DonsDeals Blog: LMMS - Linux MultiMedia Studio

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Monday, July 11, 2011

LMMS - Linux MultiMedia Studio

What is LMMS?

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.

Features

Song-Editor for composing songs
A Beat+Bassline-Editor for creating beats and basslines
An easy-to-use Piano-Roll for editing patterns and melodies
An FX mixer with 64 FX channels and arbitrary number of effects allow unlimited mixing possibilities
Many powerful instrument and effect-plugins out of the box
Full user-defined track-based automation and computer-controlled automation sources
Compatible with many standards such as SoundFont2, VST(i), LADSPA, GUS Patches, and MIDI
Import of MIDI and FLP (Fruityloops® Project) files

Go there...
http://lmms.sourceforge.net/home.php

The Interface

When you launch LMMS, you will see this screen first:

Disclaimer: the interface may vary slightly based on which version is installed and which OS you are using.

The different parts of the screen (elements) are numbered in yellow. They function as follows:

The Main Menu Bar provides options dealing with project files, accessing some plugins, and accessing online help.
The left side of the Tool Bar has two rows:
Buttons in the top row deal with the project files - Create a new one, open, save, and export.
Buttons in the second row are used to show/hide (toggle) the different windows in the main section of the interface.
The right side of the Tool Bar contains some master controls for the song; such as tempo, time signature, volume, pitch, and a master-output visualization pane.
The Side Bar has six buttons. Clicking on any button toggles a tab on/off.
Each tab displays a specific type of resource: Instrument plugins, My projects, My samples, My presets, My home, and My computer. These resources can be used in to compose your song.

The main part of the interface contains a number of windows, each serving a different purpose.
You can show/hide any of these windows using the buttons in the second row of the Tool Bar.

When LMMS is launched, four windows are opened by default:

Song-Editor This is where you compose the song.
Beat+Bassline Editor This is where drum (beats) sounds are created.
The output of this window is automatically inserted as the beat/bassline track in the Song-Editor window.
FX-Mixer This is the sound mixer, where volume of each channel is separately controlled.
It also has a sub-window where you can add special effects and chain them together.
Controller Rack

Remember to save often! Save your project every time you have created something that sounds good. It is also a good strategy to save different versions of your song. This will allow you to revert to a previous version of the project.

When you save a project for the first time, you will be prompted for a folder name and a project name. Subsequent saves will overwrite this file, and LMMS will show you a small success message at the bottom of the screen. Wait for this message!

Jumping Right In

Read More...
http://lmms.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/0.4:Getting_Started

After reading this article... » Linuxaria – Everything about GNU/Linux and Open source Introduction to Linux MultiMedia Studio (LMMS). I found LMMS in my Fedora 14 Repos. So, I installed it to give it a look. It's a nice looking interface. Much like the Multi-Track Audio Editing Programs I have tired out over the years. I didn't spend more than a couple of minutes on it though. I have other things to do right now... But, there is definitely a learning Curve for me. I write songs and sing. And I use to mix sound for bands. But I can't play any instruments. So, this App could help me out allot. Even if it doesn't have any Hard Rock or even any Guitar Sounds. That's what I really want. But, with the ability to import my Vocal Tracks from Audacity. Which I used to add backup tracks on my last Album... I think LMMS could help me get a new song into a Demo State and that would be good:)

Don