About this book

Who this book is for

Maybe you are new to digital recording. Maybe you are curious about Linux. Maybe you have been using a Digital Audio Workstation, but are interested in getting away from the Microsoft/Apple duopoly or just want to try a new DAW. Maybe you have already been using Ubuntu Studio, but would like to explore more of it's features or could use a trusty handbook as a quick reference. This guide to home digital recording and music production with Ubuntu Studio is for the amateur or semi-professional (professionals welcome, too!) musician.

No knowledge of Ubuntu is required - this book in not an Ubuntu manual, but will cover the basics of the operating system needed to use the music software, including installation and command line operations. If you have used a PC or Mac, you already know just about everything you need to know and will be in very familiar territory.

Why buy this book?

• Complete overview of native and non-native instrument and effect plugins, multitrack recording software, touching on synthesizer programming and review how to share your recordings online while stating your intentions for use via Creative Commons.
• Learn advanced techniques like synthesizer programming, creating soundfonts, turning your guitar into a MIDI controller, track automation, basic mastering, and more.

• Save time - no need to wade through online forums or watch slow-paced YouTube video tutorials – go straight to the information you need.

• Save money – Ubuntu Studio and all of the bundled software are free. And Ubuntu is closely tied to the kernel, meaning it runs very fast, even on older computers. If you have an old PC that could not take the Windows 10 upgrade, it could have a second life as a music workstation We cover this in detail in the next chapter.

How to use this book

You might be stuck on something. This book may or may not provide the answer, but it will show that, with a little patience, you can get un-stuck from whatever the problem is. I tried everything as I wrote – demonstrating that “it really does do that”. Maybe there's a buried menu, hard-to-find checkbox, or something needs to be restarted/re-installed. The point is: knowing what's possible is valuable in itself because it shows persistence will be rewarded.

• There is no need to read this book cover-to-cover. It's fine to skip over things you know to the things you want to learn about.
• Have a book marker at hand so you can try things out as you go. Do put the book to one side and open a new project or noodle around with presets whenever the mood strikes.
• Callouts like the one below contain helpful tips.
• Your feedback is welcome at the book web site, where you can also find a few free downloads.

About the Author

I have been a semi-professional keyboard player and home recording enthusiast since the 1970's, and have used Ubuntu Studio for over five years. By profession, I am a web developer. Bits of my writing have appeared in the pages of the now-defunct WebTechniques magazine, I contributed an episode to the StarDate radio program, and have had other writing published here and there. This is my first book. The online forums, assorted manuals, and YouTube videos are great, especially on narrow topics – many links to these resources are provided throughout the this handbook. While there are many books about Ubuntu, they do not cover the music software, I was never able to find a book on the Ubuntu Studio distribution. My hope is that, like me, you just want to see how things work and get on with making music.

Acknowledgements

My thanks goes out to the entire open source community for sharing their work. I pledge to donate ten percent of the proceeds from this book to support further maintenance and development of Ubuntu Studio's components. Please consider donating to any shareware that you find yourself using frequently.

Thanks to Dan Reppert and Tom Connell for their input and advice.