Yes...Yesss....Yassssssssssssssssssss! I didn't want to learn photoshop cause I don't want to deal with a license so I started using gimp and Inkscape. Making music with Linux just makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you.
I wish I knew about GIMP a decade ago… So far it’s everything I need. Maybe I should go learn Inkscape. Right now for vector drawing I use LibreOffice Draw (LibreOffice is a Microsoft Word-type productivity suite).
So glad to see this. This was the spirit of the internet and music during the early days. We all still benefit from MIDI being open source. Can you imagine if Apple created MIDI?? They would be jacking everyone for royalties just like their lightning connections. I am excited to learn Linux and get away from intrusive operating systems and corporate clouds meant to hack our data.
Sure I've mentioned this elsewhere... One thing I strongly advocate as a Linux user (for music) is DONATING. Just throw a bit of coin at the pages of developers who create the (often rather glorious) Open Source software you use. This doesn't need to be a small fortune - literally the price of a basic cup of coffee at your local diner... Because if we all give a little bit, it has a habit of mounting up., Which means the development can continue! *Packs up soapbox*
If there is one thing that I hate more than anything, it's the false belief people have that a certain DAW or plugin is what they need to make the music what they want. Nobody understands that it's all about workflow, and at the end of the day it's what you do with the tools that make you a good producer. I can confirm this when I decided to switch from Zyn to Serum for a few months, and I've noticed that the sounds I made with Serum were very similar to the ones I was making in Zyn, simply because my tastes and ideas haven't changed. So I'm glad you made this video just to let people know about this, since I'm in the exact same boat as you!
Zyn lacks of some features (eg. Wavetables). However, it's an awesome synthesizer (especially Zyn 3). Even though I have Serum, I prefer Zyn over it when it comes to creating pads :)
@@piotrromanowski2663 I've heard that general complaint about Zyn before, though under the hood Zyn's Add Synth and Pad Synth oscillators are more or less band limited wavetables. Could you link to an example of a Serum workflow which Zyn is missing out on?
Dear Miro252, I STRONGLY AGREE with you. Just to mention to that passage of FLstudio (in the video at 01:00 ), the "Bits & Hz definition" is COMPLETELY WRONG for serious mastering. It`s all about the quality and resolution of your master work that is to be down scaled to lower level data muxer.
A similar thing happens in all of music. People are always chasing tone, not realizing how much skill affects it. It doesn't matter if you buy the exact same guitar, amp, pedals, cables, etc as Van Halen, if you can't play that good, you'll never sound that good. I've fallen into the trap before too. I think for me, it was always trying to find shortcuts, so maybe that's what it is for others, idk, but it was a hard lesson and waste of time in the long run. Now that I'm actually putting in the work, I'm not a half-bad bass player, and getting better at music production with every track!
miro252 Learning this the hard way. I had a copy of Reason (given to me) on a MacBook (also a hand-me-down) - about as proprietary as you can get - which now sits in my closet with a dead battery and busted charger. To keep going I grabbed my Android phone and downloaded Walk Band - didn’t like it - and then MidSequer, which although basic, was so intuitive that I kept using it and I loved it. Now I have Aria Maestosa on a cheaper computer and I feel free. I’m studying music theory and after watching a tutorial video of LMMS am about to download it again after I gave up on it too quickly. (MidSequer and Aria Maestosa are both lightweight piano roll editors for MIDI songs. Neither are DAWs but hey, you can get songs with a melody, bassline, percussion, choice of 128 instruments, and more.)
If you look at most world-class engineers, their selection of plugins, tools, and effects are usually quite simple and universal. Those proprietary plugins you think you need are probably just unnecessary gimmicks anyway.
My view is that they only really matter when you're mixing/producing full-time+ and it becomes more about streamlining your workflow. I work in FL Studio and Reaper and primarily use stock plugins. They can't do everything the specialized plugins can, but with some time and creative thinking you can get 80% of the way there. I have time for that, but I understand someone who does this all day every day doesn't.
@@SeleDreamsthe filters and waveforms of VST Synthesizers are quite distinctive between hardware synthesizers and virtual emulators and newer modular ones like reaktor and Bitwig with its grid or additive synthesis in place of the subtractive method. Then there are the effects plugins can be epic in their creative process of affecting sound design and performance 🎭
You are the most serious musician using Linux out there. Very inspiring material for all people (like me) using FOSS and Linux as main OS for music production. Greetings from Colombia.
And the coolest thing in Linux is that ALWAYS there is an easier way to do anything you want to do. It is a simple matter of exploring and playing with Linux.
Linux user here. I wanted to learn how to create/compose music for my own (FOSS) games, and I was a bit intimidated about needing to get a second PC running Windows after viewing a lot of tutorials online. So glad someone is sharing their workflow/knowledge out there! People becoming accustomed to using professional software is THE biggest hurdle to people making the change to FOSS software, the only reason proprietary software is still ahead is because people are used to it. What I'd really like to see from you is a video where you show popular VSTs like reaktor and serum, and show/review several OSS alternatives. I think a title like free alternatives to Serum, or free alternatives to Reaktor would garner you a lot of clicks, and I want those videos from you since I like your style!
This looks like a quality channel! I'd like to see a video about selecting midi and outboard audio interface devices that integrate well with FOSS DAWs.
Fantastic Speech! Great Chinese Transportation. I’m the friend of your translator. Watched this video, I decided to be your follower too! Thanks for everything you did for open source community 😄👍🏻
Chinese translate! Wow! Unfa translate that? I shared this video to Chinese REAPER user group. In this group, I'm the only one who use Linux in music production. Your video helps me a lot. Because of your video, some group member started to use zyn-funsion.
2 Years later bro, and this is still spot on. Glad I stumbled upon this. Nice to see someone with a similar mindset regardless products being deceptively marketed when amazing, free alternatives are already existabt. You just gotta put the time in to understand them, and by doing so you it prepares you for future problem-solving, holistic understanding, and a better workflow. Cheers! Easy Subscribe :)
I'm glad someone like you is around and I hope I can eventually share similar tips with FOSS software. Going straight from Windows to Arch (yes Arch btw), it was quite freeing, but I do have some pains in that an old proprietary dongle loaded with a huge library of East West licenses are now totally useless for me unless I use a Windows burner PC. Some of the other proprietary tools might be there through WINE, but dongle DRMs nearly always break eventually. My first total freedom and realization was dropping Finale for Musescore. I thought the lack of Finale's Speedy Entry would be a problem until I realized Musescore's tools weren't using old bloat of a 15 year old hunk of software that still retains a beige windows 95 look even in 2016. Musescore worked better from the ground up, and lets you make the shortcuts rather than forcing you to go through several dialog boxes each time to just add a dynamic that isn't in your shortcut list... If anything though, UI is still the #1 thing that needs to be fixed in all DAWs. I'm hoping to see a minimalistic DAW first on Linux that finally simplifies the mess they have become, hoping it allows a smoother process from music sketching to the finished deliverable lossless flac (or still wav files, cause they still do good work) files.
If you have a strong computer, you can run those libraries in Windows inside virtual box and use audiogridder to route signals to your host, it works well actually. I have some stuff from VSL than I don't want to dump, so even the iLokManager can run inside of Virtual Box. Or use a slave PC with audiogridder.
As a Blender user, your statement touched my heart. I know, Blender is a perfect, complete 3D program, that's all you need. Especially since it has changed a lot, evolved enormously. But do you know why I'm here? I want to make 3D movies by myself and I realized that I have to make my own songs. And here I am, hoping to find the equivalent of Blender but in audio editing and DAW.
Great! I think the closest we have to an "audio Blender" is Ardour. I have a playlist of videos teaching it from a quickstart to an in-depth MIDI masteclass. Just search for "unfa Ardour Course" and you'll find it.
In linux you can modify and or compile the kernel with low latency, that is a thing that is possible just on linux and is a big pro compared to other OS.
Im starting up a business right now and i have so far not needed windows or Proprietary Software, mainly because of costs and familiarity. Software is one of those huge money sinks that can often be a roadblock. Blender for example is a godsend. I am able to produce extremely high quality VFX for presentations or lifelike 3D animations with a cheap camera, a Greenscreen and Blender. Also i do not have the money to either hire an artist for background music or licensing existing tracks. So i do them myself. However there can be a very steep learning curve behind those programs. It took me about half a year to master blender. Still it gives you so much more creative freedom. With Music making i am still very much a beginner So im looking forward to more in-depth tutorials.
Just switched to pop Os because many people say it's beginner friendly Linux and it's amazing, managed to run Ableton through wine and it just works , also want i to try bitwig which is not open source but still. It's so amazing how smooth Linux is, everything is opening instantly, websites are loading immediately, no telemetry, no useless bloat eating system memory, great workflow, great design and completely free. Love it!
Thanks man. You're like... The only person I could find on youtube (somehow) who's actually explained what the state of play is for edm production on Linux!
IMO The most important part of this video starts at 04:43. Being able to use free software does NOT exclude you from your responsibilities. It is just not forced in anyways, like paying for it. Maybe you are not a developer but as a user/artist, you can help the community sharing your knowledge or experience with developers or with users, just like Unfa.
Yes, being a part of the community - we are free to profit from the software, but we're also responsible for it's development and growth. The developers need our help and financial support. Even if they don't force us to pay. We owe them.
So I had the same issue with kxstudio. I now use ubuntu studio with kcal repos and I installed plasma 5 as my de. You can backport the neon development. I am running kde 5.17.2 with UB studio and kxstudio repos enabled. Tracktion waveform 9 as my DAW. THIS SETUP ROCKS!
Wow! What a powerful video! I am impressed with your talent, and I thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge with the world! I am increasingly convinced of the potential of the Linux universe! Greetings from Brazil! 👏👏👏
"It will cost you time to learn it" dude seriously, it also takes time to learn software you paid for xD everything takes time to learn, this should never be an argument anywhere! xDD
@@unfa00 interesting that you used the word libre here in this comment... yet barely mentioned libre or free (or GNU, but perhaps that’s too much to ask?) in the video itself. I was actually going to ask about that already, and now I’m even more curious, since you’re clearly aware of this terminology, why you chose not to use it in the video?
@@DavidLindes That's a simple answer: "Free Software" is a term for software under a free (libre) license. Software which free of cost software usually is not called "Free Software". Most people don't know about the more accurate term libre and understand "free" as in "free beer" (which is not necessarily the case, see Ardour's pricing policy). To avoid such misunderstandings the term "open-source" is more beginner friendly.
@@comedyclub333 “more beginner friendly”, perhaps. Less supportive, though, if the ideas behind “free software”. At least to hear the GNU folks tell it. And it’s not like this video couldn’t have done the beginner the favor of defining the term. Beginners may have lots to take in, and thus need a bit of curation to limit overwhelm, but it’s not like they couldn’t take in a concept like this.
(Note: my critical tone is directed at what I’m reading (perhaps incorrectly?) as a dismissive tone in a comment. My question for unfa, on the other hand, is less critical and more curious... though I can see how the above comment might make it seem otherwise.)
Homie, it wld be hard to overstate how revolutionary your work is here. These are the channels by artists who should be rewarded by the platform hosting their work. Exceptional undeniable educational value with true hacker DNA ensuring open source innovators are at the forefront. xo ❤
Love your videos! Because of your videos I took the chance on Linux after many years of using mac. Linux was SO much easier than I thought it would be. And I really don't miss anything, thanks to info from your videos. Also, going linux was also a creative boost for me, discovering new possibilities in music production et cetera.
this is interesting, makes me want to explore more ways of making music outside of my cozy box of FL Studio and VSTs such as serum. . .maybe i will explore. . .thanks for opening up my mind to new possibilities!
Just found your videos on Ardour, and came from the official Ardour channel. I had no idea that the open source alternatives had come along so far! And how do you only have 8k subscribers? You videos are fantastic and really showcase what's beneat the surface.
You don't even realize how important you are to the free software community. Software's greatest goal is to have a userbase, so users are equally important as developers. And now we can say "look, unfa makes music using this software". That proves that free/open source software is usable. The quality of free software is going to grow, its userbase as well. Thanks to you.
Thankyou Unfa, You explained it all simply and clearly. I use FOSS on my PC and like to use Ardour, lots of plug ins and softsynths. LINUX is an excellent platform for lots of things, Music, Film Production, CGI etc......You have convinced me to use LINUX and hopefully lots of others.. Another great video Unfa, Thankyou so much.
I am really happy that some one is truely promoting such a free and open knowledge most people don't know of, I have been using open source tools for as long as 6 years..And I have become accustomed to the resources and quality provided by the Great community. I want to make a request"please contribute as much as possible, I am not saying just about fina ncial but, help in building, Improving ,& maintaining these incredible tools."
I have composed and produced my first piano concerto with rosegarden, the alsa sound server and a couple of good sound fonts. I also realized a video to publish it on my RUclips channel with imagination a tool to make sounding presentations and finally I am editing full orchestral score and parts with lilypond, the Swiss knife of the musical score. All. With open source software, all in my Linux box.
Just started going slowly full open-source and collaborative softwares... So i repurposed my old laptop and installed Ubuntu... And now i discover there are artistic oriented flavours ?????? Damn man thank u so fkin much I will delve into all that good stuff right now and finally enjoy music without feeling illegal or poor. Thank u!
nice video master Unfa :D I have been you apprentice for more that half a year, I'm deeply thankful for all the knowledge about music production on linux you transferred, as soon as DAWs and synths on linux create feature of curving automation lines linux will become ready for super professional music production, well to be honest you can do it already in pure data but you have to work it out pretty hard and you need good mathematical background :)
Thank you! I'm glad my work is of value to you! I'd love to have curved automation in Ardour, though I've grown to manage without it, and I actually forget I need that.
Hey Unfa thank you for making this channel, i have been using Linux & Open source software for quite a few years now, and have always got music in my mind that i cannot replicate outside my brain-case. I have learned 3d modelling with Blender, 2d art with Gimp and Programming in Linux but for multiple reasons i have been long put off Music one main reason is until my friend showed me "Royalty free" license yesterday and explained a lot about music licensing i for some reason couldn't get wrap my mind around it and so ended up with endless anxiety as i don't want to screw over an artist, get in trouble or anything and i don't really like complex licenses, subscription models or the like as it all fork bombs my brain. I just bought humble bundles Loop-crate bundle with tons of royalty free loops by soundtrack loops and included a "Mixcraft" and well cant use that on my Linux unless i use wine so i searched for open source Linux alternatives and stumbled upon your channel i feel super lucky and statically charged to have found youI will definitely try LMMS and Ardour and cant wait to get stuck in, i have skimmed over your library of videos and i really think your going to be the one that finally helps me get into Music production! So once again THANK YOU so much for making this channel! i hope to learn a lot from you Unfa-Sensei!
Great vid, love that you have all the links to all the stuff in the description, one thing tho: LMMS is specifically designed to not work on Linux (despite the name being literally Linux MultiMedia Studio) as it does NOT run native Linux VSTs.
LMMS is generally lacking sensible plug-in support. The only supported effects are LADSPA, which is an ancient, very limited format. Windows VSTs are only usable as instruments via the VeSTige instrument, and to compensate for it's shortcomings it ships with built-in LADSPA plugins, with for example modified Calf Compressor that has an extra control to make it possible to do sidechain compression. It gets the job done, but I wouldn't recommend it as the most versatile... sequencer? It's hard to call it a DAW when it has no means of recording or editing audio, but I guess the meaning of the word has shifted, so let's call it a DAW :)
I really appreciate this video, FL studio is really the only thing keeping me tied to windows in any way. I've got a new ssd on the way for a fresh Linux install and I'm excited to try some of these DAWs
Of course, you can still purchase stuff you like, enjoy using and want to support. I happen to love Reaper and FL, they work very well for what I do and how I prefer to do it. I appreciate what they're doing so I choose to (still) use and support them.
I absolutely agree with all you have said. I’m not a music producer but as a graphic designer we face the same issues. Maybe is not as notorious in the graphic design industry , but I remember few decades the idea was that “Mac OS is for graphic designers “ that idea has been washing out through the years and know we have a lot of designers using open source as myself. Yes the learning curve is very long but at the end you learned to design in whatever environment you are. Also I save thousands of money in projects because I have no longer to pay for subscriptions. I believe that is still a long way for the open source software to compete with proprietary software but that doesn’t means that is imposible to do the same work in open source software, is just that isn’t fancy at the moment. I feel free of adobe shits and that is something money can pay. Having my own environment where I can tweak it as much I want with my own tastes that accelerates my workflow , that’s something that I’ve learned that no money in the world can buy. GO ON OPEN SOURCE! and great video my friend.
Hi unfa! Thank to you and your videos I am a new linux music "producer".. After my macbook stopped working I bought an huawei laptop for budget reasons (I can't and I don't want to spend money for a mac anymore).. I don't like windows at all so I started searching for something different. After watching your videos about ardour I installed ubuntu studio and started using ardour with Jack and some plugins. It's so funny and... composing simple pop punk songs with drumgizmo, a midi bass and of course my guitar is really easy. I don't miss garageband and other simple Mac tools for now :) thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I love you, you magnificent long haired, goatee electronic music man. Linux and FLOSS are slowly becoming better for more and more types of workflow, soon (hopefully) even the gamers won't have reason to complain.
Computers are so ubiquitous now, that way more people stumble into programming as either a hobby or career, boosting the the total number of developers existing, thus increasing the total number of developers working on open source projects. So, I think you are absolutely right: open source could soon dominate closed. I've been running a pure Linux environment for over a year now and have not missed Windows for even one minute. It''s unimaginably liberating. I am sticking with REAPER, though, as it is badass and I already owned it, but I think i'm 99% open source now. Gentoo FTW!
I am so happy to hear you speak about open source with such passion!!! The Mac and PC's have too much crap in the OS - So many things running in the background screwing you up and you are always in the cloud! I want a super powerful computer for audio and I can't seem tp make that happen with Mac or PC.
Mark Griskey PC stands for personal computer. You better always say Micro$oft Windows when you mean it since wording influences how people conceive stuff.
Wine has recently really increased its potent since I remember first needing to go through a lot of trouble to try if something works on wine and after that hope it even works on wine. now it is just opening terminal go to the executable directory, and just type "wine program name" and almost everything works directly.
Honestly, this makes a lot of sense to me - trying to do the same thing with film now. There are loads of people who have interesting stories to tell the world, but they think they need to spend zillions to do so - this is our chance to show everyone that, while it's a 10,000-hour problem, it doesn't have to be a $10,000-dollar one...
Have you investigated Olive Video Editor? I think it's a uniquely powerful NLE, with deep color support, node compositing and full GPU acceleration. Also great editing workflow and tools. I haven't found anything that can replace it really.
Agree 100% I do art and coding and use Linux and OpenSource software only as well... it is a way of life and deeper than just a software choice is about freedom and do not be complacent with big companies!!
I already use mostly open source software(godot, blender, manjaro linux etc). Once in awhile, I boot on my Windows 10 partition, to play around with FL studio, or play games. I'm definitely going to check for FL studio alternatives, and maybe one day, I don't need my Windows 10 partition at all.
I'm with you all the way. I didn't even start to use computers for music production until I realized I could run Ardour on a 10 year old laptop and successfully use it for music production.
Very true words! I'm agree with you. I've changed my workflow over the years more and more from M$ Windows to LINUX. Why did I that? The operating system is transparent. It's much more secure than the commerial ones. It's much more stable and performant than the one from Redmond. It's more flexible: You can choose between a bunch of distributions and a bunch of desktop environments. No problem with licences - It's free (FOSS) I can handle my complete workflows without any defeats in comaprison to Windows. And I use it for a lot of my work: * Doing all office jobs. * Make and produce music * Image and video editing and... and... and... Conclusion: LINUX is a very recommendable operating system!
I can only fully approve your idea. I'm a 12 (at least...) years very very happy Linux user...for everything! many many thanks UNFA for your share! GOOOOOD MUSIC!
Ohhhhh helllll yeaaahhh!!!..thank you Soo much!!..been a Linux lover and a music lover... Also tried to run FL on linux....but always got disappointed.. thank you!! Hail open source!!
Good commentary. As a community we ( in the Linux ecosystem ) number among the minority of computer users. And yet that is evolving - if only gradually.
also open source software is in general created by people who use it. music software, by music producers, editors, the artists themselves. you also know what is in it and can help develop it yourself once you have the knowledge.
[Original post:] My main issue with using Linux for music production is the shit driver support for peripherals. If I can't use my audio interface, the platform is unusable. Sucks :( [EDIT:] I just tried using my Zoom L-12 and it turns out the thing works just perfectly. Just amazing! Last time I tried using Linux for music production was around 10 or so years ago. Believe me, the driver support for music peripherals was abysmal back then. It's absolutely usable nowadays. I'm loving it. I'll start learning Ardour now. :)
In my recommended channels you'll find an official Ardour channel with a few good tutorials. This should help you get started. As for the driver support - here's some info: 1. Any class compliant devices work OOTB 2. iPads popularized using class compliance 3. Before buying a device for Linux make sure it's either class compliantz has drivers in ALSA or FFADO projects or have vendor-made Linux drivers. Best is to find someone who used it on Linux and can confirm it works. 3. When there's no drivers for Linux - blame and ask the maker of the device ;)
HI thanks for this video, I am 69 years old and you have inspired me to make some music, I hope I can learn how to use all these platforms, I just got my first Linux computer and I am loving it😍
Awesome! If you'd have any questions or trouble, remember that you can join my community chat and get help there! chat unfa XYZ We have a wonderful community and I probably learn more from them than they learn from me at this point :)
4 years later: i can clearly say that yup open-source is the future.
Yes...Yesss....Yassssssssssssssssssss! I didn't want to learn photoshop cause I don't want to deal with a license so I started using gimp and Inkscape. Making music with Linux just makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you.
Me too. I stopped using Photoshop and now, i'm just using gimp that is enough for my needs. I think can be the same with e-music!
Inkscape is amazing, gimp is good, but as good as photoshoo?l, but you can still work with it
I love Inkscape! Great vector graphics program.
Look at krita ;)
I wish I knew about GIMP a decade ago… So far it’s everything I need. Maybe I should go learn Inkscape. Right now for vector drawing I use LibreOffice Draw (LibreOffice is a Microsoft Word-type productivity suite).
So glad to see this. This was the spirit of the internet and music during the early days. We all still benefit from MIDI being open source. Can you imagine if Apple created MIDI?? They would be jacking everyone for royalties just like their lightning connections. I am excited to learn Linux and get away from intrusive operating systems and corporate clouds meant to hack our data.
Hack our data?! No. They hack… our L I V E S. Our livelihoods… USING our data.
Sure I've mentioned this elsewhere... One thing I strongly advocate as a Linux user (for music) is DONATING.
Just throw a bit of coin at the pages of developers who create the (often rather glorious) Open Source software you use.
This doesn't need to be a small fortune - literally the price of a basic cup of coffee at your local diner...
Because if we all give a little bit, it has a habit of mounting up., Which means the development can continue!
*Packs up soapbox*
If there is one thing that I hate more than anything, it's the false belief people have that a certain DAW or plugin is what they need to make the music what they want. Nobody understands that it's all about workflow, and at the end of the day it's what you do with the tools that make you a good producer. I can confirm this when I decided to switch from Zyn to Serum for a few months, and I've noticed that the sounds I made with Serum were very similar to the ones I was making in Zyn, simply because my tastes and ideas haven't changed. So I'm glad you made this video just to let people know about this, since I'm in the exact same boat as you!
Zyn lacks of some features (eg. Wavetables). However, it's an awesome synthesizer (especially Zyn 3). Even though I have Serum, I prefer Zyn over it when it comes to creating pads :)
@@piotrromanowski2663 I've heard that general complaint about Zyn before, though under the hood Zyn's Add Synth and Pad Synth oscillators are more or less band limited wavetables. Could you link to an example of a Serum workflow which Zyn is missing out on?
Dear Miro252, I STRONGLY AGREE with you. Just to mention to that passage of FLstudio (in the video at 01:00 ), the "Bits & Hz definition" is COMPLETELY WRONG for serious mastering.
It`s all about the quality and resolution of your master work that is to be down scaled to lower level data muxer.
A similar thing happens in all of music. People are always chasing tone, not realizing how much skill affects it. It doesn't matter if you buy the exact same guitar, amp, pedals, cables, etc as Van Halen, if you can't play that good, you'll never sound that good. I've fallen into the trap before too. I think for me, it was always trying to find shortcuts, so maybe that's what it is for others, idk, but it was a hard lesson and waste of time in the long run. Now that I'm actually putting in the work, I'm not a half-bad bass player, and getting better at music production with every track!
miro252 Learning this the hard way. I had a copy of Reason (given to me) on a MacBook (also a hand-me-down) - about as proprietary as you can get - which now sits in my closet with a dead battery and busted charger. To keep going I grabbed my Android phone and downloaded Walk Band - didn’t like it - and then MidSequer, which although basic, was so intuitive that I kept using it and I loved it. Now I have Aria Maestosa on a cheaper computer and I feel free. I’m studying music theory and after watching a tutorial video of LMMS am about to download it again after I gave up on it too quickly.
(MidSequer and Aria Maestosa are both lightweight piano roll editors for MIDI songs. Neither are DAWs but hey, you can get songs with a melody, bassline, percussion, choice of 128 instruments, and more.)
If you look at most world-class engineers, their selection of plugins, tools, and effects are usually quite simple and universal. Those proprietary plugins you think you need are probably just unnecessary gimmicks anyway.
My view is that they only really matter when you're mixing/producing full-time+ and it becomes more about streamlining your workflow. I work in FL Studio and Reaper and primarily use stock plugins. They can't do everything the specialized plugins can, but with some time and creative thinking you can get 80% of the way there. I have time for that, but I understand someone who does this all day every day doesn't.
I'd say when it comes to synths yes, it becomes a bit more complex for sampled instruments like orchestral libraries
@@SeleDreamsthe filters and waveforms of VST Synthesizers are quite distinctive between hardware synthesizers and virtual emulators and newer modular ones like reaktor and Bitwig with its grid or additive synthesis in place of the subtractive method. Then there are the effects plugins can be epic in their creative process of affecting sound design and performance 🎭
You are the most serious musician using Linux out there. Very inspiring material for all people (like me) using FOSS and Linux as main OS for music production.
Greetings from Colombia.
lol
spaghetti nunchaku what’s the funny part in it ?
@@spaghettinunchaku3942 what’s the funny part in it ? [2]
My Linux system is the best computer I've ever had. I have more debugging to do, but solutions are usually out there on Linux forums.
Linux 🤢
And the coolest thing in Linux is that ALWAYS there is an easier way to do anything you want to do. It is a simple matter of exploring and playing with Linux.
How the hell have I not found your channel until now?!?! Linux and audio work all rolled into one channel... THIS IS WHAT I NEED
Linux user here.
I wanted to learn how to create/compose music for my own (FOSS) games, and I was a bit intimidated about needing to get a second PC running Windows after viewing a lot of tutorials online.
So glad someone is sharing their workflow/knowledge out there! People becoming accustomed to using professional software is THE biggest hurdle to people making the change to FOSS software, the only reason proprietary software is still ahead is because people are used to it.
What I'd really like to see from you is a video where you show popular VSTs like reaktor and serum, and show/review several OSS alternatives.
I think a title like free alternatives to Serum, or free alternatives to Reaktor would garner you a lot of clicks, and I want those videos from you since I like your style!
Thank you! When Vital is out I can start talking about free Serum alternatives - until then, not so much ;)
@@unfa00 out yet?
@@SabzAndMasenko-TheKitchen Yeah, VItal has been released over a year ago now :)
I agreed " Open source software is the right way to go"
thx for putting chinese subtitle !
very kind of u :)
Thanks!
The subtitles were contributed by the viewers!
This looks like a quality channel! I'd like to see a video about selecting midi and outboard audio interface devices that integrate well with FOSS DAWs.
Fantastic Speech! Great Chinese Transportation. I’m the friend of your translator. Watched this video, I decided to be your follower too! Thanks for everything you did for open source community 😄👍🏻
Chinese translate! Wow! Unfa translate that? I shared this video to Chinese REAPER user group. In this group, I'm the only one who use Linux in music production. Your video helps me a lot. Because of your video, some group member started to use zyn-funsion.
That translation was contributed by a viewer! I'm glad my videos are helpful! Good luck :)
Amen brother. Open source is the way forward. Also, kudos for running KDE instead of the default Gnome that comes with most distros :)
I find KDE Plasma to be a great desktop environment that both looks and functions great :)
Burh not every distro uses gnome
Of course not, but it's pretty common.
2 Years later bro, and this is still spot on. Glad I stumbled upon this.
Nice to see someone with a similar mindset regardless products being deceptively marketed when amazing, free alternatives are already existabt. You just gotta put the time in to understand them, and by doing so you it prepares you for future problem-solving, holistic understanding, and a better workflow.
Cheers! Easy Subscribe :)
I'm glad someone like you is around and I hope I can eventually share similar tips with FOSS software. Going straight from Windows to Arch (yes Arch btw), it was quite freeing, but I do have some pains in that an old proprietary dongle loaded with a huge library of East West licenses are now totally useless for me unless I use a Windows burner PC. Some of the other proprietary tools might be there through WINE, but dongle DRMs nearly always break eventually.
My first total freedom and realization was dropping Finale for Musescore. I thought the lack of Finale's Speedy Entry would be a problem until I realized Musescore's tools weren't using old bloat of a 15 year old hunk of software that still retains a beige windows 95 look even in 2016. Musescore worked better from the ground up, and lets you make the shortcuts rather than forcing you to go through several dialog boxes each time to just add a dynamic that isn't in your shortcut list...
If anything though, UI is still the #1 thing that needs to be fixed in all DAWs. I'm hoping to see a minimalistic DAW first on Linux that finally simplifies the mess they have become, hoping it allows a smoother process from music sketching to the finished deliverable lossless flac (or still wav files, cause they still do good work) files.
If you have a strong computer, you can run those libraries in Windows inside virtual box and use audiogridder to route signals to your host, it works well actually. I have some stuff from VSL than I don't want to dump, so even the iLokManager can run inside of Virtual Box. Or use a slave PC with audiogridder.
@@spunicunifait2697 I'll probably keep that in mind. If I do more full digital audio, I'm probably going to dedicate a machine to it.
As a Blender user, your statement touched my heart. I know, Blender is a perfect, complete 3D program, that's all you need. Especially since it has changed a lot, evolved enormously. But do you know why I'm here? I want to make 3D movies by myself and I realized that I have to make my own songs. And here I am, hoping to find the equivalent of Blender but in audio editing and DAW.
Great! I think the closest we have to an "audio Blender" is Ardour. I have a playlist of videos teaching it from a quickstart to an in-depth MIDI masteclass. Just search for "unfa Ardour Course" and you'll find it.
Yes, yes, indeed! It's all about the freedom. Thanks for sharing this.
I’ve been using this philosophy in the last few months and my output has been better than ever! So I agree with you wholeheartedly
In linux you can modify and or compile the kernel with low latency, that is a thing that is possible just on linux and is a big pro compared to other OS.
Im starting up a business right now and i have so far not needed windows or Proprietary Software, mainly because of costs and familiarity. Software is one of those huge money sinks that can often be a roadblock. Blender for example is a godsend. I am able to produce extremely high quality VFX for presentations or lifelike 3D animations with a cheap camera, a Greenscreen and Blender. Also i do not have the money to either hire an artist for background music or licensing existing tracks. So i do them myself. However there can be a very steep learning curve behind those programs. It took me about half a year to master blender. Still it gives you so much more creative freedom. With Music making i am still very much a beginner So im looking forward to more in-depth tutorials.
Just switched to pop Os because many people say it's beginner friendly Linux and it's amazing, managed to run Ableton through wine and it just works , also want i to try bitwig which is not open source but still. It's so amazing how smooth Linux is, everything is opening instantly, websites are loading immediately, no telemetry, no useless bloat eating system memory, great workflow, great design and completely free. Love it!
Stallman would be moderately pleased with this video.
KDE NEON user here... an avid Linux user for years and new to music production but grateful to have found your channel
Welcome, and thanks! :)
Lovely....proud of you man. We need more of your Kind. Looking at setting up and Open Source Studio is Nigeria for Africa.
Thanks man. You're like... The only person I could find on youtube (somehow) who's actually explained what the state of play is for edm production on Linux!
You're welcome! You can check my latest single "Crowbar" to hear what I was able to do with 100% open-source software and Linux :)
@@unfa00 Excited to do so!
IMO The most important part of this video starts at 04:43. Being able to use free software does NOT exclude you from your responsibilities. It is just not forced in anyways, like paying for it.
Maybe you are not a developer but as a user/artist, you can help the community sharing your knowledge or experience with developers or with users, just like Unfa.
Yes, being a part of the community - we are free to profit from the software, but we're also responsible for it's development and growth. The developers need our help and financial support. Even if they don't force us to pay. We owe them.
So I had the same issue with kxstudio. I now use ubuntu studio with kcal repos and I installed plasma 5 as my de. You can backport the neon development. I am running kde 5.17.2 with UB studio and kxstudio repos enabled. Tracktion waveform 9 as my DAW. THIS SETUP ROCKS!
Wow! What a powerful video! I am impressed with your talent, and I thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge with the world! I am increasingly convinced of the potential of the Linux universe! Greetings from Brazil! 👏👏👏
"It will cost you time to learn it"
dude seriously, it also takes time to learn software you paid for xD
everything takes time to learn, this should never be an argument anywhere! xDD
Yeah, but with libre software sometimes there's a bit more learning involved :) But this channel is here specifically to help with that!
@@unfa00 interesting that you used the word libre here in this comment... yet barely mentioned libre or free (or GNU, but perhaps that’s too much to ask?) in the video itself. I was actually going to ask about that already, and now I’m even more curious, since you’re clearly aware of this terminology, why you chose not to use it in the video?
@@DavidLindes That's a simple answer: "Free Software" is a term for software under a free (libre) license. Software which free of cost software usually is not called "Free Software". Most people don't know about the more accurate term libre and understand "free" as in "free beer" (which is not necessarily the case, see Ardour's pricing policy). To avoid such misunderstandings the term "open-source" is more beginner friendly.
@@comedyclub333 “more beginner friendly”, perhaps. Less supportive, though, if the ideas behind “free software”. At least to hear the GNU folks tell it. And it’s not like this video couldn’t have done the beginner the favor of defining the term. Beginners may have lots to take in, and thus need a bit of curation to limit overwhelm, but it’s not like they couldn’t take in a concept like this.
(Note: my critical tone is directed at what I’m reading (perhaps incorrectly?) as a dismissive tone in a comment. My question for unfa, on the other hand, is less critical and more curious... though I can see how the above comment might make it seem otherwise.)
Homie, it wld be hard to overstate how revolutionary your work is here. These are the channels by artists who should be rewarded by the platform hosting their work. Exceptional undeniable educational value with true hacker DNA ensuring open source innovators are at the forefront. xo ❤
I am very pleased of having found this video.
Love your videos! Because of your videos I took the chance on Linux after many years of using mac. Linux was SO much easier than I thought it would be. And I really don't miss anything, thanks to info from your videos.
Also, going linux was also a creative boost for me, discovering new possibilities in music production et cetera.
this is interesting, makes me want to explore more ways of making music outside of my cozy box of FL Studio and VSTs such as serum. . .maybe i will explore. . .thanks for opening up my mind to new possibilities!
There aren't many who can get me to subscribe with only one video... Great work!
Just found your videos on Ardour, and came from the official Ardour channel. I had no idea that the open source alternatives had come along so far! And how do you only have 8k subscribers? You videos are fantastic and really showcase what's beneat the surface.
Thank you! I guess not that many people know they even want to find out about this stuff :) But it's slowly changing!
You don't even realize how important you are to the free software community. Software's greatest goal is to have a userbase, so users are equally important as developers. And now we can say "look, unfa makes music using this software". That proves that free/open source software is usable. The quality of free software is going to grow, its userbase as well. Thanks to you.
Thank you so much for this! That's exactly what I want to show to the world with my music (and videos!).
Thankyou Unfa, You explained it all simply and clearly. I use FOSS on my PC and like to use Ardour, lots of plug ins and softsynths. LINUX is an excellent platform for lots of things, Music, Film Production, CGI etc......You have convinced me to use LINUX and hopefully lots of others.. Another great video Unfa, Thankyou so much.
FFS this was 5 years ago? So ahead of it's time!
I am really happy that some one is truely promoting such a free and open knowledge most people don't know of, I have been using open source tools for as long as 6 years..And I have become accustomed to the resources and quality provided by the Great community. I want to make a request"please contribute as much as possible, I am not saying just about fina
ncial but, help in building, Improving ,& maintaining these incredible tools."
was just wanting to look into open source options for music production software and subbed from the intro alone :)
I have composed and produced my first piano concerto with rosegarden, the alsa sound server and a couple of good sound fonts. I also realized a video to publish it on my RUclips channel with imagination a tool to make sounding presentations and finally I am editing full orchestral score and parts with lilypond, the Swiss knife of the musical score. All. With open source software, all in my Linux box.
I couldn't agree more. I use ardour and I simply love it.
Just started going slowly full open-source and collaborative softwares... So i repurposed my old laptop and installed Ubuntu...
And now i discover there are artistic oriented flavours ?????? Damn man thank u so fkin much
I will delve into all that good stuff right now and finally enjoy music without feeling illegal or poor.
Thank u!
nice video master Unfa :D I have been you apprentice for more that half a year, I'm deeply thankful for all the knowledge about music production on linux you transferred, as soon as DAWs and synths on linux create feature of curving automation lines linux will become ready for super professional music production, well to be honest you can do it already in pure data but you have to work it out pretty hard and you need good mathematical background :)
Thank you! I'm glad my work is of value to you! I'd love to have curved automation in Ardour, though I've grown to manage without it, and I actually forget I need that.
Hey Unfa thank you for making this channel, i have been using Linux & Open source software for quite a few years now, and have always got music in my mind that i cannot replicate outside my brain-case. I have learned 3d modelling with Blender, 2d art with Gimp and Programming in Linux but for multiple reasons i have been long put off Music one main reason is until my friend showed me "Royalty free" license yesterday and explained a lot about music licensing i for some reason couldn't get wrap my mind around it and so ended up with endless anxiety as i don't want to screw over an artist, get in trouble or anything and i don't really like complex licenses, subscription models or the like as it all fork bombs my brain.
I just bought humble bundles Loop-crate bundle with tons of royalty free loops by soundtrack loops and included a "Mixcraft" and well cant use that on my Linux unless i use wine so i searched for open source Linux alternatives and stumbled upon your channel i feel super lucky and statically charged to have found youI will definitely try LMMS and Ardour and cant wait to get stuck in, i have skimmed over your library of videos and i really think your going to be the one that finally helps me get into Music production!
So once again THANK YOU so much for making this channel! i hope to learn a lot from you Unfa-Sensei!
Buddy, it’s 2024. Freedom no longer exists
Condescending tone is just for comedic effect. I do appreciate this content 👏
que persona ejemplar mister!! saludos y fuerza desde Argentina. Software libre para un mundo de paz equidad y libertad.
Ah! I've seen a couple of your videos but wasn't aware that you're a Linux user too. This is awesome dude!
Thanks! I am :) Linux 4 Life!
I recently switched to Linux for Desktop use. Been using it for Server purposes for years.
Fun times ahead.
Great vid, love that you have all the links to all the stuff in the description, one thing tho: LMMS is specifically designed to not work on Linux (despite the name being literally Linux MultiMedia Studio) as it does NOT run native Linux VSTs.
LMMS is generally lacking sensible plug-in support. The only supported effects are LADSPA, which is an ancient, very limited format. Windows VSTs are only usable as instruments via the VeSTige instrument, and to compensate for it's shortcomings it ships with built-in LADSPA plugins, with for example modified Calf Compressor that has an extra control to make it possible to do sidechain compression. It gets the job done, but I wouldn't recommend it as the most versatile... sequencer? It's hard to call it a DAW when it has no means of recording or editing audio, but I guess the meaning of the word has shifted, so let's call it a DAW :)
I'm on Linux for over a decade now and don't regret it a bit.
Why in the heck after years of looking for videos like this, I only found it today by accident?
I recently installed Manjaro and made the Linux conversion.
Totally loaded my Manjaro laptop with Linux audio and video software.
Your message is so passionate. I love it.
That's right unfa. Open-source does make the world a better place! *** Join us now and share the software ***
I really appreciate this video, FL studio is really the only thing keeping me tied to windows in any way. I've got a new ssd on the way for a fresh Linux install and I'm excited to try some of these DAWs
How is the process? With Windows 11 being the last straw for me, I'm strongly considering taking the same path.
Of course, you can still purchase stuff you like, enjoy using and want to support. I happen to love Reaper and FL, they work very well for what I do and how I prefer to do it. I appreciate what they're doing so I choose to (still) use and support them.
PSA: Don't use Balena Etcher. It's been found to have telemetry and first-party ads.
I absolutely agree with all you have said. I’m not a music producer but as a graphic designer we face the same issues. Maybe is not as notorious in the graphic design industry , but I remember few decades the idea was that “Mac OS is for graphic designers “ that idea has been washing out through the years and know we have a lot of designers using open source as myself. Yes the learning curve is very long but at the end you learned to design in whatever environment you are. Also I save thousands of money in projects because I have no longer to pay for subscriptions. I believe that is still a long way for the open source software to compete with proprietary software but that doesn’t means that is imposible to do the same work in open source software, is just that isn’t fancy at the moment. I feel free of adobe shits and that is something money can pay. Having my own environment where I can tweak it as much I want with my own tastes that accelerates my workflow , that’s something that I’ve learned that no money in the world can buy. GO ON OPEN SOURCE! and great video my friend.
Beautiful message
If I could give you five thumbs up for this video, I would do it! You made a very strong and important statement.
Thank you!
Hi unfa!
Thank to you and your videos I am a new linux music "producer"..
After my macbook stopped working I bought an huawei laptop for budget reasons (I can't and I don't want to spend money for a mac anymore).. I don't like windows at all so I started searching for something different.
After watching your videos about ardour I installed ubuntu studio and started using ardour with Jack and some plugins. It's so funny and... composing simple pop punk songs with drumgizmo, a midi bass and of course my guitar is really easy. I don't miss garageband and other simple Mac tools for now :) thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I love you, you magnificent long haired, goatee electronic music man.
Linux and FLOSS are slowly becoming better for more and more types of workflow, soon (hopefully) even the gamers won't have reason to complain.
Thank you 😊 now I'm in Linux making music composition , video editing and software development ❤️LINUX FOREVER, Rip to windows and mac.
Computers are so ubiquitous now, that way more people stumble into programming as either a hobby or career, boosting the the total number of developers existing, thus increasing the total number of developers working on open source projects. So, I think you are absolutely right: open source could soon dominate closed. I've been running a pure Linux environment for over a year now and have not missed Windows for even one minute. It''s unimaginably liberating. I am sticking with REAPER, though, as it is badass and I already owned it, but I think i'm 99% open source now.
Gentoo FTW!
Yes, I'm using linux and FOSS, you've inspired me to make music on Linux, thank you
Great! My pleasure :D
I am so happy to hear you speak about open source with such passion!!! The Mac and PC's have too much crap in the OS - So many things running in the background screwing you up and you are always in the cloud! I want a super powerful computer for audio and I can't seem tp make that happen with Mac or PC.
You're welcome! I've seen you've pledged to my Patreon - thank you! :)
Mark Griskey PC stands for personal computer. You better always say Micro$oft Windows when you mean it since wording influences how people conceive stuff.
Great video thanks for sharing your knowledge . You are totally correct in saying open source is the now & the future 😊
Great video! Couldn't have said it better.
Wine has recently really increased its potent since I remember first needing to go through a lot of trouble to try if something works on wine and after that hope it even works on wine. now it is just opening terminal go to the executable directory, and just type "wine program name" and almost everything works directly.
Honestly, this makes a lot of sense to me - trying to do the same thing with film now. There are loads of people who have interesting stories to tell the world, but they think they need to spend zillions to do so - this is our chance to show everyone that, while it's a 10,000-hour problem, it doesn't have to be a $10,000-dollar one...
Have you investigated Olive Video Editor? I think it's a uniquely powerful NLE, with deep color support, node compositing and full GPU acceleration. Also great editing workflow and tools. I haven't found anything that can replace it really.
Agree 100% I do art and coding and use Linux and OpenSource software only as well... it is a way of life and deeper than just a software choice is about freedom and do not be complacent with big companies!!
I already use mostly open source software(godot, blender, manjaro linux etc). Once in awhile, I boot on my Windows 10 partition, to play around with FL studio, or play games. I'm definitely going to check for FL studio alternatives, and maybe one day, I don't need my Windows 10 partition at all.
I have heard that FL works very well in Wine, but I haven't tested it myself. Good luck! :)
I'm with you all the way. I didn't even start to use computers for music production until I realized I could run Ardour on a 10 year old laptop and successfully use it for music production.
Same
I am curious why I never found your channel. Making music with linux is one of my main-topics in my blog, too. This is too cool. :)
The Internet is an ocean, and I'm just a tiny drop in it :) Nice to meet you!
@@unfa00 I just made this "talk" in 2018. :) Same topic. ruclips.net/video/Xa9vzb4PUnM/видео.html&t=
It has been so many days since I heard Rtfm that I forgot the meaning of RTFM. Which feels so good from a community standpoint.
This is a legendary intro
Cool! I'm psyched to see more ☮️
This is awesome! I cant wait to learn from you how to free myself of closed source.
Thank you! There's quite a few videos I've made throughout the years, so you've got some content to ingest, and I'm constantly making more :)
Rosegarden whell known as professional tool as I hear about, and goes as component with professional studios
4:14 I shed a tear. We're together bro s2
Been on Linux for years and making music, more rock blues is my thing, Live guitars and keys and live electronic drums. Linux is totally professional.
Very true words! I'm agree with you.
I've changed my workflow over the years more and more from M$ Windows to LINUX.
Why did I that?
The operating system is transparent.
It's much more secure than the commerial ones.
It's much more stable and performant than the one from Redmond.
It's more flexible: You can choose between a bunch of distributions and a bunch of desktop environments.
No problem with licences - It's free (FOSS)
I can handle my complete workflows without any defeats in comaprison to Windows.
And I use it for a lot of my work:
* Doing all office jobs.
* Make and produce music
* Image and video editing
and... and... and...
Conclusion: LINUX is a very recommendable operating system!
I can only fully approve your idea. I'm a 12 (at least...) years very very happy Linux user...for everything! many many thanks UNFA for your share! GOOOOOD MUSIC!
Thank you :)
Thank you.
Good to see awakened young people going in the right direction.
Congratulations :-)
Ohhhhh helllll yeaaahhh!!!..thank you Soo much!!..been a Linux lover and a music lover... Also tried to run FL on linux....but always got disappointed.. thank you!! Hail open source!!
Good commentary. As a community we ( in the Linux ecosystem ) number among the minority of computer users. And yet that is evolving - if only gradually.
I love this video so so much!!!! Just installed ubuntustudio on my pc following also your vids
I totally agree. Keep up sharing the good (open source) stuff. 🤟😌🎶
Thanks! Will do :)
also open source software is in general created by people who use it. music software, by music producers, editors, the artists themselves. you also know what is in it and can help develop it yourself once you have the knowledge.
unfa for president!
>president
>NOT WANT HIM TO BECOME THE PRIMER OF THE PEOPLE
LEAD THE WAY CHAIRMEN
Now I love all kind of trackers
[Original post:] My main issue with using Linux for music production is the shit driver support for peripherals. If I can't use my audio interface, the platform is unusable. Sucks :(
[EDIT:] I just tried using my Zoom L-12 and it turns out the thing works just perfectly. Just amazing! Last time I tried using Linux for music production was around 10 or so years ago. Believe me, the driver support for music peripherals was abysmal back then. It's absolutely usable nowadays. I'm loving it. I'll start learning Ardour now. :)
In my recommended channels you'll find an official Ardour channel with a few good tutorials. This should help you get started.
As for the driver support - here's some info:
1. Any class compliant devices work OOTB
2. iPads popularized using class compliance
3. Before buying a device for Linux make sure it's either class compliantz has drivers in ALSA or FFADO projects or have vendor-made Linux drivers. Best is to find someone who used it on Linux and can confirm it works.
3. When there's no drivers for Linux - blame and ask the maker of the device ;)
HI thanks for this video, I am 69 years old and you have inspired me to make some music, I hope I can learn how to use all these platforms, I just got my first Linux computer and I am loving it😍
Awesome! If you'd have any questions or trouble, remember that you can join my community chat and get help there!
chat unfa XYZ
We have a wonderful community and I probably learn more from them than they learn from me at this point :)
Ahh the beautiful world of Linux!!! I'm excited to get deeper into Linux and make some music. Support freeware!!! 🎸🤘
Awesome! Please note that freeware is not the same as free software :)
Recently got into Linux system, now look into making music with Linux system
Thanks for the video and an excellent list of resources.
Clever guy, I think things outside software should be open source too, like research, building, hardware etc. I think it's coming.