Summary

In this chapter we:

• Installed LMMS
• Found out where LMMS put all of its contents
• Explored how to get audio into LMMS
• Talked about the function of microphones and audio interfaces
• Talked about how to get our listening environment tuned up
• Explored the differences between using a laptop and a desktop computer

What we've done in this chapter is lay the foundation for our journey making music in LMMS. Making electronic music is a blast, and we tend to let the basic disciplines of organization, preparation, and health go out the window when we want to get started RIGHT NOW.

The thing is, when we have the right gear for the job, LMMS is more stable. When we understand where our resources are, we are never more than a couple of clicks from our presets and sample libraries. When we make bad choices in a project, we can go back to an earlier version. If we understand how sound and MIDI are used by our operating system, we can troubleshoot problems. If we want to remix or sample other artists, there are many places to do so legally. When we have a room and headphones we can trust to tell us what's going on in our mix, our music sounds better.

This chapter was installing more than just applications, hard drives, and samples. We're installing confidence in our studio. That confidence helps creativity flow from us, knowing that we can trust our system, our ethics, our ears, and our personal style of production, be it on the run or rooted in the lab at home.

Now that the prep work has been done, let's get our feet wet!