Everything you need to start recording music on Linux

Do you dream of making music, but want to do it in the (mostly) free and open source world of Linux? Whether you’re ready to start recording music on your favorite Linux distribution or are looking for the right place to start, here’s what you need to know.

Keep in mind the type of music you want to create

On Linux you can make any music you want, but it helps to know what you want to do. For example, if you want to record yourself singing while playing an acoustic guitar, you’ll need a different approach than if you want to create downtempo electronic music. Don’t worry if you can’t make a decision, but it’s good to know what your goal is.

For the most part, the more real-world elements you want your music to contain, the more equipment you’ll need. For pure electronic music, you can rely mostly on free software, although a few key components will certainly help. We’ll look at this in the next section.

Since recording your voice or other instruments can be more difficult than creating pure software music, that’s what this tutorial is all about. However, the article will also cover software useful for both recording records and creating music inside the box.

Equipment you’ll probably need

If you’re serious about making music, there’s one piece of equipment you’ll find almost impossible to avoid: audio interface. These are multifunctional devices that are essentially powerful sound cards for your computer. They allow you to connect headphones or speakers to listen to playback from your computer, as well as connect microphones and line-level or instrument-level signals.

While higher-end audio interfaces that connect via Lightning strike or Ethernet may work with difficulty on Linux, simpler interfaces such as Universal audio Volt 2 USB class compatible and run on Linux without special drivers. Most interfaces that provide one to four inputs are rated, but you can always check with the manufacturer if you are planning to buy an interface but want to make sure it will work.

It’s technically possible to create music using only your laptop’s speakers or headphones connected to the built-in sound card, but this is suboptimal to say the least. Using the built-in speakers, it is easy to accidentally record sound from the speakers when trying to record an instrument. Using an internal sound card may be fine for headphones, but you won’t be able to easily connect a microphone to record your voice.

While an audio interface makes connections much easier, you’ll also need something to connect with. It depends on what you want to record. You can find microphones ranging in price from a few dollars to literally thousands, but if you invest in high quality microphone from a well-known brand such as Shure, Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser, you are unlikely to have to replace it. On the other hand, this usually requires spending more money up front.

If you’re just starting out, there’s nothing wrong with using what you have on hand first. Once you get used to making music, you can always upgrade later.

Software you definitely need

When it comes to audio software, there are many different types, but for music recording and production, the central element is digital audio workstation (DAW). It’s essentially a recording studio on your computer as it handles recording, mixing and assembling the finished audio product into what you’ll listen to on Spotify.

There are many free and open source DAW options on Linux, but the most popular one is Fervor. This software may seem intimidating at first, like most DAW software, but there is detailed guide on the project’s website, which can teach you everything you need to know. There are even tips for setting up your system for optimal software performance.

Ardor isn’t the only option. If you are a KDE fan or prefer electronic music, QTractor A DAW might be a better fit. If you don’t want to limit yourself to free software, a popular commercial DAW Reaper it’s also easy to install and run on Linux.

If you record instruments or your voice, you may find that DAW software and included plugins for equalizer and other audio effects are all you need. However, if you make electronic music or want to complement your real-life instruments, you can add sounds from other software. For Linux you’ll find a variety of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines, and thanks to a powerful software system known as JACK, you can route audio from them into other software such as Ardour.

Use a specialized distribution or choose?

Obviously, like any other Linux software, you can install all the DAW software mentioned above on any Linux distribution of your choice. Most distributions will include at least open source options in their source code. However, if you don’t know where to start, there are distributions specifically designed for music production and other creative projects.

Music-focused distributions have been around for many years. For example, one of the most popular Ubuntu Studiofirst appeared in 2007. Initially, low latency was one of the main differences between these distributions. While this is still important for audio production, increasing hardware speeds combined with general improvements to the Linux kernel have made these settings less necessary for audio production than before.

Although some Linux music distributions such as AB Linux still use their own kernels, others like it Fedora Jam Essentially, these are large collections of pre-installed software. They still make your life easier in other ways. One example is to have JACK set up out of the box so you’re ready to start recording.

All three distributions mentioned in this section work as live DVDs or live usb drivesthat is, you don’t need to install them. If you want to start exploring the audio software available for Linux without making any long-term changes to your computer, this is a great way to get a feel for what’s available.

How to start recording

If you’re just creating a basic entry, you might be able to get away without using Courage audio editor, but there’s a reason why we suggested alternatives to Audacity in the past. Audacity is limited compared to corresponding DAW software, so it’s best to use Ardor or another DAW for anything with more than one track.

To create a basic entry, launch Ardor. The app will show you several configuration options. You will need to select your sound card or audio interface, which should be configured automatically if it is a class compatible USB device. Select the appropriate audio device and start a new project, then follow these steps:

• Right-click on the right side of the screen, below where it says “Master.”

• Confirm that you want to add 1 track, then click Add and Close.

• Click the red Record Arm button on the newly added track.

• Click the red Record button in the Transport panel at the top of the screen.

• Click the play button to start recording. Click “Stop” to finish.

From here you can repeat the process, layering tracks on top of each other. You can sing along to yourself or add instruments or other sounds to the music.

Once you’ve finished recording, you can edit the audio, add effects, and manipulate it in a variety of ways. This is beyond the scope of this article, but you will find a wealth of information in Ardor guide. If you’re using one of the other example DAW software mentioned earlier, you’ll also find excellent documentation on their respective websites.