Audio/Video Tools

We use a carefully-selected collection of open source tools and applications for our audio/video production work at MousePaw Media.

Warning

These exact programs must be used for internal company work – no substitutions are permitted without written approval from the department lead.

These installation instructions are only written for Linux distributions based on Ubuntu 22.04. If you’re using a different Linux distribution, you may need to adjust these instructions.

If you are working with Design and Production or Mass Communication, we strongly recommend installing all of these tools, except for those under the “Optional” section below, regardless of your specific assignments.

Codecs

MousePaw Media uses entirely open source audio and video formats (codecs). However, from time to time, it may become necessary to import or export from proprietary codecs, such as .MP3.

To install support for these codecs, you should run the following…

sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

When prompted, accept the EULA for the Microsoft Fonts (or reject it, if you so choose). To do so, use your arrow keys to highlight an option, and press ENTER to select.

Audacity (v2.3 or later)

-Audacity* is a robust open source audio editor, on par with tools like Adobe Audition®.

It can be installed in one of several ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install audacity

It’s available via Snapcraft:

sudo snap install audacity

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub org.audacityteam.Audacity

Handbrake (v1.3 or later)

-Handbrake* converts video between formats, as well as adjusting resolution, aspect ratio, and many more advanced options.

It can be installed in one of several ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install handbrake

It’s available via Snapcraft:

sudo snap install handbrake-jz

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub fr.handbrake.ghb

Kdenlive (v19.12 or later)

-Kdenlive* is an open source, non-linear video editor. It has support for multiple codecs, and provides many useful effects and tools for professional video editing.

It can be installed in one of several ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install kdenlive

It’s available via Snapcraft:

sudo snap install kdenlive

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenlive

MuseScore (v3.2 or later)

-MuseScore* is a free and open source sheet music authoring program, with support for MIDI input and playback. It is a near drop-in replacement for Finale® software, sporting full support of all notation for sheet music, including guitar tablatures, lyrics, linked parts, and multiple instruments.

All our original music is written in MuseScore.

It can be installed in one of several ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install musescore3

It’s available via Snapcraft:

sudo snap install musescore

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub org.musescore.MuseScore

Optional Software

If you’re going to be doing heavy-duty music or audio production, and need something more powerful than Audacity, check out these applications.

Note

If you have no need for these tools, just skip this section.

Ardour (v5) and JACK

-Ardour* is a full-fledged Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), similar to programs like Avid Pro Tools® or Apple Logic Pro®. It is free on Ubuntu, and one of the most inexpensive options for Windows and Mac.

Ardour relies on JACK Audio Connection Kit [JACK], a powerful, low-latency sound server. We’ll be setting that up as well.

sudo apt install ardour5 qjackctl pulseaudio-module-jack

That command will install all three packages, plus their dependencies. When you reach the “Configuring jackd2” screen, we recommend selecting <Yes>. (To select an option, highlight your choice with your arrow keys and press ENTER.)

Now we need to change some limits, so Ardour can run.

sudo adduser $USER audio
sudo nano /etc/security/limits.conf

Ensure the following line is in the file. If you don’t see it, add it towards the bottom of the file, just above the # END OF FILE line.

@audio          -       memlock         unlimited

Save and quit by pressing Ctrl+O, ENTER, and Ctrl+X.

You can now control JACK from Qjackctl. You shouldn’t need to change any of its settings in Setup...; the defaults work on Ubuntu 20.04. You can route audio between your different inputs and outputs using the Connect option, and then you can start JACK with Start.

Note

Your normal system sound will stop while JACK is running, as it will take over sound playback from PulseAudio, the system default sound server.

-Ardour* - Official Website: https://ardour.org/ - Documentation: http://manual.ardour.org/toc/ - Tutorials: http://write.flossmanuals.net/ardour/introduction/

-JACK* - Official Website: http://www.jackaudio.org/

-QJackCtl* - Official Website: https://qjackctl.sourceforge.io/

Audio Recorder (v3.1 or later)

-Audio Recorder* is a simple tool for quickly recording audio directly from the audio output or microphone.

We can install this from the official PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:audio-recorder/ppa
sudo apt install audio-recorder

DVDStyler (3.1 or later)

-DVDStyler* allows you to create production-quality DVDs with custom, hand-crafted menus.

We will install DVDStyle fro the unofficial PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/dvdstyler
sudo apt install dvdstyler

Hydrogen (v1.0 or later)

-Hydrogen* is a drum machine with some very high quality samples. When used properly, there is little to no discernable difference between a Hydrogen drumtrack and a live drumtrack.

It can be installed in one of two ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems, which you can install along with all of its extra drumkits:

sudo apt install hydrogen hydrogen-drumkits hydrogen-drumkits-effects

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub org.hydrogenmusic.Hydrogen

If you have installed Ardour and JACK, you may need to change Hydrogen to use PulseAudio under ordinary circumstances. To do this, start Hydrogen. Go to Tools ‣ Preferences. Select Audio System and set it to PulseAudio for ordinary use.

Note

You can also select Jack if you want to route the output directly into Ardour, although this is rarely useful.

LMMS (v1.2 or later)

-LMMS* is a synthesizer and digital audio workstation, similar in many ways to Apple GarageBand®.

It can be installed in one of two ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install lmms

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub io.lmms.LMMS

In many cases, LMMS works best with JACK. (See Ardour (v5) and JACK)

Open Broadcaster Software (25.x or later)

-Open Broadcaster Software [OBS]* is considered one of the best streaming and screen recording programs in existence. It has full support for webcams, microphones, screen capture, and media playback. You can use it to record to a file, or to stream live to most major streaming services.

It can be installed in one of several ways (select ONE):

It’s available from the main repositories on Debian-based systems:

sudo apt install obs-studio

It’s available via Snapcraft:

sudo snap install obs-studio

Or, install via Flatpak from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio