Have you heard of open source software? I’ve grown to really enjoy it. It’s amazing the resources you can access for free (legally!). Even though I don’t know how to build on programs, I love the freedom to tweak and change available with open source software. There’s an accompanying video toward the end of the post with some highlights too.
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My album, “Stay Home…& listen to harp improv,” was recorded using Audacity, an open source program discussed below. I have another project coming out in the near future, so watch for that too! If you listen & aren’t amazed by the quality, that is almost definitely the engineer/producer’s fault (aka my fault), not the software’s fault. I still have a lot to learn!
I don’t understand why more companies, small business, & people in general don’t use it more. It’s probably a combination of not knowing about it & really big budgets. This post should help you if you didn’t know about open source, and if you’ve got the problem of too big a budget, you’re welcome to shop Fischarper stuff. ๐ I linked to the Fischarper shop, so I’m clearly not saying that everything needs to be free and/or open source. But it’s a great resource, so why not try it out?
Before I share some of my favorite open source programs, let’s answer a few questions: what is it & why use it.
What is open source?
Open source doesn’t just mean free. Be cautious, & make sure you aren’t getting malicious content (like viruses) any time you download something. Open source is usually community-driven, and the source code is available for anyone to modify. Research that definition to make sure I got it right. Even though I’m writing a post on open source software, I’m still not completely clear on everything.
Why use these programs?
I for one am cheap…errr thrifty. And I also feel pretty strongly about not pirating music, software, etc. (Plus, who wants a virus? Not me.) I don’t say this as meaning that I’m perfect, but I do think it’s important that we respect other creatives’ work & don’t steal it. Ok. End of soapbox. For now.
By choosing to use open source software, you can legally save money. If it’s a subscription service that you’re replacing, even more #winning. And you’re not stealing software. Plus, it feels pretty cool, kinda hipster, & it’s kind of a little community.
Below are some of my faves. Some I’ve used more than others.
MuseScore
This. Is. AWESOME! It’s notation software (think Finale or Sibelius) that’s free! Yes please. There are even harp notation plug ins.
I use MuseScore for the arrangements that I have available on Sheet Music Plus,* & this program was even mentioned at Lyon & Healy’s Harptacular Orlando.
Mozilla Thunderbird
This is from the same people that bring us the web browser Mozilla Firefox. It’s an email application. I use it for my biz email. Then I can add a signature image, but don’t have to use Google Suite & don’t have to send the very computer-y looking text that shows up if I try to send an email straight from the server (is it from the server? the host? I don’t know).
I’m not ridiculously thrilled with Thunderbird, but it does the job just fine. I would like to be able to add a signature with links in it, but I haven’t found an open source email client that I’d like to replace Thunderbird with. Have any suggestions? Please leave them in the comments!
Mozilla Firefox
Speaking of Mozilla, Firefox is a nice internet browser.
Open Office
This is similar to Microsoft Office. I don’t use this exclusively, but it does come in handy.
Open Office can be a little frustrating, especially at first, but it’s definitely usable. It’s worth a try!
LibreOffice is worth looking into, but I don’t have much experience with it (yet?). It looks like it’s based off of Open Office, but I’m not sure. I’m still learning. ๐
Olive
Oh, Olive, how I loved thee. This is a video editing program. It’s still in beginning stages (I think it’s still in alpha), but it’s awesome! If you use Adobe Premiere, consider trying out Olive as a free replacement, especially if you don’t use the advanced features of Premiere. I believe Olive is planned to be very similar to Premiere though. I used this to edit a lot of my YouTube videos.
Kdenlive
I recently ran into a problem with Olive crashing when I’d try to export a video, so started using Kdenlive. I might stick with that, or I might go back to olive if the exporting issue gets sorted out. Or maybe I’ll use some of each, or a different program….who knows! There are other options too, such as OpenShot & Shotcut.
Gimp
Olive is to Premiere what Gimp is to Photoshop.
I use Gimp for YouTube thumbnails, blog images, & some social media images. (Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook? How about Pinterest?)
I have a few issues I’ve had with Gimp, but it’s possible that I just don’t know what I’m doing. Sometimes if I resize a layer too much, it seems to get blurry. I don know that I’ve had the issue for awhile. Rotating text also seems (or at least seemed) to make the text blurry. Give it a try though (if you want), because it could have been operator error. But I’ll take these inconveniences to a monthly subscription!
Audacity
Audacity has been around for awhile. It’s an open source audio recording & editing program. I used it for this album & the audio for this video. The imperfections in the recordings are most likely operator error & not Audacity’s fault.
Linux Ubuntu Studio
I feel like Linux is the granddaddy of open source. I don’t use Linux exclusively, but I recommend trying it out if you’ve got an old computer you aren’t using. Be sure to try it out & make sure you want to use it before wiping out your main operating system (such as Windows or Mac). I really like it. While it might take a little getting used to, you actually don’t have to be super techy to use it.
There are many “distros” (versions). I’ve enjoyed Ubuntu Studio.
Honorable Mention: Ardour
Ardour gets an honorable mention because I haven’t figured it out yet. But I want to! It’s a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): think FL Studio, Ableton, ProTools.
And there are 8(ish) of my fave open source programs to use for my biz. Did you know there’s even an open source social site? It’s kind of a Twitter alternative, called Mastodon.
If you’re a musician interested in open source, give this article a read; it’s inspiring & eye-opening to what you can do! Stay tuned for an upcoming “5 Questions with…” post featuring some more about open source & music, & check out “5 Questions with… Toby W. Rush, “which also touches on open source, as well as Creative Commons.
What do you love using in your music biz? Please let us all know on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below!
And if you have any questions, be sure to drop them in the comments too. I’m not an open source expert, but I do enjoy it. ๐
-Barbara
Video edited with Kdenlive
Thumbnail edited with Gimp
A few sources:
(Old) Linux penguin (Tux)
Sunglasses
Mockup
A few YouTube channels to explore for more open source info:
๐ง TuxDesigner
๐ง TjFree
Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here.ย And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.
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