Music tech

Linux Music: LMMS, Linux’s Own “Fruity Loops”?

Peter Kirn - November 28, 2005
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Sure, we’ve heard lots of promises about Linux audio before, but until Linux gets a killer app for actual music making, what’s the point? Enter LMMS, the Linux MultiMedia Studio. LMMS is a loop-friendly, all-in-one tracker / sequencer / groove-maker with built-in instruments, a la FL Studio (aka Fruity Loops) on Windows. In contrast to other Linux audio outings this far, the interface isn’t daunting at all. The instrument lineup looks a little limited so far, but it’s still under development (and it sends MIDI, so you could round up some garage sale synths).


Serious competitor for the likes of FL Studio and Reason? Doesn’t look like. A way to make music simply without spending a lot of cash? Very possibly, especially with a free OS and the ability to build basic Linux hardware systems for a few hundred dollars. And in this age of tech haves and have-nots, that’s good news. Anyone out there using this?

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  • Steve

    Is there a fix for the tripleoscillator-plugin? If so, where do I find it?

  • Curtis

    hi i whould like to use lmms but missing tripleoscillator-plugin i run PClinuxOS is there a fix or somting for this ?

    Kind regards

    Curtis

  • yea i use lmms and fruity loops although currently frooty loops does whoop lmms, lmms is coming on nicley, give it a little longer to mature and, hey you never know !

  • Allan

    I Just Made The Switch From Xp To Freespire…I've Been Wating To Make This Move Since Jan 05. I'm Glad I've Left Windows Behind…What Sucks Is That ImageLine Doesn't Seem To Want To Port FL To Linux…Hopefully adam said "LMMS Will Reach The Same Heights"

  • LMMS, while still young, definitely has it in for FL. Good strong performance, and I love the way it can have either a gimp or FL feel. but, if IL ports FL, and offers for free, I'd probably use it.

  • dude..

    WELCOME, linux user + 10 years, and MC / DJ.

    I suggest WINE….

    WINE and isohunt.com , rofl

  • perd

    does anyone know, if standard vst plugins works in LMMS?

  • Working great on Ubuntu 7.10 64bit.

  • knifemonkey

    a modern linux system (like sidux for example), combined with a realtime kernel is -the- best foundation for a audio production computer. although realtime kernels are not for the feignt of heart, definately worth looking into if your a hardcore music student or artist.

  • Justin

    ah hah. 64 bit, 1 gig front side bus, 10 gigs of RAM, etc., and everything works with everything.

    Right now, I was trying to coordinate getting the missing tripleoscillator-plugin into the Synaptic installer from LMMS at ##lmms on irc://chat.freenode.net/lmms.

    But it's starting to look like maybe a hardware deficiency keeping it from happening?

  • Hi

    I used Fl Studio for years to create hiphop beats in windows, When I switched to Linux over 3 years ago, I started Using Lmms. It is actually a very good program for creating music, I use it for ALL my demo's. Its obviously still in Development, and Alot more features/instruments etc will be added in time, but I think it is Already As Good As FL Studio. Listen to some of my demo's.. http://www.myspace.com/kaddy080

    cheers.

    kaddy

  • William V

    LMMS has come a long way. It reminds me of Fruity Loops in it's early stages around '00 or so. It's not quite up to par with FL, but I can't complain at all, since for the longest time having vsts and softsynths in linux seemed to be a myth. I opened it up, tested it, it worked! Everything made sound, wow. What more can I ask for? I have confidence that if they've gotten this far, in the next 5 years or so, they may surpass FL in quality. Once people see that they don't have to pay $100 or more on FL to make simple beats, people may adopt this program as it becomes more refined. Right now it's just a matter of people noticing it, and the presets and such that are found in it will start to go up in quality as musicians find this free program. Believe it or not, this LMMS poses a great threat in the long run if dedicated programmers keep refining it and more and musicians seek it out. The programmers should introduce quirks to it over time that aren't found in FL if it were possible. The impact analysis is good.

  • William V

    BTW, in Linux Mint 7, LMMS comes as an install option under the software install program called Mintinstall.

  • Serk

    LMMS is nowhere near where it needs to be, the synths sound like crap, the drum samples are garbage, and the Vestige plugin that is supposed to run standard Vst's is glitchy, freezes up and causes the program to be unresponsive, It would be nice if the program actually worked as it should, but you know what they say you get what you pay for, and it's obvious the quality isn't there being that it's a free program that produces music that belongs on an old school atari 2600 game, Think i will have to stick with the demo of FL studio and be happy with it and some free vst plugins, at least my sound will be decent. This program is in no way a threat to FL studio, or any other DAW