Advice for Linux-based recording software

elsmandino

New member
Hello.

I have bought myself a Steinberg mkii ur22 UAI and would like to have a go at recording some basic guitar-based music.

I have found a list on the tecmint website, which seems to suggest a few options, including Ardour, Rosegarden and LMMS.

Could anyone possibly give any advice as to which one to go for, please?
 
Every DAW has its strengths and weaknesses and often orientation towards certain workflows etc. For example Rosegarden is quite MIDI- and notation oriented and audio is almost an addon, whereas Ardour is the exact opposite of that. From a brief encounter with LMMS, it seemed too loop-oriented for my purposes but I this could be a misconception on my behalf, I didn't really dig into it. My personal favorite of free Linux DAW's has been Qtractor which gets the MIDI vs audio and features/simplicity balances quite right - my purposes. For pure audio work, Ardour is probably still the undisputed king of the free DAW hill but it can be a bit daunting as well.

What's best for *you* depends on a thousand things, starting with what you're planning to do and how, including what kind of gear etc. And last but not least, personal preference and that's something you'll only find out by trying.
 
Every DAW has its strengths and weaknesses and often orientation towards certain workflows etc.

This.

Linux-compatible tools that I have used for audio work that I like include:

Audacity
strengths: simple, quick setup for recording and basic editing
Weaknesses: lossy editing makes more complex mixing and FX use difficult. Limited MIDI support
Sonic pi
Strengths: sequencing, live looping and performance
weaknesses: is fundamentally a programming and educational tool. Use as a DAW is an afterthought
Reaper
Strengths: fully-featured DAW with flexible and extensible support for MIDI, VSTs, VSTis, etc. Massive multi-tracking capabilities. Very "linuxy" in that you can customize the appearance and behavior pretty extensively
Weaknesses: not free (as in beer and as in liberty).
SoX
Strengths: Broadest compatibility and hardware support.
Weaknesses: Is a command-line audio processing tool. Not a DAW. I have recorded an album with it, but it wasn't pretty. Plus, I did the mixing in Reaper.
 
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