A new community to talk about your recording gear and I have a new toy

I thought there was a need for a community on Hive that talks about audio production. I did find one, but it has been inactive for a long time. I will keep maintaining this one and set up some moderators to help with that.

I am purely an amateur at audio work, but these days you can set up a home studio for not too much money. I really am the definition of 'all the gear and no idea', although I have done a fair bit of recording. I hope I can learn from other Hivers. If you are not sure what type of posts will be acceptable then just ask. I would say it is not the place to share your music unless you are using it as an example of production techniques. Other communities will find a bigger audience anyway. I want it to be a friendly place, but spam and abuse will not be tolerated.

I just upgraded my studio with a new audio interface. The Focusrite 4i4 gives me extra inputs so I can record various instruments at the same time. My old M-Audio was passed onto me by @stav and has served me well. I will try to find a new home for it.

One issue with the new interface is a lack of physical controls. You have to enable various settings via software and Focusrite do not provide a Linux version. Luckily someone has done the job for them with this application. I learned about it via the very useful Linux Musicians forum that I have been a member of for many years.

It may look complex, but it is basically about routing audio between various places. I am still getting to grips with it all. So far I do not have it working with the Ardour software that I use for recording, but I will ask around about that. I have recorded with other applications and had my drums playing through it.

I tend to deal with physical instruments rather than software-based ones, so the interface is a vital piece of equipment for me. I need to get the sound into the computer so I can manipulate it. I have various audio effects that come with Ubuntu Studio, but I have a lot to learn about how to make the most of them.

I know there are some popular music applications on Windows and Apple, but I prefer to stick with Linux for various reasons. I think the tools I need are available. I have seen people get great results with them and I will do some posts about what I use.

I will tag @stickupboys and @epodcaster as people who may be interested in the new community. Feel free to spread the word. I know some Hive communities are primarily about curation and rewards, but this one is about sharing knowledge.

Rock on!