comes prepackaged with virtual instruments similar to what you describe. I don't know if it would be possible to use them, but since it is open source, I would assume all synths used in it are to. It might be worth the time to investigate using some of the VSTs featured in LMMS.
> I'm teaching myself how to use a drum machine
Check out Hydrogen (I know it says for Linux, but it also works on Windows and OSX), which is the best free computer-based drum machine I know of. LMMS is pretty cool, too, but it's more geared towards techno. Still, if you want to make chiptune punk, worth checking out.
Drum Programming: A Complete Guide to Program and Think Like a Drummer is also an awesome book to program beatboxes (or Hydrogen) to sound natural. I used that, back when I had a guitar.
I assume you've played with https://lmms.io/ ?
I've heard a few people complain about the state of audio on Linux, but for me, all the software I want is either better on linux or runs flawlessly with wine.
My experience with art applications of any kind on Linux is that users fall into a rut of expecting the application to work a very certain way, and when it doesn't, abandoning ship. I've been guilty of this myself.
Now, for people who have audio hardware that they use in performances, which I assume that most people use Ableton for, there's not a lot of alternatives there. However, if you're composing, and this just doesn't go for audio, but for graphics and video as well, I've found that making a 'Learn to do this with linux' project is key to overcoming those software hurdles.
First do a 'I'm going to make something that sounds or looks great using linux tools.' Then slowly work your way up to 'I'm going to make this work EXACTLY like I want it to on Linux'.
For music you can have a look at LMMS, https://lmms.io/. LMMS is a free and open-source digital audio workstation software.
You can combine it with high-quality soundfonts you find on the Internet. Mind the licenses of such soundfonts and attribute the author if attribution is required. Alternatively you can specifically look out for soundfonts licensed under Creative Commons Zero, to get the most freedom using soundfonts.
sources: video
instrumental was made in lmms
bruh sound effect (this is in fact not the original bruh sound effect #2)
I'm not a musician, but I have played around with LMMS https://lmms.io/.
The main draw back of using Linux for music is that VST plugins all seem to be distributed Windows DLLs which won't work with Linux.
If you don't need to do much to the recording, then I second Audacity.
If you want a more full-featured DAW, try Linux MultiMedia Studio.
Don't be fooled by the name, there is a Windows version!
If you are using an internal instrument or sample in LMMS, you can automate the pitch knob , which it's set to 1 semitone i believe, but if you change the range value (the number that it's next to the pitch knob set the amount of semitones -12 for a full octave-), you can make an extreme pitch bend.
You can check my tutorial on how to make a Riser on LMMS (which includes a pitch bend) to see how it works --> https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=17561
If you are using a VST/synth, try to see if it's possible to automate the pitch via an LFO inside the synth (with Vital is very easy), you can have more control.
You could try out LMMS or Mixcraft 8. I've not used either but could be worth checking out - they're both OS/free and look kind of Garageband-esque in terms of features.
well for me when i started i got a program called LMMS and i love it. it got a bit of a learning curve but its an easy pick of software to learn basics of beat producing and such. and i believe there are tutorials for anything you need made by the people who created the software LMMS
Hope you like em as much as I do! I kind of collect old freeware VSTs, originally out of necessity (broke college kid, etc.), but now I snag any good ones I find because of a lot of the old ones seem to be vanishing. I've given my virus scan many a scare trying to find still-living download links for some older plugins. If you care for any more to play with, hit me up and I'll probably have a whole list of the things to recommend. And I dunno how you are on a DAW to use em with, but the minimum $100 for FL 20 is a bit of a steep ask, and so I'd probably recommend LMMS for something freeware that'll do just as well, if maybe in a less pretty package.
You need a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation software) and piano software. There are many options for both, both free and paid. From there you can compose songs, play them, and then export them as MIDI. There is software that will convert MIDI files into standard sheet music.
I've used LMMS before. It's a free and open source DAW with some built in synths. It doesn't include a piano unfortunately, but you can download a free SFZ player plugin for your OS, and either Piano in 162 or Salamader Grand, both free. Add it in LMMS and you should be good to go.
Try LMMS. Its based on FL Studio and while pretty rough around the edges you can accomplish a lot with it plus its free. I would recommend doing mixing and mastering in audacity however.
yep! And totally depends on your dedication to learning and working on it. Though, I would guess --- for a 2 minute song that you like and think works well, going from 0 experience to a finished track will take anywhere from 40-100+hrs
If you're looking for software Apple Logic is the incredible (garage band for a free and more limited system) if you have access to a mac. Otherwise, I personally use LMMS https://lmms.io/
Definitely has a learning curve, but there's plenty of tutorials out there and it can be done! Just don't expect to win any awards ;)
I'm working on doing this, and it's been so slow and painful but when I find a hook or beat I really like there's a huge level of reward. I played the trumpet in school, but can no longer read sheet music so I'm basically at 0. Lots of good music theory videos out there to pick up some basics, and then start doing things that sound good to ya.
edit: spellings
Note volume and note velocity are the same thing in LMMS.
https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=Piano_Roll_Editor
>Note Volume & Panning
>Click on the Note Volume/Note Panning button below the piano keys to toggle between the Note Volume and Note Panning editor. The volume (loudness) of each note is termed velocity in music sequencing. Velocity is shown as a vertical green bar below the note in the Note Volume editor. You can change the velocity of each note by clicking somewhere on the vertical bar for that note or by dragging the blue box to the level you want
Also if You want to make music on your own without any instruments there are some options too ilke trackers:
Open MPT: https://openmpt.org/
Famitracker (chiptune): http://famitracker.com/
or GUI based programs like LMMS: https://lmms.io/
since there are for free you can check it out and decide what suits you the best.
Peace out ;D
Use something like LMMS to start out with. If you find you enjoy making music, pick up FL Studio, or Ableton, or Cubase, etc... For equipment, any 37+ key MIDI keyboard (If you get any less than a 37 key you'll seriously regret it) is pretty much a must have for any hobbyist, but If you're just starting out, don't bother putting any money into it unless you know it's something that you want to do.
In terms of music theory, I always point people towards this video, because it teaches you really everything you need to know for making music in terms of theory.
A whole lot of us started on LMMS. It's a totally free program with some great starter synths and functionality. The workflow you develop in LMMS will also transfer over really nicely to FL Studio.
If you're in the piano roll editor, your computer keyboard should automatically act as a piano.
You can find more information on the bottom of this page: https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=Piano_Roll_Editor
Here's a direct link to the key mappings: https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=File:Keyboard-pianoKeys1.png
Do you know how to use lmms piano roll? You need to add the following instrument plugin in your project list of instruments : https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=SF2_Player
Then you can open the plug in and click on it to choose a sound font file to be processed by lmms and choose which instrument you can use.
Try to look for "lmms sound font" on YouTube to see the layout of a project using that kind of instruments. It is pretty simple once you learn where the plug in buttons are.
What I'm going to do is make a song using LMMS. I'll start the beginning of the month and work my way through June to see how far I can get.
if successful I will post it in July.
That's a tough one. Any serious composing software is going to be pretty complicated for a 7 year old. For that matter, it's complicated for adults. There's also a distinction between composition software, where the goal is to generate sheet music, and a DAW (digital audio workstation) where the end product is an audio file, but that you certainly can compose music in.
I suggest starting with free stuff and trying different things out to get a taste for what he can do and for what exactly he would like to do.
There's PixiTracker:
http://www.warmplace.ru/soft/pixitracker/
Which is specifically made to be easy to use, but may have too much of a "toy" feeling to it. On the same site is Sunvox which is a full blown tracker, but that's probably going to be too much (it's a tracker, you have to understand hexadecimal to use it, and knowledge of sound synthesis would help too because it's entirely modular)
There's MuseScore:
Which is great for composing for sheet music. In fact, being free doesn't really hold it back.
There's LMMS:
Which is probably the closest you'll get to a sweet spot as far as being easy to use, having plenty of youtube tutorials, but being "serious" enough to be a legit music creating tool.
I would start with one of those 3, but there are tons and tons of options over there, and it can be overwhelming to choose something. That's why I would start with free stuff, to get a feel for what exactly he can do and wants to do with software.
Check out LMMS, it's FREE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dYxV3tqTUc
I have tried a few, and IMHO it looks like the main differences are just the "approach" to music when the software is being developed, meaning that a drummer might think of rhythm instead of melody and the workflow of the DAW migth just end being better suited for secuencing... I started with "Fruity Loops" and then tried to upgrade to a more "pro-featured" DAW like Logic Pro or REASON but got back to FL Studio after a couple years.
>program
I use FL Studio, some others use Ableton, some use Logic. I'd say research your options, try a few demos, and see which one fits you best. Of course, there's quite a few freeware DAWs as well, LMMS being one I can get behind due to prior experience, but I'm not sure as to the timestretching capabilities, which is why I said research.
>Songs for sampling
Well, really, it all boils down to what kind of Vaporwave you're wanting to make, who influenced you, that sort of thing. I'd say just actively listen to your favourite artists, and try to get an idea as to where these samples might come from. Listening to a wide range of music also helps, as you can pick out things you like from other songs and incorporate them into your stuff.
Chopping effects are done in a variety of ways, but this is a good example (added timestamp because he rambles on a bit too much)
To stop this from becoming a long winded comment, I'll just leave it at this. I know there's a lot of unanswered stuff, but you can PM me or any of the guys here and we'll happily help you out. Have fun in this Virtual Plaza.
You could try LMMS (https://lmms.io/), if you haven't already. It's completely free and, if you need to play live, you just set the loop region (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Stszm_zcM) to the length of the beat you've made in the beat/baseline editor and it will play everything in that region forever.
For maximum Thom-Yorkiness I recommed looking in the bunglist and waveforms folders in the drums folder of the samples section (I used some bunglist sounds at the beginning of this track: http://xurbia.bandcamp.com/releases and it sounds quite TMB-ish)
Use a good soundfont and MIDI keyboard with a sustain pedal. Read the manual, watch videos, download examples
Ardour, Reaper (60 days of trial and really cheap license for an amazing software), LMMS and Cakewalk are all free if you don't own an Apple device or don't like GarageBand. But for real, GarageBand is incredibly awesome, I remember first trying out on one of the first ipod touch models and this year testing the newest version on ipad, it's insane what the developers kept adding, I still can't believe it's completely free.
A LMMS forum post mentions that they have a lot of MIDI keyboards/controllers and you are able to record MIDI according to this forum post (Note: I am not a user of MPC and LMMS, I use DaVinci Resolve and I am new to audacity but I have been aware of the existence of the software for a while). Here is the link: https://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1627
lol this sub never ceases to amaze me.
OP, this question has been asked hundreds of times here. But because I am in a helpful mood, I will tell you that you should use LMMS if you are new to this. It couldn’t have a more simple interface, and has a built in drum sequencer that allows you to load whatever samples you want. Best of all, it is free!
Try LMMS. It's opensource (and there's a community of people working on it) and fully theme-customizable. Some people have created specific themes for colorblindness, like this one https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=15882
My partner does some sound stuff, mostly vocal synthesis. You can find really cheap midi keyboards on Amazon. They aren't great, but if you're on a budget they do the job.
Also this microphone is really good. It's a bit expensive, but it's probably the best quality you can get for budget recordings. I have one, but you'll need a pop filter for any voice recordings.
I don't know if you know about Audacity and LMMS, but they are free and open source programs that are amazing. LMMS supports VST instruments, and there are whole websites dedicated to free ones.
Yes. If you want to use a premade one, you can look through the themes on the LSP here and download + unzip one.
If you want to make your own, make a copy of the default theme file (from your installation folder).
Place the theme folder you downloaded or copied somewhere outside LMMS's install directory (so it won't be removed if you uninstall LMMS), then configure your "Themes Directory" in LMMS under File > Settings > Directories.
Now you can edit the icons and style.css file in the theme folder as you wish.
Yes. And if not, fuck Apple lol.
Would you like a really sweet alternative to garageband that is free and runs on Mac/OSX? It is preloaded with tons of great synths and is an incredibly functional DAW. Fully open source and very useful.
Linux Multi Media Studio (LMMS)
Originally designed for the operating system Linux (one of the oldest "open source" projects in the history of computing) this DAW is available for all OS's and is very functional. 100% free, 100% open source (use however you want, modify the source code if you want)
The download/community site:
For code nerds or the curious, here is the source code:
Ah, with puppies your options are gonna be limited. Just getting a build toolchain up and running is going to be a chore and by the time you're done, you'll almost be defeating the purpose of using puppy.
If it's an x86 or x86_64 box then your best option is probably going to be installing VST binaries. LMMS wiki walks you through the steps: https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=Working_with_VSTs
Unfortunately the official synth1 website used in their example was on Geocities JP which went down a few months ago but you can find alternate download sites.
Just to add my 2 cents...
I found LMMS to be pretty easy to get along with and it comes with a decent selection of samples and built in synths to get you started.
One criticism is that it's maybe not got as many features as other DAWs but it is free and for that price it's incredible! :)
You need to get some software. Assuming that you have a PC.
Something free like LMMS might be a good start, if you only want to program synthesized music. If you want to record singing or instruments you should check out the free version of Tracktion.
It doesn't really matter where you start. Even if the DAW programs are different, the techniques that you learn are the same across all.
There are also apps for Android and iPhone if you don't have a PC or just want to test out if "music production" is something for you. For Android you should check out "Caustic 3". For iPhone "Garage band".
I would say a good place to start would be picking up a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Having a synth is great, doubly so if it's MIDI compatible, but it won't come in super handy unless you have all the other equipment to back it up, and proper software to edit it on.
I would recommend tying out LMMS. It's a freeware DAW that's surprisingly intuitive, only taking a couple tutorials to understand it's basic functions. I've been using it as my main DAW for my entire span of music making and it's really helped me come to understand how music actually works and what basic components are vital.
Like I said earlier though, if your synth is MIDI compatible, you can hook it up to your PC, rout it through LMMS or any other decent DAW you use, and play and record off of any custom synth that you choose without needing a mic or anything of the sort. Doubly good if it has a drum pad for your beats and basslines.
Hope this helps, good luck!
There are many different approaches, depending on the sound, or atmosphere you're going for. It also depends on what kind of gear you have access to, or can afford. Some people make ambient music using acoustic instruments, some use sampled sounds, some use hardware synthesizers, some use software synthesizers, and some use some combination of any/all those.
Personally, being a cheapskate, self-taught, hobbyist "maker of sounds" (I hesitate to call myself a musician), I use an open source DAW called LMMS, software synthesizers, software effects, and my ears and feels. I also use a little MIDI keyboard, and some relatively cheap studio headphones. I would like to start experimenting with acoustic instruments, but instruments aren't cheap, and I can't justify the cost at the moment. I do have a cheap electric guitar that I've had since I was a teenager though, as well as an old miniKORG 700 (the first Korg synthesizer), from the 1970s, which someone gave me. I may try experimenting with those in the near future.
Generally, and very basically, my process for making ambient music goes something like this:
- Open up a synth in LMMS, and start twiddling knobs until I find/create a sound that pleases me, or strikes a chord with me (pun intended).
- Noodle on the MIDI keyboard a bit, searching for some sort of melodic seed (idea), until I find one.
- Build on that idea until I have a completed track.
- Focus on mixing everything until it sounds acceptable to me, and then export the finished product.
- Upload it to the usual places, and share.
Others may have a different approach. That is just how I go about it. Most people probably have a general idea for a track before they start making it, but I usually don't. My music is usually just based on my mood, and where my head is at in that moment. Sometimes I'll have an idea before I start, but not often. I just open the tap, and let it flow.
LMMS is a free open source full featured music production software. https://lmms.io/ it's very powerful, and available for all platforms.
It includes the ability to make electronic music with various digital instruments, midi, and samples.
Reaper is not actually free. A personal license costs $60. It has a 60 day trial but you are able to use it past the trial cutoff. If you do that it's really better to just pay for it at that point because it's not as expensive as other DAWs out there and you get free updates up to a certain point before having to renew.
For something truly free Ardour, LMMS, and Cakewalk are options.
I use several DAWs, but Reaper is where I live and I highly recommend it.
r/delusionalartists
Dude, your shit is horrible. Work on rhythm and stop mumbling. There are free music apps out there where you can record your shit and put the beat to it. It's almost the same as FL Studio. There's hella tutorials on it, so learn how to use it - and stop getting mad when someone calls you out.
If you're just starting out check out this: https://lmms.io . It's free and doesn't require any other hardware, but can work with it.
If you want to make better quality sounds I suggest getting a good mic, which can be anywhere from $70 to $150, and an MPK keyboard which costs between $100 and $400.
I wouldn't spend any more money until you figure out if this is something you wanna do for sure or not. The more expensive stuff usually is higher quality, but always do your research before making a purchase.
I don't think Fruity edition lets you do much with audio on the playlist, etc... (but i might be mistaken) FYI http://www.imageline.com/flstudio-feature-comparison/
I do think FL Studio is worth the $$$ and want to support the company. There's also the education edition which gives you the signature edition for the price of producer edition. They also give a 30% discount on your birthday that you enter in their forum wink wink registration. They also tend to offer 50% off on Christmas or new years or something.
With all that said, use whatever DAW or tools / workflow you feel comfortable with, afford. There's LMMS that's open source. https://lmms.io/ which is probably more flexible than audacity.
Honestly if your clever and don't care about losing your raw tracks you can make stuff in demo version and still export finished stuff or individual tracks to go into audacity or something for final touches.
I chose FL Studio because it's got a large, active community, with tons of tutorials and help available, super powerful/flexible, and the free lifetime updates, all sold it for me.
Seconding (well, thirding I guess) LMMS. It has a few samples, but you can download (or make) more. Although in my opinion the best feature of the software is (some of) the internal instruments.
There are lots of tutorials, and I mainly use these, but honestly playing around with it for a little bit is the best way become more familiar.
The only issue is that it does not support audio recording (at least to my knowledge), so if you need any of that Audacity is also good.
no sorry, i don't make music but i know this software is free/open source: https://lmms.io/
you dont have as much samples as in FL Studio, so you have to download samples somewhere else...
For me, my solution was to learn to do it myself, but your mileage may vary. I work in a free DAW called LMMS, and with VST plugins I've found on Woolyss. There's a lot of free resources out there for music creation, but ultimately if you want the best stuff you are eventually going to have to spend money (or pirate, I suppose).
Other than that, I agree with Rob. There's a ton of super cool dudes out there just trying to get their work in the public eye, and if you show them something impressive enough they might be willing to work with you on those grounds. If you're established enough and making good money, then commissioning artists may also go a long way.
Usually the drivers of USB keyboards expose it as a MIDI input. Check if your drivers are working I guess. If they are, set the MIDI input for an instrument as usual.
LMMS for sure. https://lmms.io/ Open source, free, cross-platform. Comes with its own library of instruments, like you're looking for, but I've had good results using loops from looperman.com and other samples with it.
I was actually inspired to make my own music after listening to The Adventure Zone! I'm not huge into music theory/composition or anything, but I can normally whip up a pretty effective 10s-30s vignette to put on loop in an hour or so with this: https://lmms.io/
Obviously making music isn't for everybody, but it really is easier than you might think. I thought so, anyway.
Absolutely test demos and play around with them for a while. Unlicensed Reaper is free, LMMS is completely free.
I wouldn't bother buying up plugins at first, there are really good and professional plugins for free. Bedroom Producers Blog has pretty good lists of free plugins.
If there's anything more specific you need, let me know!
I used this to make some basic stuff once: https://lmms.io/ it probably took me an hour to create a really dumb song: https://soundcloud.com/systematical/kolab
I don't have any background with this type of stuff and just felt like tinkering for a bit. It was pretty good (software not my music), if you checkout sound cloud you can see some of the more professional sounding stuff people have made with LMMS:
https://soundcloud.com/tags/lmms
That said, why not use what the pros are using for music?
Guitarix and Rakarrack complements and overlap each other. Guitarix is focussed around amp and cabinet simulation, while Rakarrack is more focussed on effects/stomp-box emulation. Personally I find Guitarix better suited for my needs, and a bit easier to work with. I also think it's a bit lighter on resources. Still I recommend you try them out both, and play around with them a bit. I have heard about people using them both at the same time.
Personally I'm very happy about Ardour (and Mixbus.) QTractor looks nice and I've only played very little with it, so haven't really got the feel of it. Again, try it out and see which one suits you the best. In my experience some software may influence your creative process, and it's perfectly fine to use one piece of software for composing or tracking and another one for editing or mixing.
There's of course also lmms that a lot of people like for composing.
Also I'm sure you have checked out the Calf plugins already, but just linking them just in case. They are the goto plugins for pretty much any need I can think of at least.
A DAW (any) is just a tool, by itself it won't do anything. If you mix shit, it'll give you shit, if you know how to mix you'll make the most of it. Here is a list of resources from which you can find places to learn.
An open source (and thus always free, always open) DAW is Ardour. And since you are into music-making you'll find this open source sequencer and music-making tool useful, LMMS. I hope that helps.
Giada is a free, minimal, hardcore audio tool for DJs, live performers and electronic musicians. How does it work? Just pick up your channel, fill it with samples or MIDI events and start the show by using this tiny piece of software as a loop machine, drum machine, sequencer, live sampler or yet as a plugin/effect host. Giada aims to be a compact and portable virtual device for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows for production use and live sets.
LMMS is a free cross-platform alternative to commercial programs like FL Studio, which allow you to produce music with your computer. This includes the creation of melodies and beats, the synthesis and mixing of sounds, and arranging of samples. You can have fun with your MIDI-keyboard and much more; all in a user-friendly and modern interface.
Since you said you are a beginner, maybe one should note there are many free, even open source, alternatives to Fruity Loops. They may not be as polished or have all the things you want, but sometimes in the beginning you don't know what you want or need yet. There are many lists ("free alternative to") for almost any program, including Fruity Loops. The main one I personally know of is LMMS.
I started using LMMS without knowing anything about it, what helps you is to play with the controls till you understand how they works. But yeah, there is a wiki in the official page explaining how they work (btw that page needs more information).
If you don't want to try Reaper, LMMS is extremely easy to use and has some great included software instruments.
Look up some tutorials by Cubician, really helped me out when I used LMMS.
Downside: no editing or manipulation of samples :/
If you're looking just for something to make beats and just need it for the short term, LMMS might be up your alley.
It's free, and if you learn it and download plugins (that are also usually free through its forums or community page) you can do some interesting things.
https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=TripleOscillator
Probably not a huge amount of use here, but it really does explain what each synth component does. If you haven't already read into your synth of choice, I highly recommend it!
It's something you use to make electronic music with, and it's free. Link. Sorts like FL Studio but less fancy.
A bunch of people on mylittleremix convinced me to get it when I was 15. Never really did much with it since I'm more into guitar.
If you're running Linux and used to using FL Studio, the easy choice would be LMMS. It's almost identical to earlier versions of FL. Did I mention it's free?
The requirements for it are a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM.
Hi, you can create an automation track and attach a control knob to be controlled to it. See this link.
For example, you can create an automation track. Press control and drag the Song's BPM over the automation track. Now every change on that track will change your song's tempo. You can for example make your song a bit slower like I did in this video section.
By using an automation track you can also change the song's tempo. Create another automation track and drag the tempo's number holding ctrl over the new track.
It is weird that your song is starting with the tempo 5/4. Are you using a pre-made project? Maybe it is already using an automation track or with the global automation track editted for this tempo. If you have more questions free feel to ask here.
If you download this file and remix it, and post it at https://lmms.io/lsp, you'll officially be part of our collaboration.
https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=7919
I'm High On, Calro is remixing my track "ideality" right now, when he's done with that, we'll want you to remix that too.
If you have any mmp files you want to add to the project, just post them on that site and I'll remix them right away.
Maybe a modern DAW as opposed to trackers.
Can add multiple virtual instruments.
Not as difficult to get the hang of to begin with (for me at least) as some trackers.
Free option e.g: LMMS (has a decent tutorial/overview of usage on homepage).
Example track I made using this a few years ago (though not really chiptune...)
Hope this helps :)
LMMS is a freeware open source DAW.
Cubician has some nice tutorials to get you started.
Any further doubts, you could check /r/lmms or ask me a question, as I am also currently learning.
Here is a song I made using that software, and soon more to come.
By the way, what /u/FilthyBones and /u/TheDrexel said is spot on.
The LMMS wiki is very useful, I found this page with tested VSTs that work with LMMS ( I actually don't know how to use them XD ), most of the time playing around with plugins helps get a feel for them. Looking up words like "bandwidth" ( or some term you don't know ) on Google helps a lot too. ;)
You can "make" music on the MIDI piano rolls by adding and tweaking notes as explained in the article, but it is not very convenient.
You would be much better off using LMMS, another seriously cool piece of free software. You can find LMMS in your distro's repositories.
I have no music production experience or have even used either of these so I have no idea if it fits your requirements, but here are two programs to look into:
Honestly as others have suggested I would recommend you to stay on Windows.
FL Studio doesn't have a native port on Linux. What does that mean ? It means the company making FL Studio haven't made a version of their software compatible with Linux.
There are solutions to run Windows applications on Linux, namely via Virtualization or via Wine. But they both might not be able to run it as well as on Windows. Performance and usability might take a hit.
Another path is to check alternatives to FLStudio. The main problem with that is that you often have to learn a new software from scratch which can be a pain, and maybe without all the features that you need. You could also have problems accessing all your files created in FL Studio proprietary formats if it has any.
I suggest trying Linux MultiMedia Studio (LMMS) on Windows. No need to install Linux, just download and install the win version. If you find that it's good enough for your needs, and that you have no problems accessing your old files then by all means you can then install Linux for good. https://lmms.io/
If you want to test Linux I recommend you to check any distro that offers a Live-CD/USB for download (most do these days). You'll be able to run applications, and test what Linux feels like without the hassle of dual booting or installing for real.
I tried home recording on my laptop but could never overcome the horrible latency issues. Eventually I went back to basics and got an 8 track multi recorder for about £180, programme drums on LMMS and export it as a stereo WAV track to the recorder, record instruments and vocals, import into the laptop and mix.
lmms is a free (and open-source) program that would work quite nicely for this. I started messing around with this just last week and it's pretty powerful but still easy to pick-up.
LMMS is free open source software that runs on a Mac and will do what you are wanting to do and more. If you decide to get serious you will probably want to spend the resources on a more powerhouse DAW, but LMMS is very functional and there are a lot of YouTube videos out there about how to use it.
There are some really interesting free music programs out there in the wild. One of them has to work with your flow, its just a question of finding the right fit. Off the top of my head, I'd say take a look at LMMS:
May not be exactly what you need but people seem to like it. Never tried it myself.
Also, if you wanted to be really hard core, you could try Pure Data. If you are really just layering audio loops and recording more over them, you could whip something up in PD that isn't too complicated.
Warning, PD learning curve is steeper than most DAWs or programs you will encounter. But if you want something simple, but to your exact specifications, that is also actually free, PD can do it. Just takes a little elbow grease.
You have not provided much to go on, and as I am not familiar with garage band, I can only guess at what you mean by making loops. I believe lmms would be what you are looking for. It supports MIDI and can be very useful in creating loops. Like all DAWs, there is a pretty steep learning curve, but people have had fantastic results with it.
thanks dinodude! i made the music in LMMS with some soundfonts i found somewhere and the SID sound emulator. i also followed a tutorial called "How to Jack Stauber" by Imaginary Ambition. i used some chords mentioned in the video, and then sort of did my own thing. i feel that using vibrato contributed the most to the eerie feel of the sound
I use the daw lmms without any physical instrument or midi keyboard or voice: lmms.io/
this is a useful thing for learning music theory: www.edmprod.com/music-theory-the-tldr-version/
for some stock synths, you can use the pitch bend function in the piano roll to wobble the pitch rapidly to achieve a vibrato effect. i believe this option is only possible for NEScaline, Freeboy, Bitinvader, 3xOsc, and maybe one or two more. this can be done for almost any other synth/instrument as well, but will require the use of a pitch shifting effect plugin and an automation track.
i have a chiptune track on the sharing platform that uses this method, you can download it and check it out here https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=16097
> I just want to play with sounds, so I just need it to have a piano playable with the computer keyboard
Assuming you mean a software keyboard and not a real piano keyboard plugged-in, I think you're going to need a daw to do that.
Popular ones are FL Studio and Ableton Live however both are not free.
A popular free one is LMMS
Since your focus is light-weight and just to mess around, I would recommend AudioTool. It is a browser-based DAW just to mess around with, I used to play on it all the time on my netbook so it should be fairly light weight.
LMMS and Ardour combo might be more apporiate for that kind of job.
Also you can use Creative Commons licensed samples from freesound.org
also blend projects and search for stems - soundcloud - lmms file sharing - https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=browse&category=Projects&sort=date
You're probably gonna need help with something. And I'd argue it's more fun working with other people on a project.
Programming is the most important skill, art is the second most important. It sounds like you have both of those bases covered.
Audio is what you'll need help with, most likely.
Not necessarily, you could try to pick up some audio programs, mess around with them until you have a vague idea of what you're doing.
For a pixel art game, BFXR is great for sound effects.
LMMS is good to mess around with, for music. And it's open source, so it's free.
But if you feel lost there, it might be a good idea to look for some help.
Writing is the other thing. It's not a requirement for Metroidvanias, but a lot of them tend to have some kind of lore to discover while exploring.
If you're not confident in your writing skills, maybe talk about story/lore ideas with a friend.
They don't need to be a writer either, just talking about it with someone else might help you bounce ideas back and forth to come up with something cool.
Hey there!
If it's available to you, I can't possibly recommend GarageBand enough as a tool for kids. I'm a grown-up Windows user on Pro Tools, but I still love and recommend it to anyone with kids who can use a mac. It's made to be really clear and accessible, it's easy to record into the computer, and if they really do get serious, many of the skills are extremely transferrable, especially if they opt to go to Logic, which is like a very very grown-up GarageBand.
If a mac is a no-go for you, you can try LMMS, which is a pretty polished-looking open source DAW that's geared towards being fairly simple and user-friendly. I haven't used it myself, but I've heard good things about it from some friends who teach K-12 music.
Beyond that, I don't know how much you really need to drop on gear. Something like a Blue Snowball or Yeti won't set you back that much, you could easily come in under $100 with either of those options being that both DAWs are free.
Hope this is helpful to you!
I know the image is scuffed but you have to trust me, this is not an ordinary LMMS track.
This was the longest song I've ever made and the longest it has ever taken me to do so after taking a step back and reevaluating this whole production thing.
I know it's not trap, hyperpop or speedcore, but you are still gonna want to listen. It's definitely a song in which I thought outside the box (and that might as well be my identity at this point.)
Lastly, I don't know if this is against the rules (I couldn't find a statement saying I can't do this), but here is the actual LMMS file. If everything was done correctly, all 47 song tracks should already be in your LMMS library if you choose to download the song.
For software, I really like using LMMS for writing and editing MIDI tracks because the interface is super user friendly compared to other DAWs I’ve used (Garageband, Pro Tools, Soundtrap). And it’s free!!
Unfortunately, you can’t currently record audio directly into LMMS, so I export my MIDI tracks as audio and then put them in a new Garageband project file and record vocals/other live elements into that. If you don’t have a MacBook, I would recommend using either [Soundtrap](soundtrap.com) or Audacity.
Drawbacks of Soundtrap: You have to be connected to the internet to use it, less creative control because of the limited effects available, and you can’t download your song as a .wav unless you pay for a subscription.
Drawbacks of Audacity: less user friendly, but that’s just a natural consequence of how much more powerful it is than Soundtrap.
Audacity is also completely free!!