Use linux and NON DAW

Post fully complete "how to" guides and tutorials here. This is a great place to get feedback on stuff you might put in the wiki.

Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz

Post Reply
apehuf
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:33 pm

Use linux and NON DAW

Post by apehuf »

Hi all.
I'm totally new to this forum and linux.
I have no clue how to use linux but I'd like to be able to play about on "NON-Timeline" DAW, since I've heard its a simple program and need something basic to get me back into making music.
The only problem is that I have no idea how to get it and I would very-much like someone to tell me step by step what to do as if I had the mental capacity of a toddler since I've always used windows.
Thanks.
tavasti
Established Member
Posts: 2047
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:56 am
Location: Kangasala, Finland
Has thanked: 369 times
Been thanked: 208 times
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by tavasti »

More info about Non: http://non.tuxfamily.org/wiki/About

Non is not mainstream app, and therefore it's not found packaged in most distributions.

KXStudio has it packaged, so if you are using Debian / Ubuntu, you'll get it there. I thinks also Arch has it.

And for Non-daw, indeed it's simple as of not containing bells and whistles. However, using it may not be simplest task. For example, after editing your recordings, you can't export it to wav-file. Instead you play it throu mixer app (containing effects, etc), and from mixer you record your masterpiece.
For recording you can use non-daw, and find your recording from NSM\ Sessions/YOUR-SESSION-NAME/Non-DAW.nXXXX/sources. Or record that to audacity?

I personally like Non, but since it's not very common, getting help for it is not so easy. You can't find tutorial video on youtube, etc. Non mailinglist is helpfull: http://non.tuxfamily.org/wiki/Community

For using Non, you need to know jack audio routing. Sure, for most of the linux audio programs, that's same thing.

For basic workflow for recording & mixing audio with Non, you probably want to:

- Start non-session-manager
- Start non-timeline, non-mixer from there
- Start patchage / qjackctl to make audio routings

Then maybe recording audio directly to non-timeline, edit it, mix it with mixer. I personally get my beats from Hydrogen, and synth melodies with non-sequencer. Nice thing in Non is properly done jack integration. Pressing Play/Record on non-timeline will start hydrogen & sequencer, all in sync. That way, you don't need to record drums or synths to non-timeline, because you can mix them in just on final stage (if you want).

Linux veteran & Novice musician

Latest track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVrgGtrBmM

phil123456
Established Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 7:12 pm

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by phil123456 »

non is not appearing in qjackctl patch bay
any idea how to solve this ?
there is no option in NoN to make it run as "jack compatible mode afaik
tavasti
Established Member
Posts: 2047
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:56 am
Location: Kangasala, Finland
Has thanked: 369 times
Been thanked: 208 times
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by tavasti »

phil123456 wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 2:08 pm non is not appearing in qjackctl patch bay
any idea how to solve this ?
there is no option in NoN to make it run as "jack compatible mode afaik
Which part of non you are launching? Anyway, is it timeline or mixer, you need to add there channel / strip what could be connected.

Linux veteran & Novice musician

Latest track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVrgGtrBmM

User avatar
milo
Established Member
Posts: 1242
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:55 am
Location: Southern Utah, USA
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 218 times
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by milo »

@apehuf: Back to your original question. If you are a Windows user with limited Linux experience, then you may be biting off more than you can chew all at once by diving headfirst into the Non-world. You need a fallback option. I won't discourage you from taking on a challenge, and Non is powerful and fun, very Unix-y, and all that, but if it turns out to be too much to take in, then try Audacity. Most people can get Audacity up and running without too much trouble.

Then when you feel up to it, dig into Non again and see if you can tackle it the second time around.
tavasti
Established Member
Posts: 2047
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:56 am
Location: Kangasala, Finland
Has thanked: 369 times
Been thanked: 208 times
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by tavasti »

milo wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 4:54 pm @apehuf: Back to your original question. If you are a Windows user with limited Linux experience, then you may be biting off more than you can chew all at once by diving headfirst into the Non-world.
Please note dates, maybe he has done something else meanwhile :-)

Linux veteran & Novice musician

Latest track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVrgGtrBmM

User avatar
milo
Established Member
Posts: 1242
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:55 am
Location: Southern Utah, USA
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 218 times
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by milo »

LOL, sorry. Just trying to be helpful. :)
studio32

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by studio32 »

something
Last edited by studio32 on Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Baba-Gau
Established Member
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:28 pm
Location: Volos, Greece
Contact:

Re: Use linux and NON DAW

Post by Baba-Gau »

About audacity i can say that here in Greece, many people, amateur to semi pro, especially of older age, usually into folk music, with almost no experience in computers, use audacity as a daw. It is not realtime but since they can record in new layers, add fx and adjust volumes... what else do they need... :roll:
Post Reply