I am very capable when it comes to graphics and programming. On my project i just got sound working this last week with SDL-mixer so i had some fun with scouring the internet for interesting sound fx. However, that's all i can do at this point, since i have zero knowledge in anything audio. I'm totally unfamiliar with the terminology even. I want to know how to be able to create and edit sound fx, but i would also like to know how to begin creating music. I don't know what i'm looking for. I have a feeling i might be good at it, but i have no knowledge, even in the "general field of audio". So, - what (linux compatible) apps can i use to tinker with sound fx? - what apps can i use to create music tracks? (what kind of equipment do i need to be able to do so?) - where can i go to get the beginner's crash course in audio basics? (terminology and description) Thanks for you help. All i'm really looking for are some links, but any personal input is appreciated as well.

If you want to learn some music theory, you could perhaps try this page, it looks quite reasonable.

This looks like it may also be of some use with some basic terminology, etc.

Audacity is an excellent free, and high-quality audio editor, and is available for Linux operating systems (as well as Win32). Muse is an MIDI sequencing program which may suit your needs, although I'm sure there are probably better sequencers available for Linux (I use Windows for my audio work, so I can't personally recommend any).

Here is a list of Linux audio software, have a bit of a look-see and see what you can find.

Anyways, those may be of some use to you, I'd suggest searching around yourself for some more resources.


(Note: this post constructed within 2 minutes with the aid of Google; research is your best friend)

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Original post by leiavoia - what (linux compatible) apps can i use to tinker with sound fx?

Well, I would recommend that you will start your journey at the AGNULA project website (EDIT: Kazgoroth's link is a bit better.. gotta bookmark that one myself.) I've used these apps for multitracking and editing:
Audacity. ecasound (google will find them)

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- what apps can i use to create music tracks? (what kind of equipment do i need to be able to do so?)

Do you want to record music (guitar, drums, bass)? If yes, then it might be a good idea to buy a sound card with multiple inputs and outputs (you can get a good 10 channel sound cards for 250 dollars). Also you will probably need a mixer and some microphones.. That will cost a lot of money, of course. You will also need a multitracker to edit and mix the recorded tracks.

If you want to create music on the computer you will probably need some sort of sequencer. I haven't really fiddled with those, so I can't help you much. A good drum machine that I've found (and used) is Hydrogen.

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- where can i go to get the beginner's crash course in audio basics? (terminology and description)

Get a good book :) Or even better, get more good books and use the Internet! Audio is a vast field, so there's a lot to learn.

Thanks for the help.

I don't own or know any "real" instruments, so i have no plans to do recording (that gets expensive), so i'm looking for pure-software audio. I'm not looking to be a big-shot audio guru, i'd just like to know what i'm talking about and be able to edit things to suit my needs, perhaps creating my own as well.

And i'm very capable of using Google, but i'm wanting to know what other people *actually use* and what works well and what does not.

Hydrogen looked pretty interesting. I'll look into that some more. Audacity i've heard of before, and i'll look into that as well.

Rose Garden is a free Linux MIDI sequencer. I fiddled with it for a bit and got it to play sound, but since I couldn't figure out how to get it to recognize MIDI over USB signals, I gave up (also, I'll be getting GarageBand 2 soon for my Mac, which does what I need).

If you're going to do music composition, you really should know how to play music of some kind, or at least be good at actively listening to music. I'm using a MIDI piano keyboard; I'd hate to have to key in each note manually. Of course, the keyboard adds to the cost of doing composition.

I never learned to play an instrument. However, i have the mental slant for music i think, since i have a background and natural inclination for visual arts. Audio and visual go hand-in-hand IMHO.

When i listen to music, i try to pick it apart, look for complex patterns, hear background sounds. I try to single out certain elements to see how they are played and how they all fit together and i often ask myself why a certain piece works well or not.

I just figured it would be a good time to get my feet wet.

www.musictheory.net

if you're looking for a program to make music with, i do have a suggestion. I personally started out making music using fruityloops 1, then moved to 3, now i use Reason (yes he went there lol). that was my personal journey. I recommend fruityloops because it taught me how to put basic sounds together. unfortunately it is very limited in what you can do, but it's a start to learn just the music creation part so that your ear and mind become better at putting sounds together. There are newer versions of FL that have expanded a lot more, but i don't personally look at fruityloops as a proffessional digital studio. that's why i moved to Reason. little did i know, using reason strengthens your ear for such things as audio clipping (engineering term for distortion) and allows you to do anything you want and also join it together with other programs using a feature called rewire that is built into it (but this program does cost a pretty penny - www.propellerheads.se).
there are many programs to use out there for music generation actually. i suggest downloading demo versions of many programs and see which one fits you (and your style(s) of music) best. You could also probably download FL through a share program (not that i reccommend that, but it's possible). back at college it seemed like everyone and their grandmother had FL. finding reason through a share program, well, you have a better chance at saving a gay whale. but it's really up to you and what you would like to do. i've just recently been enlightened to something called a tracker program. i've never used them, but maybe you might find some use for them. but make sure you're having fun while doing it in whichever program or media you choose (believe it or not, some people forget about having fun with their art). So there are my suggestions and i wish you the best of luck.