Open Source music studios

[Dos_Box]

Does anyone know of or can recommend any open source or free music studio software, but not Audacity?

[MkII]

Studio to Go is supposed to be pretty amazing:

 

http://www.ferventsoftware.com/

 

It's a commercial LiveCD but the software list may give you some ideas:

 

# Rosegarden 1.2-fervent - Fervent Software's unique build of this powerful audio and MIDI sequencer and score editor.

# LilyPond 2.6.1 - Advanced score typesetting for creating beautiful notation output.

# Linux kernel 2.6.10-fervent with additional low-latency patches and Realtime LSM

# ALSA Sound Drivers

# JACK Audio infrastructure

# KDE Desktop Environment

# Mixers: QAMix, HDSPMixer, envy24control

# QJackCtl

# Vkeybd

# Ardour (Fervent build)

# Audacity (Fervent build with JACK support)

# Rezound

# Sweep (with JACK support)

# JAMin

# JACK Time Machine

# SooperLooper looping sampler

# FreeWheeling looping sampler

# K3b CD/DVD burning

# KAudioCreator

# XMMS audio player (with JACK output support)

# xine video player (with Fervent's JACK output support)

# Effects boxes - Creox, JACK Rack, FreqTweak, QMidiArp

# Softsynths, FluidSynth-DSSI, QSynth, TiMidity++

# Hydrogen 0.9.2 with additional drumkits

# Hexter DX7 Modeling Synth

# Aeolus pipe organ synth

# ALSA Modular Synth

# ZynAddSubFX additive/subtractive synth

# Meterbridge

# LADSPA plugins: CAPS, TAP, SWH, CMT, REV, PVOC, BLOP plugin sets

# 300 LADSPA plugins, all categorised.

# Hexter, FluidSynth, XSynth and mono and stereo sampler DSSI plugins.

# VST plugins: Elogoxa CosmoGirl2K; NovaKill FEARkILLER; DestroyFX Geometer, Scrubby, Skidder, Transverb. VSTs are supported as plugins in Rosegarden, and as standalone applications anywhere in the JACK processing graph.

[Geoff]

Rosegarden is good for midi work.

 

http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/

[NikChillin]

Anyone got any suggestions as this thread is old but I am looking for the same.

[cpjitservices]

I use my Fedora (linux) laptop when I'm DJ'ing or I am doing a mix, typically I use the Mixx application.

 

It's free and simple and I think better than VirtualDJ

 

Mixxx - Free MP3 DJ Mixing Software

[CyberNerd]

Ubuntu Studio is still going strong:

Tour: Audio « Ubuntu Studio

[jinnantonnixx]

My favourite is MusE for these reasons:

It's a full system -you can mix down to a finished audio file without using a separate Jack recorder.

It has proper audio sends. Rosegarden has a group bus, but this isn't the same. Sends in Qtractor are awkward.

It has a drum pattern editor

It has an integrated audio editor

It has excellent automation

It's virtually unlimited in what you can do with routing.

Built-in soundfont player. Don't overlook soundfonts, they can still rock.

 

However, it's interface will have you scratching your head until to realise how it works. i.e. drop in a synth, then link a midi track to the synth. Drop in an audio input, then link a wav track to the input, and so on.

 

It's logical, but it isn't immediately intuitive. But trust me, it's worth persevering with as it's a high performing, flexible and very capable sequencer. No LV2, though, only LADSPA and DSSI (and VST) so you're still spoilt for choice for plugins. I think there are a couple of tutorials on Youtube.

Edited April 26, 2013 by jinnantonnixx

[NikChillin]

Thanks, however, we are running a Microsoft network, windows 7 which makes it awkward.

[jinnantonnixx]

Thanks, however, we are running a Microsoft network, windows 7 which makes it awkward.

 

Ah. Windows.

 

Well, if you don't need MIDI, Traverso might be worth a look, but it seems development has withered on the vine a little.

Home — Traverso DAW

 

 

LMMS is great fun - I had a blast with this. It's a bit like FruityLoops. Despite it's name, there's a port for Windows. You'll be kocking out wIcKeD BeeTZ in no time with this. Watch out for the Windows installer, I think it tries to sneak in a sponsored toolbar to IE, but apart from that it's clean.

LMMS - Linux MultiMedia Studio

Edited April 26, 2013 by jinnantonnixx

[CyberNerd]

Thanks, however, we are running a Microsoft network, windows 7 which makes it awkward.

 

Plenty of options here: dual boot, vdi etc. Best to build your environment around the most suitable applications rather than dismissing them because your running something else.

[jinnantonnixx]

That's not a bad idea.

 

http://linux-sound.org/distro.html

[ConradJones]

ardour supports windows vst plugins (Sort of)

[ICTDirect_Dave]

ardour supports windows vst plugins (Sort of)

 

I've used Ardour. It's not the simplest by any means but it pretty much does the job.

[NikChillin]

Thanks guys, I will pass the info on to our music teacher so they can investigate the products further.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Personally however, I'd stump up the cash and get Ableton Live. It's absolutely brilliant!

[ConradJones]

Thanks guys, I will pass the info on to our music teacher so they can investigate the products further.

 

had a play with some music over the weekend.

 

I couldn't get soundforge to work under wine, so although not open source it is free and does run under wine very easily as its portable is wavosaur. if you need something for sound editing and don't like audacity.

 

FLStudio runs okay under wine as well ( i know its not open source, just thought i'd mention it )

[jinnantonnixx]

It's not open source, but this is still free.

 

Magix Music Maker Basic Edition 12.1.0.3 - CNET Download.com

[jinnantonnixx]

List of free software for audio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jinnantonnixx]

Just after I posted about LMMS, they've released a new version.

 

http://sourceforge.net/projects/lmms/

Edited May 3, 2013 by jinnantonnixx