Drivetime - music and video by Used Soyuz

For my first go on my new-old Linux laptop I took audio from NASA of Martian wind and driving sounds recorded by Perseverance: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multim...​ I then 'Paulstretched' (clip length x 10) the sample in Audacity and added some bleeps in LMMS on my recently-flashed Linux laptop (mostly using TAL-Noisemaker, and one Synth1 preset). The video was edited in Kdenlive, which seems much happier than on the Pi 400.

My old new Linux machine

So, I realised that while my Pi 400 will run LMMS, it only runs older versions (due to its ARM chip?), and not the VSTs (soft synths) that I want to play with. So I took my old Lenovo ThinkPad, and reflashed it with Linux (Ubuntu Studio). It now whizzes along with LMMS, Audacity and Kdenlive. I have had some problems getting individual VSTs installed (I still don't get what WINE really does if it's not an emulator), but I am in the VST business. Which begs the question - what shall I do next with my Pi 400? How about going right back where I started, with Sonic Pi?

Cloudspotting One by Used Soyuz

I wanted to make this one simple, so I could focus on practising with mixer channels, effects and automation in LMMS, with EQ and mastering in Audacity. The video has timelapse footage done on my phone with Stop Motion Studio and YouCut on my Pixel 3a, and was edited in Kdenlive on my Pi 400, which took ten times longer to render than my phone does.

I might make this track the first of a series of variations, or I might see sense.

Choice and Chance - music and animation by Used Soyuz

I am learning more about what I can and can't do (next or ever) with Linux music composition. 

This is composed entirely on the Pi 400 in LMMS, using its bundled SID and Triple Oscillator synths (Mad Mind and Future Bass presets), and my first downloaded Soundfonts. There's a background drone sound from zapsplat.com, and I just used Audacity for final mastering. 

The music suggested the video style to use, which I have added to with some top-quality stop motion animation. I had problems rendering my multiple video sources in Kdenlive, so I've rendered it in WEBM instead of MP4 as an experiment.

Return To Mars - music by Used Soyuz

Created to mark the arrival of three Mars missions (China's Tianwen-1, UAE's Hope and NASA's Perseverance) and in anticipation of a successful landing by Perseverance. Cobbled together on my Pi 400 using Audacity for vocal and telemetry samples, and LMMS for composition. The video (and captions) was originally by Science Fellow, edited with Kdenlive.

Look Up (Lateral Flow Mix) by Used Soyuz

My first go at remixing one of my own tunes. Here's 'Look Up' pushed back through Audacity again on the Pi 400, with far too much reverb and wahwah. It's my tune, so I'll do what I like with it.

Look Up by Used Soyuz

A year into the pandemic, this contemporary composer finally gets round to a lockdown song. Composed on my new Raspberry Pi 400 using LMMS, with Audacity for the vocal overdub. I also used the Pi to edit the video, using Kdenlive for the first time. I hope you enjoy it.