Fedora 14 Musicians' Guide A guide to Fedora Linux's audio creation and music capabilities. Christopher Antila Musicians' Guide Fedora 14 Musicians' Guide A guide to Fedora Linux's audio creation and music capabilities. Edition 1 Author Christopher Antila [email protected] Copyright © 2010 Red Hat, Inc. and others. The text of and illustrations in this document are licensed by Red Hat under a Creative Commons Attribution–Share Alike 3.0 Unported license ("CC-BY-SA"). An explanation of CC-BY-SA is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. The original authors of this document, and Red Hat, designate the Fedora Project as the "Attribution Party" for purposes of CC-BY-SA. In accordance with CC-BY-SA, if you distribute this document or an adaptation of it, you must provide the URL for the original version. 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This document explores some audio-creation and music activities possible with Fedora Linux. Computer audio concepts are explained, and a selection of programs are demonstrated with tutorials showing typical usage. Preface xi 1. Document Conventions ................................................................................................... xi 1.1. Typographic Conventions ..................................................................................... xi 1.2. Pull-quote Conventions ........................................................................................ xii 1.3. Notes and Warnings ........................................................................................... xiii 2. We Need Feedback! ..................................................................................................... xiii I. Linux Audio Basics 1 1. Sound Cards and Digital Audio 3 1.1. Types of Sound Cards .......................................................................................... 3 1.1.1. Audio Interfaces ........................................................................................ 3 1.1.2. MIDI Interfaces .......................................................................................... 3 1.2. Sound Card Connections ...................................................................................... 3 1.2.1. Integrated into the Motherboard .................................................................. 4 1.2.2. Internal PCI Connection ............................................................................. 4 1.2.3. External FireWire Connection ..................................................................... 4 1.2.4. External USB Connection ........................................................................... 4 1.2.5. Choosing a Connection Type ..................................................................... 4 1.3. Sample, Sample Rate, Sample Format, and Bit Rate .............................................. 4 1.3.1. Sample ..................................................................................................... 5 1.3.2. Sample Format .......................................................................................... 5 1.3.3. Sample Rate ............................................................................................. 6 1.3.4. Bit Rate .................................................................................................... 6 1.3.5. Conclusions .............................................................................................. 6 1.4. Other Digital Audio Concepts ................................................................................ 6 1.4.1. MIDI Sequencer ........................................................................................ 6 1.4.2. Busses, Master Bus, and Sub-Master Bus .................................................. 7 1.4.3. Level (Volume/Loudness) ........................................................................... 7 1.4.4. Panning and Balance ................................................................................. 8 1.4.5. Time, Timeline, and Time-Shifting ............................................................... 9 1.4.6. Synchronization ....................................................................................... 10 1.4.7. Routing and Multiplexing .......................................................................... 10 1.4.8. Multichannel Audio .................................................................................. 11 2. Software for Sound Cards 13 2.1. How Linux Deals with Audio Hardware ................................................................ 13 2.2. Sound Servers ................................................................................................... 13 2.2.1. PulseAudio .............................................................................................. 13 2.2.2. JACK Audio Connection Kit ...................................................................... 14 2.2.3. Phonon ................................................................................................... 14 2.3. Using the JACK Audio Connection Kit .................................................................. 14 2.3.1. Installing and Configuring JACK ................................................................ 14 2.3.2. Using QjackCtl ........................................................................................ 15 2.3.3. Integrating PulseAudio with JACK .......................................................... 15 3. Real-Time and Low Latency 17 3.1. Why Low Latency Is Desirable ............................................................................ 17 3.2. Processor Scheduling ......................................................................................... 17 3.3. The Real-Time Linux Kernel ................................................................................ 18 3.4. Hard and Soft Real-Time .................................................................................... 18 3.5. Getting a Real-Time Kernel in Fedora Linux ......................................................... 18 4. Planet CCRMA at Home 21 4.1. About Planet CCRMA at Home ........................................................................... 21 iii Musicians' Guide 4.2. Deciding Whether to Use Planet CCRMA at Home ............................................... 21 4.2.1. Exclusive Software .................................................................................. 21 4.2.2. Security and Stability ............................................................................... 21 4.2.3. A Possible "Best Practices" Solution ......................................................... 22 4.3. Using Software from Planet CCRMA at Home ...................................................... 22 4.3.1. Installing the Planet CCRMA at Home Repositories .................................... 23 4.3.2. Set Repository Priorities ........................................................................... 23 4.3.3. Prevent a Package from Being Updated .................................................... 24 II. Audio and Music Software 25 5. Audacity 27 5.1. Knowing When to Use Audacity .......................................................................... 27 5.2. Requirements and Installation ............................................................................. 27 5.2.1. Software Requirements ............................................................................ 27 5.2.2. Hardware Requirements ........................................................................... 27 5.2.3. Standard Installation ................................................................................ 27 5.2.4. Installation with MP3 Support ................................................................... 28 5.2.5. Post-Installation Test: Playback ................................................................. 28 5.2.6. Post-Installation Test: Recording ............................................................... 28 5.3. Configuration ...................................................................................................... 29 5.3.1. When You Run Audacity for the First Time ................................................ 29 5.3.2. Configuring Audacity for Your Sound Card ................................................. 29 5.3.3. Setting the Project's Sample Rate and Format ........................................... 30 5.4. The Interface ...................................................................................................... 31 5.5. Recording .........................................................................................................