The call of a penguin, the roar of a steam train and many other sounds today we take for granted. Yet over 130 years ago was it only possible to hear these sounds in real life, recorded sound did not exist. Along came the cylinder phonograph and everything changed. Today we live in a world full of multimedia allowing us to experience what comes from lands afar.
As Linux continues to evolve, so have its audio offerings. Today Linux has quite a number of audio related applications related to playing, editing, and composing.
Together we shall explore audio on Linux in the following manner:
Part 1 - Audio review With emphasis on achieving high quality sound reproduction we shall review the basics of what is sound, best practices, the sources it comes from (CD, 12", MP3) and how to distinguish quality sound from regular sound. We shall also speak of note worthy general audio hardware and various audiophile myths.
Part 2 - Linux + PC hardware support We shall discuss getting the most out of your hardware, working with ALSA and the various sound servers, and what to look for, what to look out for when buying audio hardware.
Part 3 - Linux + Music Playing, Managing While applications like Winamp and iTunes rule the Windows world, Linux rocks too with Amarok and Rhythmbox. Simply playing MP3's is a thing of the past for today our applications can help us sort/organize our music, find cover art, rip our CD's and manage our MP3 players. (We shall discuss which MP3 players work our Linux apps too!)
Part 4 - Linux + Recording / Converting / Editing While great at playback, Linux can also make recording sounds, converting between various file formats and editing sound easy as well. Together we shall learn various tasks including ripping Internet broadcasts/radio, convert your MP3's to OGG, and editing sound files with Audacity.
Part 5 - Linux + Digital DJing Not only can your Linux machine rock great tunes, but now it can be the life of the party! Using software like UltraMixer and Mixxx one can mix music live for hours on end. Such software will be demonstrated live! (Additionally we shall explore far more advanced hardware/software/digital-vinyl combinations.)
Further Information:
* ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) http://www.alsa-project.org/
Sunny is a long time Linux user, DJ (trance, progressive, house), and has recently graduated Polytechnic University with a bachelor's in Business.
Sunny has been seen at many FOSS events, including several previous presentations at NYLUG, and has been randomly recognized on the street for his NYLUG appearances.
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