Hello!

[unaHm]

Hello fellow LinuxMusicians!

I can't say that I'm a new user of Linux in the audio realm - it's been fascinating me ever since the mid-90s, but for some strange reason it's only now that I go ahead and decide to sign up to this forum, which I've been following for a number of years! Usually when I have a question, this forum provides the answer

Music software in Linux has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years; to the point where I've found 'no good reason' to use other operating systems for music (I do have an old Mac Pro, but I can't update it any more).

My goal in music is to combine the performances of real instruments, with virtual instruments (be it based on samples, or pure synthesis), and while last year was a creative lull, I hope that this year I can put together an environment that I can be confident in writing in again!

I'm sure that I'll lose many hours reading these forums, and I look forward to interacting (and possibly collaborating) with some cool people here!

Wishing you all the best,

unaHm

[Michael Willis]

Hi unaHm! Please ask questions as you experiment with making music.

For sampled instruments, you should keep an eye on this project: https://sfz.tools/sfizz/ It is already usable if you are up to compiling it yourself, and there should be an official 1.0 release soon. After several years of fighting with LinuxSampler, I'm really excited about sfizz.

What kinds of live instruments are you interested in recording?

[unaHm]

Michael,

Thanks for your reply! I've done a fair amount of recording of live instruments in the past, but the stuff I tend to do myself is Bass (Electric and Upright). I use an E-Drum kit to record MIDI for Drums, and from there onwards I tend to lean on SFZ/SF2 sample sets, and though I have Acoustic and Electric Guitars, I tend to program them in as I often find the sound sets to be more workable in mixes...plus you can change the sound at a later date.

I'm always on the hunt for good Piano/Keyboard players to work with, Drummers, Horn and String players, singers...basically anyone who isn't me that I can play Bass with

Thanks for the link to sfizz - that's definitely something that I'm interested in!

[Openmastering]

Hi unaHm,

It's not entirely clear to me what kind of music you want to do. It's clear how you want to do it (synth + real instruments) though.

My main advice would be to train yourself. Don't try to make a perfect release. Do as best as you can, sure, but you'll learn more producing 10 "ok" tracks than producing one "really good" track.

The main pitfall I see nowadays is that people try to do everything themselves because they have access to all the tools, and while I really respect this, I strongly believe that a good track is the result of a good synergy between musicians, producers, mixers, and mastering engineers.
Know your strength, build on it, keep learning.

[unaHm]

Thanks for the comments, Openmastering!

I tend to bounce around a lot of genres, but when I'm not in front of a computer I tend to play Jazz, Funk and Soul music live. I dream of being in a band like Snarky Puppy

When I'm recording, I do more of the same, plus some Rock music, but at that point I'm in front of the computer, so I'll also work on Electronic genres, such as Techno, Drum and Bass, and Hiphop (more along the lines of the sample-based compositions in that style formed around the AKAI MPC).

[Michael Willis]

I dream of being in a band like Snarky Puppy

Oooh, I really like Snarky Puppy. If you want to collaborate on some kind of neo-jazz music like that, I can record a clarinet track for you, and it would be fun to try some of the synth stuff as well.

[unaHm]

I dream of being in a band like Snarky Puppy

Oooh, I really like Snarky Puppy. If you want to collaborate on some kind of neo-jazz music like that, I can record a clarinet track for you, and it would be fun to try some of the synth stuff as well.

What more can I say than: that's a great idea!